The Paramilitary 2 ten years from now

[Leif]

I recently got my first Para2, so it has been on my mind a lot lately. I remember watching a review where the reviewer said he hoped that ten years from now the Para 2 will be as iconic as the Buck 110 is. I think most of us would agree that the para is deserving, but I personally think that unfortunately this is not possible most people don't want to shell out $100 for a single pocket knife. In fact, the most pocket knife exposure average people get is when they walk past the rack of gerber's in a wal-mart :o . But hopefully somewhere in another universe, the Para 2 is the most popular knife, spawning thousands of fakes and copies

What do you think?

[chuck_roxas45]

I don't really care. I like the para 2. It's my 2nd top knife after the military. If nothing untoward happens, I'll still probably have one of the 6 that I have now.

[Leif]

How can you not care about Spreading the LOVE?!?!??!

[jalcon]

I could care less, I know I like mine though!

[Holland]

It will never be as famous as the buck110. Para costs significantly more and can't be found at most sporting stores. Whereas the buck 110 is everywhere

[bdblue]

I think we will have better knives in 10 years. I don't know what they will be but they certainly could be Spyderco.

Maybe 18-20 years ago I bought my first Spyderco, a Goddard. Then I moved to a Benchmade AFCK and Benchmade Leopard. The Benchmades were good knives but now I have Benchmades in my collection that I like more. And I have many more knives in my collection from Spyderco that I like better than the Goddard. In 10 years your PM2 will still be a good knife but I think you will have newer models that you like more, maybe even a PM3!

[Leif]

maybe even a PM3!

I can see the thread now.... "Can we please have the monocrystalline diamond lockface insert like on the Military 4?"

"Will the graviton pocket clip be swappable for lefties?"

[PMBohol]

Is today's Buck 110 the same as back in the seventies for example? I didn't buy a Buck but I bought a Gerber Folding Sportsman which was pretty much comparable and it wasn't cheap then. This was 1976. I cannot remember the price due to poor memory but I wonder if todays $100 knife is the same dollar wise as what the Buck and Gerber cost back then? These were the two of the big sellers at the time. Schrade was another popular knife of that type.

[Blerv]

Is today's Buck 110 the same as back in the seventies for example? I didn't buy a Buck but I bought a Gerber Folding Sportsman which was pretty much comparable and it wasn't cheap then. This was 1976. I cannot remember the price due to poor memory but I wonder if todays $100 knife is the same dollar wise as what the Buck and Gerber cost back then? These were the two of the big sellers at the time. Schrade was another popular knife of that type.

Not a huge Buck follower but you have great points. The 110 has been around at least in name and silhouette for a very long time.

The Para started in 2004 and iirc the Para2 was 2010. It's a solid design and certainly has a fan base but there are also way more competing models to draw attention from. Over time who knows if it will have the same luster from the masses? More importantly, who cares what those folks think?

[Evil D]

Yeah I couldn't care less about iconic. Just because something is well known and publicity saturated doesn't mean it's good/better/best etc. I'm sure there are Winchester knives at Walmart that out sell any Spyderco and 10 years from now there might be a bunch of people spouting off about those knives but we know better. Honestly I don't think there is one thing inexistence made by man that was designed so well the first time that it should go 10 years without being redesigned.

[Blackhawk30]

I beleive the Buck 110 came out in 1963.I recently say a 50th anniversay version.

[Sharktooth]

... spawning thousands of fakes and copies...

I hope this doesn't happen anymore than what currently is... less in fact.

[The Deacon]

I doubt it. For one thing, at the time the Buck 110 was introduced, almost every town had several sporting goods stores and several hardware stores, almost all of which had Buck knives, along with Case, Scrade, Remington, and a couple other brands, prominently displayed, often in a window display as well as near the cash register. As a result, even folks with no interest in knives were exposed to them regularly, and the 110's size made it particularly easy to spot. America's shopping habits have changed almost completely since then and knives, in general, do not get the exposure they did fifty or so years ago. That, coupled with the huge increase in the number of brands, and the number of models offered by each company, reduce any specific model's chances of becoming iconic. Remember, for years, the 110 was Buck's only folder and the rest of their product lineup consisted of about half a dozen fixed blade models, a couple of stones, and honing oil.

[xceptnl]

Yeah I couldn't care less about iconic. Just because something is well known and publicity saturated doesn't mean it's good/better/best etc.

Exactly

Honestly I don't think there is one thing inexistence made by man that was designed so well the first time that it should go 10 years without being redesigned.

Maybe John Browning's 1911, but that's the only one that comes to my mind.

[Philo Beddoe]

The Para2 "A legend in its own mind" :D

I had a 110 once and it was so heavy that I felt like I was carrying a log around..the Millie is 100x the knife the 110 is IMO.

The Millie has been out for 16 or 17 years? It seems to be very well known

[xceptnl]

The Millie has been out for 16 or 17 years? It seems to be very well known

Even considering the CQI, I would consider the Military a more iconic Spyderco than any other, even the Delica / Endura. It is still in version 1, while all the others have undergone serious design overhauls.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Either it will used improved steels or some nanotech based thing, or a combination of it. Then again, if you had a Buck 110 from 1975 and a Buck 110 from 2013, side by side, which major differences would you likely notice?

[gpo1956]

Exactly



Maybe John Browning's 1911, but that's the only one that comes to my mind.

Great post!! The 1911 puts "iconic" in true perspective. Para 2? No way.

[Syncharmony]

Among knife enthusiasts, I'm sure it will be well regarded 10-20 years from now.

[gbelleh]

10 years isn't very long for something to become an icon. It's a great knife now, and should still be in 10 years. But who knows what other goodies we'll have by then.