CPM 15v Manix 2

[awa54]

Just a heads up so folks understand what’s happening here. Spyderco is only shipping “2-5 knives per dealer”, this was said to me by the fella at DLT trading. He doesn’t know why Spyderco is doing that, but they are. DLT is expecting another shipment from Spyderco, and when they have their full inventory of the 15V knives, they will drop them.

Why does Spyderco not just tool up and run a bunch? Is this a tactic to see what will sell and what won’t? A Dip your toe in the water to see the temp. If it’s hot, Dump a truckload on the dealers? If so, it seems like Preorders to test the water would be a way better way to handle this, that way Scalpers Be Dammed! Everyone gets what they want and have paid for at the same time, and for a reasonable (& same) price.

I paid a scalper almost double because I want one, but that sucks. Are material procurement the problem? Is it risk of making too many of a knife that flops the problem. What are your thoughts?

Flops of the past may well be informing the numbers and platform choices these days... I picked up the Ti Squeek, Ti Pingo and green G10 Worker sprints months after they released and at bargain prices. I'll bet that Spyderco has duly noted that niche Sprints are occasionally a bust and doesn't want to repeat.

PM2 and Para3 Sprints may be boring, but they always sell out quickly, Manix Sprints haven't been total dogs, but they're usually not as hotly contested as the Para/PM.

On a tangent, I'll be interested to see what models are released in what numbers when the next Sakai full-line Sprint comes around...

[Mushroom]

why would that be the best solution? that doesn't help anyone.

what do you consider whining? i think there is some validity to the complaints surrounding this release.

It wouldn’t be the forum members here who benefit from it but yes, it actually would help a lot of people.

Why do I think that would be best though? Because of the odd negative discourse they seem to cause now. It just seems like silly drama to me and if alert threads are causing that silliness, I think the best solution might just be not having them to begin with. Again, maybe people should do the hard work on their own from now on.

This most recent alert thread even spawned a separate passive aggressive thread berating those that were simply asking others to refrain from posting too much discussion without an actual in stock alert. Even till now, in the alert thread itself, asking for less discussion and primarily in-stock alerts often leads to snide responses. Simply asking others to be respectful has somehow caused people to be disrespectful.

If your concern is about being helpful, an alert thread without clutter is probably the easiest way to help as many forum members as possible. I fail to see how hijacking threads is being helpful though.

This 15V Manix sprint run was not released any different than any other sprint run released recently but the hysteria it caused would make it seem as if it was.

“Whining” is probably overstating it but I’m mostly referring to the complaints about short numbers when it first hit shelves and the continued complaints about it selling out too quickly, even though the extremely high demand is common knowledge. (This might be the most popular knife release of the year.) Basically what we’ve already seen with this knife but it would be worse if Beau wasn’t consistently updating the alert thread. I would venture to guess he is probably responsible for leading around 75% or more of forum members to their 15V Manix purchases. That number would almost certainly be lower if all of the in-stock alerts were buried in a thread like this with all of the other discussion that’s going on.

[GarageBoy]

This would have been a great forum knife, with actual significance

[TkoK83Spy]

Well said Nick, couldn't agree more. Even more amazing when long time members continually stoke the fire over there. Blows my mind.

[Rymanz]

why would that be the best solution? that doesn't help anyone.

what do you consider whining? i think there is some validity to the complaints surrounding this release.

It wouldn’t be the forum members here who benefit from it but yes, it actually would help a lot of people.

Why do I think that would be best though? Because of the odd negative discourse they seem to cause now. It just seems like silly drama to me and if alert threads are causing that silliness, I think the best solution might just be not having them to begin with. Again, maybe people should do the hard work on their own from now on.

This most recent alert thread even spawned a separate passive aggressive thread berating those that were simply asking others to refrain from posting too much discussion without an actual in stock alert. Even till now, in the alert thread itself, asking for less discussion and primarily in-stock alerts often leads to snide responses. Simply asking others to be respectful has somehow caused people to be disrespectful.

If your concern is about being helpful, an alert thread without clutter is probably the easiest way to help as many forum members as possible. I fail to see how hijacking threads is being helpful though.

