Spyderco Forums

I look forward to a possible PM2 lwt. Salt model , or maybe the introduction of Magnamax . MG2

cabfrank wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 21, 2026 2:58 am

Crazy thoughts: The Smock must be a much better seller than I thought, or else why the REX treatment? Prices are going up, but Lil Native LW and PM2 LW in 15V seem like legit steals. Do I really need both? Late night questions.

I think the smock is incredibly popular among the younger knife mod Instagram set.

It's tough hearing Maxamet is also going to be hard to get, it's one of my favorite steels on a smaller/mid-sized knife. Might have to pick up a Manix LW Maxamet if i see one at the right price.

2026 is turning into a tough year, so many nice Spyderco's are coming out. Hard to get them all plus old ones while you still have a chance.

I assume the PM2 lw will have the same hardware setup as the para 3 lw. Fingers crossed the blade will centerd from the off this time.

What an odd decision to bring the smock in Rex 121. I can only assume the hollow grind of the Smock must be easier to machine (therefore cheaper for Spyderco) than a full flat??
If it isn’t then why not give us something good from Taichung like the Kapara or Caribbean instead?

After you pay the Taichung tax, Kevin Smock’s Royaties and The Rex 121 admission fee, I dread to think what the MSRP will be on a Rex 121 Smock… If you need to ask then you cannot afford type of scenario.

Flash wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:43 am

I assume the PM2 lw will have the same hardware setup as the para 3 lw. Fingers crossed the blade will centerd from the off this time.

What an odd decision to bring the smock in Rex 121. I can only assume the hollow grind of the Smock must be easier to machine (therefore cheaper for Spyderco) than a full flat??
If it isn’t then why not give us something good from Taichung like the Kapara or Caribbean instead?

After you pay the Taichung tax, Kevin Smock’s Royaties and The Rex 121 admission fee, I dread to think what the MSRP will be on a Rex 121 Smock… If you need to ask then you cannot afford type of scenario.

I was seeing reports of two washers in the PM2 LW, which bodes well for centering.


I do think the Smock is a really good seller for Spyderco, so it stands to reason you’d get quite a bit of traction with a Rex-121 release.


Who knows the price - but maybe we will see the preorder price at some point soon on some of the big retailers.

I’m happy to see Rex-121 on more models, however if you asked me which model I’d prefer to see it on (or on next), I’m not sure I could tell you as it is a steel that is a little too racy for what most of my knives go through, but I am still very much appreciative for Spyderco not shying away from such a high performance steel.


For lighter duty non-work carry, I do have one Rex-121 knife, a Sage 5, which has been excellent, though I am one of those strage creatures that slightly prefers the Para 3 over the Sage models.

The Smock has had 8 exclusive versions yet no sprints or upgrades by Golden , just a pivot upgrade . I imagine it was a decision to do an upgrade to a model to give it a boost . I also think it will be pricey like the Sage 6 . MG2

WilliamMunny wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 21, 2026 9:34 am

It's tough hearing Maxamet is also going to be hard to get, it's one of my favorite steels on a smaller/mid-sized knife. Might have to pick up a Manix LW Maxamet if i see one at the right price.

2026 is turning into a tough year, so many nice Spyderco's are coming out. Hard to get them all plus old ones while you still have a chance.

I assume you have the Sage1 in Maxamet? They are still out there and such a great mid-sized all arounder. Just put a 14dps edge on mine this week. S1 is still one of my favorite carries after all these years (and all these other Sages!).

Went to the SFO and they had both the PM2 LW and the new Manix 2 XL Salt. We were really surprised to see the Manix 2 XL Salt there, as it was such an anticipated knife. They said they just got some new ones on the floor. The regular Manix 2 Salt and the Edgerati were both out.

Anyway, for those of you who are looking forward to the Manix 2 XL Salt...you will like it. It has some heft and feels great in the hand. I'll have some pictures up soon.

Regarding the PM2 LW, I like it, a lot. The balance point is behind the pivot, but for someone used to non-lightweight knives, it still may take some getting used to. The handle felt a little light to me, even though the balance point was good, so probably just something to adjust to. The bi-directional texturing felt great, although the handle felt slightly more slippery than a G10 PM2, mainly due to the fact that the handles are contoured and the contours are smooth plastic, versus the chunky edges of a regular PM2, where the blocky-ness actually acts as a 'positive' to grip purchase. With that said, the bi-directional texturing felt great to get your thumb and fingers on to actuate the compression lock closed - anyone familiar with a PM2 will adjust very quickly and I never felt out-of-control of the knife while manipulating it. Both samples I examined had great centering (seems like the centering issue for the LWs is now gone for all intents and purposes with this design) and I'm glad to report excellent feeling detents on both models. One had zero lock stick, the other had moderate lock stick, and started to get a little grindy feeling leading up to the detent on the close. This is actually how my Para 3 LW felt before they oiled it in the store and brought it back to gliding smooth. I'm guessing that there was just some manufacturing crud in there. I'm confident it would smooth up over time no problem. I think these knives are going to be a real hit, and personally I'm very excited for when the PM2 LW 15V comes out - you better believe I'm going to be down at the SFO!

Red Leader wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 31, 2026 11:10 pm

Went to the SFO and they had both the PM2 LW and the new Manix 2 XL Salt. We were really surprised to see the Manix 2 XL Salt there, as it was such an anticipated knife. They said they just got some new ones on the floor. The regular Manix 2 Salt and the Edgerati were both out.

