Is it save for me to buy a Para now?

spydutch · #1

Greetings you all :)

A few years ago I owned 2 Paramilitaries/SE. I bought them over here so considering how long it takes for the new models to come out over here they must have been one of the first batches :confused: .

They both had the rounded of tang IIRC and the tube like pivot pins.

I liked my first Para very much. It hurt my hand if I tried to grap it without using the choil but when using the choil the knife felt even better in my hand than my full size Military/SE. More control because of the shorter blade. Furthermore more piece of mind in front of NKP.

However I got rid of both of them because both were terribly off centered and devellopped play after some medium cutting. Contacted Customer's Service about this and the only thing they said was that some play is neccessary for the lock to fully engage:mad

compression lock :confused: :confused:

)

However I miss having a Para/SE. On the other hand it's not the cheapest knife in the Spyderco line up so I'm a bit reluctant to pay close to a hundred bucks only to be disappointed after a while. The economy is not that good over here as well

so I have not very much cash to spare at the moment.

What I would like to know is if the current batches are better in terms of lock up(and durability of it) than the older one?

Hope you can help me out on this.

This post has become waaay too long. Sorry for that folks :o

Thanx very much for reading anyway :cool:

imatyssik · #2

I will give my 2 cents, I have got my Para recently (first Para) and after playing with it and doing some light wood cutting I have noticed little vertical play in a blade. It is very little and you need to apply some power to notice it but fact is fact it is there. I am not sure how far will it develop if at all. Knife is very usable and blade is perfectly centered.

I would also like to ask the question, what screwdriver do you use to adjust the pivot?

Ram0283 · #3

I just got a new Digital Camo para, and I'll tell you the lock up on it is TIGHT, very tight, almost too tight for my liking. The lock "snaps" every time I release the lock, so its in there good. Has no play at all, had it for a few days now and been playing and using it lot, and still locks up soild, although the "snap" has gotten better. Not sure if this is normal for paras or if its just mine, but solidness wise, I say its worth its price. The blade is also perfectly centered also, and thats with a very smooth open/close, eaisly closes and opens by flicking while holding the lock. I plan on EDCing it for a while, so I'll let you know if anything changes.

ccpmedic · #4

Thanks for asking this question, I am thinking of purchasing a Para myself...Roy

kukoka · #5

I bought a D2 FG PE Para this summer. It's in my weekly EDC rotation. Sadly, there are not enough cutting tasks in my daily routine that would really take the Para (or any knife) to its limits, but I do play a lot with it. So far, so good. No noticeable blade play, nicely centered blade, smooth opening. I've read earlier that Paras develop a habit of opening on the user because of the very light blade detent, but this has not happened to me so far. I'm quite satisfied with this knife and asked for a SE for Xmas... :D

jezabel · #6

I bought the FG D2 (FACTORY 2ND) recently for work EDC duties. Being a factory second I expected there to be some flaws. Apart from a black mark on the G10 and a minuscule nick in the steel behind the thumb ramp, the only real problem was a threaded screw in the pocket clip. Chasing the screw's thread quickly fixed this.
When closed this blade is very slightly off center, when open there is no blade play what so ever (either laterally or vertically). The compression lock has been rock solid from day one.

However I got rid of both of them because both were terribly off centered and devellopped play after some medium cutting. Contacted Customer's Service about this and the only thing they said was that some play is neccessary for the lock to fully engage(compression lock)

I've usually found that most folders with adjustable pivots need a slight "tune up', as the blades generally speaking tend to loosen up after a couple of weeks use. I think it's a good idea to check the compression lock stop pin screw for tightness too. I keep the adjustment on mine quite tight, but well oiled (the blade only just drops closed when the lock is released)
I've put this knife to serious work in the past few weeks and I could not be happier with it. I almost feel guilty for not buying the real thing :) .

Jez

Henry1960 · #7

:eek:

Ram0283 wrote:I just got a new Digital Camo para, and I'll tell you the lock up on it is TIGHT, very tight, almost too tight for my liking. The lock "snaps" every time I release the lock, so its in there good. Has no play at all, had it for a few days now and been playing and using it lot, and still locks up soild, although the "snap" has gotten better. Not sure if this is normal for paras or if its just mine, but solidness wise, I say its worth its price. The blade is also perfectly centered also, and thats with a very smooth open/close, eaisly closes and opens by flicking while holding the lock. I plan on EDCing it for a while, so I'll let you know if anything changes.

I did the same and returned my digital para to dealer for same reason you are saying. Must be a bad batch. Havent heared any thing yet but the compression lock should not be that tight. I have many para`s and i never experianced this promblem.

Ram0283 · #8

Henry1960 wrote: :eek:

I did the same and returned my digital para to dealer for same reason you are saying. Must be a bad batch. Havent heared any thing yet but the compression lock should not be that tight. I have many para`s and i never experianced this promblem.

I took some fine grit sand paper and cleaned the lock areas up a bit and its gotten better, just enough to smooth out where the lock meets the blade, may do more later, but now it doesn't hurt my fingers trying to unlock it, had to use pliers one time.

spydutch · #9

jezabel wrote:
I've usually found that most folders with adjustable pivots need a slight "tune up', as the blades generally speaking tend to loosen up after a couple of weeks use. I think it's a good idea to check the compression lock stop pin screw for tightness too. I keep the adjustment on mine quite tight, but well oiled (the blade only just drops closed when the lock is released)
I've put this knife to serious work in the past few weeks and I could not be happier with it. I almost feel guilty for not buying the real thing :) .

Jez

Thanx very much Jez, but you don't wanna know how much I fiddled around with them scews(both pivot and stop pin) with no result on both Para's