This 15V Manix sprint run was not released any different than any other sprint run released recently but the hysteria it caused would make it seem as if it was.

“Whining” is probably overstating it but I’m mostly referring to the complaints about short numbers when it first hit shelves and the continued complaints about it selling out too quickly, even though the extremely high demand is common knowledge. (This might be the most popular knife release of the year.) Basically what we’ve already seen with this knife but it would be worse if Beau wasn’t consistently updating the alert thread. I would venture to guess he is probably responsible for leading around 75% or more of forum members to their 15V Manix purchases. That number would almost certainly be lower if all of the in-stock alerts were buried in a thread like this with all of the other discussion that’s going on.

Well said!

[soapbox]
We all know there are no tangible rules associated with the alert thread. It was a simple, respectful request that people not post in there unnecessarily so we didn't have a "boy that cried wolf" scenario unfold for those that were/are using the thread. Not everyone can sit and watch all the various sites for hours in a day, and the notifications from that thread are the main tool for trying to snag one of these knives.

I too think most of the non-alert comments in the other thread are made out of innocent ignorance, but there are definitely some comments that are purposefully disrespectful and childish.
[/soapbox]

Anyways....back on topic.

I snagged one of these at White Mountain, and I already have an AWT scale set and Flytanium ball cage waiting for it's arrival. I'm debating on whether to go with a ceramic ball and lighter spring. I typically don't have a problem with the factory spring rate on the Manix knives, but I'm also curious how the lighter spring would feel. I'm a little hesitant since the factory spring rate and ball material were likely chosen for a reason by Spyderco for durabilty and safety. And while ceramic is very abrasion resistant and would be low friction, it's not exactly the most impact resistant material (which is important since we're talking about the interface between the blade and handle).

[ladybug93]

I snagged one of these at White Mountain, and I already have an AWT scale set and Flytanium ball cage waiting for it's arrival. I'm debating on whether to go with a ceramic ball and lighter spring. I typically don't have a problem with the factory spring rate on the Manix knives, but I'm also curious how the lighter spring would feel. I'm a little hesitant since the factory spring rate and ball material were likely chosen for a reason by Spyderco for durabilty and safety. And while ceramic is very abrasion resistant and would be low friction, it's not exactly the most impact resistant material (which is important since we're talking about the interface between the blade and handle).

you could say the same about the scales and ball cage materials as well. i've never tried a lighter spring, but i have a ceramic ball, ti cage, and micarta scales on the manix in my pocket right now and it's great. i've had zero issues since switching it all out. to be fair, the knife had zero issues before as well. we change these things because it's fun and sometimes functional. the ti cage is definitely an improvement in my opinion, even though it's unnecessary.

[Rymanz]

I snagged one of these at White Mountain, and I already have an AWT scale set and Flytanium ball cage waiting for it's arrival. I'm debating on whether to go with a ceramic ball and lighter spring. I typically don't have a problem with the factory spring rate on the Manix knives, but I'm also curious how the lighter spring would feel. I'm a little hesitant since the factory spring rate and ball material were likely chosen for a reason by Spyderco for durabilty and safety. And while ceramic is very abrasion resistant and would be low friction, it's not exactly the most impact resistant material (which is important since we're talking about the interface between the blade and handle).

you could say the same about the scales and ball cage materials as well. i've never tried a lighter spring, but i have a ceramic ball, ti cage, and micarta scales on the manix in my pocket right now and it's great. i've had zero issues since switching it all out. to be fair, the knife had zero issues before as well. we change these things because it's fun and sometimes functional. the ti cage is definitely an improvement in my opinion, even though it's unnecessary.

Valid point!

To me the cage is a worthy upgrade, while potentially being less gentle on fingers versus the plastic. But yes these things aren't necessary for a functional blade, it's just a fun way to tinker and make it our own.

Which ceramic ball did you go with? There are two types, and based on my research the Zirconium Oxide is likely the better choice due to its superior impact resistance versus the Silcon Nitride.

