GREGARY WATKINS
@gregarywatkins
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I don’t have a very large or expensive collection of knives since I’m just starting out as a knife nerd. My favorite folder may come out of left field to many folks: the Spyderco Manix 2. It’s a knife I figured wouldn’t be an instant favorite when I ordered it on a whim but it was just interesting enough to get. When I finally got it I saw all of the positive and negative things about it in person. Before I knew it, it was getting the most pocket time out of all my favorites.
It has a really thick spine for a folder of its size so it sucks at slicing, but at the same time I know it’s tough as nails. The hollow grind is less than half the height of the blade total so the approach angle to the edge is fairly obtuse, therefore making it bad for slicing/penetrating cuts, but again it’s definitely tough as nails thanks to thickness. Also on the “tough” train of thought, the blade is supported by a gigantic chunk of steel extending 2″ down the spine of the handle instead of just a regular “stop pin” most folders tend to use to brace the blade when opened. The blade shape does lend itself to thrusting or piercing cuts, but only because of the shape, not necessarily the size or grind style. I’ve got plenty of useable edge showing for any task I’m likely to encounter in daily life. There’s not much of a belly on the blade thanks to the typical Spyderco shape but the tip portion has been tough enough that I don’t necessarily need to transition to belly cuts. 154cm steel may not be considered “premium” by some peoples’ opinions, but I’ve put it through hell and back during a full day’s work at 17-degrees per side in both a Benchamade 550 Griptillian and this knife cutting tons of heavy appliance cardboard, packing tape, heavy nylon banding, light fiber/nylon banding, shipping twine, lumber shipping tarps, plastic wrap, and shrink wrap 8 hours a day 5 days a week. No chipping or rolling of the edge, just normal dulling after a couple days. To quote ‘nutnfancy’ from one of his Youtube videos regarding 154cm steel: “If you can’t do a job with 154cm, you’re doing it wrong”. It’s heavy for a folder. G10 scaled handles, full steel liners, a 2″ steel stop block, and a thick blade make it heavier than average, but that’s just another toughness assurance to me. I subscribe to the ‘a knife should have a presence in the hand’ school of thought instead of the ‘a knife should be so light you forget its there’ school of thought. Personal preference on my part. There isn’t a single way you could grip this knife and not get great traction – the entire G10 handle, forward spine, rearward bottom finger area, primary forefinger slot, secondary finger choil slot, and thumb ramp area all have exceptional jimping in the standard non-radius ground Spyderco style.
After so many words, the bottom line is that the Spyderco Manix 2 doesn’t necessarily excel at any one particular task or job profile, but it is tough enough to handle ANY task I’d ever expect a folder to tackle as an EDC blade (and possibly a defensive/tactical blade too, but let’s not get into that right now). When I set out into the world every day, I don’t know what cutting tasks I will encounter, so I don’t need a blade specialized to one or two particular tasks – I need a blade that will handle anything and everything with good performance in all tasks and not fail or break. I think this is it so far. Maybe my collection will expand into another favorite later, but this is my full-time pocket resident for now.
Less like a knife that is built like a tank, more like a tank that was built to be a knife.
P.S: Notice the near-mirror polish the Wicked Edge 3.5 micron strop set gives this blade. This was a rushed and sloppy strop job but still reflects the tabletop 🙂
