Old Member Back For Some Opinions

[charge]

Hello to All,

I joined this forum years ago, but I havent been around for a while. I am a big Spyderco Fan although I dont any right now. I at one time owned a Para Military, Tasman Salt, Delica Wave, D'Allara, and Karambit. Unfortunately I had to sell these to pay bills when work was slow.

I have been without a Spydie for too long. I am currently looking at two knives: the Manix 2 and the FRN VG-10 Stretch.

I liked the ball lock on the D'Allara, I have 154 CM steel on my EDC Leatherman Charge (I like it pretty well), and I like G-10. I also like the Manix because it is made in Golden.

I have had good luck with VG-10 and I have really taken a liking to Flat ground Blades. These are my big Pros for the Stretch

I am confused.

This will be my only Spydie for a while based on the budget. I am leaning toward the Manix2. But I am looking for help on these two knives. I know I would be happy with either one but I have to pick. also, it seems the Manix would be the more expensive knife but the Stretch costs more as far as I can see. Is there a reason for this?

I will be EDC ing this knife. I know they are big, but if I can only have one,I want a beefy knife.

Let me know the Pros and Cons of these two knives

Thanks, and its nice to be back

charge

[telemeister]

Welcome back Charge.

I have both the Manix 2 and the Stretch, and they are both great knives. They are actually about the same price at my dealer (around the $80 mark). The more expensive Stretch is made with ZDP189 steel.

The Manix 2 is a relatively large knife, with an exceptionally strong lock. It is hollow ground with a G10 handle. The knife is very sharp NIB and pretty easy to sharpen with a sharpmaker. It is definitely a workhorse knife. The downsides are it is very heavy and quite bulky. The G10 scales also have a tendency to tear apart clothing. It can also be a little difficult to close 1 handed as the ball lock (at least on mine) is pretty tight.

The Stretch is light weight with the FRN handle. It is exceptionally sharp and, again, very easy to sharpen. It is a little smaller than the Manix, but it is a lot lighter. The back lock is strong, but not as strong (or at least it feels that way) as the Manix.

I rotate most of my knives through my EDC, but I find myself coming back to the Stretch because it is an excellent all round knife. THe weight of the Manix is the biggest hinderance to it being an EDC and, although I think it is a great knife, I only carry it once in a while. My recommendation, based on you only getting one knife which will, thus, be your EDC, would be to get the Stretch.

[npueppke]

I have both of these, and have been leaning towards the Stretch lately. In my opinion, it carries better than the Manix-it's lighter and narrower, and FRN is much easier to get into and out of the pockets than G10. I'd also consider it to have a better blade for every day use-it has a slightly longer and narrower blade, and the thinner blade stock combined with a flat grind makes for a better slicing knife. Neither has the best ergos in the world, but the Stretch also has a more versatile and universal handle which suits a lot of different grip styles.

I consider the two of them to be my "work" knives, and I pretty much interchange them freely. To me, they are both knives that you can throw anything at. If you like G10 and don't mind a thick blade (which is good for lots of things but not food prep), I'd say go with the Manix. If you like FRN or haven't tried FRN, and are going to be breaking down a lot of boxes or doing finer cutting, I'd go with the Stretch.

There are a lot of factors which could affect the price. One thing that might have an impact is the fact that the dollar is weaker than the Yen right now. I don't remember off the top of my head but 1 Yen costs about $1.20 or $1.40, something like that. Another reason is that 154CM is a bit cheaper than VG10. Finally it is cheaper to produce a hollow ground blade, but I don't know how much cheaper.

Also, welcome back to the Forums!

[chuck buck]

my understanding from reading various threads is that the price difference comes from the country of origin (the strength of their monetary unit vs u.s.) and the steel used.

i havent used either knife so i can only comment that i would pick up the FRN stretch. the manix does nothing for me personally.

[alancamby]

I prefer the Stretch. Stretch is lighter, thinner yet it still has a longer blade. Both are about the same length closed.
Vg10 or ZDP(blue handle) are awsome blade steels and they are FFG on stretch.
I also prefer FRN to G10 handles.
If you like tip down carry don't get the Manix.
The Manix to me is more of a extreme hard use knife. It is built like a tank. For my use it is overbuilt.

[jossta]

I feel like if you want beefy, you should go with the Manix.

[Blerv]

The Stretch is a very tough knife. The grind gives it a finer tip so it would probably survive less paint lid openings than the Manix2 :) (please don't do this to either).

Honestly the two values are off the charts. The Stretch is a more comfortable carry and far better cutter (it feels like a slimmer more advanced D'Allara). The Manix2 channels all the attitude from 1980's "tough guy" flicks (very similar to your Para).

If I had to pick one for every day tasks and some heavy abuse it would be the Stretch FRN. If I wanted a tankfolder for the zombie apocalypse it would be the M2. Both slice well and can survive quite a bit. It's a hard call and comes down to style preference and weight tolerance (3.5 vs 5.5ish oz).

[charge]

Thanks for all the replies. After reading all the opinions I received and watching some YouTube reviews, I think Ive decided on the FRN Stretch.
After closer study I think The Manix2 may have been more than I needed.

I will still own a Golden, CO knife in the future but for now the Stretch will get the spot in the pocket

Thanks Again Folks,

charge