C223 Para 3

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The C223 Para 3 is a smaller version of the extremely popular Paramilitary 2. It should be noted that the "3" refers to the blade length and is actually part of the model name, not a designation of what generation the knife is on.

Appearance in catalogs

The C223 Para 3 appeared in the following catalogs (with notes where models first appeared):

Designer

Sal Glesser

Eric Glesser

History, mentionings from the forums etc.

Spyderco forum discussion about the "Paramilitary3".

Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web

C223 Para 3:

"The Para 3 takes all the proven features and benefits of Spyderco’s best-selling Para Military™2 and distills them into an even more compact all-purpose cutting tool. Its three-inch blade is precision machined from premium CPM® S30V® particle metallurgy stainless steel and features a full-flat grind for a superior balance of strength, point utility, and low-friction cutting performance. It includes a textured index-finger choil and thumb ramp that provide a solid purchase for a forward grip and offer enhanced control during precise cutting tasks. The blade’s signature Trademark Round Hole™ clearly brands it as a member of the Spyderco family and is fully accessible to allow quick, positive, one-handed opening with either hand.

To keep the Para 3 slim and pocket friendly, it features a lightweight, open-backed construction style and its stainless steel liners are nested into machined recesses in the textured G-10 scales. This reduces the handle thickness and provides excellent structural support for the knife’s patented Compression Lock™. Located in the spine of the handle, this high-strength mechanism locks the blade securely open during use, yet allows it to be closed easily and safely with only one hand. A four-position hourglass clip and an oversized lined lanyard hole complete the design, offering ambidextrous tip-up or tip-down carry and allowing the easy attachment of fobs and lanyards.

Ounce for once one of the most capable folding knives ever made, the Para 3 is destined to be a classic."

The C223 Para 3 in Spyderco's online catalog

Variations

The C223 Para 3 is made in Golden, CO and has

  • Compression Lock
  • Nested stainless steel liners
  • Open-backed construction
  • Lanyard hole


