Trouble "Pulling the trigger" on the Manbug...

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PsychGrad
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Trouble "Pulling the trigger" on the Manbug...

#1

Post by PsychGrad »

I love the looks of the Manbug G10. It would be great EDC for me at work. I'd probably attach a photon or lanyard. My problem is the price. My question to justifying the price: is this large enough for an everyday user? I work in an office setting, so heavy use isn't an issue. I have no problem with zytel scales, but the scales & bolster option, along with the size, are what attracted me to the Manbug.

Any help would be appreciated.
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Minibear453
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#2

Post by Minibear453 »

Personally, I'd get the ladybug, since the ZDP version would cost around the same as the VG10 version of the manbug. But if you feel the bolsters are worth the extra money, then go for it! But, considering I can get a Ladybug and a Manbug for the same price as one with bolsters, I wouldn't really go for it. I feel that there're so many other knives that are worth the money, heck I think the ZDP endura costs around the $70 for the bolster. Then again, I've never liked bolsters that much.
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munchs
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#3

Post by munchs »

I have both. I like the bolstered one more. however I find myself carrying the zytel handle version more... :eek: It's lighter and strong enough to tackle most tasks I ask of it.
PsychGrad
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#4

Post by PsychGrad »

I have an H1 Ladybug, but would like something a little larger, to put in the pocket of my work khakis or bball shorts. Weight is something of an issue, with the mesh shorts. Who has the best price on the p/e zytel & g10?
"It's not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the man who actually is in the arena."
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jackknifeh
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#5

Post by jackknifeh »

It seems you want the G-10 Manbug. Granted it's more expensive but consider this. You spend the money only once and have the knife forever and you won't have the feeling of "I like this FRN Manbug. It handles all the cutting I need it to do. But, I sure wish I had the G-10 model". Sooner or later you may get the G-10 model then you will have both and not carry one of them much. This has happened to me more times than I care to admit. The G-10 model has liners and is a little heavier but the liners should make it a little stronger it seems to me. Not that a knife this size needs a whole lot of strength.

I had a Salt Ladybug and it is nice. It handled everything I needed it for and never let me down. I just never did "get attached" to it. I always felt it was a backup knife just in case I forgot all others. It never would have been my choice as a knife to carry without any other, bigger knife. The Manbugs on the other hand I like better. This feeling may be entirely psycological. :)

I have both G-10 and FRN. Both are great but I like the G-10 better. I like the looks of the bolster. I say you should get the one you want and will be happy with for years to come. Just my opinion when we are talking about YOUR money. :)

Jack
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araneae
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#6

Post by araneae »

I carry my FRN Manbug almost every day. If you are in an office, it will do anything you need it to, unless you want to slice up an apple- the blade is too small for food use IMO. But, it is small enough to use around NKPs and the FFG and extra size over the Ladybug is appreciated. At about $40 from Amazon or Cutlery Shoppe, it's a great little blade.

I like the looks of the bolstered version, but I am pretty practical when it comes to knives. If it is going to be carried and used, then FRN will do the job for for $30 less than the nicer bolstered version.
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Fred Sanford
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#7

Post by Fred Sanford »

If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a small knife I'd just get a Dragonfly. I seriously don't understand the price of the Manbug. The Ladybug I can understand, but not the Manbug. I mean, seriously $40 for a Manbug and you can get a Dragonfly for $46. I just don't get it.

Plus for me, if I'm going to get something as small as a Ladybug I'll just carry a SAK or a nice slip-joint.

The value and/or bang for the buck has been lost on me for the Ladybug and Manbug. The Dragonfly is as small as I go for a one handed opener.
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#8

Post by DRKBC »

A Caly CF is pretty perfect for size, or a Delica if price is an issue. They are both slim (the wire pocket clip in the case of the Caly goes almost un-noticed) and I don't think either would scare NNP (although ...) if you get the Delica in a colour that will help in that regard as well. I just find that knives that are much smaller than 7" or with blades much smaller than 3" are a little limiting (for me anyway).
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araneae
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#9

Post by araneae »

David Lowry wrote:If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a small knife I'd just get a Dragonfly. I seriously don't understand the price of the Manbug. The Ladybug I can understand, but not the Manbug. I mean, seriously $40 for a Manbug and you can get a Dragonfly for $46. I just don't get it.

Plus for me, if I'm going to get something as small as a Ladybug I'll just carry a SAK or a nice slip-joint.

