Spyderco Forums

Bill1170 wrote:What is the difference from the older lock? Also, is this the second, or the third iteration of the compression lock as used on the Paramilitary 2? I bought mine in August 2010 at the SFO, so I think it has the earliest version.

If you have to ask that question, then it won't matter at all to you and it'll just play with your head making you think your lock is inferior

Evil D wrote:If you have to ask that question, then it won't matter at all to you and it'll just play with your head making you think your lock is inferior

Since I made that earlier post I have learned what the difference is. Now that I know it, I am convinced that the difference will be easy to notice in the hand. Unsure what your point is. Are you saying that you own both versions and cannot discern a difference between them?

Spyderco would not redesign a lock for zero net improvement. That would be a pointless exercise. From others' postings it is pretty clear what the improvement is, and I welcome you to let us know if you find no difference between the two versions.

John Grimsmo wrote:I too am a very happy new Paramilitary 2 owner. Got my first one for my birthday a few weeks ago, then a week after that I picked up another one at a knife show. Love these things! So smooth and the compression lock is great. Go Spyderco!

Welcome John, and nice work on the Manix scales.

Bill1170 wrote:I gather from reports here and on BF that the new one swings free like an axis lock when released.

Since I have a couple of axis lock knives i know what you mean. I can tell you that my PM-2 (photos above) works "exactly" as you are describing.

Will

Bill1170 wrote:Since I made that earlier post I have learned what the difference is. Now that I know it, I am convinced that the difference will be easy to notice in the hand. Unsure what your point is.

My point was that sometimes ignorance is bliss. The internet has a way of hyping things up and making people believe that something is better just because it's different. The "new" lock may be better, but that doesn't mean your lock is bad. My "new" Para 2's lock doesn't operate any easier than my '08 Paramilitary's lock does.

Evil D wrote:My point was that sometimes ignorance is bliss. The internet has a way of hyping things up and making people believe that something is better just because it's different. The "new" lock may be better, but that doesn't mean your lock is bad. My "new" Para 2's lock doesn't operate any easier than my '08 Paramilitary's lock does.

I see. You are comparing a second version Paramilitary 2 to a 2008 Paramilitary 1. I have not ever handled one of those.

I agree with you on the internet hype. I like to believe that I do not fall for that sort of thing. I have been carrying my Paramilitary 2 almost daily for over a year now, and use it a lot in my work as a remodeler. The only dings against it were the difficulty of releasing the lock fully, and the shiny clip. I fixed the clip by stonewashing it. It is a wonderful knife, but CQI can make it even better.

Well, comparing it to an '08 Para was just to show that even a much older design than the original Para 2 is far from a poor design.

Bill1170 wrote:It seems the Paramilitary 2 is the new "it" knife for enthusiasts. It really is that good. Mine is the first version and I look forward to getting my M390 version with the updated lock. The older lock requires too much perfection is how you squeeze it to get it to unlock, and the blade will not jus fall shut no matter how hard the lock is pinched. I gather from reports here and on BF that the new one swings free like an axis lock when released.

Well, it's not the lock that makes the blade swing free, it's the bushing pivot.

chuck_roxas45 wrote:Well, it's not the lock that makes the blade swing free, it's the bushing pivot.

Actually, both elements come into play. Let me explain what I mean.

The compression lock is similar to a liner lock in this regard: The portion of the left liner that is the lock contains a ball bearing that presses against the tang of the blade. When the blade is shut this ball rests in a detent hole in the tang to prevent unintended opening. If the lock is not fully depressed when the knife is being unlocked, the ball is still pressing against the tang as the bade closes. This causes friction that prevents the blade from closing freely.

On my Para 2 it is not possible to squeeze the lock hard enough with my bare hands to completely release this pressure of the ball on the tang. Even with the tab pressed hard into the G-10 scale, the ball is still pressing on the tang. I can make the blade swing freely under its own weight by grasping ahead of the tab with needle nose pliers to fully unlock the blade. I cannot do this barehanded as my finger cannot fit that far down into the innards of the knife.

As I understand it, the G-10 on the lock side is more deeply mortised out on the revised Para 2 so that the lock can be moved completely out of contact with the tang, allowing the blade to truly swing free while the lock is being pinched in one's grip. The tab is also moved farther forward to the business end of the lock. This seems like a very positive modification.

Still the blade won't swing free without the bushing pivot no matter how you manipulate the lock. :p

Just like what you get in the manix 2.

chuck_roxas45 wrote:Still the blade won't swing free without the bushing pivot no matter how you manipulate the lock. :p

Correct. Nothing is wrong with that component, only the lock has a problem.

Bill1170 wrote:Correct. Nothing is wrong with that component, only the lock has a problem.

I really beg to disagree respectfully. Even if you did have the evolved lock, without the bushing pivot, I doubt you'd have a free swinging blade. Ergo, since you have no capacity for a free swinging blade, the lock functions as designed. Which consequently means that there is no problem with the lock.

Besides that, I really don't see what advantage a free swinging blade has.

I have 2 para 1's and I have never felt the need for a free swinging blade for them.

The advantage for me is easy closing.

Bill1170 wrote:The advantage for me is easy closing.

Yeh, but that's not the lock's fault.

This is probably the part where we agree to disagree.

Chuck does not understand the mechanism of the first gen Para2. It has the same delightful pivot bushing as the second gen Para 2. What keeps it from swinging freely closed is the lock, as demonstrated by my test with the needle nose pliers.

I also understand that the lids on my peanut butter jars don't swing freely closed as opposed to the ones on the jelly jars.

That doesn't make it any less tasty when they are between two slices of bread.

That is so funny! My thought while at work today was that my next reply had to be about PBJ. It is all good.