Spyderco is one of the most popular knife brands out there, and for good reason…
Their knives are well-designed, built with quality, and just plain cool…
Two of their most popular designs right now are scaled down versions of the (also very popular) Military model…
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 | Spyderco ParaMilitary 2 (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
 | Spyderco ParaMilitary 3 (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
And in this Spyderco Paramilitary 2 Vs 3 comparison, we’re going to examine how these two folding knives stack up against each other in the following categories:
- Blade Steel And Materials
- Blade Shape And Handle Design
- Locking Mechanism
- Size And Dimensions
- Pocket Clip And Carry Position
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll tell you which of these two knives I prefer, and you should have all the information you need to determine which one will work best for you…
Let’s jump into it!
Blade Steel And Materials…
Spyderco Paramilitary 2
The Spyderco Paramilitary 2 is built with a lot of high quality materials. It’s available in a variety of different blade steels, but I think the most common is CPM S30V.
CPM S30V is considered a premium grade knife steel because it is strong and does a good job of resisting corrosion…
It’s also a great steel for edge retention, so you won’t be stuck having to sharpen your knife all the time…
Now the handle on the Para 2 is made from G-10. That makes it strong and relatively lightweight, but it’s also comfortable and ergonomic in the hand.
All in all, I’m very impressed with the blade steel and other materials that Spyderco uses on this knife.
Spyderco Paramilitary 3
The Spyderco Paramilitary 3 is also built with high-quality materials. Just as with the Para 2, the Para 3 is available in many different blade steels, but the most common is CPM S30V.
As I mentioned before, CPM S30V is usually regarded as the best knife steel out there because it is very strong and fairly resistant to corrosion…
And we can’t forget that CPM S30V also holds it’s edge extremely well. In addition to that, the handle on the Para 3 is (just like the Para 2) made from G-10.
So again, it is strong and lightweight and feels great in your hand. Again, the quality level from Spyderco on this knife is impressive.
Blade Shape And Handle Design…
Paramilitary 2
As I mentioned earlier, the Paramilitary 2 is a scaled down version of the Spyderco Military model. So it’s no surprise that the blade shape is similar…
That being said, the blade is a bit shorter and slightly more broad than the long 4 inch blade on the Military model…
Now, on the Para 2, the blade has a high-performance full flat-grind, and you can get it with either a Plain Edge or with the Spyder Edge, which is a serrated edge offered by Spyderco.
I usually prefer to go with Plain Edge blades, but I like that Spyderco offers this knife with the Spyder Edge as well for those who want a serrated blade.
In addition to that, the Paramilitary 2 has jimping on the spine and also on the finger choil on the front of the handle which will help give you more control when using the knife, and the handle itself is long, lightweight, and very comfortable.
Like I mentioned before, the handle material is G-10 which I think is a great choice because it’s strong and gives you a fair amount of purchase when you’re holding the knife.
Last, Spyderco offers the Paramilitary 2 with a number of different finishes and handle colors. You can get it with a camo handle, a blue handle, a black handle, and many others…
…and you can get it with a naked metallic blade, a black blade, and many other blade finishes as well. I really love that Spyderco gives you so many options when it comes to the looks of this knife.
Paramilitary 3
Just as the Paramilitary 2 is a smaller version of the Military model, the Paramilitary 3 is a smaller version of the Paramilitary 2…
That means that both the blade and the handle are a little bit more compact, but overall, they are very similar to the Para 3’s bigger brother…
Now the blade is a little bit more broad, but again, it largely follows that same shape as the Para 2. It also comes in Plain Edge and in Spyder Edge versions, but you can also get it with a Combination Edge, which is a half plain edge and half serrated blade…
Just as with the Paramilitary 2, the Spyderco Paramilitary 3 comes with a G-10 handle that comes in a variety of patterns and colors, and there are also many versions with metallic or black blades as well.
Again, I love the variety of blade colors, handle colors and edges that Spyderco offers for this knife.