The value and/or bang for the buck has been lost on me for the Ladybug and Manbug. The Dragonfly is as small as I go for a one handed opener.
Well, the Manbug is bigger than the Ladybug, has FFG, thicker blade stock and is a new model. I think that explains the additional $5-10 they cost. Another $10 does get you the Dragonfly which is a really great Design with a pocket clip. The benefit of the Ladybug/Manbug over the slip joint is its got Spyderco ergonomics and materials that surpass all but high end or custom slip joints that will cost much more than either Spydie.
So many knives, so few pockets... :)
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The "Spirit" of the design does not come through unless used. -Sal
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Blerv
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#10

Post by Blerv »

There is a picture somewhere of a Cricket SE that was used to cut a mattress in half. I believe the blades are about the same length.

The FRN one would save you some cash. The serrated one would give you more cutting power. Just to add more confusion to the mix ;) .


Ps: as Araneae mentioned I think price is due to the materials and new model (volume). I'm guessing the Dragonfly2 is one of Spyderco's better sellers. Same reason a Delica with liners is only an extra $10 (even more volume).
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mark greenman
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#11

Post by mark greenman »

David Lowry wrote:If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a small knife I'd just get a Dragonfly. I seriously don't understand the price of the Manbug. The Ladybug I can understand, but not the Manbug. I mean, seriously $40 for a Manbug and you can get a Dragonfly for $46. I just don't get it.

Plus for me, if I'm going to get something as small as a Ladybug I'll just carry a SAK or a nice slip-joint.

The value and/or bang for the buck has been lost on me for the Ladybug and Manbug. The Dragonfly is as small as I go for a one handed opener.
I wrestled with this issue myself, but ended up pulling the trigger on the Manbug G10. Let me walk you through the reasoning.

Image

To begin with, we have to ask, what is the purpose of the small knife? The answer, at least for me, is to be my "public knife," which is a knife I can use for small chores in public without anyone raising an eyebrow.

The Dragonfly is a much larger knife, yet only offers 0.155 extra cutting edge over the Manbug:

-Manbug = 1.72" cutting edge; 4.46" OAL
-Dragonfly II = 1.875" cutting edge; 5.563 OAL

Image

So, to get the extra 0.155" cutting edge of the Dragonfly, you're stuck with an extra 1.1" of OAL compared to the Manbug. This increase in footprint was not worth such a minimal increase in cutting edge IMO.

I think the final seal of approval is the fact that of all the knives Spyderco produces, Sal carries a Manbug :D

Personally, if you want to go FRN, get a SE ladybug. The Manbug is best experienced as the G10 version unless it's for keychain carry.
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paladin
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#12

Post by paladin »

mark greenman wrote:I wrestled with this issue myself, but ended up pulling the trigger on the Manbug G10. Let me walk you through the reasoning.

Image

To begin with, we have to ask, what is the purpose of the small knife? The answer, at least for me, is to be my "public knife," which is a knife I can use for small chores in public without anyone raising an eyebrow.

The Dragonfly is a much larger knife, yet only offers 0.155 extra cutting edge over the Manbug:

-Manbug = 1.72" cutting edge; 4.46" OAL
-Dragonfly II = 1.875" cutting edge; 5.563 OAL

Image

So, to get the extra 0.155" cutting edge of the Dragonfly, you're stuck with an extra 1.1" of OAL compared to the Manbug. This increase in footprint was not worth such a minimal increase in cutting edge IMO.

I think the final seal of approval is the fact that of all the knives Spyderco produces, Sal carries a Manbug :D

Personally, if you want to go FRN, get a SE ladybug. The Manbug is best experienced as the G10 version unless it's for keychain carry.
+1 you nailed it Mark except you lost me at the FRN ladybug part... The FRN Manbug disappears in your trouser pocket as neatly as the Lbug and IMHO is much easier to deploy onehanded...I own Dflies, Lbugs, Crickets--BRG FRN Manbug is my EDC over all the others mentioned...like Jacknife said you're gonna buy it anyway and the difference in $ will be justified in your pure joy of use + sheeple friendly deployment.
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mark greenman
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#13

Post by mark greenman »

paladin wrote:+1 you nailed it Mark except you lost me at the FRN ladybug part... The FRN Manbug disappears in your trouser pocket as neatly as the Lbug and IMHO is much easier to deploy onehanded...I own Dflies, Lbugs, Crickets--BRG FRN Manbug is my EDC over all the others mentioned...like Jacknife said you're gonna buy it anyway and the difference in $ will be justified in your pure joy of use + sheeple friendly deployment.
I recommended the FRN Ladybug SE mostly out of pricing, because I had snagged mine for $21. However that was a few years ago.

