Please talk me into a military or para military

[Wartstein]

Well I do have Trump dollars to spend now so that makes it easier to justify

No politics on this forum... (still: Even as an European I have to say: It is YOUR (taxpayer) dollars... )

/ So: Any idea yet which one you´ll get?

[208 tim]

PM2 was my first Spyderco. Bought it after doing days of research, mostly from reviews not forum related. While I only have three, they are my favorite at the moment. Native Chief is a distant second for larger folders. DF2 in a couple variants get regular pocket time and para 3 lightweight have become glovebox/console knives. Military, Gayle Bradley 2 and Shaman are on the future list.

My advice is, do your research and buy what appeals to you. You are going to end up with more than one Spyderco. It happens in a blink of an eye.

[blues]

Well I do have Trump dollars to spend now so that makes it easier to justify

No politics on this forum... (still: Even as an European I have to say: It is YOUR (taxpayer) dollars... )

Thank you!

[Mattysc42]

Definitely worth it, but which knife you get will depend on what you value most.

If you want the best steel : value ratio, and have the sharpening skills and diamond or cbn equipment, then the s110v Manix 2 is the one to get.

If you want maximum cutting performance, the Manix XL is the best in the Golden lineup due to the wide blade and thin stock.

If you want an ergonomic jack of all trades knife that cuts well and can be used comfortably for hours, and don’t mind paying for quality, the Shaman is widely considered one of the best knives on the market by those who’ve used one.

If you want a needle thin tip, good cutting performance, and maximum fidgetability, the PM2 is the one to get.

If you want a large knife to use with gloves, the Military or Native Chief are the ones to get. Which one depends on your lock preferences and hand shape.

If you want a smaller knife with an excellent backlock at a reasonable price, the native 5 Lightweight is amazing.

[soc_monki]

Ponder this first... Do you want the longest possible handle plus a finger choil and some cutting edge as an afterthought? Before you spend. Look at these. A Gale Bradley2 is vastly better with a fantastic steel (m4) as standard. I had 9 para 2 knives, now I have one just ao I can say I have one.

Dude, the blade to handle ratio crusade is one that I can normally get behind, but geez man c'mon. Afterthought? Do you really think Spyderco are sitting around like "oh heck we've got this handle I GUESS we'll just stick whatever blade we have laying around in there"?

And to say this as nicely as I can regarding shiny footprints, those other knives are not ones I would call ergonomic. If I took a crap in my hand and squeezed it, the ergonomics would be better. Just saying.

I think the pm2 has plenty of blade. It's a different design and does the job of being a knife excellently. However I have to defend the 470 and 562, as they both have excellent ergonomics. It's hard for me to choose between all of them however... They're all amazing knives imo!

As for if a golden spydie is worth the price? Yes. Some more than others I think, but it's a personal decision. The manix is probably the best value and I love it, great ergos and great blade. Love the cbbl. The pm2 is a classic, and the para 3 is an almost perfect knife for most situations.

I think the shaman has gotten a little out of hand price wise, and the military as well. However the native chief seems to be an excellent value, and I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to buy one... But it has been calling to me! So has the manix xl... And backlock manix... Lol

[Robishere]

Ponder this first... Do you want the longest possible handle plus a finger choil and some cutting edge as an afterthought? Before you spend. Look at these. A Gale Bradley2 is vastly better with a fantastic steel (m4) as standard. I had 9 para 2 knives, now I have one just ao I can say I have one.

Dude, the blade to handle ratio crusade is one that I can normally get behind, but geez man c'mon. Afterthought? Do you really think Spyderco are sitting around like "oh heck we've got this handle I GUESS we'll just stick whatever blade we have laying around in there"?

And to say this as nicely as I can regarding shiny footprints, those other knives are not ones I would call ergonomic. If I took a crap in my hand and squeezed it, the ergonomics would be better. Just saying.

YES!.......Introducing the Brouwer. Same 3 inch +/- with a finger choil as the chaparral, and sage, and lil native, in s30v yet again, over and over with a new name.

[Woodpuppy]

I’m more interested in having a full handle regardless of blade length. But I tend to agree on the Brouwer. It looks fantastic, if only it lacked that choil.

OP, I really like the Military. I like the PM2 as well, but it’s a little big for office carry and on the weekends I tend to grab the bigger knife. They’re both great knives, and the Millie isn’t as big as it seems. It is certainly more expensive. It’s worse if you get interested in all the limited run steels!

Enjoy :D

[kennethsime]

YES!.......Introducing the Brouwer. Same 3 inch +/- with a finger choil as the chaparral, and sage, and lil native, in s30v yet again, over and over with a new name.

Hey Rob,

I just wanted to leave you a note to let you know that most of us come here to celebrate our love of Spyderco knives. You may have realized that this is thee official Spyderco forum, hosted by Spyderco at Spyderco.com.

