My Mantra...

[Surfingringo]

Is soooo smooth. This one has been hiding in my spyderpac for the last six months but I dug it out last week and it hasn't left my pocket since. Man, I know there was some controversy over Spyderco flippers but this thing is amazing! Buttery smooth with no bumpiness and flipping action is outstanding. More importantly to me though is the design itself is a total winner. Ti frame lock Delica with a flipper is what this thing is. Love it!


https://youtu.be/jifgPxkRw8M

[ZrowsN1s]

You gonna take it out fishing? I'm curious how minor corrosion/fish guts effects the bearings.

[toomzz]

Hmmm......at first I had my doubts Gringo about the Mantra.....but that video.......

[Slumblor]

I agree, the Mantra is a great knife, one of my favorites. Mine is smooth and flips great too.

[Evil D]

Smoothest pivot I own.

[mrtodd777]

Same here. Carrying it today.. I bet he is not planning on taking it fishing. That M4 wouldn't appreciate it much I bet. Thats why variety is the spice of life and Spyderco offers plenty of that!

[ZrowsN1s]

Same here. Carrying it today.. I bet he is not planning on taking it fishing. That M4 wouldn't appreciate it much I bet. Thats why variety is the spice of life and Spyderco offers plenty of that!

I agree, I use my H1 in the kitchen and my M4 in the garage. I was just curious about hard using the bearings, Lances field tests tend to answer a lot of questions about performance tolerances.

[palonej]

Feel the same way about my Southard, Domino and Advocate!!
Stupid smooth flippers, all 3 of them!!
Joe

[Sharp Guy]

Smoothest pivot I own.

Mine too and I have some good ones!

[dplafoll]

I love mine. Nice rediscovery there.

[Tdog]

Thanks Lance, both the Mantra and Mantra 2 are great knives. Wish we'd see a Mantra 2 XL, bronze washers with lc200n.....would be a definite buy for me. If easier to bring to market, a Ti framelock Millie w/lc200n would also be fantastic.

[Surfingringo]

Same here. Carrying it today.. I bet he is not planning on taking it fishing. That M4 wouldn't appreciate it much I bet. Thats why variety is the spice of life and Spyderco offers plenty of that!

I agree, I use my H1 in the kitchen and my M4 in the garage. I was just curious about hard using the bearings, Lances field tests tend to answer a lot of questions about performance tolerances.

I like testing em hard but I think I already know what a couple of days on the kayak would do to the m4/bearings combo. Horses for courses and this horse is gonna stay out of the saltwater. :p

That said, I have tested m4 on the kayak and it actually does ok but requires a lot of care. I have a test knife in m4 that Phil Wilson made for me and I spent a week testing it in the kayak and was able to keep it from suffering any serious harm. It required frequent sharpening because of corrosion induced edge degradation and it had to be cleaned and oiled immediately after each trip but overall it wasn't much worse for wear after a few days on the water. If that was the only steel I owned then I could make it work but thankfully we've got a plethora of better options.

[ZrowsN1s]

I don't blame you, that's a nice looking knife, I never saw the delica resemblance until you mentioned it.

[Bdubs808]

I used to own Mantras 1 and 2, but the action became gritty over time. After attempting different methods of cleaning the pivot and washers, I couldn't bring them back to factory fresh smoothness and eventually sold them both The same with my old Southard.

The titanium, the blade steel, the wire pocket clip, and just the over all design of the Mantras are excellent, interesting, and plain cool. A larger Mantra 1 framelock, with no bearings, and perhaps a more stainless powdered steel would be a true winner for my personal taste.

[RocketBen]

My Mantra started out smooth like butter, but developed some friction and sticky spots. I'll probably send it in to Spyderco one of these days.

[Wanimator]

Improper lubrication and contamination are the banes of any mechanism. These types are just pickier and we have to accept that.

[elena86]

It's a keeper Lance Enjoy :)

Marius

[Surfingringo]

It's a keeper Lance Enjoy :)

Marius

It is indeed Marius. Thank you my friend!

[RadioactiveSpyder]

I don't blame you, that's a nice looking knife, I never saw the delica resemblance until you mentioned it.

I posted this pic when the Mantras were released, the Delica resemblance is undeniable (there's some direct resemblance to the Caly family as well).



Lance, you don't have a hard time getting a proper grip on your Mantra? I just couldn't get the knife to feel right in hand with the flipper in the way, so I removed it and the ergos are great for me now. I have no issue with grip on the Mantra2 but that flipper tab on the Delica-like Mantra1 had to go for me to make it feel "right". Cheers, Radioactive :)


^^^ My Mantra2 on top of my Mantra1

[Bill1170]

I don't blame you, that's a nice looking knife, I never saw the delica resemblance until you mentioned it.

I posted this pic when the Mantras were released, the Delica resemblance is undeniable (there's some direct resemblance to the Caly family as well).



Lance, you don't have a hard time getting a proper grip on your Mantra? I just couldn't get the knife to feel right in hand with the flipper in the way, so I removed it and the ergos are great for me now. I have no issue with grip on the Mantra2 but that flipper tab on the Delica-like Mantra1 had to go for me to make it feel "right". Cheers, Radioactive :)


^^^ My Mantra2 on top of my Mantra1

the Mantra 1 with its tab removed is the one on top in that last picture, right?