The Manbug challenge

WOTANSON1 · #1

OK, I just bought a Manbug to replace the worn out Ladybug I usually match with my Vic Executive during the colder part of the year. I have to say I was quite happy to retire the old girl as the Manbug SE is a serious step up from the Ladybug for one major reason....an adjustable pivot. See the Ladybug, although a great knife, is pinned, so once it starts to loosen up you have to do the old nail and hammer deal to get the pivot pin tightened up, and that gets very, very old after a while. I usually carry a Vic Outrider or match an Endura 1 SE with my Vic Executive during the spring/summer months, but I'm going to try a Manbug challenge for the next month, but match it with a Vic Minichamp for a change. I'll keep you all updated as the month goes on, but for now, here's some pics.

Evil D · #2

FYI, the current crop of Ladybugs are also screw at the pivot.

WOTANSON1 · #3

Evil D wrote:FYI, the current crop of Ladybugs are also screw at the pivot.

Really? Not the ones I've seen on NGK. Still the Manbug is a wee bit beefier, and has a better name imho.

jackknifeh · #4

WOTANSON1 wrote:OK, I just bought a Manbug to replace the worn out Ladybug I usually match with my Vic Executive during the colder part of the year. I have to say I was quite happy to retire the old girl as the Manbug SE is a serious step up from the Ladybug for one major reason....an adjustable pivot. See the Ladybug, although a great knife, is pinned, so once it starts to loosen up you have to do the old nail and hammer deal to get the pivot pin tightened up, and that gets very, very old after a while. I usually carry a Vic Outrider or match an Endura 1 SE with my Vic Executive during the spring/summer months, but I'm going to try a Manbug challenge for the next month, but match it with a Vic Minichamp for a change. I'll keep you all updated as the month goes on, but for now, here's some pics.

For the life of me I don't understand what people see in serrated edges. I've always thought you should have one for the times they are better. I'm thinking lots of rope tasks, etc. I just don't have tasks that a plain edge won't do so I don't have to worry about sharpening a serrated edge. I'm tempted to get a serrated Manbug now and carry it as my little knife instead of my plain edge one. That would be my Manbug "serrated" challenge. The only way to understand is to experience. I'll also carry something larger but 90% of my cutting the Manbug will handle. It feels MUCH sturdier than my Ladybug3 salt. It had a screw in the pivot BTW which I am a huge fan of myself.

I'm also curious, how do you sharpen your serrated edges? I have the "know how" but it's time consuming for me and I'm not very skilled at it. I can destroy a beautiful serrated edge in a minute. If I do this I'll use the 701 profile stones for sharpening. I would want to keep the really pointy points that Spydercos come with. That's really hard for me.

Jack

Evil D · #5

WOTANSON1 wrote:Really? Not the ones I've seen on NGK. Still the Manbug is a wee bit beefier, and has a better name imho.

The only thing I don't like about it is that steep upswept tip. I like either a leaf shape or like the Ladybugs. I'm hoping for a wharnie or a PE hawkbill someday.

Blerv · #6

Serrations arent that hard to get fuctionally sharp. Sal said once they typicially produce double the results on CATRA testing as PE equivalents.

To each his/her own but the variety is nice. Knives in S90v and M390 haven't always been so plentiful so the need was greater in the past, IMHO. Still I'd love to see a SE vs PE showdown besides the destruction vid on youtube. Please Cliff or Jim? :)

Edge retention aside I like the control it can give. No slippage.

WOTANSON1 · #7

SE is the only edge for me and I've faithfully carried at least one serrated Spyderco on, or very near me, for the past 10 years. It is so easy to sharpen on a SharpMaker as it only takes one step. Spyderco serrations go through "bones like butter." Sometimes I'll use a leather boot lace with some green rouge on it to polish up the edge and make it "suicide sharp" as I call it. I couldn't see me not carrying a serrated blade.

Blerv · #8

Not enough spokespeople for teeth :) . Love the balanced perspective.

WOTANSON1 · #9

It sure will be interesting to sharpen that tip. I'm gonna go outta my way to not let that get dumb dull for sure.

jackknifeh · #10

Evil D wrote:The only thing I don't like about it is that steep upswept tip. I like either a leaf shape or like the Ladybugs. I'm hoping for a wharnie or a PE hawkbill someday.

I thought about sharpening my belly down till the edge was a little straighter from heel to tip. I decided to wait until I have problems with it the way it is. I may not have any problems with it at all. The only other way would be to make the blade longer (impossible for this knife) or make the blade smaller from edge to spine. Then the upsweep could be less drastic. However that would go against the "beefier" desire of the design IMO.

I agree though. I had the same opinion even from the first time I saw a picture of the Manbug.

Jack

Evil D · #11

Yeah i thought about grinding the spine down to make it a leaf shape but that'd eat away some length.

Splice · #12

I personally dig the sweep of the manbug, however I also carry a ladybug hawkbill h1 for contrast. It's nice having equal sized blades that make opposite kinds of cuts

jackknifeh · #13

Splice wrote:I personally dig the sweep of the manbug, however I also carry a ladybug hawkbill h1 for contrast. It's nice having equal sized blades that make opposite kinds of cuts

I've had several surprises concerning knives since I started looking at all the different options and capablilities. One of the biggest surprises is my opinion on EDC. All my life I had to have a pocket knife in my pocket. If I didn't I felt naked. Now if I don't have at least two knives I feel naked. Now I want to be prepared to open a letter or cut a thumb size limb off a tree if I want to. So, like you I find it very nice to have knives for different jobs right at hand. Even when the only difference is not wanting to scare somebody at Wal Mart into running away screaming in terror at the site of a Gayle Bradley. :) The Manbug (or Ladybug) is the perfect knife for that.

Jack

Quick Draw · #14

A FRN Manbug Salt would be cool. Is there one in the works?

jackknifeh · #15

Quick Draw wrote:A FRN Manbug Salt would be cool. Is there one in the works?

They have a Ladybug3 salt. I think a Manbug salt would be nice. I don't want one because I don't need that much corrosion control. But it would be nice in a tackle box or small cutting tasks on shrimp boats. I lived at Cape Canaveral FL for 4 years and knew a few guys who worked on shrimp and fishing boats. This was 1979 - 1983. I don't think H-1 was around but they would have loved it.

Jack

Evil D · #16

If i were a betting man i'd say anything they've done with the Ladybug will come to the Manbug in due time.