We all realize there are other knife companies out there, and that they make different design choices sometimes. Many of us own other knives also, and there's even a whole off-topic forum where sometimes we talk about them. There was a great thread recently, where we all talked about our favorite Benchmades after Les passed away. Turns out Sal and Les used to be pretty close.

Here on the Spyderco forum, we like to leave shiny footprints. We're pretty nice to each other, we keep things positive, we put our political differences and we certainly don't talk trash, even when there are things we may not like about a particular knife (Spyderco or otherwise). There's definitely room for constructive criticism, of course, but we try to respect one another (including the very talented knife designers who grace us with their presence).

I encourage you to stick around for awhile, observe, and try to fit in. If you can do that, I bet you'll have a great time, and learn a lot (I know I sure have). If you do decide to persist on your current trend, you're going to be fighting quite an uphill battle.

All the best,
Kenneth

[sok]

Para 3

[BornIn1500]

No politics on this forum... (still: Even as an European I have to say: It is YOUR (taxpayer) dollars... )

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but this stimulus isn't from taxpayer money, at least not yet, and who knows if we'll ever pay back the debt. The Fed printed money out of thin air here.

[James Y]

The Military and PM2 are both great models. If you prefer larger knives and liner locks, get the Military.

I own 4 Militaries; the first in 440V, two in S30V, and one in S110V. But the ones I end up using the most are the S30V ones. I’m not always into the “latest-greatest” super steels. I got the one S110V version just to try it out.

I own two PM2s. It took me years to warm up to the design. The first one I got in 2011 or so. It was good but felt kind of meh. Then one day I just started carrying and using it more, and began to like it, enough that last year I got a second one in S35VN and black DLC coating.

Between the Military and the PM2, I find myself carrying the PM2 more, whereas a few years ago I would have preferred the Military hands-down.

Nobody should really convince you to spend money on a knife or not; find out all you can about both models and decide which one you feel is worth the cost and suits your needs best. In terms of “needs,” it sound like you already have those met with the knives you have. After that, it’s about ‘wants’. :)

Jim

[TomAiello]

No politics on this forum... (still: Even as an European I have to say: It is YOUR (taxpayer) dollars... )

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but this stimulus isn't from taxpayer money, at least not yet, and who knows if we'll ever pay back the debt. The Fed printed money out of thin air here.

Additional money supply creates inflation. That's a hidden tax on the current holdings of everyone. $3T added to M2 of $15T is a 20% increase in supply, which means we can expect roughly 20% inflation when the dust settles. That's basically an across the board 20% tax on all assets in the country.

Now back to your regularly scheduled Spyderco discussions...

[bearrowland]

You have to get a PM! It will haunt you until you do!

[jdw]

The Military is my favorite design in the Spyderco line up and one of my two most carried knives so I am biased towards it. I don't think that there is a better value out of Golden in a large folder. It can take any slicing task that you throw at it and the extra large handle provides great use with gloves and gives your hands a comfortable platform for extended use. There are plenty of knives out there that you can spend more money on but the performance of a Military is unsurpassed for me. The PM2 is more popular than the Military and it definitely provides entertainment for the fidget factor and you really couldn't go wrong with either one of them. As to your question of cost, I don't think that you can decide if a Golden, Colorado model is worth the difference in price unless you dive in and try it for yourself and then decide if it's worth the cost to you.

[James Y]

One thing I will say comparing the Military and the PM2 is that the Military is more comfortable in hand (for me) during extended use. The edges of the PM2’s handle scales are not chamfered (or barely are), which I’ve never really understood why.

Jim

[Wartstein]

One thing I will say comparing the Military and the PM2 is that the Military is more comfortable in hand (for me) during extended use. The edges of the PM2’s handle scales are not chamfered (or barely are), which I’ve never really understood why.

Jim

I like the PM 2 ergos, but what you say is true for me too (as you said, during extended use). Part of the reason might also be that the cutout for the comp. lock (PM2) can get uncomfortable in hand over time, while the cutout for the linerlock (Millie) actually can add comfort (compared to a non chamfered handle there) imho.

Not an issue in almost any occasional EDC cutting though I think.

[TomAiello]

The ultimate Military (in the foreseeable future) is going to be the SNK 4v, assuming they extend the range to the military. DLC 4v will suit the general uses of the platform very well.

I'm also much more fond of the Military than the PM2.

[anycal]

At some point, the knife either works for you or it doesn't. Both price point, but more importantly, during use. No point in talking someone into something they don't really want.

In terms of a knife being worth the $150+? Well, that depends. Most of us are not knife rocket surgeons. Almost any knife will do most of what we use our knives for. It may be difficult to justify the price premium in that sense. But for lot of us here, this knife thing is a hobby. Rationality based on size, materials, and even cost, goes out the window.

All that said, both of these models really are great knives out of the Golden factory.

[blues]

Knife rocket surgeon...my mother would have been so proud. Alas...

Beautiful knives, by the way. I love mine. Just love the Mil a skosh more than the PM2s.