[ladybug93]

Which ceramic ball did you go with? There are two types, and based on my research the Zirconium Oxide is likely the better choice due to its superior impact resistance versus the Silcon Nitride.

i went with silicon nitride. no reason... that's just the one i picked. flytanium even offers a glass ball replacement.

[Rymanz]

Which ceramic ball did you go with? There are two types, and based on my research the Zirconium Oxide is likely the better choice due to its superior impact resistance versus the Silcon Nitride.

...
flytanium even offers a glass ball replacement.

That just sounds like a bad time.

[ladybug93]

Which ceramic ball did you go with? There are two types, and based on my research the Zirconium Oxide is likely the better choice due to its superior impact resistance versus the Silcon Nitride.

...
flytanium even offers a glass ball replacement.

That just sounds like a bad time.

it's a really small sphere. i imagine its strong enough. maybe i'll get one for the 15v manix to remind myself that it's a knife steel meant for cutting and not for beating on.

[kennbr34]

[soapbox]
We all know there are no tangible rules associated with the alert thread. It was a simple, respectful request that people not post in there unnecessarily so we didn't have a "boy that cried wolf" scenario unfold for those that were/are using the thread. Not everyone can sit and watch all the various sites for hours in a day, and the notifications from that thread are the main tool for trying to snag one of these knives.

I too think most of the non-alert comments in the other thread are made out of innocent ignorance, but there are definitely some comments that are purposefully disrespectful and childish.
[/soapbox]

Yeah, I'm new here and joined specifically to get alerts for this knife. I really don't understand the antagonistic responses by those insisting that someone has "made up a rule". Maybe they don't like being admonished for posting non-alerts in the alert thread, but to me this is very simple stuff akin to making more coffee when you drink the last cup in the break room. Is it a rule? Of course not, and no one should get their balls busted for forgetting, but it's also the courteous thing to do.

I also think members here would be doing themselves a great disservice by making the alert threads untenable. Coming from an IT background, I found and adapted a script to give me stock alerts, and even that has not been nearly as helpful as Beau's efforts. I don't know how he finds so many vendors! I don't mean to sound as if I'm tooting my own horn here, but I do recognize that my tech knowledge to set-up a script like I have done is fairly niche, and so I gotta say that the idea of most people somehow being able to do the same work Beau has done is not very realistic. I wonder if some are under the impression that they could simply find these links and inventory themselves, and to be frank, I doubt that many could.

All that said... I also don't think it's really that big a deal to sort through the non-alerts posts in the thread. Is it disappointing to get an email and think, "Oh boy, it's go time!" only to be disappointed by some kind of chatter? Sure, and I had more than my share of instances of it since I basically set my phone up to act like a fire alarm where I would have to drop everything I was doing and check the thread. In fact, to be honest, there were times I was driving and got an alert and had to wait to check and was relieved it was just some chatter, and not a drop I missed. So I get the disappointment, but I also don't feel like it merits going around and scolding people.

Anyway, I am just thinking diplomatically here and trying to see both sides of the issue, but I can say pretty definitively that if this community allows this issue to sour until it precludes future alert threads, it will be doing a huge disservice to itself that's going to be a lot more bitter than being annoyed by a non-alerts post or being shouted at for making such a post.

Also, as an aside, I have been wondering why the email alerts can't simply be set up to show the body of the new post in the actual email alert? At least then when someone gets a push notification on their phone, they can easily see right then and there if it was a link or just general chatter, without having to load up the website.

*falls off soap box and hits head*

Now then, what's all this talk about balls?

[Dazen]

Dye, Ti and ceramic BB! Really hard to photograph the real color, it’s a dark OD Green.

This looks great! Mind sharing what dye you used?

I used: 2 parts Peacock Green to 1 part Daffodil Yellow.
In all: 1 part Dye to 8 parts water
Brought the dye to a boil and simmered scales for 10 minutes.

[Manixguy@1994]

The green mod looks fantastic! Great job . MG2

[Coastal]

[Rymanz]

Yeah, I'm new here and joined specifically to get alerts for this knife. I really don't understand the antagonistic responses by those insisting that someone has "made up a rule". Maybe they don't like being admonished for posting non-alerts in the alert thread, but to me this is very simple stuff akin to making more coffee when you drink the last cup in the break room. Is it a rule? Of course not, and no one should get their balls busted for forgetting, but it's also the courteous thing to do.

