I’ve been collecting folding knives for a decade now. Among the hundreds of knives in my EDC collection, Spyderco Paramilitary 2 is my one of the favourite knives.
Spyderco is one of the top knife brands in the world & I ordered Spydero Paramilitary 2 back in 2015.
This is my experience with the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 after using it extensively for 4 years.
The 45 extra seconds you spend on this page shall determine a great choice or a regret for years. Feel the pain!? You don’t have to!
I’m going to be totally unbiased, and will not exaggerate the stuff in any manner. My Spyderco Paramilitary 2 Review will not be one sided.
I will share both the pros and cons and my personal thoughts on the knife itself.
Spyderco Paramilitary 2 Review
Specification of Spyderco Paramilitary 2
- Blade Length: 3.44 inches
- Overall Length: 8.28 inches
- Closed Length: 4.81 inches
- Weight: 3.75 ounces
- Handle Material: G-10
- Blade Material: S30V stainless steel
- Country of Origin: USA
- Price: $199.50
Spyderco Paramilitary is a military knife model. It’s a sturdy knife with a hard & razor-sharp blade along with the comfortable G-10 handle. It boasts a flat-ground CPM-S30V blade with an easily indexed 14mm Spyderco Round Hole for gloved or large hands.
This knife has a really good design and looks which makes it an excellent knife.
Blade & General Dimensions of Spyderco Paramilitary
Spyderco Paramilitary’s blade (CPM-S30V Stainless) is an excellent steel. The length of the blade is 3.44 inches & thickness of the blade is 0.15.
Like other Spyderco knives, it has a hole on the blade with company’s logo which makes it look even more appealing.
There is nice jimping on the end (spine) of the knife which provides grip on the blade.
It comes with a compression lock like a liner lock and located on the spine of the knife. Therefore, you’ll have to close it with one hand. Now, it won’t necessarily be considered as a con/disadvantage, but it eventually reduces down the chance of an accident.
The S30V blade is super solid like a military blade should be and. It can handle the “abuse” of rough tasks as well. The S30V blade material is more refined, will last longer, heck, sharper edge as compared to other knives.
The blade is exclusively made is U.S.A which makes it more reliable. Blade is pretty easy to sharp & worked well when used it for rough tasks that include cutting rope, and logs.
Spyderco Paramilitary Review – Blade’s Rating
- Holds Good Edge Retention.
- Corrosion Resistance.
- Best Blade Ever, Razor Sharp.
- Easy-to-Sharp.
- Spyderco doesn’t have a replacement policy for blades
- Tough to fold with one hand.
Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip
Spyderco Paramilitary is made of G-10 material. G-10 handle is one of the finest handles. The overall length of the handle is 4.8 inches. The G-10 handle is constructed of stainless steel liners.
The curves on the handle provide superior control and prevent slippage. The weight of Spyderco Paramilitary is 3.75 ounces, which very lightweight.
The handle feels quite comfortable in the hand, and it gives a secure grip. So, it has got good ergonomics.
It comes with a silver clip that can be positioned in 4 ways and tucks all the way inside pocket very tight. The clip of the knife is long in the size, and good enough to glide in your pocket and stick to it like glue. The clip is reversible for tip-down or tip-up, tip-right, and tip-left.
Handle & Ergonomics
- G-10 material.
- Grippy Handle.
- A good clip.
- Not thick in size.
- No Cons here hands down!
Deployment and Lockup
The deployment system of the knife is supported with a compression lock-up system, as discussed earlier. The deployment system is such a breeze due to the improved bushing pivot system in the lockup area of Spyderco Paramilitary.
Put your finger inside the hole & it will open with the blazing fast speed. Moreover, it doesn’t feel like pushing it hard when deploying the blade since it has got nice lubrication done on it.
However, it will be a little hassle to close the knife (fold in) with a single hand.
Overall, I’ve had no issues in the deployment system, it’s well-built, and has lived up to my expectations, thankfully.
Review of Spyderco Paramilitary 2’s Deployment & Lockup
- Blazing Fast.
- Safe to open.
- Not easy to fold the knife with a single hand.
Pros & Cons
Pros: Comfortable Ergonomics, Excellent Blade, and Good Deployment System.
Cons: Spyderco doesn’t replace blades.
Bottom Line: Spyderco Paramilitary is an excellent Knife under $150. If you’ve got the budget, then just go for this knife 😉
Verdict
So, this is all about Spyderco Paramilitary. I’ve discussed the blade, steel, handle, ergonomics, lockup, and deployment system of the knife.
The blade is made of S30v stainless steel which is really excellent stuff at such an affordable price along with all-durable & comfortable G-10 handle.
The curves on the handle not only helps to make a grip but also makes it look better. The hole on the blade could be a concern for a few people, but I personally love it and it becomes easy to open the blade using that hole.
The size of the knife is 8.28 inches which could be considered around 1 inch longer than normal EDC knives, but if you’re a big size or medium size guy, then it shouldn’t be a big deal.
You can also check our Spyderco Para 3 Review.
I don’t know what “knife specialist” means to you, but your only con with this knife is quite humorous. It takes no time (or skill) at all to get adept at not only closing the knife with a squeeze and a flick, but you can open it the same way. All it takes is a torx and 2 seconds to dial in the approriate tension. That may make someone who can do this a “knife expert” by your standards, but it really is that easy. Take the next step in your journey grasshopper. You may someday also be a “knife expert”.
Other than that, fair enough review.
The paramiltary 2 should free-fall closed from gravity upon depressing the compression lock. Either you got one that needs adjusted (I’ve owned 2, both came perfect), or you you have a clone
I’ve been interested in knife for a long time. One day I came across the PM2, everbody is talking about it, every one is buying one, I didn’t know what’s so great. So I went to a store, pick a PM2 up, open it one handed easily, does the spyder flick easily, and close it with one hand easily, by both letting gravity does it or do a reverse flick. You might want to clean and oil your PM2
How can you knock the paramilitary 2 for 1 handed closing? It’s one of the easiest one handed knives ever designed. In fact the entire purpose of the compression lock is to make the knife easy to handle with one hand while keeping your fingers out of the closing blade’s path. Are you sure you’ve actually had one for 5 years? It sounds like you’ve never handled one at all.
Purchased my first Para 2 last week. Replaced the G10 scales with carbon fiber and easily open and close with one hand. I’m a Benchmade fan but clearly appreciate the Spyderco design. I’ll purchase other models.
When i first read that you going to include the Cons in this articles, i know that spydie fans will pop out and condemn your viewpoint.
Why all the rage, just relax, I am a PM2 fan and user as well, but everyone has different opinion on different thing we are not made the same anyway, it is completely ok if someone point out any issue that they find it unfavourable or point out anything that might still have space for improvement