- Spyderco Para Military 2 · Drop Point3.438″ blade · 0.141″ spine · 3.9 oz · 1.26″ tall (published)
Spyderco Para Military 2
The Spyderco Para Military 2 is a 3.438" drop point folder in CPM-S45VN, full flat ground. The handle is G-10, secured by a compression lock. It is one of just two knives here in CPM-S45VN, so there is little to compare it against on steel alone.
- Blade
- 3.438″
- Weight
- 3.9 oz
- Steel
- CPM-S45VN
- Price band
- Premium
Everyday carry and general utility
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Specifications
Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against spyderco.com, knifecenter.
- Blade length
- 3.438″
- Spine thickness
- 0.141″
- Blade shape
- Drop Point
- Grind
- Full Flat
- Steel
- CPM-S45VN
- Overall length
- 8.281″
- Closed length
- 4.812″
- Weight
- 3.9 oz
- Lock
- Compression
- Deployment
- Manual
- Handle material
- G-10
- Country of origin
- USA
Why a drop point
The default hunting and EDC shape, and the safest general answer. The spine curves down to the tip in a convex line, which keeps the point low and strong and leaves plenty of belly for skinning. It is hard to make a drop point bad at anything.
Every drop point here →About CPM-S45VN
The S30V family's refresh — more chromium in solution than S35VN, so better corrosion resistance with a little more edge retention.
1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All CPM-S45VN knives
What owners say
Drawn from 5,063 owner discussions of the Spyderco Para Military 2 since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.
What owners like
- The compression lock keeps your fingers out of the blade path when closing, one first-time owner calls it absolutely amazing to deploy and close, and another made the PM2 a long-drive fidget buddy
- Fills a large hand: one owner with XL hands finds the Para 3 too small and not as ergonomic as the PM2, a large-glove owner carries it daily, another with large hands finds it very comfortable, and one says it melted into their hand the first time and became their daily knife
- S45VN on the standard model is easy to sharpen and holds a working edge for everyday cutting: one owner with an XM-18 and a Sebenza 31 carries the S45VN PM2 day in, day out, partly for that reason, and another calls it a breeze to sharpen
- The tall full-flat grind slices well, with a first-time owner surprised it glided through paper and another owner rating it very good for slicing and general tasks
- Textured G-10 grips harder the harder you squeeze without, in one owner's experience, chewing up pockets, and one owner's handle came out of a 355F restaurant fryer in immaculate condition
- One owner's DLC-coated S45VN PM2 with titanium scales came out of a lake after about two months with no meaningful rust or pitting on the blade, the lock and action still good and the edge still sharp; that owner credits the DLC coating
- A deep aftermarket: owners fit aftermarket scales, clips and hardware, one calls the scale selection one of the strongest out there, and another who replaced the scales and clip over time says it feels like a new knife
- A left-handed version exists: one left-handed owner calls Spyderco making one a big factor in choosing it, and another calls finally getting one a dream come true
- Spyderco service gets a good report: one owner had a PM2 sharpened and its clip replaced in about a week with no qualms
What owners flag
- The thin, pointed tip breaks: one owner snapped it breaking down cardboard, another after almost four years as a workhorse knife, and broken tips turn up on Cru-Carta, M4, Maxamet and M390 versions; owners regrind a shorter tip or a tanto
- Lock stick out of the box is common enough that one buyer called it customary and fixed it with a pencil; others report it on an S45VN second and a MagnaCut PM2, and one returned a Cruwear micarta version over lock stick, bad action and an off-center blade
- Centering and blade play take tuning on some units: owners of Maxamet versions describe blades off center with seized action and play unless the pivot is cranked down, and one K390 took eight or nine attempts to get acceptable
- Price has climbed: owners remember it at $150 to $170 and now put it at about $265, one who paid around $165 says they would never pay $265, and another will not fiddle with tuning out blade play at that price
- It ships with the clip set tip-down, which surprised several new owners, and the clip screws can be locked in hard enough that one owner could not break them loose
- Large for some pockets and some laws: one buyer trying all three plans to keep the Para 3 because the PM2's grip felt too big and the blade bounced off their finger when closing, another found it too long for a pocket knife when handling it in a store, and a third is limited to blades of 3 inches or less
- One left-handed owner says their S45VN blade is as chip-prone as VG-10 and blames the heat treat
- One owner's PM2 lock bar cracked and the detent ball fell out, and that owner nearly put a hand onto the blade in their pocket
At 3.44 inches of S45VN in a 3.9 oz G-10 handle, the Para Military 2 comes up as a one-and-done knife, and several owners keep carrying it after buying pricier ones. Owners use it at work on cardboard, zip ties and tape, and as their first good knife. The compression lock closes without fingers in the blade path, and owners enjoy deploying it. A left-handed version exists.
A broken tip is the failure owners report most, one while breaking down cardboard: the tip is thin and pointed, and owners across many steels report breaking it and regrinding it. Lock stick and off-center blades turn up often enough that owners report fixes such as graphite, rotating the stop pin or slightly bending the lock bar. The standard S45VN sharpens easily, one owner's DLC-coated knife came out of two months in a lake without meaningful rust, and another's handle came out of a deep fryer unharmed.
The Para 3 is the choice it is weighed against most, with advice favoring the PM2 for large hands and a full grip and the Para 3 for smaller pockets or blade-length limits. The Manix 2 is the chunkier alternative, which one left-handed owner ranks level with it for its ball-bearing lock, and one owner says their Sage 5 ends up in their pocket more often. Several owners resent the price climb from about $150 to around $265.
Should I get the PM2 or the Para 3?
Owners split mainly on hand size and pocket space. One owner with XL hands finds the Para 3 too small and less ergonomic than the PM2, though another who wears XL gloves finds the Para 3 plenty comfortable, and one says the PM2 suits holding the knife several ways for different cuts. The Para 3 is the pick for smaller pockets or places with a 3-inch blade limit, and one Para 3 owner who found the PM2 handle a bit long says snapped tips show up far more on PM2s.
Why did my PM2 arrive with the clip set tip-down?
The PM2 ships tip-down by default, and owners ask about it because their other Spydercos arrived tip-up. Some want it flipped, though one owner prefers tip-down after a bad cut carrying tip-up, and another reckons it rides more vertically in a back pocket. The clip screws take a T6 driver and can be very tight; one owner could not break them loose.
How do I fix lock stick on a compression lock?
Owners report several fixes: a pencil, rotating the stop pin, and in one case bending the lock bar very slightly and checking as you go after rotating the stop pin had not helped. One owner found a lock that was insanely hard to disengage at first was fine a year later.
What do I do if I break the tip?
Regrind it. Owners have had a broken PM2 tip reprofiled slightly shorter, and one turned a tipless PM2 into a tanto. Two owners bought used PM2s with broken or chipped tips, one for 50 euros, repaired them and made them their everyday knife.
Will the S45VN blade rust?
One owner's DLC-coated S45VN PM2 spent about two months in a lake and came out with no meaningful rust or pitting, which that owner credits to the coating. One knife user points out that S45VN is not a tool steel and does not need oiling against rust, and one owner cites testing that put it ahead of S30V and S35VN for corrosion resistance.
Do I need a sheath or slip for it?
No, say four knife users: the G-10 handle will not get beaten up in a pocket, and if it does get badly scratched, the aftermarket scale selection is one of the strongest out there. One left-handed owner warns a slip only makes you reluctant to use it.
Features
- Compression lock
- Full Flat grind
- Made in USA
- Stainless blade