I also think members here would be doing themselves a great disservice by making the alert threads untenable. Coming from an IT background, I found and adapted a script to give me stock alerts, and even that has not been nearly as helpful as Beau's efforts. I don't know how he finds so many vendors! I don't mean to sound as if I'm tooting my own horn here, but I do recognize that my tech knowledge to set-up a script like I have done is fairly niche, and so I gotta say that the idea of most people somehow being able to do the same work Beau has done is not very realistic. I wonder if some are under the impression that they could simply find these links and inventory themselves, and to be frank, I doubt that many could.

All that said... I also don't think it's really that big a deal to sort through the non-alerts posts in the thread. Is it disappointing to get an email and think, "Oh boy, it's go time!" only to be disappointed by some kind of chatter? Sure, and I had more than my share of instances of it since I basically set my phone up to act like a fire alarm where I would have to drop everything I was doing and check the thread. In fact, to be honest, there were times I was driving and got an alert and had to wait to check and was relieved it was just some chatter, and not a drop I missed. So I get the disappointment, but I also don't feel like it merits going around and scolding people.

Anyway, I am just thinking diplomatically here and trying to see both sides of the issue, but I can say pretty definitively that if this community allows this issue to sour until it precludes future alert threads, it will be doing a huge disservice to itself that's going to be a lot more bitter than being annoyed by a non-alerts post or being shouted at for making such a post.

Also, as an aside, I have been wondering why the email alerts can't simply be set up to show the body of the new post in the actual email alert? At least then when someone gets a push notification on their phone, they can easily see right then and there if it was a link or just general chatter, without having to load up the website.

*falls off soap box and hits head*

Now then, what's all this talk about balls?

Welcome to the forum!

We're discussing whose balls are smoother and more resistant to impacts. The balls that come with the Manix are going to be less abrasion resistant over time than aftermarket ceramic balls, but it will take hard impacts better. So if you have a habit of batoning your Manix, you'll probably want to stick with the balls Eric gave you.

[salimoneus]

I snagged one of these at White Mountain, and I already have an AWT scale set and Flytanium ball cage waiting for it's arrival. I'm debating on whether to go with a ceramic ball and lighter spring. I typically don't have a problem with the factory spring rate on the Manix knives, but I'm also curious how the lighter spring would feel. I'm a little hesitant since the factory spring rate and ball material were likely chosen for a reason by Spyderco for durabilty and safety. And while ceramic is very abrasion resistant and would be low friction, it's not exactly the most impact resistant material (which is important since we're talking about the interface between the blade and handle).

you could say the same about the scales and ball cage materials as well. i've never tried a lighter spring, but i have a ceramic ball, ti cage, and micarta scales on the manix in my pocket right now and it's great. i've had zero issues since switching it all out. to be fair, the knife had zero issues before as well. we change these things because it's fun and sometimes functional. the ti cage is definitely an improvement in my opinion, even though it's unnecessary.

I've had zero issues with the original plastic cage and stainless ball, and I've owned and abused several Manix 2's. Work just fine, and see absolutely no value in spending another half the knife's value in "upgrades". If people are buying these as fidget toys, then maybe these "upgrades" seem worthwhile, and marginally smoother and easier to fidget with. But I don't use knives as fidget toys. But as they say, to each his/her/pronoun's own.

[Rymanz]

I snagged one of these at White Mountain, and I already have an AWT scale set and Flytanium ball cage waiting for it's arrival. I'm debating on whether to go with a ceramic ball and lighter spring. I typically don't have a problem with the factory spring rate on the Manix knives, but I'm also curious how the lighter spring would feel. I'm a little hesitant since the factory spring rate and ball material were likely chosen for a reason by Spyderco for durabilty and safety. And while ceramic is very abrasion resistant and would be low friction, it's not exactly the most impact resistant material (which is important since we're talking about the interface between the blade and handle).

you could say the same about the scales and ball cage materials as well. i've never tried a lighter spring, but i have a ceramic ball, ti cage, and micarta scales on the manix in my pocket right now and it's great. i've had zero issues since switching it all out. to be fair, the knife had zero issues before as well. we change these things because it's fun and sometimes functional. the ti cage is definitely an improvement in my opinion, even though it's unnecessary.