SKU Handle Edge(s) Steel From/To MSRP Note Number made Grind Clip Clip positions Collectors club
C223GP Black textured G-10 PE CPM-S30V Dec. 2016- 199.95$ (2016) Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Main
C223GPS Black textured G-10 PS CPM-S30V Mar. 2017- 199.95$ (2017) Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPCMO Digi camo G-10 PE CPM-S30V May 2017- 199.95$ (2017) Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GS Black textured G-10 SE CPM-S30V June 2017- 199.95$ (2017) Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPBK Black textured G-10 PE Black CPM-S30V June 2017- 219.95$ (2017) Black hardware Regular production Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPDBL Dark blue G-10 PE CPM-S110V Aug. 2017- $244.95 (2017) Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPCMOBK Digi camo G-10 PE Black CPM-S30V Aug. 2017- 219.95$ (2017) Black hardware Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPGYCW Gray G-10 PE Cru-Wear Aug. 2017 $209.95 (2017) Sprintrun Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223CF90VP Black peel ply CF PE CPM-S90V Feb. 2018 $319.95 (2018) Sprintrun Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPBL Blue G-10 PE M390 Feb. 2018 / Nov. 29, 2019 @ 9am PST $155.95/$160.00 (street), $207.95/$220.00 (MSRP) Bento Box Shop dealer exclusive. Second batch released Nov. 2019. Limited (2 batches) Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPDGY Dark gray G-10 PE Maxamet Mar. 2018- $284.95 (2018) Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GM4P Jade G-10 PE CPM-M4 June 26, 2018 $144.95 (street), $214.95 (MSRP) Blade HQ dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPODFDE Olive drab G-10 PE Flat dark earth PVD coated CTS-204P July 2018 $139.95 (street) River's Edge Cutlery dealer Exclusive. Black hardware. First half of the run went on sale July 6 and sold out the same day. 600 Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GM4PBK Jade G-10 PE Black DLC CPM-M4 July 2018 $154.95 (street), $224.95 (MSRP) Blade HQ dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPBORE Burnt orange G-10 PE CPM REX 45 Aug. 2018 $214.95 (2018) Sprintrun Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223CF52100P Black CF PE 52100 Aug. 2018 $309.95 (2018) H.L. Dalis distributor Exclusive Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPBN Earth brown G-10 PE CPM-S35VN Sept. 2018 $229.95 (2017) Moteng distributor exclusive 1200 Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPRDBK Red G-10 PE Black DLC CPM-4V Sept. 20, 2018 $154.95 (street) St. Nick's Knives dealer Exclusive. Black hardware. Sold out in 42 minutes. ~700 Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223CF52100PS Black CF PS 52100 Oct. 2018 $309.95 (2018) H.L. Dalis distributor Exclusive Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPCW Smooth black G-10 PE Cru-Wear Oct. 2018 $136.47 (street), $209.95 (MSRP) Knife Center dealer Exclusive 600 Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPOR Orange G-10 PE Satin CTS-XHP Nov. 16, 2018 @ 10AM MST $129.97 (street), $199.95 (MSRP) Cutlery Shoppe dealer Exclusive. Limit of two per customer (two satin, two DLC, or one of each). They had originally planned for a stonewashed finish on the blade, but ended up with satin. Sold out in about day and a half. Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPORBK Orange G-10 PE Black DLC CTS-XHP Nov. 16, 2018 @ 10AM MST $149.97 (street), $229.95 (MSRP) Cutlery Shoppe dealer Exclusive. Limit of two per customer (two satin, two DLC, or one of each). Sold out in about a day. Limited Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPBNBK Earth Brown G-10 PE Black DLC coated CPM-S35VN Apr. 2019 $229.98 (2019) Moteng distributor Exclusive. Black hardware (pivot, screws, lanyard tube), satin liners. Limited Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PBK Black FRN PE CTS-BD1N Apr. 2019- $140.00 (2019) Lightweight version. No metal liners. Regular production Full Flat Chrome deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Main
C223SBK Black FRN SE CTS-BD1N Apr. 2019- $140.00 (2019) Lightweight version. No metal liners. Regular production Full Flat Chrome deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Main
C223GPRD Red G-10 PE M390 Aug. 2019 $213.00 (MSRP, 2019). $149.10 (Street, 2019) DLT Trading Exclusive. Limited Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant


C223PRD Red FRN PE Satin M390 Oct. 29, 2019 @ 11AM CST $129.95 (street), $200.00 (MSRP) DLT Trading dealer Exclusive. Lightweight version. No metal liners. Limit 2 per customer. Limited Full Flat Chrome silver deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GPRGR Ranger Green G-10 PE K390 Nov. 1, 2019 @ 1pm PST $174.95 (street), $224.95 (MSRP) Bento Box Shop dealer Exclusive. "Ranger Green" seems to be the same color as the classic "Foliage Green" used on previous Spyderco models. Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PBBK Black FRN PE Black DLC coated CTS-BD1N Dec. 2019- $160.00 (2019) Lightweight version. No metal liners. Black screws. Uncoated satin lock bar. Regular production Full Flat Black deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223SBBK Black FRN SE Black DLC coated CTS-BD1N Feb. 2020- $160.00 (2020) Lightweight version. No metal liners. Black screws. Uncoated satin lock bar. Regular production Full Flat Black deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant


C223GPOROD Orange and olive drab green G-10 PE Satin CPM REX 45 Mar. 15, 2020 @ 12pm MDT $147.00 (street), $210.00 (MSRP) Cutlery Shoppe dealer Exclusive. Limited to 2 per household. Orange scale front side, olive drab green back side scale. The first of Cutlery Shoppe's "dual color" exclusive variants. Sold out in a few hours. 600 Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PBORE Burnt-orange FRN PE CPM REX 45 Mar. 2020 $175.00 (2020) Sprintrun. Lightweight version. No metal liners. 1200 Full Flat Silver deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GPORBL Orange and blue G-10 PE Satin CPM REX 45 Mar. 29, 2020 $147.00 (street), $210.00 (MSRP) Cutlery Shoppe dealer Exclusive. Limited to 2 per household. Orange scale front side, blue back side scale. The second of Cutlery Shoppe's "dual color" exclusive variants. 600 Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPGR Forest Green G-10 PE CTS-204P Apr. 2020 $149.95 (Street), $205.00 (MSRP) KnifeWorks dealer Exclusive. 150 were made available for preorder 4/1, but sold out in under 4 hours. The remainder went on sale 4/21 @ 8am CST and sold out in 4 minutes. Limit 5. A second run was offered in March 2022. Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PCBL Cobalt blue FRN PE CPM SPY27 2020 - $200.00 (2020) Lightweight version. No metal liners. Uses new steel designed specifically for Spyderco. Regular production Full Flat Silver deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GPFGR Forest Green "diamond arc pattern" G-10 PE CPM S45VN Jul. 2020 $214.00 (2020) Sprintrun Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant


C223GPRBK Purple G-10 PE Black DLC coated Cru-Wear Nov. 2020 $268.00 (MSRP, 2020), $164.50 (Street, 2020) DLT Trading dealer Exclusive. The C223GPRBK also features all-black hardware (liners, screws etc.), except for the lock bar. A second run became available in March 2023. Limited Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PNBL Stone Blue FRN PE CPM-20CV Mar. 2021 $129.00 (Street) Lightweight version. KnifeJoy dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Silver deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GNGRBK Neon green G-10 PE Black DLC coated CPM-20CV April 2021 $230.00 (MSRP, 2020), $169.95 (Street, 2020) KnifeJoy dealer Exclusive. The C223GNGRBK also features all-black hardware (liners, screws etc.), except for the lock bar. Limited Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PTBL Teal FRN PE CPM-S90V 2021 $140.00 (Street), $200.00 (MSRP) Lightweight version. MGE Wholesale distributor Exclusive Limited Full Flat Silver deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GRM4 Mint green FRN PE CPM-M4 June 2021 $175.00 (MSRP, 2021), $122.50 (Street, 2021) Lightweight version. Blade HQ dealer Exclusive. Limited Full Flat Silver deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GPCWBK Smooth black G-10 PE Black DLC coated Cru-Wear Aug. 2021 $235.00 (MSRP, 2021), $164.50 (Street, 2021) Knifecenter dealer Exclusive. Limited Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PWH White FRN PE CPM REX 45 Sep. 2021 $122.50 (Street), $175.00 (MSRP) Lightweight version. GP Knives dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Silver deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant


C223PWHBK White FRN PE Black DLC coated CPM REX 45 Nov. 2021 $136.50 (Street), $195.00 (MSRP) Lightweight version. GP Knives dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Black deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GPPN Pink G-10 PE CPM S45VN 2021 $156.95 (Street) KnifeJoy dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PRDBK Red FRN PE Black DLC coated CPM-4V Feb. 2022 $135.00 (Street) St. Nick's dealer Exclusive ~1600 Full Flat Black deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223POR Orange FRN PE CTS-XHP March 2022 $119.00 (Street) Cutlery Shoppe dealer Exclusive ~1000 Full Flat deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223PORBK Orange FRN PE Black DLC coated CTS-XHP Jul. 2022 $135.00 (Street) Cutlery Shoppe dealer Exclusive, features all black hardware (liners, screws) Limited Full Flat black deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223MCFLMXP Marbled Carbon fiber PE Elmax August 2022 $219.95 (Street), $299.95 (MSRP) Fradon Lock Company dealer Exclusive ~600 Full Flat Chrome hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPTNBK Tan G-10 PE Black DLC coated CPM-20CV November 1, 2022 @ 9AM PST $151.90 (street) DLT Trading dealer Exclusive. All black hardware (screws, pivot, liner). Limited Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GPNGR Neon green G-10 PE CPM-20CV Oct. 2022 $159.99 (2022, Street) KnifeJoy dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant


