Military 2 Discussion (Merged)

[Wartstein]

....

Thanks for the pics, especially the three above - some of my thoughts on those:

- I am fully aware that I am an outlier here: But even if I had no experience with the Millie 1 I could see just from the pic that I prefer its choil. I just like a rather flat portion under the forefinger, more than a recessed, inward curving choil (the flat area on the front of the Goddard handle is pretty perfect for my taste for example).

- Same goes for the smooth, uninterrupted back of the linerlock Millie: Just looks more comfortable already than the comp.lock back with its cutout

- That the cutout on the Millie 2 is a bit further away from the front end of the handle than it is on a PM2 could potentially improve ergos. Don´t know, would have to try.

- There are aspects in the Stretch XL which I prefer over the Mille just in principle (backlock, long, straight edge section (as opposed to continuous curve)... but what I´d love to see transferred from the Millie to the Stretch XL: The shorter blade part and longer handle part of the choil (which obviously results in more cutting edge).
The Stretch XL could get away with more choil in the handle (instead of the blade) even better than the Millie, cause the handle shape of the Stretch XL makes for even more grip area behind the choil than the (already generous!) Millie handle...

[ejames13]

Interesting. I don't recall many people posting they prefer the 1. Is it due to lock preference for you?

hopefully you and me both get our lock stick squared away. I've had good luck with comp locks, but cbbl has been hit or miss. sold off my 4v manix xl because after a year of use the strong lock stick hadn't improved.

should be getting micarta scales for my 15V by march. im excited for them.

The liner lock is a big part. Many years of muscle memory. Plus I have never had a sticky liner lock.

Also prefer the flatter, more curved clip that seems designed for the handle on the 1, whereas it appears more of an afterthought for the 2 (technically it is, since it was already in existence before the 2 was designed).

Chamfered scales on the 1 vs the more blocky 2.

For certain cuts, I hold the knife in a pinch grip right where the choil begins. The more mellow choil on the 1 allows for this, whereas on the 2 my forefinger lands right in the lower point of the choil.

All minor. Still a great knife, and if the 1 didn’t exist, I’d carry the 2 all day long.

[vivi]

I also still prefer the M1 slightly. Small things like:
- broad curved clip melts into the hand
- good chamfering on the handle
- smooth back with no compression lock cutout hot spot.

But the M2 is a good evolution, based on the winning formula of the PM2.

seems the comp lock being a hotspot is very hand size dependent. It has never been an issue for me. My thumb never goes that far back on the top of the handle in any grip, and it never bothers my palm.

I do prefer closed back construction for ergonomic reasons, but open back construction obviously isn't a deal breaker for me.

I find tip up vs tip down matters more for my in hand ergonomics than the shape of the clip.

I agree the M2 should have better chamfering stock. I improved mine when I took it apart, but if you look at Spydercos from 20 years ago they used to do so much better in this regard.

[JSumm]

If you haven't tried the 2, you should. Though there are things I prefer on the 1, I carry the 2 way more often.

I tend to grip behind the choil first and more often. For that reason, having the choil guard on the back end of the choil feels more comfortable and locked in than the Millie 1. And though I prefer the liner lock (especially in cold weather), I have never had issues with hot spots on compression lock cutouts. I tend to grip hard into the thinner scale of the Millie 1 and that was always uncomfortable to me.

I fixed the chamfering issue with aftermarket scales which I tend to do with most models. And I really like the slimmed down handle.

[Brock O Lee]

…seems the comp lock being a hotspot is very hand size dependent.

I only notice the hot spot in hard hammer grip cuts, when I push down hard on the back of the knife. Like prolonged hard whittling. It is not the type of cut I do every day. The comp lock has many advantages to make up for this minor issue.

[ejames13]

I was able to remove a significant amount of lock stick on my 15V Military 2 by backing out all the scale screws a bit, then tightening them back down to be a little looser than they were from the factory. The lock stick is still there a tiny bit, but much better than before.

With other sticky compression locks, a little oil on the lock face has helped. Sometimes rotating the stop pin alleviated the issue as well. Neither of those helped in this case. The screws were just cranked down a little too much.

Does anyone have a USB microscope they can use to photograph the factory edge on their 15v Millie? Upon inspection under my cheap handheld microscope, I can see that the factory edge appears to have been sharpened differently than other Golden models I've owned in the past. There is an obvious microbevel, which looks to have been applied very uniformly possible with some sort of buffing wheel. All traces of burr are gone, whereas I've had other models that still had some under magnification.

[tyd450]

It helps if you accelerate the lock break in by just barely opening up the blade, just enough to break the detent, and then whip open the blade as hard as possible. Do this over and over and I’ve found that it helps the lock stick. Just try not to throw the knife across the room :-)

[Kleon]

I love my 15v M2 but don’t care for the bright clip. Thanks to you fellow Spydie fans I came to realize I could torch color the steel clip. First one I have ever done and think I like it!

