While technically I already had enough Spydercos to be called a “problem” Instagrammer
skookumdanger, who totally doesn’t have a problem either, didn’t think so and donated
to the channel a Sprint run Spyderco Military in carbon fiber and 52100 steel.
So in honor of finally getting to check out the big military naturally I decided
a nice flowery shirt would be appropriate.
And while we all ponder what financial sense owning 12 spydercos or did you pay a lot for
that flowery blouse, let’s look at the dimensions like overall length and weight.
Can you believe it was on sale?
Blade size and cutting edge- I can’t find my Delica right now so that makes it 11.
Handle size and grip area.
12 is a problem, 11 isn’t- and that’s just spydercos.
Spine thickness and handle thickness.
It’s probably laying in the yard somewhere rusting.
And how about tallness.
However owning just 1 Chris Reeve is all it takes to be declined a bank loan.
This man makes poor financial decisions.
The Spyderco Military is a terrible choice if you’d like a meaningful conversation
with an actual person but a very good choice in a knife because it’s a fairly lightweight
4 inch blade.
The mainline Military uses an s30v steel and has a handle made from G10.
However there have been many variations in steel and handle material through the years
because that’s how knife makers sell you the same shit over and over again.
You think a normal person is going to buy a $180 pocket knife?
This particular version uses a steel called 52100, which is basically a high carbon steel
that’s most often used in aircraft bearings- until of course they realized how much they
could sell it for to knife makers.
The drop point satin finish flat ground blade is thin and sharp, and because it uses a blade
with a lower amount of chromium and a high carbon content, the blade will patina and
stain with only a little use- and will rust if you don’t dry it after use.
52100 is fairly easy to sharpen, although you might have to sharpen more often than
the S30v.
And as you can see mine has started to stain- which is fine.
Next to the Para Military 2 here, you’ll see the blade shapes are similar but proportionally
the Military is a much bigger knife.
The deployment is nice and quick- not quite as fluid as the Para Military 2, but fairly
close.
Middle finger or thumb deployment both work well, thumb deployment for me is harder on
smaller handled spydercos, but since the handle on here is nice and large- easy peazy.
RIP Bob.
The lockup is handled by the liner lock with finely textured jimping.
It’s easy to disengage but a bit of a muddy feel when compared to the compression lock
on the para military 2.
Detent is strong with this one, however I can get it to deploy if I fling and pop it
at the right time downward.
Pop.
… … Pop.
Despite the military being a 4 incher, it’s weight is just a hair over 4 ounces.
This is due to a few things like not being made by Medford, but also a partial stainless
steel liner has a lot to do with it.
The partial liner is nested and it’s in there just enough to offer a frame for the
standoffs and lock to screw into.
The rest of this handle is made out of something called a peel ply carbon fiber.
Which is just like regular carbon fiber except the external surface is textured through a
super boring manufacturing process- and feels very very similar to a standard G10.
I did a real scientific experiment with my eyes closed and couldn’t tell the difference
between the Militarys carbon fiber and the Para Military 2’s G10.
And according to the internet, the G10 and carbon fiber version weigh the same.
Although my Military is about 4.09 ounces instead of the whole lot cooler if you did
4.20 ounces.
The handle is very comfortable and larger than the Para Military 2.
The grips are sort of similar although the curves are gentler on the Military.
No hot spots or problem areas are found… however the clip is up front on the right
side- and not reposition-able.
Tip down blade forward in the right pocket is the only possibility for the knife… it’s
not quite deployment ready coming out of the pocket.
However it’s still an easy one handed opening even out of the pocket, as the hole allows
an easy repositioning of the knife.
A little over 3/4 of an inch sticks out letting everyone know you’re a knife bro.
The clip is nice and springy, has the right amount of give and grip for my preferences.
The paint does wear on the pocket clip though- not that a pocket wear on a clip bothers me-
it may bother you though which I’m not concerned about.
Comparisons.
First the Military.
I really like it a lot.
It is a large knife and may not be super work friendly without attracting attention to how
tactical you are after work hours.
However a 4 inch blade is just about right for most camp food prep, and the blade is
nice and pointy for piercing.
It’s an easy knife to bend my 4 ounce or less rule for because it’s so light, and
fidget friendly.
The Para military 2, has a more reposition able pocket clip, and a faster deployment….
So the knife edges it out in fidgitablity (an important consideration in functionality)
and a more positionable pocket clip.
The Para is a little nicer and less flashy in an office setting- or lightly tactical.
Let’s look at the Benchmade Crooked River, unless you got a problem with that.
This is also a very nice knife, however I find the military a bit easier to hold because
the handle is gripper and lighter, the added weight of the crooked river for my tastes
makes it more likely to slip.
Now the Endura 4.
This one is in cutting edge between the smaller para military 2 and the larger paramilitary.
Slower deployment too, but it’s still a cheaper useful blade.
Once more, the Benchmade Fact.
There cutting edge on the military is only a hair longer and the Fact is lighter- however
the Military is a more comfortable hold, but has a larger pocket footprint than the Fact.
All the knives here are some of my favorites.
You can collect them all like I did- only maybe just buy one.
Because one knife is really all you need.
They all have large blades, and fairly light weight… well the Crooked River is the heaviest
by a bit out of the 5 knives.
If you want a stainless blade that requires you to be less diligent about blade care go
with one of the stainless versions of the Military.
This one stains about as easily as my grandpas Case sodbuster.
You can see over the few weeks I’ve carried the military it has picked up
a halfassed patina.
The Military is a very fine addition to a collection, or let’s say you only wanted
to buy one knife and it need to kind of have a large blade, and this was the one knife
you needed and you weren’t gonna buy 30 more.
Just one real nice knife because that’s a normal thing to do… well it really balances
being light weight, having a long blade, and being a very comfortable knife to use.
In fact out of the larger knives in the comparison, it is probably the most well rounded for my
tastes.
I prefer the Para Military 2 more because of the nicer lock and clip.
However the Military is probably my second favorite here.
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comment, I know it’s asking a lot- thanks for watching.