C223GPCBBK Coyote Brown G-10 PE Black DLC-coated CPM-10V June 2023 $189.95 (street, 2023) River's Edge Cutlery dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant


C223GPCB Coyote Brown G-10 PE CPM-10V July 2023 River's Edge Cutlery dealer Exclusive Limited Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant


C223KBPI Black FRN PE CTS-BD1N Sep. 2023 $183.00 (2023, MSRP), $112.00 (2023, street) KBPI edition, a radio station from Denver, Colorado, USA. Features engraving on the presentation side of the blade with the KBPI logo. Limited Full Flat Silver Wire LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223GCBL Cobalt blue G-10 PE CPM SPY27 2023 - $285.00 CPM SPY27 is developed by Spyderco and Crucible Industries, and is exclusive to Spyderco. The C223GCBL was announced in 2023 and delivery started in 2024. Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223PN Pink FRN PE CTS-BD1N 2023 - $188.00 Spyderco donates a portion of the sales of all pink-handled knives to the organization [Living Beyond Breast Cancer]. Regular production Full Flat Silver deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223PN Pink FRN PE Black DLC-coated CTS-BD1N 2023 - $210.00 Spyderco donates a portion of the sales of all pink-handled knives to the organization [Living Beyond Breast Cancer]. Regular production Full Flat Black deep carry Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223MCW Brown canvas Micarta PE Cru-Wear 2023 - $275.00 (2023) Regular production Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TD/TU Variant
C223YL Yellow FRN PE CPM MagnaCut 2023 - $225.00 (2023) The C223YL is part of Spyderco Salt series of knives. Regular production Full Flat Black Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223PFGRCWBK Deep forest green FRN PE Black DLC-coated Cru-Wear Dec. 2023 - $235.00 (MSRP, 2023), $164.50 (Street, 2023) The Knifejoker dealer Exclusive Regular production Full Flat Black Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223PODFDE Olive Drab FRN PE Flat dark earth PVD-coated CTS-204P July 2024 $169.95 (Street, 2024) River's Edge Cutlery dealer Exclusive. Limited Full Flat Black Wire LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GMCBK Black G-10 PE CPM MagnaCut 2024 - $275.00 (2024) The C223GMCBK is part of Spyderco Salt series of knives. Regular production Full Flat Black Hourglass LH/RH, TU Variant
C223GBN15V Brown G-10 PE CPM 15V 2024 - $287.50 (2024) Sprint Run Full Flat Chrome Hourglass LH/RH, TU Variant


C223BN15V Brown FRN PE CPM 15V 2024 - $205.00 (2024) Sprint Run Full Flat Silver Wire LH/RH, TU Variant

Most collectible variation

Questions regarding collecting the C223

Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:

Questions with an answer: Q: Is the Para 3 the same as a Paramilitary 3? A: No. While the C81 Paramilitary is sometimes shortened to "Para" by fans online, the C81 Paramilitary and the C223 Para 3 are two different models. To add to the confusion, there was a batch of C223's with the incorrect label of "Paramilitary 3" on the boxes, but this was an error. The "3" in Para 3 refers to the blade length and is part of the model name, so the "3" does not signify its generational status. As to what a second generation Para 3 would be called, we can't say. But if a third generation Paramilitary comes out (Paramilitary 3), the "Para" shorthand for the C81 will have to be dropped, as "Para 3" is already taken.

Technical information

Measurements (mm and grams) of the C223 Para 3:

Variation Length overall Length closed Length blade Length edge Hole Ø Blade thickness Weight
C223G 184mm 109mm 75mm 67mm 14mm 3.8mm 96g
C223 FRN 183mm 109mm 74mm 66mm 14mm 3.7mm 68g

Measurements (inches and ounces) of the C223 Para 3:

Variation Length overall Length closed Length blade Length edge Hole Ø Blade thickness Weight
C223G 7.24" 4.29" 2.95" 2.62" 0.55" 0.145" 3.4oz
C223 FRN 7.21" 4.29" 2.92" 2.58" 0.55" 0.145" 2.4oz

References


Pictures

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