Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight Folding Pocket Knife with 2" CTS BD1N Steel Blade and FRN Handle - EDC Knife for Men and Women, Perfect for Hunting, Tactical, Camping, Survival - PlainEdge - C223PBK

The Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight is a great "one and only" candidate, in that it serves its purpose as both an EDC knife and a non-threatening social carry. After using the budget knives for a couple years, this was my first 'premium' knife purchase. It's the one that sent me down the rabbit hole of pocket knife collecting. My collection now includes about 125 pieces, 30 of them being Spydercos. One aspect of this knife that tends to throw people is that Spyderco uses only one washer in the pivot. This tends to make the blade slightly off center in the closed position, which is distressing to many knife owners. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with the knife, it's just off center by the width of one brass washer. That doesn't affect it's cutting performance at all. I have the Para 2 and 3, but this gets more pocket time than the other two combined. It is not simply a lighter version of the Para 3. The lightweight version has rounded edges, whereas the Para 3's edges are cornered, like the Para 2. The lightweight's curves feel much better in the hand, and the knife will perform nearly all of the tasks you'd ask of the heavier version. All in all, it's among my top 10, and one of the most versatile and useful pocket knives in the business.

I'm not a huge pocket knife guy, I mostly just use them for backpacking, but this knife has me wanting to carry it with me all the time. I bought a benchmade bugout and then this knife right after. The spyderco is way better in my opinion, and cheaper as well. Compared to the benchmade this knife just feels way more useable as a daily carry. The clip works better, the grip is smoother and sturdier, and the locking action is way easier to use especially 1-handed. I'll probably throw the benchmade in to my bugout bag or bring it camping, since it is lighter and has a nice blade. The benchmade might have a better blade, but it overall feels too delicate both in the handle and blade. The spyderco blade is thick and the knife as a whole seems ready for some abuse and works good for all knife tasks I've put it up against. The para 3 is very ergonomic and the perfect size as well in my opinion. I put this thing to the test yesterday when I was building dirt beds and opened a dozen bags of dirt/mulch with gloves and thick mud on my hands and this knife went in and out of my pocket and operated with ease. Rinsed it off afterwards and did some food prep. This knife is awesome. Beats the crap out of every other knife I've ever used. Spending $100 + on a pocket knife is a tough sell for me, but for $100 I'd buy this knife again.

It's a good knife as you would expect from Spyderco. It's a smaller PM2 and ultra light weight. I got this particular model for my son as his first real pocket knife. I chose it as it would be very pocket friendly and fidgety, the steel is easy to sharpen which is perfect for teaching him sharpening skills. Personally I have several PM3s and it's a good knife. I think of it as a beefy Delica. It's very capable for its size and weight, as with most spydercos it's more cutting performance oriented than hard use. If you want a smaller knife to cut things rather than as a prying tool, this is a great choice.

When I started looking for a good pocket knife, there were a lot of options out there. I did a lot of research and decided that it would be worth spending more money now and probably never need to buy another one again. I watched a lot of reviews of different knives and this seemed to be the right combination of price, quality, and features I was looking for. The Para 3 Lightweight lives up to its name. I can put it in my pocket and it doesn’t weigh it down. It came razor sharp. The compression lock on the back took a little to get used to, but it’s a good design. My father did say it pinched him once when he opened it, but I have yet to experience it myself. I would suggest having some lubrication oil on hand, though. My knife did work well, but it felt like the factory either didn’t put enough oil or forgot to put any at all.

