Spyderco Manix 2

Reviewed 07/14/2013 by Andrew

-Price Paid: $93.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

This is simply the best knife for the money that I have ever held. It's kind of the "Ultimate Knife" in my opinion. I picked this thing up for 93 bucks from a knife retailer in my local mall, and I honestly had no problem paying that price for this knife. I would like to note I have the hollow ground 154CM steel version with G10 scales, not the FRN version. This knife comes with really thick full steel liners, which although makes the knife heavy, gives it a really nice, durable feel to it. The ergonomics are just incredible, it fits in my hand like a dream, and I love the finger choil it has. I am also a fan of the "caged ball lock" or whatever Spyderco calls it, it's essentially the Benchmade Axis lock on steroids. No blade play, nice blade alignment. Extremely study and stout blade, and a nice leaf shape as well. My Manix 2 got one hell of a test the other night, I had to cut through multiple pieces of layered duct tape and a thick plastic liner, and it held up great.

So it's time for the negatives. The knife is a heavy slugger, although I like that about this knife, some others might not, so do not expect a lightweight EDC. Although it is buttery smooth to open one handed, the lock mechanism is very stiff, and is hard to do one handed at first. The final thing is that this blade doesn't have much of a belly, which some people prefer or don't, just a side note.

All in all, this is the best knife for the money, and even against knives more expensive than it. This nice is good quality materials and build in a great design. If you don't have one, you should.

Reviewed 01/27/2013 by

-Price Paid: $74.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

excellent: feather light (advertised 3 oz.,( my scale showed 2.7)), excellent handle (traction,gimping,choil) and sharp and rust resistant - a little pricey

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Reviewed 12/13/2011 by rwasham

-Price Paid: $70.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I've had my eye on the manix ever since the originals came out a few years ago. I missed the boat on the those earlier models, so I told myself that I would bit the bullet this time and buy one of these.So far, I love my manix 2. The 154 CM has held an edge perfectly. It came from the factory razor sharp, and has only neeeded touching up a couple of times with a strop. I've attacked cardboard, plastic packaging, letters, heavy rope, paracord, and all other manner of knifebait without much resistance. The hole on this one is nice and large, I can open it easily with my bare hand, and wearing gloves. I also really like the ball-bearing lock. It still locks up tight every time and is easy to open with my right and left hand. My only wish for the blade was that it was full flat ground, although the saber grind does the job just fine. The ergos are great on this one. The way the handle is shaped it fills the hand, even without the choil. For close up work you can choke up into the finger choil and get the kind of control you need to do more detailed cutting. The steel liners really lend a lot of weight and heft to this one, so it's not for someone looking for a lightweight blade, you wont forget it's in your pocket. The G-10 from the factory is really grippy. It's pretty rough, but not so bad it roughs up your hands or your pockets. The jimping on this one is nice and aggressive. The inclusion of jimping in the choil and on the rear of the handle really help to lock it in. Overall this is a great knife. Round it out with a strong pocket clip and this is a sure win!

Reviewed 05/01/2011 by Jack

-Price Paid: $153.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

About 6 years ago I decided to finally get ONE good quality knife compared to what I've been using all my life. I have bought between 10 and 15 knives which includes 7 or 8 Spydercos. The other brand was mainly SOG. I have these Spydercos: Delica ZDP-189 with FFG and a saber grind, Stretch (blue w/ZDP), Michael Walker, Endura and a couple of others. I just got a Manix 2 about a week ago and so far I think I finally have the ONE knife I started looking for. The blade is 3 3/8" long but when my index finger is in the first choil only the edge is exposed which is 2 7/8". This leaves the impression that the knife isn't as big as it really is (not that it is too big at all) for people who freak whan a knife is brought out in public. I love holding it, G-10 is very comfortable and the handle is shaped like I closed my hand and the handle was poured into it making a perfect fit. I re-profiled the edge which took a while but it sharpened up very nicely. The edge out of the box wasn't as sharp as it should be but it was pretty sharp. I have the one with M4 steel and love the FFG. It has skeletonized liners which makes it lighter than the 154CM model which I love as well. My son has one and until I got mine in the mail he had to watch me to make sure I didn't steal it (which would only be fair because of all the $200 sneakers). lol I love the lock and how it releases. It did take me a whole 3 minutes to master it and I didn't loose any fingers. With the other knives I have I have thought which one would I keep if I had to get rid of the rest. My choice always depended on the mood I was in at the time. Now the choice is easy, Manix 2! I have normally carried a small knife and a larger one for larger cutting tasks as EDC. Even thought the Manix is about the same size as the larger ones I've carried I also feel comfortable with it all by itself with no smaller knife which was usually a Delica. I can't think of anything I don't like about the knife. The only thing I'm undecided on now is how to carry it, pocket or sheath? I'll carry it both ways so it'll be a daily decision. It's a little big for the front pocket but not too big. It works great in my rear pocket also. When I want to wear a sheath it lives there. Great all around EDC knife. I have used it for opening potato chips, cutting small limbs in the yard, cardboard and whittling. M4 holding an edge great. I bought this knife to use and so far it is great! I'll be getting the 154CM model in the near future as a back up.

