Spyderco Para-Military2 - Unboxing and Initial Impressions

A box arrived in the mail today.  I absolutely love boxes.

Earlier last week I was browsing the internet, as usual, and discovered that Amazon.com had a wonderful offer on the Spyderco Para-Military2.  I casually mentioned this fact to my girlfriend, Megan, and minutes later I received an email confirming an order.  Unintended, unexpected, and incredibly appreciated.

Unboxing

Over-packaging 101

As a quick aside, Amazon seems to have an obsession with over-boxing things.  They use far larger boxes than one might assume was necessary.  Perhaps my comprehension of shipping methodology is lacking...

In any event, the Para-Military2 is packaged in a little cardboard box with Spyderco logo embellishments.  Typical knife packaging for a not-so-typical knife.

Included in the box is a short pamphlet delineating the changes made between the classic version and the updated second version of the knife.  Also included in the box is, of course, the Spyderco Para-Military2.

Initial Impressions

This is my first Spyderco knife.  I've heard exceptional things about their knives but haven't had the pleasure of owning one, until now.

The first thing I noticed was the weight of the knife.  I expected it to be a bit heavier.  I must say that the lighter weight is a pleasant surprise.  After tossing it in my pocket and running some errands it was clear that the knife is going to all but disappear when clipped to my pocket.

I really like the aggressive texture on the G-10 handles.  They're very non-slip but not to the point of discomfort.  The jimping on the spine of the knife and the finger choil is a nice touch.

Golden, Colorado U.S.A. Earth; nice touch...

As I said, this is my first Spyderco.  As such, I don't have any prior experience with Sypyderco's trademark hole (although, from a legal perspective I wonder if it could be challenged alleging that it's a functional feature that hasn't acquired a strong enough secondary meaning to be eligible for trademark protection; that's beside the point, though).  From my brief experience with it I am exceptionally impressed.  It facilitates a very quick opening.

The Para-Military2 employs a compression lock.  It's a bit new for me, though, as it unlocks on the back of the knife, as opposed to the front, where one finds most liner and frame locks (encompassing most of my collection, currently).  This allows the user to close the knife without putting fingers in front of the blade.  Great design, in my opinion.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that simply disengaging the liner lock while the knife is in a slightly vertical position causes the blade to gracefully swing closed.  I love it.

The liner locking mechanism on the Para-Military2

The blade shape is pretty.  It's a nice departure from the "traditional" shape to which I have become accustomed.  It has a great point and sufficient belly for great slicing, as far as I can tell.

The Para-Military2's blade is ground from CPM-S30V steel.  S30V screams high-end.  It's a fantastic blade steel and the Para-Military2 is the first knife I'll own that's constructed from it.

The pocket clip is capable of being mounted for tip up or tip down, left or right side carry.  Straight out of the box I unscrewed it and mounted the clip for tip up right side carry.  I always carry a knife in my right front pocket and prefer tip up carry for reasons I won't get into here (I keep saying that I won't get into something here, I should start getting into it somewhere else, I think).

The Para-Military2 features a sizable lanyard hole.  I don't think I'll be using it anytime soon, but it's there if I ever want to attach something.

I really look forward to carrying this knife.  It's going straight into my pocket and isn't likely to be replaced in the near or distant future.  It's in the review pipeline behind a bunch of other things - keep on the lookout.