Cruwear Micarta PM2 Full liners

[JuPaul]

I wonder how many of the aftermarket scales would survive the same testing that Spyderco does to their own scales.

I'm sure that's true, but I definitely had the same question. I have 3 different aftermarket micarta pm2 sets from 3 different makers, and none of them feels even remotely flimsy with the nested liners in place. That being said, Spyderco obviously knows more than I do, and I trust that if they've made the change, it's for a good reason.

[Doc Dan]

This is not good news to me. I understand the reasoning behind the decision by Spyderco but I certainly hope this is not a sign of things to come. Nested liners is a wonderful feature. One that actually sets the US made Spyderco knives apart from the rest of their line up and indeed, from other manufacturers.

Seems like reverse CQI to me. Hopefully it’s a one off.

Actually, listening to Eric's explanation, the liners on this PM2 were specific to that knife. Apparently Micarta is not as stiff as G10 so they had to come up with this solution. I got the impression that this is not a change for the other knives.

[Wartstein]

I'm sure that's true, but I definitely had the same question. I have 3 different aftermarket micarta pm2 sets from 3 different makers, and none of them feels even remotely flimsy with the nested liners in place. That being said, Spyderco obviously knows more than I do, and I trust that if they've made the change, it's for a good reason.

I do like the full liners on the Crucarta PM2, and of course Spyderco knows what they are doing.
But still: On the Crucarta Shaman there are still nested liners, right? Perhaps the scales in this case are rigid enough cause they are a bit thicker?

/ My Micarta Endura (nested liners of course) feels very solid, but as has been said: Perhaps would still fail Spydercos own standards.

[Josh Crutchley]

I was disappointed at first sounded like going backwards. Then I thought about my Cruwear Manix 2 with full liners. That knife is amazing even though I own the LW Manix 2 as well. That was the first knife I made scales for and it was only possible because the full liners. I think its a great idea because it makes diy scales easier to make for someone without a cnc. I might get one after my local dealer gets a few.

[Woodpuppy]

Well I don’t love the full liners. One of the things I absolutely loved about coming back to Spyderco is the nested liners. But I’d buy this just to swap the blade with the 52100. CRUWEAR in peel ply CF - mmmmmmm!

[ZrowsN1s]

Regular production. Cool :cool:

[Bronco]

That being said, Spyderco obviously knows more than I do, and I trust that if they've made the change, it's for a good reason.

Now that I have one in hand, I’m afraid I must disagree. The full, non-nested liners make this variant look and feel cheap in comparison to all the previous models I own.

Traditionally the PM2 scales seemed substantial due to their thickness at the edge - and the thin nested liners didn’t detract from this appearance because they were completely hidden. Now you have thin scales sandwiching visibly thin steel liners and the combination of the two imparts a feeling of cheapness. This is particular true where the micarta scales have been milled to extra thin dimensions at the cutout for the compression lock bar. If you squeeze the scales together at this point, it’s easy to make the scale bend inwards.

As well, the ends of the stand-offs are round and don’t index into the liners in any way leaving them free to spin when you’re trying to remove the torx screws. Add to that the already mentioned fact that this new configuration renders the vast majority of PM2 aftermarket scales completely incompatible and there’s literally nothing about this update that I see as an improvement over the older models.

I highly suspect the changes make the folder less costly to manufacture. I’m skeptical though that any significant portion of these savings are being passed along to the consumer. The blade and blade steel remain fabulous, but I’m not a fan of any of the new features.

[Brock O Lee]

I feel neutral about the scales and handle construction, but the standout feature IMO is the blade, which was measured to be quite hard at RC 63.6 by Outpost76.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/ ... U/htmlview

[TkoK83Spy]

I feel neutral about the scales and handle construction, but the standout feature IMO is the blade, which was measured to be quite hard at RC 63.6 by Outpost76.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/ ... U/htmlview

That's pretty solid right there. I wish the Shaman received the same treatment when that dropped. Awesome, well executed knife, but that blade was a let down. Those handles from mine are now married to a Rex45 blade and I couldn't be happier!

[Bronco]

I feel neutral about the scales and handle construction…

Can I ask you then what feature of the original handle style was found to be lacking, in your estimation, and how this update improves upon that shortcoming?

Agree with your blade assessment, though. It’s first rate across the board.

