CPM 15v Manix 2

[SpyderForLyfe]

You will continue to buy things made in china, I will not. End of story.

Lol, you will definitely continue to purchase goods made in China

Not when there's an alternative I won't, you can take that to the bank.

You would be amazed at how many items I've simply decided to not buy it own if I couldn't find a non-china alternative. But with a little research, you can almost always find it.

[vandelay]

I'm glad they went stonewash on this model. I have stared at the the standard Shaman and think that it is one of the finest standard models from Golden with all of its great details. Did they stonewash the clip as well? Similar to the Shaman or just the blade?

They put a really smooth stonewash on the blade. It's a lot smoother than my para 3 maxamet, which should help with rust resistance. The clip is unfortunately polished rather than stonewashed.

[awa54]

All the tan I have, now plus one!

As an example of how the Sprint/Exclusive game has changed in the last few years, I purchased the (more brown than tan) XHP Manix LW for myself, then realized that a) it was a great knife and b) our long time UPS driver, was retiring in a month or so and is an avid outdoorsman, so I just ordered another about a week after the first one had arrived at my doorstep.

EDIT: I looked back at my order history and it wasn't a week between purchases, it was 5 MONTHS! and the knife cost $90...

[awa54]

I wonder what the (hopefully) soon to land Salt will use for materials? LC200N is originally a bearing steel, so that would make sense, but the spring may be harder to do in steel... the right Ti alloy might work though?

don't forget this won't be the first salt ball bearing lock. the tusk used a ceramic ball and a spring and was considered a salt model. either way though, with screw construction, springs will be easy and cheap to replace if necessary.

While I *know* the Tusk exists, I had indeed forgotten it... that was one of the first LC200N Spydies too wasn't it? (2014)

[ladybug93]

I wonder what the (hopefully) soon to land Salt will use for materials? LC200N is originally a bearing steel, so that would make sense, but the spring may be harder to do in steel... the right Ti alloy might work though?

don't forget this won't be the first salt ball bearing lock. the tusk used a ceramic ball and a spring and was considered a salt model. either way though, with screw construction, springs will be easy and cheap to replace if necessary.

While I *know* the Tusk exists, I had indeed forgotten it... that was one of the first LC200N Spydies too wasn't it? (2014)

indeed. i always try to remind people because i forgot about it too back when we were initially postulating about the possibility of a manix salt.

[msum]

All the tan I have, now plus one!


162829spy.jpg


As an example of how the Sprint/Exclusive game has changed in the last few years, I purchased the (more brown than tan) XHP Manix LW for myself, then realized that a) it was a great knife and b) our long time UPS driver, was retiring in a month or so and is an avid outdoorsman, so I just ordered another about a week after the first one had arrived at my doorstep.

I feel I can say this as a Johnny Come Lately, but collection of stuff in general seems to have gone crazy.

But soon it will be artificial intelligence tracking the drops and making the purchases for us, right? Or for their robot limbs to use…

[Tucson Tom]

you know there are people there right? people that have nothing to do with the politics of the place they were born? people that are just trying to survive and provide a life for their families like everyone else in the world?

When did I mention people? Is china selling people now too? You know I was talking about PRODUCTS, right? It has nothing to do with politics. 99% of the products that come out of china are ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. It's the truth whether you like it or not.

Hold on now. China is a big place. And there is quite a spectrum of quality available. You are painting with a mighty big brush. I have all kinds of great products from China. I have a 3D printer that absolutely kicks butt and I get great customer service on it just for starters. You do have to be selective. But sometimes you can't (like when you buy most brands of running shoes).

The Spyderco lineup from China are great of course. Enough said.

[Tucson Tom]

Continuing the drift away from talking about 15V and moving on to prissy trinkets. I get tempted to get one of those ball cages in some kind of metal. A pretty expensive experiment for north of $30, but I still might. I am thinking I will give brass a try. Everyone just has to have titanium, but not this boy. Then I'll have to decide which manix it belongs in among my herd. Indeed, it just might eventually end up in the 15V. Actually I may test fly it in some other knife in case I discover the knife is not the same after being taken apart and put back together. (In which case I will leave the 15V factory fresh in that regard).

And here is a 15V topic just for those that sort of hope for such a thing in this thread. Somewhere way way back in this thread somebody was questioning the use of 15V in a BIG hard use knife like the Manix. This sort of caught me off balance. I have always thought of any every day carry knife as anything but big (and the Manix is definitely EDC in my book). And I think that a steel like 15V is entirely suited for such a modest size blade. However .... I also respect the fact that this is a blade for cutting, and will strictly avoid stupid abusive uses like prying on things. I've never been tempted to use any folding knife for batoning. In fact after I learned what batoning was, I gave it a try with some huge absurd fixed blade knife I have with 1095 steel. It was mildly entertaining, but not for very long.

