benchmade skirmish vs. spyderco manix or military

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fahusmc

Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
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i have narrowed down my choices to the Benchmade Skirmish, Spyderco Manix and Spyderco Military. How would you rank them for:
- overall value
- toughness
- every day use
- blade wear, etc

the more imput, the better....

many thanks
 
The Skirmish is the best looking with a very heavy blade and solid lockup (framelock). I don't think it's a great cutter or for everyday use because of its size and relatively poor cutting characteristics. I found that it was excellent at cutting rope if I placed the rope on a board and chopped it in half with that big blade. S30V steel is excellent, and virtually indestructible in this grind. I've grown to dislike metal handles, even the beautiful Ti of this model.

The Manix, I think, is the strongest of the group. And at a full flat grind it's a great cutter. The blade has an excellent shape. Great handle egonomics. The only thing I don't like about it is the width of the closed knife. Once you put this in your pocket, there's not room for anything else. I like the lock-back lock. I can't find a way to make it close accidently. I had problems with chipping on my first Manix blade (S30V), but the replacement has held up with no problem at all.

Overall value depends on what you want to do with it.

I don't have a Military, but I think its primary advantage over the Manix is that it's a little easier to carry in your pocket. It won't be as strong as the Manix. If you have the pocket room to spare, I'd pick the Manix. I'd pick the Military if you need a smaller, everyday use blade. I'd pick the Skirmish if you want a shelf queen or a beautiful pocket knife that you seldom need to use.
 
i use the skirmish and i use a spideco tri . sharpening setup. it gets it pretty sharp not as sharp as my doug ritter gripper but that has a flater grind. the skirmish is like a sebbe on steroids its a good knife very solid and a good skiner go to a knife store and feel how good it fits your hand then order one off ebay or somplace like that becouse the malls are to high . i did not like the small one another good knife is the doug ritter gripper its made by benchmade good knife
 
when the skirmish came out i had to have one, when i got it of all things the pocket clip really turned me off, really cheesy imho, if i was gonna edc one i would have to change the clip for starters, BM coulda/shoulda done better on the clip.

the manix and the millie are both good ones, only con on the millie is a thin liner lock, not many probs w/them though in that regard, i would say the manix is better than the millie though, better lock, but both are really good knives.

of the 3 i would say #1)manix, 2)millie, 3) skirmish, FWIW i like the spyderco Ti ATR a lot better than either of the 3 myself, i really like the ATR.

with just a change or 2 the skirmish coulda been the bomb in big folders, its just a little short in a few areas imho.
 
IMO, the Military is a bit "meh", but I am in the minority. I don't like how skinny it is (in terms of looks and ergos), though for most people that is the main benefit of the knife. I also think the lock *feels* weak, even though I know it is very good.

I prefer the Manix as it is beefier, or at least feels that way due to its added width and the loud "snap" the lockback makes.

For EDC, though, the skinny-ness of the Military may be a major advantage for you.

While the Manix is a tank, the Skirmish is a jet fighter. Big and scary, yet elegant and beautiful. I love the colored dimples and the extreme recurve. However, the fat tip and size of the blade, IMO, is not very practical for most tasks.

I have handled all 3 knives extensively and find the Manix to be my favorite, while the Skirmish is the one that makes me weak in the knees. The Military isn't quite for me.

But tomorrow the Manix and Skirmish will come to my door via UPS and I will give more detailed comparisons after a few days of use.

When it comes to the Manix and the Military, for most people, I think the Manix is the one they respect, while the Military is the one they carry/use/prefer. But I am not in that group.
 
I've owned two Militarys, I have one Manix on the way and have handled one in a Passaround, and have just seen the massive size of the Skirmish under glass. If the Military was a lockback, I would say that that is the one to get, but without handling the Skirmish, it comes to a tie between the Manix and Military. Just buy all three, you should be able to sell or trade the others if you decide to unload them in the Exchange.
 
