Better ergos - manix 2 vs GB?

[ZMW]

I know this is personal preference, but I am curious to hear everyones opinion on two very different knives. Which knife has the better ergos for you? GB 1/2 vs a manix 2?

[wrdwrght]

I have both the GB1 and Manix2. The latter fits my largish hands better. Moreover, its abundant jimping gives my gloved hand some real purchase.

[Mako109]

I have the GB 1, GB 2, and Manix 2. My hands are a perfect Mechanix Gloves medium. All three knives feel good to me. The most natural feeling in my hand is the Manix 2...followed by the GB 1, then GB 2.

[demoncase]

I'm going to give a non-answer and apologies in advance- but it depends on your hand and what you prefer in terms of feel.

The M2 has some very deep choils and shaping to the handle that really lock you into place and prevent slipping- that I like especially with wet hands. The forward choil means you aren't tied to a single position and can choke up for detail work. (I'll freely admit the M2 I prefer far above the seemingly more popular PM2).
I'm not a massive fan of so much jimping, especially at the rear under your ring and pinkie fingers, and for very, very long cutting sessions with my office-soft hands I find the CBB lock pads become noticeable- if not an actual hotspot.

The GB1 is a different kettle of fish in that the handle is less pronounced choil-wise, but is hand-filling and provides lots of grip surface.
There's much less overall 'locking into the hand' than the M2, but you may find the lack of jimping feels more comforting
With office-soft hands you might find the pronounced edges of the liner become noticeable with long or hard cutting.

Both have a distinctive feel- blindfold you could tell them apart instantly- so shake hands with both before choosing if you can

[anagarika]

^^ Just to add the good answer D'case put there :D

I rarely use knife for an extended period, so the jimping, CBBL cage, etc. isn't very noticeable. For a short time use, either one is nice enough. Manix is more 'authoritarian' in term of dictating how the grip should be. GB1 is more flexible. I found GB1 much more filling and nicer to use 'loose grip' kind of light use cutting (detail work, etc.) while Manix has much more assurance against slipping when doing hard pull/push slice. Bearing down, GB1 feels nicer.
The new Manix backlock will be much different (less jimping and longer handle I heard). Unfortunately, with limited budget, I guess I have to choose only one and sell the other if I ended up getting it. I also haven't tried Manix FRCP, mine is G10 S110V.

GB2 is a totally different animal, I was suprised at how light it was and not feeling robust at all. Handled shortwhile when my friend received his. Don't own one to give more comment.

Overall, I'm more an Endura guy, who happen to like Stretch (but haven't tried S2). The FRN is rounded yet non slippery. Stretch is the best ergonomically (including how FRN is done, have wooden scaled, but like FRN better).

[The General]

I recently picked up a CF S90V Manix 2 and I have to say the jimping on this knife is out of hand. This knife is going to cause hot spots and blisters with all that jimping around the palm and fingers.

I am very puzzled why this was deemed necessary or even desirable?

I'd held a GB and found that more comfortable and my Manix 1 is vastly more comfortable than the Manix 2.

[anagarika]

Additional observation:

The little pinky hook on the Manix 2 (and Stretch) is one desirable aspect in my use (light grip, a lot of changing hold, requires control but not a lot of force). Unfortunately this hook is removed/reduced in Stretch 2 and none on GB1.

Bear in mind I fondle more than use, and one of my primary usage is shaving. The Manix isn't yet a shaver, I haven't done anything with the edge.

[Evil D]

I haven't handled the GB2 but I've played with the GB1 and I've owned several M2's. The one thing I didn't like about the GB1 was the lack of a stronger choil/guard. Otherwise the ergonomics were great. The M2 is one of my top favorites and only after literally years of agonizing between it and the Para 2. In the end I just came to the conclusion that the ergonomics were better for me (and larger hands in general) than the P2.

So, it's a bit of a toss up. The GB1 is great if you don't mind a less aggressive index guard but I always felt like I was going to slip forward into the edge.

[TomAiello]

Manix 2 for me, for sure. The GB1 just wasn't ideal for my hand. I haven't tried the GB2.

On the jimping--I don't think I've ever used a folding knife for long/hard enough tasks to develop hot spots. If I'm doing something like that I pretty much always use a fixed blade.

[Doc Dan]

The Manix has great ergos and, more importantly, it has a finger guard to keep your precious digits from sliding onto that sharp blade. The GB is wanting in this regard.

