PM2: A Little Ugly

Lenny

Lenny

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 15, 1998
Messages
2,268
While I love my PM2, I gotta think it has a face only a mother can love.
I don't understand why Spyderco didn't make the opening hole 1 or 2mm smaller in diameter.
I don't think it would compromise opening ease much, but it would sure look better. And, as an added side benefit, the blade would be stronger at that area too.
Your thoughts?
 
I don't even see spydie hole size anymore. Years back before I bought a PM2 I thought it was ugly, looked like a bird head. Now I just see an extremely useful knife.
 
Pure function - yesterday I needed to cut something while out in my yard with gloves on. Opened no problem. Spyderco builds for the hand and not for the eye.

With that being said other knives do often look better but the Spyderco look has become somewhat classic looking to me. As far as blade strength has gone I've never felt the need for a stronger blade on the pm2. Knives with thumbstuds also have holes cut into them so I doubt it's that much stronger. If blade strength was a problem Spyderco would have dropped the thumb hole or went out of business a long time ago.
 
She's a beauty.:)
cEnEDmr.jpg
 
Lenny said:
I gotta think it has a face only a mother can love.... I don't think it would compromise opening ease much, but it would sure look better. And, as an added side benefit, the blade would be stronger at that area too.
Click to expand...

I agree with everything you said and didn't get one for years because of the look and suspected weaknesses.

Now, I think of the PM2 as the Glock of the knife world... I still carry a Glock. It's ugly, but beautiful.

The hole is ugly, but I sometimes need to open my knives with gloves, so the larger hole is a plus in how I use it. I am not really concerned with the strength of a pocket knife unless it's truly fragile. For hard use, I use a fixed blade.

In my unqualified opinion, any decent knife has to fill a niche and no knife fills every niche. And the niche of the PM2 is huge!
 
The looking will grow on you. The spydie hump however is not very comfortable for drawing cut when you lay your index finger on the spine. Models of the Native family including the red hot Shaman are more comfortable for that kind of cutting tasks. OTOH, models with a fully exposed spydie hole (when closed) are easier to open one-handed.
 
gull wing said:
What kind of cutting is the tanto used. Beautiful grind!
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Thanks.
I was tempted to do a blade swap with the new M4 model but I really don't want a patina on this one, looks great with the bright satin finish.
 
The 14mm hole is a feature I like. FYI The Endela has a 13mm hole and is similar in overall size to the PM2. Like most here, I used to think Spyderco’s were ugly. After using them along with many other knives, I began to understand and appreciate why they look the way they do. Spyderco helped get me to a point where I care about performance over looks for everything I buy.
 
I bought my first Spyderco about 35 years ago and I still can't warm up to the way they look. Doesn't keep me from carrying one.
 
I don't mind the hole, but I think proportionally the blade looks kinda short compared to the size of the handle. It's a big wide knife for 3" of usable edge. One of my favorite overall packages regardless. I've had 3 or 4 different PM2s since they first came out and sold them all. It's only a matter of time before I get another, hopefully to hang on to this time around.
 
Lenny said:
While I love my PM2, I gotta think it has a face only a mother can love.
I don't understand why Spyderco didn't make the opening hole 1 or 2mm smaller in diameter.
Click to expand...

Spyderco knives are designed for function, not for appearance. However there is an old saying "beauty is as beauty does" so in that regards they are beautiful. For me the PM2 blade hole is just right, slightly smaller would make the blade stronger but would not function as well. There are other Spyderco models with smaller holes and they don't work as well for me. I can tell you that I had a whole collection of "pretty" knives, and I've bought more and more Spyderco knives until I only have one of the "pretty" knives left.
 
The Spydie hole is a trademarked design and functional feature of most Spyderco knives.

Fixed and autos don't need it, even though some fixed blades still have one as do the 2 autos -- the Citadel and Embassy. Most balis don't have the hole either but the old Janisong does and the new SmallFly will too.

Simply put . . . If you don't like it, don't buy it.

There are other knives w/different types of opening mechanisms available for folders but none as effective or elegant in design and simplicity as the Spydie hole.

As the owner of SEVEN Glocks, I agree w/the comment above. It may be "ugly" but it is "bet on your life" RELIABLE and I'll stand by my Spydercos the way I do with my Glocks.

A Glock 17 was issued to me when I 1st became a LEO in 1996. It was the first time that I ever knew anything about Glocks. I still own that Glock and it is my primary carry weapon despite it being 25 years old and despite my owning various 1911s and HKs that I could also carry.

Is there any other handgun other than a Glock that you know of that you can disassemble and repair BLINDFOLDED w/only a punch?

Don't get me wrong, I love my SWs, Colts, HK and various other rare and exotic guns that I down but none of them compare w/my Glocks for simplicity and reliability.

The same applies to my Spydercos.

A Spyderco Endura was the 1st knife of any value that I ever bought in the early 90's. I still own that knife and have since collected many others; over 130 Spyderos and over 200 "others."

Say what you will about Glocks and Spydercos.

They are the among (if not, THE) BEST made equipment made w/in their industries. You could do a lot -- REALLY A LOT -- worse buying anything else.

I like variety in what I use and collect but my "go to" weapons will always be a Glock handgun and Spyderco knife.
 
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I think a lot of you mistook my original post, or maybe I "misphrased" it.
My main point is that the PM2's functionality most likely wouldn't be compromised with a 1 or 2mm reduction
in hole diameter. But it'd make a world of difference in appearance. I love my PM2 and consider it one of the all time greatest knives ever made. But we can all wish for unattainable things, right?
 
The Kapara is somewhat similar to the PM2 with a smaller hole and a slimmer overall profile. More usable edge, too.
 
Lenny said:
I think a lot of you mistook my original post, or maybe I "misphrased" it.
My main point is that the PM2's functionality most likely wouldn't be compromised with a 1 or 2mm reduction
in hole diameter. But it'd make a world of difference in appearance. I love my PM2 and consider it one of the all time greatest knives ever made. But we can all wish for unattainable things, right?
Click to expand...

I don't think that I (or anyone else who has commented) misunderstood your original post. This is a very sophisticated, perceptive and educated audience on BF.

You said you thought the hole was ugly and would look "better" if it were smaller but, if you did that (as others have noted) you would make the hole less (if not entirely non) functional (even if by a few mm) because you might not be able to get your thumb into it (gloved or not) in order to make proper use of it.

If you were to make it smaller enough to be aesthetically pleasing it might become decorative only, as it is on the fixed blades, autos and balis.

The only way to make the hole "look better" on folders where it is needed is to make the knife blades larger in order to eliminate the bug-eyed appearance of the blade but if you do that the knife would be SO BIG to be entirely impractical.

So, it is what it is. Take it or leave it.
 
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