[Brock O Lee]

Like I said, I feel neutral about the full liners. We asked for micarta. Spyderco gave us micarta, in a regular production model, in an excellent steel, with an excellent heat treatment, for a reasonable price. That is a win in my opinion. The full liners will not be adopted across the range, and is specific to this version. There are many other options available if you don't like this one.

[Bronco]

Like I said, I feel neutral about the full liners. We asked for micarta. Spyderco gave us micarta, in a regular production model, in an excellent steel, with an excellent heat treatment, for a reasonable price. That is a win in my opinion. The full liners will not be adopted across the range, and is specific to this version. There are many other options available if you don't like this one.

Fair enough and I do appreciate the reply. While I obviously feel that this particular PM2 represents a significant step backwards in terms of appearance, fit and finish compared to all other PM2 models, I’m just trying to keep an open mind and be receptive to anyone who has an opinion as to why my narrowly targeted criticisms might be unfair.

At the end of the day, I’m unable to feel indifferent about liners and scales that seem inferior to me in virtually every way. It’s disappointing to me that these seeming shortcuts would be taken in a Cruwear variant that might have otherwise rightfully taken its place as the flagship model of the entire regular production (non-sprint run) line. That said, I sincerely hope you’re correct that this substandard construction method (IMHO) will be limited to only this one sku.

[Ramonade]

I personally am gonna buy this knife just to have the opportunity to try Cru-Wear.
Impression of cheapness is a topic similar to ergos imho.

[Shmohawk]

That being said, Spyderco obviously knows more than I do, and I trust that if they've made the change, it's for a good reason.

Now that I have one in hand, I’m afraid I must disagree. The full, non-nested liners make this variant look and feel cheap in comparison to all the previous models I own.

Perhaps its specifically because you are used to previous models with nested liners that you feel this way.

I had never handled or even seen a PM2 in person (or PM3) before purchasing the Crucarta version.
After purchasing, carrying and using it, I picked up a G10 version.

In regard to the handles, scales and liners, the G10 version looks and feels cheap to me in comparison to the Crucarta.

The G10 has a hollow feel to it which I think is specifically because of the nested liners. I have other knives in various scale materials and the ones with nested liners generally have this hollow feeling whereas the the non-nested feel more solid regardless of scale material.

The meat of my fingers gets caught on the inside edge of the scales of the G10 and not the Crucarta.

I also happen to like the look of exposed liners.

[kennethsime]

Man, all due respect, but I couldn’t disagree more about the full liners making the knife feel “cheap.”

While of course, I would have loved contoured scales and nested liners like the Shaman, the Crucarta PM2 is a very well-built knife. I think the action is the best of any PM2 I’ve ever held, and the knife feels a bit stiffer overall. On top of everything, the knife came exceedingly sharp from the factory.

These attributes all scream “exceptional quality,” to me, rather than “cheap.” I guess it just goes to show we all have different taste.

[Sting]

I love the full liners, they look sexy! The only thing I'm not so keen on, is the void in the spine around the compression lock and the flex in that part of the scales. I understand this might not pinch you when closing maybe? And probably is a design feature not a flaw? But based purley on anesthetics, this part seems, well unfinished, for the lack of a better word. Just my 2c... Still a beautiful knife. A full liner there would look dope, maybe with the reccess on the under side of comp lock? if it's needed... or a fuller micarta scale like the g10 design.

I'm no engineer so please take my comments with a grain of salt.

Cheers

[Haunted House]

Picked one up at blade show, I absolutely love it. It’s my favorite PM2 to date.
Nothing about it feels cheap to me. Haven’t weighed it but it feels lighter than other PM2’s, perhaps that gives some the feeling of cheapness?

[Woodpuppy]

Feel is subjective. As are aesthetics. I’m glad lots of folks like either version of the PM2!

[EDCknife]

Is anyone experiencing the lock biting onto the knife tang making a popping noise and harder to disengage the lock?

[Pokey]

Is anyone experiencing the lock biting onto the knife tang making a popping noise and harder to disengage the lock?

That sounds like what people describe as "lock stick." My Cruwear/Micarta PM2 doesn't do it, but other models I have with the Compression Lock did. I've found that through use it goes away. The blade steel is harder than the lock lever so the lever eventually wears into the tang.

For some reason I found that oiling where the parts meet made it a little worse, once the parts dried off a bit, it was better.