Jack

Reviewed 02/22/2011 by Ty

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Other
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

To the point, the Manix II is a decent offering from Spyderco, it has excellent handling characteristics, a decent level of build quality for the money spent and so on.

However, it comes with warts, this knife is rated as hard use, the lock is also rated as hard use, but you'd be a fool to use this blade for much beyond show & tell.

The tip is far to fragile, in fact its paper thin, I saw a review on the Spyderco forum, in which the blade had been thrust into a phone book, I promise you, the tip will stay behind, if you attempt such shennanigans of your own.

Also, while the lock up is solid, there is side to side play of the blade, something I despise in a folding knife. While the ball bearing works well at preventing slipping, it is quite weak back and forth, enough so that I see little difficulty in it failing at any prying task....

I think Spyderco does a diservice by hawking this as a hard use knife, honestly, it's a deception that is really a lie....

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Reviewed 12/13/2010 by gerberboy0100

-Price Paid: $85.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I purchased this knife ate the Spyderco factory outlet store in golden Colorado. The staff ate Spyderco were all super nice. I have been carrying this knife for about 6 months and so far it has been excellent. Some of this knives strength's are its blade in all respects, its solidness and quality. Some things that I don't like are the super polished clip, and the ballbearing lock is stiff when you first get it (it does loosen up after a little use). You can’t go wrong with a Manix2.

Reviewed 10/09/2010 by Kevin

-Price Paid: $80.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

When I first received this knife, I wasn't a fan. The lock was very tight and I had a tough time closing it. Another negative for me is it is a hollow grind instead of my preferred flat grind. Although I didn't like the lock and grind, I thought it had great ergo's from the start and the blade was hair popping sharp out of the box. 154cm has been a great steel for me. It takes a scary edge and holds it well.

After carrying my Manix, the lock loosened up and I warmed up to the hollow grind. I find the choil very useful and don't mind giving up some cutting edge for it. The aggressive jimping and G10 assures the knife isn't going anywhere when you're using it. It has non-skeletonized liners which puts it on the heavy side. Some might see this as a negative but I actually prefer a knife with some heft to it. The knife is SUPER smooth and locks up like a vault. These days I find myself carrying my Manix 2 or my XM-18 about 90% of the time.

Also, This is a very very high value knife. A Spyderco knife, with a great steel, and a solid lockup, as smooth as they come, and made right here in the USA, for around 80 bucks. How did Spyderco pull this one off?

Reviewed 08/11/2010 by Jay2.0

-Price Paid: $120.00
-Used for Other
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

The Spyderco Manix 2 Blue G-10/S30V Sprint Run

Personally, my favorite knife hands down.

The good: USA made, Perfect ergos, Strong lock, Flawless build quality(no tang exposure), Wide flat grind, Strong clip, All areas are polished, Smooth fast opening due to the pivot bearing system, large lanyard hole, S30V steel that came air bleeding sharp, and light for its size(4.2oz)

The bad: Too nice to use, for me. I am collecting this one.

Reviewed 04/16/2010 by AlexB

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

This is not a review of the standard Manix 2, but rather, the Blue G10 S30V Manix 2 Sprint Run.

The fit and finish of this knife is very good. Lock up is tight, no movement in any direction. However, the blade is slightly offcenter in the closed position, but this is no big deal for me.

The ergonomics of this knife is near perfect for me. Eric put a lot of thought into the design of the knife and it clearly pays off. Choking up on the knife gives exceptional control. The CBBL, so some people, is difficult to manipulate one handed in the position that it's at, but I find it very easy to use.

The blade is a FFG CPM S30V. Not mush to say about it. It is a great slicer and takes a very fine edge. The only problem I have with it is that it is a PITA to sharpen, but anyone who has hand sharpened S30V will tell you the same thing.

Overall, this is one of my favorite knives I have ever owned. The ergos are simply amazing, it is not too big for carry, and the Blue G10 scales look beautiful. I like that they drilled out the liners inside to reduce a significant amount of weight. I would purchase this knife again, if I had the opportunity.

Reviewed 04/16/2010 by jthomas

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

I recently decided to pick up a Manix 2... I've read a ton of reviews about them, and they seem to be universally loved, so I thought I'd give one a spin. Now that I've lived a week or so with it, I totally understand all the positive things people have said about it. It's a pretty sweet knife.

Size-wise it is bigger than I expected, but not too big for EDC. It is a little smaller in length and maybe width than a JYDII. It seems to be about the same weight to my untrained hand, but I have no scales to see (the net calls the JYDII 5.2 ounces, the Manix 2 5 ounces...). For anyone who doesn't know, the M2 has a 3 3/8" blade of 154CM, ball lock, g10 over stainless liners.

