79% of 393 verified owners recommend the Spyderco Paramilitary 2, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 79%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. Affiliate blogs is shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
Synthesized from what Spyderco Paramilitary 2 owners say — not a spec sheet.
For most buyers here it is, with 79% of 393 owners recommending it. The praise lands on the same three things: the compression lock, the way the handle fills a hand, and a thin, flat-ground blade that slices. The dissent is steady though. Some owners never warm to the ergonomics, one sold it off after several tries because it did not feel right in hand, and one review judged the same work done by far cheaper knives.
It wedges a leaf spring between the blade tang and a stop pin, and its release sits on the spine side of the handle. Closing one-handed therefore keeps fingers away from the edge path. Spyderco describes it as an extreme-strength mechanism that holds the blade securely open while closing easily and safely with one hand. Owners rate it the best part of the knife, though some report a stiff detent or a sticky lock out of the box.
Bigger than the blade length suggests, and that is the main knock on it. Spyderco lists it at 4.82 inches closed and 8.26 inches overall, with a 3.45-inch blade, a 3.05-inch cutting edge and a weight of 3.8 ounces. Owners say width is the problem more than length, since the round hole and leaf-shaped blade make the handle broad, and the peel-ply G-10 scales are abrasive enough to wear pocket seams.
CPM S45VN on most current versions, full flat ground, with G-10 scales over skeletonized stainless liners, made in the United States, all per Spyderco's listing. It is also a platform rather than one knife: Spyderco has run it in CPM S110V, CPM SPY27, Cru-Wear and a MagnaCut Salt version, and the steel and scale choice is part of why owners buy several. Edge life reports are strong, including a knife carried 10-plus years and one that went 5 years between sharpenings.
The blade tapers to a very fine point on a full flat grind, thin behind the edge, which is what makes it slice and what makes the tip fragile. Spyderco lists the stock at .145 inches at the spine, but little of that thickness survives near the point. Owners warn about it plainly: one snapped a tip, another carries a knife with a broken tip, and a buyer returned one over the same worry after breaking points like it before.
The bigger one scores better here, 79% of 393 against 71% of 224 for the Para 3, and the argument between them is about carry rather than cutting. The Para 3 is the shortened take on the same design with the same compression lock, and owners who call the Paramilitary 2 too big for a pocket prefer it. They disagree on opening, with one finding the Para 3's hole easier to reach, and both share the leaf-blade width that makes them ride wide.
Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.
“This is the knife that made me fall in love with knives.”
“the g-10 grips feel blocky because they didn’t even round the edges at all just squared off. What a disappointment for a $200* knife”
“I have one in S30V ant the tip is *very* delicate.”
“Its definitely a great knife however because of its popularity, its also become expensive”
“Great knife with balanced hardness, ease of sharpening, and corrosion(rust) resistance”
“I feel my money could be better spent on a ZT 0452cf, ZT 0808, or the Benchmade 940 with G10 handles from Knifeworks, knives that I may actually carry. The Spyderco PM2 may be a bit much for me to carry”
“Definitely one of the best production knives every made I've been carrying my current PM-2 every day since 2015 .”
“It's a really nice blade overall just wish I had gotten one that wasn't coated.”
“I like the look of the knife, but in reality the lock on the PM2 is nowhere near as strong as the triad lock on any of my Cold Steel folders.”
“with your pointy finger when unlocking and closing the blade it bumps against your finger and moves back a bit so it doesn't close fully inside the handle? That's what bugs me.”
“Everything makes perfect sense. Compression lock is the best. Spyderco makes fantastic knives.”
“Over hyped. This knife really isn't anything special.”
“My paramilitary2 on the other hand has a broken tip”
“For those of us with big hands, the size is really nice.”
“I can’t bear down on the knife (which is what I see the pm2 as a tool for — work use) without the lock wiggling and I have to remind myself to back off of it”
“Damn that DLC not being scratched a tiny bit really says something on the quality of the manufacturing, insane!”
“Just grabbed a PM2 w/ digi camo g10 scales w/ black coated S45VN blade and I like it, but the kick on the blade hits the tip of my index finger when I close the blade (kind of like the Shaman supposedly does) and that bugs the shit out of me!”
“Every time a knife I’m using snags on the sharpening choil, I think “I wish this thing didn’t have a stupid sharpening choil.””
“Маю 5 різних версій і всерівно цей ніж мені не подобається.”
“It's an OUTSTANDING knife. Wish I came across these years ago. If your thinking about getting one DO IT!”
“The spyderco is a better slicer but the 940 is just such an easy carry”
“S30V is a little soft for my liking. When I carried a PM2 I found myself sharpening it more frequently than I would like. It's a nice design, but I can't help feeling that the PM2 is a little overrated.”
“I really wanted to love it, but... I only like it a little.”
“it works like a tool ,cuts well”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
“Compared my Endura3 and my Para2 just sitting closed side by side and the Endura was actually taller than the Para2 despite having a much smaller hole.”
“if I clip the blade on yes the hole hinders me getting to my keys quickly, however if I just toss the knife in my pocket it is no problem at all”
“I was carrying this one while working in the yard, in about 50% humidity. I have put oil and wax on it in the past, maybe not recently. I spotted the rust a week after carrying the knife and it did clean off easily.”
“I rounded the edges on both my PM2s. Totally different feel to it. When I picked up my second, ( I couldn't not get a Cruwear!) I tried it for a couple days without breaking out the sandpaper but couldn't keep it with the factory square edges. So much better rounded!”
“Haven't been carrying my pm2 lately, can't seem to get the clip screws tight.”
“perfectly centered lil bit of lock stick. I'm sure it'll wear in.”