Some of Spyerco's FRN knives have steel liners while others do not. This one does not have any liners. What that translates to is a very lightweight knife, to the point that it feels a bit unbalanced. I prefer a little heft to my knives. Being somewhat new to Spyderco, I didn't realize there were two flavors of FRN handles. I decided to purchase this knife based on my extremely positive impressions of two other knives I own: a blurple Para 3 with a G-10 handle and a Delica 4 with an FRN handle. The Delica 4 has steel liners, and it feels more natural to hold. On the other hand, the G-10 handle on my other Para 3 is a bit blocky and doesn't slip in and out of my pocket as easily as the FRN, but I do like its heft. The liner-less Para 3 FRN handle lacks weight, which makes it seem a bit plasticky and cheap, but that's a very real deception. I think most people tend to falsely equate heft with quality. Upon close examination, the FRN is very well made and functions extremely well. It feels good in hand in terms of size, and all the mechanics on the knife work great. The FRN does have a little bit of flex to it, but I don't see that as a quality issue at all. If anything, the flex makes it seem maybe less brittle (though I'd never truly consider the G-10 in the other Para 3 to be brittle). And when I say flex, I mean that I can pinch the scales together slightly compared to the G-10 handles. I haven't noticed any flexing when the knife is in use, though truthfully I haven't used it for anything strenuous, either. But the FRN is solid and seems to be very strong—it just behaves a bit differently from G-10. I don't view this as "cheap" or as a quality issue of any kind. It is what it is designed to be. The handle material is 100% user preference. After trying the Para 3 in both G-10 and FRN, I think that G-10 is my personal preference when using the knife. In the pocket, the FRN wins. And that's enough about the handle. For me, the Para 3 represents the goldilocks of knives—not too big, not too small. I love the blade shape, and the Spyderhole is awesome to use. However, because I work in an office with strict rules about such things, the Para 3 is not an EDC knife for me. I'm new to CTS BD1N steel, so I can't comment specifically on overall performance except to say the knife came sharp and cuts well. The compression lock is interesting. It feels less smooth than a normal back lock in that there is a slight scraping of metal when you use it that can be felt. It's hard to describe, but it's nothing to worry about. The compression lock just provides a different experience. I like how easy it is to operate one-handed, and I have no concerns about durability. Overall, this is a great knife. I'm marking it 4 stars instead of 5 because it isn't an extraordinary knife for me, but I'm confident it could be near-perfect for many others. Like so many other things, knives are all about personal tastes. As far as quality goes, this knife is everything I've come to expect from Spyderco.

rock solid and well made. holds edge well. worth the $160 or so I paid. reverse liner lock makes for easy one hand operation. my favorite edc among dozens I have collected.

Smooth, high quality action. Extremely sharp. Spyderco ergonomics. Quality from the USA. Can’t be beat.

Was a bit disappointed when I first received this knife. For $91, the FRN handle seemed too slick and made the knife feel cheap. Also, I was having trouble getting a good purchase on the handle to flick the blade out. Despite my early concerns, I have grown to love this knife. I now realize the true genius in the design, and I like it more and more every day I carry it (which is every day). The handle is lightweight, but solid. the action is smooth, and I quickly learned to flick that blade out and back with ease. The compression lock is quite fun to use. The deep-carry wire pocket clip is probably this knife's best feature! It slides on and off fabric easily, yet stays in place very well. . . I honestly don't know how they created such an effective pocket clip. Blade is a very usable shape for EDC tasks, and no sign of corrosion so far. I no longer seem to use any of my many other pocket knives--I might even sell them all! Highly recommend this knife for your do-it-all EDC knife!

J'étais à la recherche d'un couteau solide et léger 67gr sur balance avec une bonne lame 67mm environ, long totale 180mm. Très bonne prise en main et le tenir de différentes manières pour l'utiliser. Ouverture une main, fermeture sur le dos du manche. Un bon petit couteau qui s'oublie dans la poche. Recommandé fortement.

Great knife

Peur d'avoir une contre façon ou un problème de qualité mais au final super couteau. Pour un edc franchement je trouve que la taille est idéale. Finition du couteau bonne, tranchant rasoir et lame centrée. Malgré qu'il n'y ait pas les doublures en acier et bien le manche en frn et solide. Le couteau est capable d'effectuer des tâche rudes. Bon après faut pas le comparer à un manix ou certains zero tolerance mais il est plus solide à ce que je m'attendais. Au final je suis hyper sarisfait.

Utile pour touts les tâches de la vie courante

Ce couteau Spyderco est de bonne facture mais un prix totalement exagéré... si vous pouvez acquérir ce couteau pour moins de 100 euros c'est une bonne affaire. Mais pour 140 euros la qualité offerte me semble insuffisante. l'acier de la lame n'est pas exceptionnel et lorsque le couteau est fermé il y a du jeu dans la lame, la détente n'est pas bien réglée. Je possède également la version G10 et je trouve le rapport qualité prix plus intéressant même s'il est plus cher.