[salimoneus]

Continuing the drift away from talking about 15V and moving on to prissy trinkets. I get tempted to get one of those ball cages in some kind of metal. A pretty expensive experiment for north of $30, but I still might. I am thinking I will give brass a try. Everyone just has to have titanium, but not this boy. Then I'll have to decide which manix it belongs in among my herd. Indeed, it just might eventually end up in the 15V. Actually I may test fly it in some other knife in case I discover the knife is not the same after being taken apart and put back together. (In which case I will leave the 15V factory fresh in that regard).

And here is a 15V topic just for those that sort of hope for such a thing in this thread. Somewhere way way back in this thread somebody was questioning the use of 15V in a BIG hard use knife like the Manix. This sort of caught me off balance. I have always thought of any every day carry knife as anything but big (and the Manix is definitely EDC in my book). And I think that a steel like 15V is entirely suited for such a modest size blade. However .... I also respect the fact that this is a blade for cutting, and will strictly avoid stupid abusive uses like prying on things. I've never been tempted to use any folding knife for batoning. In fact after I learned what batoning was, I gave it a try with some huge absurd fixed blade knife I have with 1095 steel. It was mildly entertaining, but not for very long.

What exactly is it about the stock reinforced durable plastic cage that you find so offensive, that it requires replacing? The same cheap plastic feeling cage that has never failed or to perform it's duty, as far as I am aware.

Or it is just your perception of the quality of how the knife feels? Or perhaps not even the actual feel, but just your perception of the massive improvement that say a brass cage will increase the owner's enjoyment of operating the knife?

I'm just curious, since you apparently don't even own a single Manix 2, and have never experienced one at all, much less one with the stock plastic cage versus one with a shiny brass aftermarket cage. It is quite an intriguing topic indeed.

[Tucson Tom]

What exactly is it about the stock reinforced durable plastic cage that you find so offensive, that it requires replacing? The same cheap plastic feeling cage that has never failed or to perform it's duty, as far as I am aware.

Or it is just your perception of the quality of how the knife feels? Or perhaps not even the actual feel, but just your perception of the massive improvement that say a brass cage will increase the owner's enjoyment of operating the knife?

I'm just curious, since you apparently don't even own a single Manix 2, and have never experienced one at all, much less one with the stock plastic cage versus one with a shiny brass aftermarket cage. It is quite an intriguing topic indeed.

Wait, what? Hold on a minute!

I don't have any problem with the plastic cage, I never said such a thing.

And at this count I own (I am somewhat embarrased to say) ten Manix 2 knives. Every one of them from Spyderco and proudly labeled as being made at Golden, Colorado, USA, Earth. I have carried one or the other of them every day for the past several years (including carrying one today). Some days I carry another Spyderco, and on rare days even a non-Spyderco knife. But you get the idea.

Today I was carrying my Manix 2 with CPM 20CV Steel and red G10 scales. It has served me well many times in the past, although today I had no occasion to use it.

So some other sort of question and/or discussion is probably in order.

[olywa]

I tweak my knives for pretty much the same reasons I throw a Volquartzen sear into a Ruger MK II pistol, or a new grip on a revolver. Sometimes it's a function thing, sometimes it's a form thing, and sometimes it just pleases me to do so.

[vivi]

Continuing the drift away from talking about 15V and moving on to prissy trinkets. I get tempted to get one of those ball cages in some kind of metal. A pretty expensive experiment for north of $30, but I still might. I am thinking I will give brass a try. Everyone just has to have titanium, but not this boy. Then I'll have to decide which manix it belongs in among my herd. Indeed, it just might eventually end up in the 15V. Actually I may test fly it in some other knife in case I discover the knife is not the same after being taken apart and put back together. (In which case I will leave the 15V factory fresh in that regard).

And here is a 15V topic just for those that sort of hope for such a thing in this thread. Somewhere way way back in this thread somebody was questioning the use of 15V in a BIG hard use knife like the Manix. This sort of caught me off balance. I have always thought of any every day carry knife as anything but big (and the Manix is definitely EDC in my book). And I think that a steel like 15V is entirely suited for such a modest size blade. However .... I also respect the fact that this is a blade for cutting, and will strictly avoid stupid abusive uses like prying on things. I've never been tempted to use any folding knife for batoning. In fact after I learned what batoning was, I gave it a try with some huge absurd fixed blade knife I have with 1095 steel. It was mildly entertaining, but not for very long.

The Manix is a tough knife. Same stock thickness as the XL in a shorter blade. It can do all the things I did in this video (maybe not the 15v version)



I don't recommend chopping and batoning with a folder, but if that's what you decide to do, there are a lot worser choices than a Manix.

[Tucson Tom]

The Manix is a tough knife. Same stock thickness as the XL in a shorter blade.
I don't recommend chopping and batoning with a folder, but if that's what you decide to do, there are a lot worse choices than a Manix.