Anyway, for those of you who are looking forward to the Manix 2 XL Salt...you will like it. It has some heft and feels great in the hand. I'll have some pictures up soon.

Regarding the PM2 LW, I like it, a lot. The balance point is behind the pivot, but for someone used to non-lightweight knives, it still may take some getting used to. The handle felt a little light to me, even though the balance point was good, so probably just something to adjust to. The bi-directional texturing felt great, although the handle felt slightly more slippery than a G10 PM2, mainly due to the fact that the handles are contoured and the contours are smooth plastic, versus the chunky edges of a regular PM2, where the blocky-ness actually acts as a 'positive' to grip purchase. With that said, the bi-directional texturing felt great to get your thumb and fingers on to actuate the compression lock closed - anyone familiar with a PM2 will adjust very quickly and I never felt out-of-control of the knife while manipulating it. Both samples I examined had great centering (seems like the centering issue for the LWs is now gone for all intents and purposes with this design) and I'm glad to report excellent feeling detents on both models. One had zero lock stick, the other had moderate lock stick, and started to get a little grindy feeling leading up to the detent on the close. This is actually how my Para 3 LW felt before they oiled it in the store and brought it back to gliding smooth. I'm guessing that there was just some manufacturing crud in there. I'm confident it would smooth up over time no problem. I think these knives are going to be a real hit, and personally I'm very excited for when the PM2 LW 15V comes out - you better believe I'm going to be down at the SFO!

Thanks for mini review of the PM2 lwt. It’s one knife of interest as it progresses to other steels and will watch until there is a drop of a steel that may offer SE . MG2

I noticed yesterday that a couple of the knives from the reveal were available at KnifeCenter. Im sure that means they're trickling into other dealers as well.

Very nice additions, I'll bet that handle feels lock you in tight with the XL.

How do you like the Para2? BD1N right?

Do you think the PM2 LW means a Mil2 LW is in the cards?

From what I remember yes on the Milie2 LW.

BeggarSo wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 01, 2026 11:21 am

Very nice additions, I'll bet that handle feels lock you in tight with the XL.

How do you like the Para2? BD1N right?

Yes, the handle on the Manix 2 XL locks you in - especially so with the milling on the G10. It is a big, heavy knife...which some will very much appreciate. Also, the HRC on the M2 Salt G10 is on point, so perhaps it is also with the XL. There has been some question on if the DLC negatively impact that. From what I have seen so far, answer is no.

I like the PM2 Lightweight a LOT. However, I also want to handpick my knife. There were two that I held. The first one was very nice...good centering, excellent detent (a hair stronger than the Para 3 LW I have, which will do well with the retention of a blade w/ a slightly higher inertia. I like a slightly stronger detent), smooth action, great lockup, etc.

The second knife felt tighter, but it had not been touched at all (it was the one in the upright display case. The detent felt about the same, centering was the same (good), but this one had mild-to-moderate lock stick, and there was this grinding rough patch in the action upon closing. My thought is that the grinding will go away w/ cleaning and oiling, as my Para 3 LW had the exact same thing, and turned out to be a super smooth knife. I also think the lock stick will lessen.

The first knife had slightly further lock travel at around 50%, the second knife lockup was a little earlier at about 35-40%. I prefer an earlier lockup, but not dangerously so.

Both of the PM2 LWs had pivot lash, but it was minor.

A note on pivot lash:
Every Golden compression lock knife I have has some degree of pivot lash, except for one Lil' Native which I consider the pinnacle of Golden knife execution (Even my Crucible PM2 has it, as did all of the 4 others I held). Some are worse than others. I don't worry about it that much because it doesn't affect the operation or performance of the knife in 95% of cases. However, I have one knife (the LT3) that has so much pivot lash that it negatively affects the detent retention and the blade still moves even with the detent securing the blade, because the blade then actually rotates a hair around the detent because of the tolerance and play in the pivot. It has a heavy blade, so it is more noticeable.

The more expensive the knives become, the more I think it is something that Spyderco should address. I love all these knives and will always encourage appropriate CQI so that others who care about these little details can and will move towards the brand as opposed to away from it.



Back to the PM2 LW: I plan to pick up one of the 15V sprints, but I'd like to try a few to find one that has a lockup I prefer, stronger detent and preferrably a minimal amount of pivot lash. IMO, centering will be, for the most part, no longer a problem. The detents are great. Lockup is great. I don't think I'll care as much about smoothness, as I'm confident any of these will smooth out with time (if the blade doesn't drop freely, it will in time).

The balance will throw some off, especially those used to a regular G10 PM2. The new handle actually has great balance, but I think with people being more used to the handle-heavy regular version, they might need to adjust. It doesn't feel as substantial in-hand when opened. For most it will be a non-issue.

I like the knife a lot. My 2 cents.

Great honest reviews, thank you.

Outstanding review.Thank you very much for your transparency.

Either I'm not sensitive enough or really lucky but I just checked two Bods and a Mili2 and pretty much no movement. I would have to check my other Mili2 and Para2 but I don't recall any untoward movements there either

I heard that the 15V PM2 LWs are currently being made, but they need enough to send out to all retailers at the same time. We should be getting close.