Back in the Spyder Web

[MichaelScott]

After a long absence dealing with my health issues and selling off most of my knives, I am now back on the forum if not consistently at least somewhat regularly. My cancer is doing what they normally do but we’ve managed to slow things down somewhat. Thinking about my restricted activities these days I decided that having three knives for various purposes was the best choice I can make right now. So, I am keeping two of my Great Eastern Cutlery traditional slip joints, and I have just ordered a new Para 4, S30V, plain edge, black and black. In my experience this will be the best larger, in comparison to my slip joints, knife that will serve me well on a day-to-day basis.

So now I will get to comment on it and some of the other posts and ideas that cross this form. I have missed conversations with many folks here and although I can’t make up for lost time I can certainly jump back in the deep end.

[Sharp Guy]

Good to hear from you Michael! Keep fighting it! We're here if you need anything

[MichaelScott]

Thanks a lot. Support from my friends really means a lot these days. And remember, you are the one responsible for me getting this new Para 3. I’m sure I said it before but, thanks again, really appreciate it. Stay safe. Stay healthy.


Michael

[The Meat man]

Good to have you back Michael! Your contributions have been missed.
Glad to hear things have settled down a bit for you!

[Wartstein]

After a long absence dealing with my health issues and selling off most of my knives, I am now back on the forum if not consistently at least somewhat regularly.

I am still rather new to this forum compared to many others, but we´ve already chatted a bit in the past as far as I remember and I always liked your posts, what you have to say and the way you do that!

Glad you´re back, hope we´ll read quite a bit from you in the coming time! :)

All the best to you,

Gernot

[Sumdumguy]

Welcome back, I was worried when you went dark.

Glad you're still on the right side of the dirt!

[Surfingringo]

What’s up MS? Good to see you! That para 3 is a great choice. Bigger than the slippies without being a “Big” knife. Personally, I much prefer the LW version but I like frn over G10 in most designs. Enjoy it! Simple pleasures are the best kind.

[legOFwhat?]

Welcome back Michael! Great to hear you're still fighting the fight!

[flasharry]

Welcome back!

[bearrowland]

Michael, I'm still fairly new here too, but I'm glad you're back and Godspeed to you sir!

[SpyderNut]

Welcome back, Michael. Was just thinking about you the other day. Glad to hear you’re doing better and getting back into the fray. :)

[tbdoc4kids]

Glad to have you back in the web!

[MichaelScott]

Thanks, everyone. It is good to be back. I’m making every day a good day. Nothing like an incurable condition to focus your mind and separate the meaningful from the bull droppings. I’ve had more time to write (see my Ace Hotel Notebook link in my signature line if you are interested) and, as Lance so ably pointed out, the simple things are the best.

I intend to manfully resist my former addiction to acquiring ever more knives. That could of course change should our disposable income take an unexpected bound upward, but I won’t be trading in that futures market. Having had a number of Spyderco knives over the years I have been fortunate to have actually experienced which are suitable for me and my requirements. You can’t tell that about a knife by looking at the pictures. Or, god help us, at the vast majority of the long and rambling so-called review videos on the internet. I think the best informative knife review was when Lance whipped out his new Waterway and set about immediately filleting a mackerel on his pickup’s tailgate. Told me everything I needed to know.

I digress. Last year I believe it was, when the Para 3 controversy (it is great, it sucks, what’s it good for, love, hate, blah, blah,…) I was interested in it but had a difficult time finding what I considered objective opinions. Well, that is self-contradictory. Let’s say reasonable opinions. Then Sharp Guy popped up and sent me one of his Para 3s to just try out for as long as I needed. I found that most of the objections and some of my pre-conceptions were wrong, for me. In a few weeks I tearfully dropped it the post for its return journey home. Much later I did buy a Para 3 lightweight, attracted mostly by the lower cost. Another lesson learned. Yes, it is a close relative of the original, but not the same. Not worse or better, but not the same and as it turned out, the original is the one I prefer. Even now, I can close my eyes and recall the feel of both in hand. They feel different. They have different hefts. I like the original, so that is what I ordered.

I think different folks have different needs; different wants too, that is for sure. Bloke likes his big (to me) Military and it suits his needs. I like them too, but not enough to get one. When I go outside these days it’s with the assistance of a 4 wheel walker with a seat. No need to sacrifice comfort I say. What would I do with a Military or a Shaman? But I’m glad there are Militaries and Shamans, Bugs and Ikuchis. The world would be a lesser place without them.

Ok, time to put this screed to bed. Glad to be still on this side of the grass and waiting for a new Spyderco to arrive.

Thank you all again.

[Wartstein]

Thanks, everyone. It is good to be back.

......

Again, glad you are back! :) And I hope you have many "simple things" to enjoy and your Para 3 is one of them ("simple" meant positive here of course)

Some interesting points in your post:

- you tube "reviews": You are totally right, those are almost always first impression vids at best (which is totally ok, but still just that).. the "reviewers" seem to never have really extensively (if at all) used the "reviewed" knife, and often times they have so many that they just CAN`T unless using knives all day would be their full time job...

- Para 3 controversy: For me this is rather interesting, cause this knife somewhat highlights how different people are (in a positive sense!) in their preferences and how there is no "wrong or right" no real "better or worse" concerning knife designs...
I can´t remember anyone saying the Para 3 would "suck" exactly, but I am one of those who prefers other models in this size class in Spydercos line up. I think and always say that the Para 3 is a really cool knife, and I certainly would not complain if this was the only small folder I could have (and would still prefer it in this size class over most models of other makers). Still, I just would not have expected that exactly this model would get so much love and so much variants, since just in my opinion and experience other models (Sage 5 LW for example) have more design features that suit a small knife a bit better from a practical point of view...

What initiates many discussions about the Para 3 (or other models) is when people apodictly state that it would be "better" than and an absolute improvement over other models (for example the Delica)... Said it in another post already: Differently to it is let´s say with cars, genious ideas in knife design are very often not about inventing improvements but rather alternatives, so everyone can get what they like out of genuinly equally "good" alternatives...

Regardless, I am glad you found what suits you well with the Para 3! :) Enjoy it!

[curlyhairedboy]

Welcome back, we're happy you're still here :)

[DutchBlades]

Good to have you back!
I hope the Para 3 tickles your fancy :)

[jdw]

Welcome back! I remember your posts well and I have always appreciated your perspective. Welcome again.

[MichaelScott]

As a non-practicing anthropologist I have for decades been interested in the very early hominid evolution. I consider the ability of those early ancestors to even conceptualize making a tool from certain stones to be indicative of fundamental attributes and cognitive abilities, manual dexterity, the ability to have conceptions of the future and how events might be modified to be cornerstones of human evolution. Fundamental to this I believe was the conception and realization of a cutting edge that could be extracted from certain stones. To my way of thinking the edge, which in later evolved into an edge with a handle, was the earliest purpose made tool by early man. I still study those archaeological reports that deal with those ancient tool assemblages. I think this could be one reason why knives and the love and fascination of them lie so deeply within many of us.

[kennethsime]

Hey Michael,

Welcome back!

I took a long break from Spydercos (and knives beyond SAKs) as well, but am happy to be back in good company (both in my knife drawer and on the forum). :-)

[wrdwrght]

Very good to “hear your voice”, Michael. I have been wondering, worriedly.