The main complaint I have read about the knife is that the lock can be stiff. Mine was stiff when it arrived, but the learning curve for getting it open and closed smoothly was about 2 minutes. The lock is similar in function and operation to the Axis lock or arc lock (Sog), but instead of using a bar the lock is comprised of a steel bearing (BB?) housed in a plastic doohicky that is manipulated by the user. I wasn't thrilled about the doohicky being made of plastic, but after having the knife for a while I've decided that it certainly seems strong and durable. When the lock is pulled to the rear, it allows the blade to swing free from either an open or closed position. When the knife is locked open, pulling the lock back allows the knife to swing closed very sweetly with nothing more than gravity, and opening the knife with the lock pulled back requires a small flick of the wrist, like the axis lock. The action is extremely smooth (and I've cut myself twice now closing it on a finger...). I think it opens more smoothly than the few Axis knives I've had actually...

Construction wise... The knife had a small 'tag' of G10 in the lock opening that was left behind after cutting (stamping, milling... whatever). Other than that I could find no fault with the knife. I cut the tag out with no problems. The scales were nice, not too grippy, not too slick. The torx screws were all seated correctly with no stripping. The grinds looked good, the pocket clip is nicely done, blade is centered when closed and lockup is extremely tight.

The clip is set for RH or LH tip up carry. There is a large lanyard hole as well. But the thing that really makes this knife stand out to me is the jimping. The knife has jimping on the spine of the handle where the backspacer is, on the belly of the handle, in the finger choils and on the spine of the blade. The jimping in the blade (spine and choil) is fairly aggressive, while the jimping on the frame is a little less so. Still the frame jimping protrudes from the G10 a smidge and gives great confidence when the hand is sweaty. I'd like to see this type of jimping on all knives. This was one feature of the M2 that I didn't know about prior to ordering it.

The knife was hair popping sharp. As a matter o fact, the hair on my arm kinda fled from the blade as it got near. After a week of typical use (cutting cardboard targets, cutting zip ties, shaving my arm, cutting paper, excessive ogling) it is still hair popping sharp. I've always liked 154CM just fine.

Either way, just like the other 200 people who have reviewed it, I like this knife. The only thing I'd change is making the doohicky out of metal, but that is not based on anything other than some sort of anti-plastic prejudice and has nothing to do with the function of the knife. All in all it was $60 well spent.

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Reviewed 02/22/2010 by Mike

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I have the serrated version of this knife. Must say the 154CM steel means business. It holds it's serrated edge longer than VG-10. The knife was well thought out in design, it fits the hand very well, you get a real good grip with the raised liners. Fit and finish are PERFECT. Nothing is wrong with this knife. The G10 handles are grippy but not overdone where they are abrasive. Ball lock is Bank vault tight... You know it's locked open and will not close unless YOU unlock it, no accidental closing this blade. Ball lock is bullet proof! Looking forward to the Green G10 Sprint run.

Reviewed 02/19/2010 by delco

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

I have many Spydercos this is the Best. This is a true work knife, no shelf queen here.The quality is superb, and fit and finish are first rate. You cannot go wrong with this knife. For the price, it's the best value out there, and totally U.S.made. It's beefy and this is what I want if I ever need a knife to save my life or someone else's.

Reviewed 01/30/2010 by BenLankford

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

The Manix 2 is a fantastic knife made in Golden CO by Spyderco. The Ergos on this knife are very well thought out. It feels greats in just about every grip. I really like the choil it allows for detailed cutting without being afraid that your hand is going to slip. The G10 is very grippy on your hands excpet it kills your pants so it's a trade off. I would have prefered for this knife to have skeletonized liners but the full liners give it a nice beefy feel that I like. Some say that 5 oz is a little heavy for EDC but I really don't notice the extra weight. The clip allows it to carry fairy low in the pocket but still allows you to pull it out easily. One of my favorite parts about this knife is the lock. The Caged Ball Bearing Lock is amazing. It's super smooth so you can open it as fast or in many cases faster than most knives. It is easier to open then my Endura and Tenacious. Once it does lock up it feels like a vault, not even a bit of play in any direction. The lock is not super easy to use though. It is not like the Axis lock in the way that you can easily unlock it. It takes much more effort than the Axis lock but you can still close it with one hand easily. The steel is 154CM and I love it. I would have prefered S30V but i'm really enjoying using the 154CM it's still shaving sharp out of the box and i've had it for a little over a week and have not had to touch it up a bit. I have broken down 4-5 large cardboard boxes and the edge is holding up really well. If you do have the extra money I would go for the new sprint run of this knife the Blue G10 and FFG S30V blade, but for the $80 price tag you can't really beat the Manix 2 with 154CM.