Manix 2 and Sage 3

nccole · Feb 28, 2012

I see the Manix 2 as a heavily discussed knife and in general well liked knife. I do not own one, but do own a Sage 3, and like it a lot. Can anyone compare the two? I know the locks are different but operate in a similar fashion, both have G10, but what about size, weight, and general feel in hand and in pocket. On the surface it seems as though the Sage 3 is a superior knife, but rarely ever gets talked about. It has a ffg s30v blade, and imo a better pocket clip. When it comes to one handed deployment AND closing nothing I have is faster, easier, safer, and thoughtless as the Sage 3 which is something I have come to value when in the middle of a job and need my blade. Is the Manix 2 similar in these regards? Tell me what you think, I know the price difference, but I also know that on here guys spend way more money on knives so I think that price might be negligible.

Heiheit · Feb 28, 2012

I've found that the sage series and manix 2 series have very similar ergonomics (deep choil, big thumb ramp). Both are VERY comfortable for me to hold. The manix 2 was made originally to have very good materials at a competitive price. The manix 2xl has a FFG s30v blade and there are many sprint runs with ffg supersteels. It is very easy to open and close with one hand and is very smooth in general. Hope that helps.

rg02 · Feb 28, 2012

Comparison pic for ya:

The biggest difference in my mind is that the Manix 2 has full steel liners. That being said the Manix 2 is a bit more heavy duty than the Sage 3. Both are great knives though.

nccole · Feb 28, 2012

rg02 said:
Comparison pic for ya:

The biggest difference in my mind is that the Manix 2 has full steel liners. That being said the Manix 2 is a bit more heavy duty than the Sage 3. Both are great knives though.

Thanks for the picture. The Sage 3's construction is very different. Have you ever taken it apart? Basically you take the G10 slabs off and that is about as far as you can take it apart, and it is all metal construction. I did it a while ago, so my memory be off, but it seemed like the design would be very strong. Just curious, which do you carry more often, or use more often?

Mud Shrimp Moe · Feb 28, 2012

The Manix 2 is a heavier knife for sure, due to the unskeletonized steel liners. The size difference in the above pics may appear to be negligible, but when the knife is in your hand you will certain feel it. The Manix 2 isn't all that big and heavy when you compare to some of Spyderco's competitors models that are overbuilt. But for a Spyderco, it's on the heavy side, which inspires some confidence, actually. I like mine quite a bit.

rg02 · Feb 29, 2012

nccole said:
Thanks for the picture. The Sage 3's construction is very different. Have you ever taken it apart? Basically you take the G10 slabs off and that is about as far as you can take it apart, and it is all metal construction. I did it a while ago, so my memory be off, but it seemed like the design would be very strong. Just curious, which do you carry more often, or use more often?

Since I also own a Para Mil 2, Gayle Bradley, XHP Millie and a couple if enduras they all see pocket time. The sage 3 sees more then my Manix 2 just because it is lighter and more people friendly and FFG. If i owned a Manix 2 in M4 it would see a ton of pocket time though.

nccole · Feb 29, 2012

rg02 said:
Since I also own a Para Mil 2, Gayle Bradley, XHP Millie and a couple if enduras they all see pocket time. The sage 3 sees more then my Manix 2 just because it is lighter and more people friendly and FFG. If i owned a Manix 2 in M4 it would see a ton of pocket time though.

I have the CTS-204P PM2 on order and bet it will kicking everything else out of my pocket. I mainly carry my Sage 2 now, but keep liking the Sage 3 more and more.

AF · Feb 29, 2012

I'm a big fan of the Sage series. The Sage 3 is my least favorite because I find disengaging the lock to be a little awkward and the spring action keeping the blade closed is not very strong. But I'm still fond of the knife and I can open and shut it very quickly. It's fun to operate. I feel like I could drop it though - that's what I mean when I say it's awkward.
The Para 2 is one of my top five Spydercos.
The Manix 2 has a lock that feels similar to the Sage 3 when disengaging. So I don't love the lock. The biggest problem I have with the Manix2 is the aggressive jimping along the handle that hurts my hand when cutting something that requires a lot of pressure. The other problem I have with the knife is the saber grind which is not the best for slicing.
I just ordered the Manix2 Blue Translucent model because it has a full flat grind and the jimping is plastic so it might not be uncomfortable. I'm intrigued by the lightness of the knife. I can live with the ball lock despite not loving it.

jsp · Feb 29, 2012

I have a Manix 2 (saber grind) as well and I have to agree about the jimping on the bottom half of the handle being aggressive. The jimping is spaced too far apart and the finger choil is too pronounced. If you were wearing work gloves while using it then I think it wouldn't feel uncomfortable. I've been thinking of grinding down the jimping on mine.

nccole · Mar 1, 2012

AF said:
I'm a big fan of the Sage series. The Sage 3 is my least favorite because I find disengaging the lock to be a little awkward and the spring action keeping the blade closed is not very strong. But I'm still fond of the knife and I can open and shut it very quickly. It's fun to operate. I feel like I could drop it though - that's what I mean when I say it's awkward.
The Para 2 is one of my top five Spydercos.
The Manix 2 has a lock that feels similar to the Sage 3 when disengaging. So I don't love the lock. The biggest problem I have with the Manix2 is the aggressive jimping along the handle that hurts my hand when cutting something that requires a lot of pressure. The other problem I have with the knife is the saber grind which is not the best for slicing.
I just ordered the Manix2 Blue Translucent model because it has a full flat grind and the jimping is plastic so it might not be uncomfortable. I'm intrigued by the lightness of the knife. I can live with the ball lock despite not loving it.

I thought about the blue frn also, but according to Ankerson, the steel used in this knife is not that great in terms of edge retention, http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/793481-Ranking-of-Steels-in-Categories-based-on-Edge-Retention-cutting-5-8-quot-rope?highlight=m390+s90v. That really put me off to this knife as everything else seems great. It is only one test, and not with the Manix, but the Mule I believe, but there are so many other knives to get, I probably will never have it.

AF · Mar 2, 2012

Yesterday I got the Blue Translucent Manix2. I cut through a bunch of cardboard and whittled some hardwood. Then I sharpened it. The steel performs pretty much as I expected. It holds an edge well enough and sharpens to a polished edge easily. I wouldn't take one person's testing as gospel. I noticed that he ranked H-1 above CTS-BD1. Well my plain edge H-1 knife was the worst edge holder of any production knife I've used.
The Lightweight Manix2 is what I'd hoped it would be. It seems like an excellent knife.

nccole · Mar 2, 2012

AF said:
Yesterday I got the Blue Translucent Manix2. I cut through a bunch of cardboard and whittled some hardwood. Then I sharpened it. The steel performs pretty much as I expected. It holds an edge well enough and sharpens to a polished edge easily. I wouldn't take one person's testing as gospel. I noticed that he ranked H-1 above CTS-BD1. Well my plain edge H-1 knife was the worst edge holder of any production knife I've used.
The Lightweight Manix2 is what I'd hoped it would be. It seems like an excellent knife.

Good to hear more opinions, thanks.