Manits Knives

reconseed

reconseed

Joined
Sep 23, 2006
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I was in Barnes and Noble this afternoon looking at Tactical Knives magazine and Blade Magazine, and I saw an ad for Mantis Knives and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these blades. They look nice.

www.mantisknives.com
 
BG42, ZDP 189, made in China? Something has always smelled real fishy about these ugly things IMO. Wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole.
 
The website gives some conflicting information. They mention S-30V and ZDP-189, but I was unable to find any knives that had ZDP-189 blades. In their FAQ they list the steels they use and do not list 420HC, which is the steel that most of their blades are made from. They also don't list 420J2 and they use it on a couple of models.

Sorry, I have no experience with this company's products. I had not heard of them until seeing this thread.
 
Hey Guys...

I just did some work on one another fellow Franken-waved,, and I was fairly impressed with the knife..

I had absolutely no experience or knowledge of them, and I thought it was a much more expensive knife than the $30 price tag...

I don't see anything wrong with them for $30 thats for sure...
This one I worked on had nice lock up and very little if any blade play...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
They all look pretty goofy to me, especially their only fixed blade with a premium steel:
MF4CM-1.jpg
 
Keith Montgomery said:
The website gives some conflicting information. They mention S-30V and ZDP-189, but I was unable to find any knives that had ZDP-189 blades. In their FAQ they list the steels they use and do not list 420HC, which is the steel that most of their blades are made from. They also don't list 420J2 and they use it on a couple of models.

Sorry, I have no experience with this company's products. I had not heard of them until seeing this thread.
Click to expand...

Keith I saw one on the site that had S30V steel but I am like you, I didnt see the ZDP-189. I dont know if it is a typo or what the deal is.... I am not fond of the "made in china" :thumbdn:
 
And what's with the pink crap on their knives? Some of them look like a box of melted Good 'n' Plenty. And that horrific handle on that fixed blade...how are you supposed to hang on to that? It is almost as bad as that serrated handle on another Co.'s knife. And don't get me started on products from Red China...freakin' commies. Yeah, you'll be doin' some praying (preying) using those knives! :)
 
All of the models I've seen are listed as "Made In Taiwan" , (not mainland China) , if that matters...

The most expensive folder I've seen has a list price of about $80.00 , that's the Carbon Fiber S30V folder. They have another model which resembles the carbon fiber folder but uses molded scales and a 420 HC blade. It's about half the price.
The one that looks like a bottle opener is listed as 420J2 and is a cheap knife, they have a few listed as AUS 8 too.
 
Supposedly they'll have a ZDP-189 model at SHOT Show, we'll see.
Their Karambit models outsell everything else so far.

In short, it's not for this crowd, but dealers who stock them are pretty happy with them.
 
They remind me of a cross between a Linton and a Dark OPs knife. THe only difference being at least the Lintons feel good in your hand. I played with a couple of these knives down at advanced cutlery in santa anita they sucked, pretty badly. The ergos are bad, the grinds are bad and the one I had that was marked s30v and on sale for 40 bux seemed, well odd.
 
Well, one thing to note before you go out and buy that CF/S30V one is that, while the F&F was quite nice and the materials excellent for the money, it's a very delicate folder. If I recall correctly, it had a very thin blade and lock. Good for light tasks--this is not a potential CF Military replacement.
 
JPD1998 said:
All of the models I've seen are listed as "Made In Taiwan" , (not mainland China) , if that matters...

The most expensive folder I've seen has a list price of about $80.00 , that's the Carbon Fiber S30V folder. They have another model which resembles the carbon fiber folder but uses molded scales and a 420 HC blade. It's about half the price.
The one that looks like a bottle opener is listed as 420J2 and is a cheap knife, they have a few listed as AUS 8 too.
Click to expand...

Either way, China - Taiwan. I like buying AMERICAN made products over anything else. Period.:thumbup:
 
We've received quite a few of these at our store and I have to say everyone is very happy with them. True, most of their models don't use the higher end steel, but their asking price is very fair. I have their light on my keychain and also the church key folder, and I have been very happy with them.

If you don't like the style, that's alright. But these are pretty original designs for the most part and I think they are doing a great job.
 
I saw some of their advertisement in a magazine and wasnt very impressed with the half clothed women.....I hadnt seen that type of thing done with knives before and so was a little suprised. I can't say im going to buy something that needs that kind of advertisement to sell. Aside from that, their site is not very clear on the steels used, and I dont like any of the designs. They'll probably sell pretty well though. They're cheap, flashy, and women in bikinis love them....
 
My only problem with them is they appear almost toylike. A few of the models cought my eye some , like the karambits but even those look 'toyish'.
Myabe it's just me..... :cool:
 
I was just about to ask about this company, as I saw an ad in Blade, and wandered if they were any good. I think they look funny and like they were made to scare the sheeple away and make the knife people laugh. Some of their knives look like satan's protractors....I can see a movie being made featuring these knives, people will scream when they see the evil math instuments approaching. I would like to see whether or not these knives are to be taken seriously, or if they are just a company that sells knives to people that buy them because they look cool.
 
BJE said:
...I would like to see whether or not these knives are to be taken seriously, or if they are just a company that sells knives to people that buy them because they look cool.
Click to expand...

Well, you can tell I am a newbie... I just bought 3 of their Karambit series knives. 1 of the MK-1 and 2 of the MK2s. I don't know of their history, but for $29 a piece, I hope it is not a piece.

I am gonna make it my daily carry, and if I have any problems I will let you all know.

Cheers...
 
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