[anagarika]

David,

The only slip forward I can fathom is hammer grip & thrust. Other usage pretty much have thumb on the ramp and between thumb on the ramp & index finger on the choil, one can put enough leverage without slipping.

That's how I see it, though I don't use it that hard so perhaps not qualified to say so. The example in the hard use thread over BF is quite convincing .. but BF is down right now.

[Evil D]

I'm sure it's mostly mental for me, I use my Nilakka all the time and never feel worried about slipping off the handle, it's just from years of using knives with strong guards.

[Doc Dan]

Wait till your hands are covered in blood, mud, oil, or all the above, and then you will understand the 'why' of a finger guard.

[ABX2011]

M2 and GB1 are both good for ergonomically for my medium hand. I didn't like the feel of the GB2.

[farnorthdan]

I vote Manix 2, there's just something special about the way it fits my hand, locks right in. I do love the GB1 also so there is that.

[yablanowitz]

I recently picked up a CF S90V Manix 2 and I have to say the jimping on this knife is out of hand. This knife is going to cause hot spots and blisters with all that jimping around the palm and fingers.

I am very puzzled why this was deemed necessary or even desirable?

I'd held a GB and found that more comfortable and my Manix 1 is vastly more comfortable than the Manix 2.

I'm right there with you, buddy. Cutting hard material with my GB1 was torture and the CF/S90V Manix 2 was even worse. I gave away the GB and took a grinder to the handle teeth on the Manix. That helped, but not enough to convince me to carry it. I'll take a Military over either any time.

[yablanowitz]

Wait till your hands are covered in blood, mud, oil, or all the above, and then you will understand the 'why' of a finger guard.

Huh. My hands have been covered with all of those things (and some worse) while using a knife and I still don't value a finger guard. Or the hedgehog jimping on the M2. To each his own.

[Doc Dan]

One day we will be calling you, "Stubby". HaHa!

Phil Wilson designs his wonderful knives with a guard for this reason. It happened to him and he is very experienced with using a knife.

An ounce of prevention..., and all that.

[awa54]

My two cents is that the GB1 is a fantastic knife, just not one that ticks off the right boxes for me, it's handle heavy (beastly really) and I think that the over-built handle is a mis-match with the very thin grind of the blade... if it was made of something less resilient than M4 I'd bet we would have occaisonal threads about blade fractures. I would also lay money on it being a fantastic shaving tool, due to the blade grind, though the weight might make it a bit less agile than some. It feels like a mash-up to me, a super acute blade on a nearly indestructible handle... too large and heavy to be a gentleman's knife, too refined to be a bash-around tool. I won't sell mine, but it doesn't get much pocket time.

If you want a knife that "can take it" and is designed to be easy to maintain control of during heavy cutting tasks, the M2 is a winner. I've cut a whole stand of brush and saplings with mine and while it's no machete it did more work than most would expect from a medium-large folder with no sign of weakness... yes, the lobed liner projections can promote blisters if you use it hard for an extended time, but if you don't have tough hands, then a glove would be a good idea for a session like that and those same serrations make for noticeably better grip with a glove on. Also, despite the brick ****house of a liner lock lug on the GB1, I still feel like the Manix's CBBL might be even stronger and I'm one of those odd ducks who really likes the way the CBBL functions.

I have an early-ish sabre grind M2, an S110V M2, the KC XHP M2LW and the KC CruWear M2, so it's pretty easy to tell how I feel about them :D

As far as handle geometry *only* I far prefer the Manix, it locks my hand in, but does so comfortably and offers several grip options (I wear a large in most glove brands, so medium sized hands), the GB1 feels nice, but nothing lines up for my hand the way that the Manix does and a slip under load is much easier to imagine than with the Manix's deep choil and quasi-sub-hilt (that's probably not a word, but I hope you get the drift).

[yablanowitz]

One day we will be calling you, "Stubby". HaHa!

Phil Wilson designs his wonderful knives with a guard for this reason. It happened to him and he is very experienced with using a knife.

An ounce of prevention..., and all that.

I suppose that is possible, but in half a century of knife use and attendant accidents, slipping forward onto the blade is one that has never happened to me, maybe because I don't stab things, especially hard things. Likewise, I see no real need for a lock on a folding knife. If what I'm doing could cause the knife to fold, a folding knife is the wrong tool to be using.