[ejames13]

I love my 15v M2 but don’t care for the bright clip. Thanks to you fellow Spydie fans I came to realize I could torch color the steel clip. First one I have ever done and think I like it!

That looks really nice. What was your process?

[Kleon]

I just hung it from some scrap fencing wire in the barn and slowly heated it with my propane torch using the lowest setting with the finest torch tip. I tried to go as slow as I could within reason. The color will continue to darken after removal of the flame due to residual heat. Other forum members had posted these tips and I found it very good info in terms of not over darkening.

I failed to clean the clip with alcohol prior to torching it and this was an error. It resulted in some fingerprint oil artifacts that would not have been there had I remembered that step. Live and learn!

K

[cabfrank]

Good idea. The bright shiny clips stick out like a sore thumb.

[Manixguy@1994]

I just hung it from some scrap fencing wire in the barn and slowly heated it with my propane torch using the lowest setting with the finest torch tip. I tried to go as slow as I could within reason. The color will continue to darken after removal of the flame due to residual heat. Other forum members had posted these tips and I found it very good info in terms of not over darkening.

I failed to clean the clip with alcohol prior to torching it and this was an error. It resulted in some fingerprint oil artifacts that would not have been there had I remembered that step. Live and learn!

K

You did great first time and when I first started heating clips did the same thing in error being too much in a hurry . I get best results heating the backside only . MG2

[Kleon]

I just hung it from some scrap fencing wire in the barn and slowly heated it with my propane torch using the lowest setting with the finest torch tip. I tried to go as slow as I could within reason. The color will continue to darken after removal of the flame due to residual heat. Other forum members had posted these tips and I found it very good info in terms of not over darkening.

I failed to clean the clip with alcohol prior to torching it and this was an error. It resulted in some fingerprint oil artifacts that would not have been there had I remembered that step. Live and learn!

K

You did great first time and when I first started heating clips did the same thing in error being too much in a hurry . I get best results heating the backside only . MG2

Thanks MG2! You inspired me sir. I will remember this advice. I sure love how the clip changes in the light with the purple orange hues over the bronze. Really makes the 15v brown g10 a good match I feel. Thanks for the help!

[SpeedHoles]

I just hung it from some scrap fencing wire in the barn and slowly heated it with my propane torch using the lowest setting with the finest torch tip. I tried to go as slow as I could within reason. The color will continue to darken after removal of the flame due to residual heat. Other forum members had posted these tips and I found it very good info in terms of not over darkening.

I failed to clean the clip with alcohol prior to torching it and this was an error. It resulted in some fingerprint oil artifacts that would not have been there had I remembered that step. Live and learn!

K

You did great first time and when I first started heating clips did the same thing in error being too much in a hurry . I get best results heating the backside only . MG2

Thanks MG2! You inspired me sir. I will remember this advice. I sure love how the clip changes in the light with the purple orange hues over the bronze. Really makes the 15v brown g10 a good match I feel. Thanks for the help!

Eventually that 15V may patina to match. Mine has slight "jet fuel" on it already in a couple spots, but doesn't photograph like other more extreme patinas yet.

[Kleon]

I just hung it from some scrap fencing wire in the barn and slowly heated it with my propane torch using the lowest setting with the finest torch tip. I tried to go as slow as I could within reason. The color will continue to darken after removal of the flame due to residual heat. Other forum members had posted these tips and I found it very good info in terms of not over darkening.

I failed to clean the clip with alcohol prior to torching it and this was an error. It resulted in some fingerprint oil artifacts that would not have been there had I remembered that step. Live and learn!

K

You did great first time and when I first started heating clips did the same thing in error being too much in a hurry . I get best results heating the backside only . MG2

Thanks MG2! You inspired me sir. I will remember this advice. I sure love how the clip changes in the light with the purple orange hues over the bronze. Really makes the 15v brown g10 a good match I feel. Thanks for the help!

Eventually that 15V may patina to match. Mine has slight "jet fuel" on it already in a couple spots, but doesn't photograph like other more extreme patinas yet.

Yes. I have noticed that my 15V blade does not patina as readily as my K390 P4. Will be interesting to watch this blade age.

[Chris_in_Texas]

So I just got a 15V version today, and was wondering if there was any numbers to how large the sprint run was yet? Love to know production numbers for this sprint run.

So far so good, except that I guess the step-child here as all my other M2's are the stainless versions reared up and took a slice out of my finger. I have to say that thing is sharp! First time that has happened with a Spyderco for many years since I was with the sheriffs dept and my police stainless model let me know who was boss as well.

[vivi]

decisions, decisions......

[SpeedHoles]

decisions, decisions......

Tough call. Just run one scale on each and carry in opposite pockets.


Looks good though, Micarta is one of my favorites.

[Kleon]

I like those scales on the DLC knife better Vivi fwiw…

[gk4ever2]

decisions, decisions......

Those both look very nice! Sometimes we are faced with tough decisions in life.