Got this beauty in. Fit and finish are perfect. This is my first Para3 so I love how it very closely resembles my beloved Para2, just in a smaller package. Also love this steel. This would absolutely take over a significant amount of carry time, but a few issues will likely result in me passing this along to someone else.
I really really really wish they would have done something else with that lanyard hole. It's either too big, or is not placed ideally, or a combination of the two. This results in the clip running so far down the handle, that it catches on my middle finger when getting a grip to open or close, and also jabs into the pad of my hand with a normal grip during use, and I have fairly average sized hands. Maybe a deep carry clip would resolve that, maybe not. I would rather see no lanyard hole than the current configuration, besides creating an uncomfortable grip it makes the knife a very shallow pocket carry. Or somehow figure out how to get the wire clip into the design like I see they did with the LW, which would be ideal imo.
Speaking of clips, as an aside, why does Spyderco not offer a deep carry clip option, even as an additional purchase? I don't really understand why that is missing, and since so many models share the same clips it's not like it would add a crazy amount of new parts to deal with. No doubt they would be very popular. Sure aftermarket clips exist, but they are never quite the same level of quality you get from the OEM. Anyway, I digress.
I also think the spydie hole could be reduced in size, because this knife is just as wide as the Para2. A slightly smaller hole would allow for the overall dimensions to scale down a bit better. The scale thickness could also be reduced slightly, but that's much lower on the wish list then the overall width factor. If you're going for a smaller version of something, why not scale most if not all attributes to keep that overall balance intact that we all know and love from the Para2. You could even add reducing the blade (spine) thickness to that list, but again, more of a minor thing. I'm sure it all has to do with cost of manufacturing, but in the end the product suffers a bit as a result.
I really really want to love this knife, because M390 is one of my favorite blade steels, and the color is rad. For what it is as far as the Para3 goes, this exclusive was executed amazingly well, and my only gripes are more general about the Para3 itself. For those who are in love with the Para3 though, and you are into this blade steel, you really can't go wrong here and this one is a no-brainer. I only wish there was a sale forum on here somewhere I could offer it up at c+s to another member who missed out on this one. If anyone has any ideas on how to go about doing that within the forum rules, please shoot me a message.
