Pros: Ease of Opening, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Pocket Clip
Very nice
This is my first Spyderco...and happy to have joined the "cult" lol. Love the "blurple" color, great ergos, great cutter, and the fidget-friendly-fun-factor kicks right in after an impressively short break-in period of just a few days idle flicking. Love the compression lock. Wish it came with a deep carry clip, though.
What an amazing little knife like it in almost every way, the only thing i would want is a deeper clip and a lefty compression lock but other than that this thing is mint! So fun to fidget with!
I own both this model of the Paramilitary 3 and the Sage 5 with S30V steel with the carbon fiber laminate over G-10 scales. I was torn between which of these two knives would be my EDC. Ultimately, I decided to carry both of them as my EDCs. I did have stiffness with the Sage 5 action on opening and closing. After a week of working it, the action has become smoother although the blade does not drop freely. It takes a slight flick to get the blade down. This was not a problem with the Para 3. Out of the box it drops freely. If I were forced to choose between these two fine knives, I think I would have to go with the Para 3 because of the superior steel. Also, I have no problems with the pocket clip and it protruding out of my pocket. It makes it easier to grasp. Ergonomically, both of these knives "fit" my hand.You really can't go wrong with either of these two fine knives. Courteous, prompt service is the norm at KnifeCenter.com. They have a great team there.
Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Ease of Opening, Lock Ease of Use, Lock Type, Overall Quality
Cons: None
I love this knife
I have carried this knife daily for about 5 years now. In that time it has held up wonderfully. The S110V steel stays sharp for a very long time. The only downside is that it is prone to chipping. I now realize that the chipping was probably my fault when I inadvertently twisted the knife while cutting a tight plastic zip tie. The blade chip was barely noticeable, and I was eventually able to remove the chip when touching up the sharpening. My only complaint, and it really isn't much of a complaint, is that I wish the blurple handle scales were brighter. I love the color, but you really need a bright light to see that they are not just a drab black. All in all, this is a great knife design and a great steel. Oh, one more thing--I love the compression lock. It has become my preferred lock for pocket knives.
I have many knives... I find this more fun and as fast deployment as my flippers. It's not too small either, if anything, here in Australia its at the upper limit for EDC in my opinion... This steel is fantastic also,i rarely need to sharpen it when regularly using for light tasks and my word she slices better than any pocket knife i've used. Dont get hung up on the lanyard hole and clip position... i took the clip off and the knife sits comfortably in the pocket all day... just buy this...it will cut as good as a pm2
Pros: Ease of Opening, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Pocket Clip
This is a Quality Knife
This is my fifth Spyderco knife and my current favorite. I was thinking about getting the PM2, but it is just a little too big for my taste, so I opted for the Para 3 instead. I paid the additional money to get the premium S110V steel. I can't say I'm a fan of the "blurple" G-10 scales, but they were part of the package. I am happy to report that Spyderco did NOT use Red Loctite on the Para 3 I received. Hopefully, Sypderco's red Loctite era is gone forever. Spyderco's compression lock is very addictive. I prefer it over any liner lock or back lock I have ever used. I will be a long time before I buy a knife that does NOT have a compression lock. Disassembly is complicated by the very tight fit of the lanyard tube. Fortunately, you can just rotate around one set of liner and scale using the lanyard tube as a pivot. You can then remove the pivot bushings and tube without taking the knife completely apart. After cleaning and lubricating with Finish Line Extreme Fluoro, the re-assembly went very smoothly. The S110V steel can be difficult to sharpen, but I have found that the diamond stones that come with the DMT guided sharping kits can sharpen S110V easily. After sharpening and stropping, this knife will shave the hair off you arm without effort. This knife is excellent, but it has a couple of things thing just don't seem too well thought out. The lanyard hole is way too large. So much so that it forces the clip to be mounted too far down on the knife. However, since I have never seen the need for a lanyard and I remove the clip from every knife I buy, these are two issues I can overlook.
I think this thing looks ugly. It reminds me of a crocodile for some reason. The "blurrple" handle seems to get darker after use too. However, I'm all about functionality and this thing really delivers. I love the opening action, the S1110V steel has held up to all sorts of abuse. I oiled the pivot and can flip it open very easily. Tempted to buy backup just in case. One of my favorite EDC knives.
Pros: Ease of Opening, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
awesome EDC knife!
the Para 3 is my new favorite knife. It's the perfect size, easily flick-able, and very comfortable to hold and use. You owe it to yourself to give one a try!
Pros: Ease of Opening, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Pocket Clip
Better than PM 2
Got mine this week delivered within a week to France. I have had my S30v PM 2 as edc for years , and decided to get a smaller brother. Great prices !! Opened box and there it was- super sharp, bright and shiny. No blade play , everything centered . I love the rounded scales on the PM 3 , which are an upgrade to the big brother. I have this as my edc now , and in other clothes I carry the PM 2 and the Wolfspyder model. Thanks for the great customer service and fast delivery
I am a huge fan of the Paramilitary 2. Then the Para 3 came out and I thought this knife is way to small. It will never fit my requirements as an EDC. But oh well, it does. The overall size fits perfectly into my hands (I have medium sized ones) and the blade length/strength is awesome. Where the Paramilitary 2 has a slightly "too thin feel" the Para 3 is slightly thicker due to a shorter blade. I am also massively satisfied by the S110V. It holds its edge ridicously long - even if it is a bit hard to sharpen. Polished with several leather strops it is scary sharp and will do a solid job. All the every-day-tasks can be done without doubt. The only negative thing - and for me personally this is the reason for only 4 stars - is the "standard" position of the clip. The handle sticks out of my pocket way too much and when grabbed it feels way too much inside the handle. Thus I moved it to tip-up. Now I am satisfied carrying it like that - even if it is a bit weird at the beginning. For people that prefer tip-down this might be an issue. But if THAT keeps you away getting a Para 3: You gonna miss something!
Excellent Made in USA knife --- Highly recommend the Para 3
The knife itself is EXCELLENT. Made in USA. The only problem I have with the knife is that the Blurple color looks **nothing** like the photograph in real life. The color is actually much darker in person. You only get the blurple color through the scales if the knife is held up to the sunlight or some other very bright light. In everyday use, the scales will appear to be a very dark purple.
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Close-up of hand holding knife, opening or unsheathing knife, and then closing or sheathing knife.
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