You definitely like a big knife. I have the Military, the Manix 80mm, and 2 mini-skirmish, and a paramilitary. I like them all. The skirmish is a much larger knife than the others. It's beautiful. But, the manix is probably the toughest of them all for working. I would rather have the military or paramilitary for self defense myself, but the Manix is MBC rated I believe. Anyway, good luck with your decision.
 
I have owned them all but got rid of the Skirmish. Just didn't like it. I didn't think it cut that well at all. As for the Mannix vs. Military thing well I think the military is a better knife for edc purposes. Mannix is just a tad big for my tastes as for being heavy. The mili is slim and trim and is stout as hell. Liner lock is excellant and the blade shape is good too. Now all that being said get a para mili. Got one yesterday and will probably replace my 7b as a edc knife. I really like the 7b and the military too. So much so that at one time I owned a couple of mili's and several 7's. The para is excellant. keepem sharp
 
I don't own a Manix, but I have handled one. I have a Skirmish and the Mil. I would go with the Mil. IMHO it seems to fit your criteria the best.:)
 
The Military and Skirmish are excellent knives, but everything's been said about them already so I won't bore you. I just wanted to note that the Manix has the best ergonomics of any knife I've ever used. The Skirmish and Military have top notch ergo, but really, I think the Manix is the best in this area.

In fact, maybe I'll order me up a mini manix...
 
Thanks for all your advise... now to throw one more wrinkle at you.... still comparing all three, how do they stack up to the Sebenza, the Al Mar SERE 2000? The knife I fell in love with was the Terzuola ATCF but that's alot of money... any thoughts on that knife in comparison to the list now?
 
I've owned the Skirmish, Manix, Military, and SERE 2000.
I'd forget about the Skirmish, it's big, beefy, beautiful, but it's a reproduction of a custom, not really designed for all-around utility.
The SERE 2000 was almost perfect, the only disappointment being the liner lock, which I found to be weak. It didn't fail, but it gave with too much flex.
So now we're left with the Manix - a sturdy lock-back, and the Military - the firmest liner-lock I've ever used. For them I'll just say this: I always carry a knife, and really like the Military.
If I needed, however, to always use a knife, I'd choose the Manix.

These are just my biased, unprofessional opinions - no matter how correct they might be :jerkit:
 
I have been looking at the some of the same knives...ParaMillie, 635 Miniskirmish, and SERE 2000. I'm leaning toward the SERE personally but would prefer s30v. I'm worried about the sharp point of the Sypder; I have had a tip break in the past. So-so reviews about the 635 leave me wanting. Unfortunately way up north there's nowhere to handle them...I have to go off of others opinions. Good luck and keep us posted with your decision
 
I won't use liner locks of any kind for anything other than very light use, so the Military and SERE 2k would be out for me. Both are really superb knives otherwise.

Of the rest, I'd pick the Manix if I were going for a bigger super strong folder. I like the blade shape and geometry better than the Skirmish's. Skirmish is awesome also, of course.

I'd pick the Sebenza if I wanted something smaller and more refined. More comfortable everyday carry, great performance for utility cutting, etc.

Manix for heavy duty, Sebenza for everyday utility.

Joe
 
My Sebenza won't come for 2 more weeks, but I do have a SERE2K, so I can add my opinion on that knife to my post above.

I find the liner lock to be very strong and in no way a disadvantage. In fact, since it allows for one-hand closing (versus the lockback of the Manix and needs-two-hands framelock of the Skirmish), it is an advantage.

When I design the perfect knife in my head, it needs these things:

Good blade steel
Strong lock and overall construction
One-hand opening and closing
Good ergos
Grippy scales (especially G10)
Big and beefy, but not too big for a pocket
Low-ride clip

The SERE2K is all of these things. The Manix and Skirmish are not. That doesn't mean the SERE2K is automatically better, but it has some advantages. Mainly the low-ride clip, slightly smaller size, and one-hand-closing. The only things the Manix and Skirmish have over the SERE2K is *slightly* better blade steel and *slightly* stronger locks.
 
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