Locking Mechanism…
Both the Paramilitary 2 and the Paramilitary 3 use Spyderco’s Compression Lock. This locking mechanism basically incorporates the blade tang, a stop pin, and a ramp to lock out the blade…
It’s a special mechanism designed and patented by Spyderco, and it adds a lot of strength to these particular knife designs.
I’m a big fan of it because it locks out the blades on both of these knife designs very securely.
Size And Dimensions…
Paramilitary 2
Even though the Paramilitary 2 is a smaller version of the Military model, it’s still a decent sized folding knife…
The blade is 3.42 inches long, and the handle is 4.82 inches long. This brings the overall length to 8.24 inches long when the blade is fully deployed.
Just as a comparison, the Spyderco Military model is 9.52 inches long when fully opened. So the Paramilitary 2 is 1.28 inches shorter than it’s bigger brother.
Paramilitary 3
Again, the Paramilitary 3 was built to be a more compact version of the Paramilitary 2. So naturally, it’s going to be a little bit smaller…
The blade on the Para 3 is 2.95 inches long, and the handle is 4.29 inches long. That brings the overall length to 7.24 inches long when the blade is locked out.
Once again the Paramilitary 2 is 8.24 inches long when fully open. So the Paramilitary 3 is a full inch shorter when the blade is deployed.
(And just as a side note the Paramilitary 3 is 2.28 inches shorter than the full-sized Spyderco Military model.)
Pocket Clip And Carry Position…
Both the Paramilitary 2 and the Paramilitary 3 have a metal clip, and the really cool thing is that you can set the clip up for tip up carry or for tip down carry and it can go on either side of both knife models…
This means you can set up both knives to carry any way you want them to in your pocket, and I really like that Spyderco gives you that flexibility.
The included clip will match the finish of the blade, so it will either be metallic (in color) like the blade or black like the black-bladed versions of these knives.
And both knives sit relatively deep in your pocket. They won’t completely disappear, the way some knives will (with just the clip showing), but they’re both fairly low profile when clipped inside your pocket.
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give exact numbers in this category because the prices of these knives are changing all the time…
That being said, both the Paramilitary 2 and the Paramilitary 3 are very close to being the same price. Sometimes they’re actually priced exactly the same…
…and other times you might find the Paramilitary 3 for around 10 bucks less expensive than the Paramilitary 2.
To me, a few bucks here or there isn’t really a big deal when you’re looking for a folding knife in this price range. So I don’t really think the price differences here are very significant at all.
Spyderco Paramilitary 2 Vs 3 – Final Thoughts…
So to sum it all up, in the Blade Steel And Materials category both knives come in a variety of blade steels, but the most common is CPM S30V, which is a great choice because it’s strong, corrosion resistant, and holds an edge well…
In the Blade Shape And Handle Design category, both knives have a similar blade shape with the Paramilitary 2 being a little bit longer than the Paramilitary 3, and they both come in a variety of finishes, handle colors, and with or without serrated blades…
In the Locking Mechanism category, both knives use Spyderco’s patented Compression Lock which means the blades on both designs will lock out very securely…
In the Size And Dimensions category, the Paramilitary 3 is a full inch shorter in overall length than the Paramilitary 2…
In the Pocket Clip And Carry Position category, both knives have a fully adjustable clip so you can carry them tip up or tip down within your pocket…
And last, in the Price Comparison, both knives are about the same price with the Paramilitary 3 sometimes being just a few bucks less expensive…
So which of these knives do I prefer? I prefer the Paramilitary 2…
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I prefer the Paramilitary 2 because it’s a larger folder, but at the same time it’s not too big for EDC (every day carry)…
I love the blade length and shape, and I like that you can get it with a Plain Edge or with the Spyder Edge (again, I prefer the Plain Edge versions)…
Also, the handle is just a little bit longer on the Paramilitary 2, which makes it just a touch more comfortable in the hand when you’re using it, and I love that it comes in a variety of different handle colors and patterns…
All in all, I think it’s a fantastic folding knife!
Now if you want all those same features in a slightly more compact knife, then feel free to go with the Paramilitary 3 because it’s still an awesome choice…
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Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major differences between these two amazing knife designs from Spyderco!