My first impression was wow, they really nailed it with this one. I was worried because the first Para fit me like a glove. I'm happy to say that the new handle is on par with the first, it feels very good in every position, and the slightly deeper choil works. The extra blade length is a plus as well, it really evens out the handle to blade ratio and reminds me of a miniture Military. The large lanyard tube is not of importance to me, but for those who use lanyards, I'm sure it will work well. The four way clip was a must for the Para2 and Spyderco did not disappoint, the knife definitely has a lower profile in the pocket. I will surely be switching my clip to tip up. The blade steel is of course S30v, and the knife is made in Golden, Co USA Earth(thank you Sal).
My only complaints so far are minor. I still prefer the old clip, I liked that it was robust and durable. The new polished clip is fine and probably just as rugged, but to me it just doesn't quite measure up. I guess they had to sacrifice something for the new four way setup? Another notable difference is the deeper choil doesn't allow for the blade to be opened using the lockbar like the old Para did. I can sling it closed one handed using the bar, but to open the knife you will need to use the spyderhole. The Para2 does seem to have more closed retention though compared to the previous model, not that it needed more.
Overall, I am very pleased. I got lucky and scored an early model, collector's club #016. The early models feature only Sal's logo on the backside apparently. The fit and finish on my knife is excellent, the blade is perfectly centered and the deployment is buttery smooth with zero blade play at lockup. I will definitely be picking up the Sprint Run super steel Para2's for sure. M4, CF please!
You can see here in the picture above how the lockbar is tightly pressed against the liner while the blade is closed. Because of this, you can no longer depress the bar and release the blade like the 1st Para. This is one gripe for me. :o However, this does create more closed retention so.......
Also here you see the full, skeletonized liners
The liners have jimping too. You can see some slight laser burn(I guess you call it that) on the lower liner jimping in this pic, it is not rust. This is the only fit and finish problem I can find. I am very pleased.
Very good centering on my blade. The Pivot Bushing System is supposed to create tighter tolerances for manufacturing purposes.
Pocket shot, with the HUGE lanyard hole.
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