NKD! First Spyderco: A PM2 Leftie Joins the Club, and the Para 3 Fans Show Up
There's a moment every knife enthusiast remembers: the first Spyderco. For one r/knifeclub member this week, that moment arrived in the form of a PM2 Leftie — the left-handed version of the Paramilitary 2, purchased after weeks of telling myself I don't need another knife. The post, titled simply NKD! My First Spyderco, landed with the kind of quiet enthusiasm that makes New Knife Day posts the heart of the community.
The PM2 is arguably the knife that made Spyderco's name in the modern EDC era: a compression-lock folder with a leaf-shaped blade, a thumb hole that defines the brand's identity, and a cult following that spans two decades. The Leftie variant matters because Spyderco is one of the few major manufacturers that consistently builds true mirror-image folders for left-handed users — a loyalty the community doesn't forget. For a first Spyderco, it's a statement pick.
The comments did what r/knifeclub comments do best: they validated the choice and escalated the recommendations. One member confessed that despite owning a bunch of high-end Spydercos, the Para 3 in DLC S45VN with digi camo G10 has got all the pocket time lately — easy flicking, drop-shut action, zero blade play, and a great size for a medium hand. The S45VN steel drew specific praise: it's cut a lot of stuff, and it's still razor sharp. Another commenter chimed in with a summer-carry reality check, describing their Para 3 Salt as the sacrificial sweat knife — wiped down nightly to keep rust at bay.
It's a familiar pattern in the hobby: the first Spyderco rarely stays the only Spyderco. The PM2 leads to a Para 3, the Para 3 leads to a Military 2, and before long the collection has a theme. For anyone who's been circling the brand, threads like this are the push — the consensus that the hype is real, the steel is good, and the hole-in-the-blade design that looked odd in photos feels perfect in hand.
The Verdict: A PM2 Leftie is a fantastic first Spyderco, and r/knifeclub's response confirms it: the Para 3 in S45VN is waiting in the wings as the inevitable second. If you've been eyeing your first Spydie, the community says go for it.