I've had zero issues with the original plastic cage and stainless ball, and I've owned and abused several Manix 2's. Work just fine, and see absolutely no value in spending another half the knife's value in "upgrades". If people are buying these as fidget toys, then maybe these "upgrades" seem worthwhile, and marginally smoother and easier to fidget with. But I don't use knives as fidget toys. But as they say, to each his/her/pronoun's own.

A cage, spring, and ball upgrade costs ~$56. Hardly half the cost of an entire Manix.

[ZrowsN1s]

Keeping mine stock brown in honor of the big brown bear.

[SpyderForLyfe]

Every Manix I get (regular or XL) gets a titanium or brass cage replacement. This isn't because I think the cage will fail - I KNOW it won't. The cage may be plastic, but all it does is hold the ball and move with a spring. It doesn't need to be a rugged material. The reasons I upgrade are because I think the plastic cage cheapens the knife overall and is an eyesore (especially when the scales aren't black), and yes, the plastic cage is more uncomfortable to manipulate than a metal one.

As for why Spyderco chose the plastic cage, that's a very simple answer: It's the cheapest material that absolutely gets the job done. As much as I'd love to see them put metal cages in (at the very least on their sprints/exclusives) all that would do is drive up the cost of the knife, and not everyone would be okay with that, even if some of us would. For all we know, there are people out there that prefer plastic over metal for some reason.

Regarding replacement bearings: I never upgrade those, I'm happy with the steel ball. I see no need for ceramic and it'll be a cold day in **** before I put a freakin' GLASS BALL in a knife, no matter how tough they tell me it is. If there is a "smoothness" component to upgrading the bearing, it's a marginal one and I doubt even Eric himself would be able to feel the difference between a clean steel bearing and a ceramic or glass bearing. I've handled Manixes (Manixae?) with ceramic bearings (never glass, admittedly) and I couldn't tell the difference to be honest.

So that begs the question; "What's the point?". You can barely see it even with a light and a magnifying glass, so it's not an aesthetic upgrade. It'll never beat (though it may equal) the compression strength that carbon steel has, so it's not a strength upgrade, and as I've already said, the smoothness it may or may not add to the action is so negligible it can barely be felt, so I'd hardly call it a performance upgrade. To me, it's a total waste of time, effort, and money. There's absolutely no benefit to upgrading a bearing beyond the ability to tell people "It has a ceramic/glass bearing".

The only advantages that ceramic has over steel is in heat resistance, weight, and metal detection, and none of those are measurably relevant factors in this upgrade.

Now the spring... THAT is a safety concern for me. On impact, a light spring will compress easier than a stronger spring, and could potentially unlock the knife. THAT is where the comment "Spyderco put it there for a reason" actually applies. I don't mind dealing with a stronger spring, and as I said before, the metal cage helps with that. If I were ever to upgrade the spring, it would be to an even stronger one, not a lighter one.

And since I'm generally very happy with Spyderco's default pocket clips, I'll probably never upgrade that either. I never understood the point of a "deep carry" clip.

I couldn't care less about the color of the hardware, and since new lanyard tubes and screws offer absolutely no improvement over what ships out of Boulder, I see no need to upgrade those either.

In fact, aside from the cage itself, the only other thing I've ever upgraded on a Manix are the scales. I really wanted the S110V blade, but I HATE that dark blue color so I made it a fancy knife and put copper scales on it (boy talk about adding weight!). Otherwise, I'm generally happy with the scales that it comes with, so I tend to leave them alone.

Those are my thoughts on Manix upgrades, anyway... FWIW

[msum]

What do people think about aluminium/aluminum replacement cages? They are a touch lighter and cheaper than Ti, I guess… But what I don’t know is how they feel and/or how quickly they wear.

Has corrosion/rust or the standard ball bearing been an issue for anyone?