Now that they're selling for $31, I agree, better to spend the extra $9 on the manbug.
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Splice
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#14

Post by Splice »

I started a new job at an upscale restaurant a few weeks ago. So far I've produced my sage 1 once, and my manbug 3 times. Manbug FTW
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#15

Post by jackknifeh »

I think we all have compared prices and wondered why small knives are as high or higher than larger knives. Let's forget about manufacturing cost because I have no idea what that involves. I just decide what I want then decide if the knife I like is worth the money being charged. Being worth the price usually has to do with if I can afford it. :( Mark gave a good example of this by providing a reason to get a small knife. People friendly was his reasoning. There are other reasons such as compactness as in a keychain knife. For this I prefer the Jester because since a keychain can grow to rediculous size a knife hopefully is small as possible, yet capable. So, since there are feasons for the small knife I decided cost is not to be compared to larger knives just based on size. Actually, we are willing to pay more for some things to be smaller. Cell phones for example. As long as the knife is capable of doing the job we want a knife for the cost should only be considered for the knife being considered, not based on the price of other knives. When we start comparing prices we may end up with a knife we are less happy with just to save a small amount of money. Now if the price of two knives is SIGNIFICANT I have to consider this but it won't be based on the size of the knife. Buying something we will use for years a $5 or $10 difference hopefully isn't an issue. If the extra $5 or $10 isn't available at the moment definately get the less expensive one. At least you will have a nice knife and you can always get the other one later. :D
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#16

Post by Ovalprocess »

Image

Mark,

I see you have Manbug #93 in G10. I own #93 in FRN. I love the Manbug - it is my main EDC.

Image
Manbug ZDP-189 British Racing Green with ZebraLight SC52 single AA flashlight
Shakyamuni
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#17

Post by Shakyamuni »

jackknifeh wrote:I think we all have compared prices and wondered why small knives are as high or higher than larger knives. Let's forget about manufacturing cost because I have no idea what that involves. I just decide what I want then decide if the knife I like is worth the money being charged. Being worth the price usually has to do with if I can afford it. :( Mark gave a good example of this by providing a reason to get a small knife. People friendly was his reasoning. There are other reasons such as compactness as in a keychain knife. For this I prefer the Jester because since a keychain can grow to rediculous size a knife hopefully is small as possible, yet capable. So, since there are feasons for the small knife I decided cost is not to be compared to larger knives just based on size. Actually, we are willing to pay more for some things to be smaller. Cell phones for example. As long as the knife is capable of doing the job we want a knife for the cost should only be considered for the knife being considered, not based on the price of other knives. When we start comparing prices we may end up with a knife we are less happy with just to save a small amount of money. Now if the price of two knives is SIGNIFICANT I have to consider this but it won't be based on the size of the knife. Buying something we will use for years a $5 or $10 difference hopefully isn't an issue. If the extra $5 or $10 isn't available at the moment definately get the less expensive one. At least you will have a nice knife and you can always get the other one later. :D
So are you buying one or not?? :)
Image
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#18

Post by DedRok »

The Manbug is a great EDC. It will do 90% what any other bigger EDC knife can do.
Spyderco please make a wire clip version of the Manbug/Ladybug!
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#19

Post by Bladekeeper »

Ovalprocess wrote:Image

Mark,

I see you have Manbug #93 in G10. I own #93 in FRN. I love the Manbug - it is my main EDC.

Image
Manbug ZDP-189 with ZebraLight SC52 single AA flashlight
Is that man bug the BRG version iPod is not showing the colour well?.
Just reccomended this to a friend great ZDP edc .
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#20

Post by BAL »

jackknifeh wrote:It seems you want the G-10 Manbug. Granted it's more expensive but consider this. You spend the money only once and have the knife forever and you won't have the feeling of "I like this FRN Manbug. It handles all the cutting I need it to do. But, I sure wish I had the G-10 model". Sooner or later you may get the G-10 model then you will have both and not carry one of them much. This has happened to me more times than I care to admit. The G-10 model has liners and is a little heavier but the liners should make it a little stronger it seems to me. Not that a knife this size needs a whole lot of strength.

I had a Salt Ladybug and it is nice. It handled everything I needed it for and never let me down. I just never did "get attached" to it. I always felt it was a backup knife just in case I forgot all others. It never would have been my choice as a knife to carry without any other, bigger knife. The Manbugs on the other hand I like better. This feeling may be entirely psycological. :)

I have both G-10 and FRN. Both are great but I like the G-10 better. I like the looks of the bolster. I say you should get the one you want and will be happy with for years to come. Just my opinion when we are talking about YOUR money. :)

Jack
Great advice. Jack For the OP and for all of us thinking about that next purchase.
Get the one you want and don't look back.
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