HI Vivi,

I agree with all of that. The Manix is a tough knife. Yet I don't think it was at all inappropriate to put 15V into it, that is what I was saying (or trying to). One man's big knife is another man's little knife I guess. To me the Manix is "just right", not too little, not too big. For me it hits the sweet spot of what I want to carry with me every day, though I don't mind carrying a bigger knife (like the Military or the Police) and really don't notice anything different about what is in my pocket when I do so.

If I switch to a brass ball carrier though, that might push the weight over the line where I will really start to notice the Manix in my pocket. Something to bear in mind.

[vivi]

I agree. I think 15V fits the Manix very well.

[ladybug93]

The Manix is a tough knife. Same stock thickness as the XL in a shorter blade.
I don't recommend chopping and batoning with a folder, but if that's what you decide to do, there are a lot worse choices than a Manix.

HI Vivi,

I agree with all of that. The Manix is a tough knife. Yet I don't think it was at all inappropriate to put 15V into it, that is what I was saying (or trying to). One man's big knife is another man's little knife I guess. To me the Manix is "just right", not too little, not too big. For me it hits the sweet spot of what I want to carry with me every day, though I don't mind carrying a bigger knife (like the Military or the Police) and really don't notice anything different about what is in my pocket when I do so.

If I switch to a brass ball carrier though, that might push the weight over the line where I will really start to notice the Manix in my pocket. Something to bear in mind.

i doubt you'd notice the weight difference. i have a ti cage in mine, but it was really meant to be a placeholder until i could get the copper cage i really wanted. then i'd move this ti cage into my m2lw salt when that comes out. still waiting on stock for the specific copper cage i want, but i'm thinking i'll go for brass on the 15v manix and putman micarta scales.

[JNewell]

Hold on now. China is a big place. And there is quite a spectrum of quality available. You are painting with a mighty big brush. I have all kinds of great products from China. I have a 3D printer that absolutely kicks butt and I get great customer service on it just for starters. You do have to be selective. But sometimes you can't (like when you buy most brands of running shoes).

The Spyderco lineup from China are great of course. Enough said.

And to be fair and honest, a fair bit of the stuff made here is garbage, not to mention whole product types that are not made here any more at all, or at least not made in any meaningful quantity or variety. At a minimum, I would think that most here could agree that merely being produced in the U.S. does't guarantee quality. I am not a fan of anything that has to do with the PRC, but you can't simply dismiss everything that comes from China as junk.

I didn't start out here with this in mind, but Spyderco is actually an interesting case. I don't think there's anything with the Spyderco name on it that isn't at least very good and a lot is excellent - and it comes from a lot of different places. Off the top of my head: the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, China and Italy. I'm more interested in quality than the country of origin.

[Cowboyfromhell]

Are they all gone?....I haven't heard of any new drops lately..... Glad I got one at least!

[Bemo]

I count myself as fortunate that I snagged one. So far haven't had to do anything but some stropping to bring the edge back but the worst mine cuts is cardboard so far.

[jwbnyc]

Are they all gone?....I haven't heard of any new drops lately..... Glad I got one at least!

DLT has not, as far as I know, dropped yet.

And, vis-à-vis Chinese quality or the lack thereof: Chinese manufacturers build to a price. They will build to whatever quality level you want if you are willing to pay the price.

Personally, I’d like to see us bring as much manufacturing as possible back onshore, but the question is; are we prepared to pay the price?

[kennbr34]

Are they all gone?....I haven't heard of any new drops lately..... Glad I got one at least!

DLT has not, as far as I know, dropped yet.

And, vis-à-vis Chinese quality or the lack thereof: Chinese manufacturers build to a price. They will build to whatever quality level you want if you are willing to pay the price.

Personally, I’d like to see us bring as much manufacturing as possible back onshore, but the question is; are we prepared to pay the price?

One thing about Chinese vs American manufacturing that I wonder about is how much we're actually paying for the product, versus how much we're paying for decent wages, safety conditions, etc. and so forth.

I recently bought a Chinese knock off of a Benchmade 940, mostly because I was curious how good the knock offs are, and also because I wanted to see how the 940 was in hand--a bit like a "demo". Well, I was quite shocked with how well made it was. I have owned other Benchmade knives, and I have to say that this thing was really not far behind in quality. There were a few things wrong, but not what you'd expect. The blade held an edge, the action was smooth, blade centered, detent was good. Actually the only thing wrong was the screws were some cheap pot metal that cross threaded upon re-assembly.

So all that being the case... I bought that knock off for $20. The real deal no doubt has better materials and higher cost of manufacturing, but I don't think it's to the extent that it explains the 10x price difference. That's gotta come from the fact that the workers in American factories are paid a minimum wage, have a 40 hour work week, and OSHA regulations to keep them safe. Now I certainly don't know about all Chinese manufacturers, but something tells me the ones selling $20 knock offs don't have to adhere to all that.

That being the case, I would gladly pay a premium for Chinese goods if I knew they also took care of their employees, because it's not necessarily the craftsmanship they cut corners on.