James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
Scaled down to only two thirds the size of the popular Spyderco Military knife, the ParaMilitary meets the needs of those who need a more discreet version better suited to pocket carry. This model created for civilian uses keeps the good features of Spyderco’s larger tactical folder.
With a blade of S-30V high carbon vanadium stainless steel and tactical quality corrosion-proof G-10 handle slabs, the ParaMilitary cuts very few corners. The large thumb hole at the base of the blade allows secure one-handed opening, even when wearing gloves, and the compression lock eliminates concerns about the knife folding under pressure. Once it’s open, use it as you would a fixed blade.
Closed handle construction doesn’t add much to the weight — only 3.75 ounces for this nearly five-inch (folded length) pocket clip knife. The solid G-10 handle grips keep the knife firmly in hand and keep out most of the dirt and debris that could interfere with blade action. Blade length of just over three inches keeps the knife within most social and legal limits. Owners can carry the ParaMilitary without drawing unwanted attention.
Though the blade seems a little short, Spyderco kept enough of the full-sized handle to provide a strong grip, making the ParaMilitary more usable than smaller pen knives with equivalent blade length. Though the ParaMilitary from Spyderco comes in either plain edge or serrated versions, the serrated blade may be the preferred option for an urban survival knife. The toothed edge grips and severs harnesses, belts, and ropes quickly but does coarse work if used for shaping wood.
James grew up on an Ozarks farm where tools like axes and picks were still used in the daily routine and the blades of stockman's pocketknives served their original functions. Receiving his first pocketknife at age four he got it open by himself nearly a year later and spent his formative years wandering the woods with a succession of ever larger knives, a book of matches and a rifle.
A veteran of Vietnam, James also served in Alaska during a stint in the Army, receiving his first intensive culinary training by setting a record for extra KP at Ft. Richardson.
Settling in the Pacific Northwest after his discharge, James crewed on sailing yachts in local races, backpacked hundreds of miles of mountain trails in search of good trout fishing, and occasionally attended college.
His first serious job as a civilian resulted from answering a Seattle Post Intelligencer want ad requesting someone who could lift 120 pounds repeatedly and wasn't afraid of fire. James apprenticed to John Frazier -- the most knowledgeable traditional foundryman in North America at that time -- for the next six years.
Returning to the Ozarks James made his living by growing ginseng on a hand-terraced wooded hillside and selling handmade wood turnery, furniture, sculpture and architectural carvings. James harvested trees from his own land, processing logs into posts and beams and turnery billets with saws, axes, froes and planes. Since many tools he needed were no longer available, James built his own forge from a barbeque grill, a vacuum cleaner and a 55 gallon steel drum, found a chunk of railroad track for his first anvil, and taught himself blacksmithing -- creating his own knives and tools from scrap steel and sweat.
Changing economic pressures eventually forced James back to the restaurant industry in Branson, Missouri, and later to even more success as a maintenance engineer for one of Branson's largest condominium resorts. Finally escaping to Indiana, James now makes his living telling true stories as a freelance writer.
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Scaled down to only two thirds the size of the popular Spyderco Military knife, the ParaMilitary meets the needs of those who need a more discreet version better suited to pocket carry. This model created for civilian uses keeps the good features of Spyderco’s larger tactical folder.
