Manix 2 LW Spine Angle

ZuluKilo

ZuluKilo

Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Messages
255
I was at my folks house yesterday. I have a tendency to fidget with whatever my EDC blade is while I'm there. Yesterday happened to be my beloved Manix 2 LW S110v. At one point, I flipped it upside down on the island and noticed that it would either lean to one side or not stay upright while open. My first thought was that perhaps the handle scales were uneven, but upon further investigation I discovered that the actual spine of the knife slants fairly noticeably to one side...

Mediocre cell phone pic:

1IVgDEv.jpg


Obviously, the envelope is not level and yet there is still daylight visible underneath.

Now, I'm really not bothered by a little bit of wonkiness...I love this knife and it represents one of the best values in the Spyderco lineup IMO. I was just curious as to how a laser cut (as far a I know) blank could display such an 'imperfection' and if other Manix 2 LW owners have similar characteristics in their blades.

Thanks, Guys and Gals!! BF is so awesome because of you folks.
 
Last edited:
I'm assuming we're looking head-on at the knife from the tip of the blade? Is the part where it's angled the highest point of the metal around the Spyderhole? Just trying to get myself oriented to where that slope is. I don't have a Manix 2 LW but that certainly seems odd, will have to check my other knives to see if any exhibit this, but I doubt it.
 
The slant is present from the end of the jimping til it becomes imperceptible to me due to the narrowing/tapering of the tip....probably a half inch or less from it. Looking down at the spine where the jimping ends, it's readily apparent that there's a slant as well because the ridge created by the spine doesn't run quite parallel to the last row of jimping.
 
Last edited:
Negative. Centering is fine, perfect in fact. It just seems that the top/spine of the blade was cut out of the slab/stock at an angle, not perpendicular as I would expect from what I understand to be a laser cut piece. Of course, I think there's additional machining after that point since there's grind lines on the spine...perhaps I received another 'Friday afternoon' piece. [emoji2]
 
Last edited:
From my experience with laser cutters, this is probably because the laser was not focused quite right. Even though lasers normally have a tight beam, laser cutting requires more power and accuracy than you can get with a laser beam right out of the diode, so the beam is focused before it hits the material. This causes the beam to form a cone, and you want the point to be in the middle of the material. If you don't focus it right, you can get slanted edges like that. I've noticed little imperfections like that on some of my laser cut Spydercos.
 
That's bizarre. Made me double check mine.

Your specimen must weigh ever so slightly less than most others (Outdoornerds recent posts elsewhere made me think of this...).
 
Knowing the dimensions and weight of something, you can theoretically determine its composition because elements in the periodic table have different densities. At the very least you could compare its weight to a known alloy, i.e. a real one.

To fake something without using the exact same chemical composition, either the weight or dimensions will be wrong. S110V is less dense (?) than more common steels, so the same blade in _whatever_Chinese_steel will be heavier ... because density. It's something I've been meaning to talk about with my sister the mathematician (and Spyderco collector). "Is my knife a fake?" should be a simple flowchart assuming you have an accurate scale and calipers, even for variances in the genuine production process. I'm pretty sure I'm right ... just one more project lol.

But yeah, if the genuine production process botched it and cut the shape wrong, then all bets are off, though you should be able to scrutinize the FRN in the same manner. Same with the clip and case screws. Either way, the scale and calipers should be able to tell if you if it's not right.
 
TheOutdoorNerd said:
Knowing the dimensions and weight of something, you can theoretically determine its composition because elements in the periodic table have different densities. At the very least you could compare its weight to a known alloy, i.e. a real one.

To fake something without using the exact same chemical composition, either the weight or dimensions will be wrong. S110V is less dense (?) than more common steels, so the same blade in _whatever_Chinese_steel will be heavier ... because density. It's something I've been meaning to talk about with my sister the mathematician (and Spyderco collector). "Is my knife a fake?" should be a simple flowchart assuming you have an accurate scale and calipers, even for variances in the genuine production process. I'm pretty sure I'm right ... just one more project lol.

But yeah, if the genuine production process botched it and cut the shape wrong, then all bets are off, though you should be able to scrutinize the FRN in the same manner. Same with the clip and case screws. Either way, the scale and calipers should be able to tell if you if it's not right.
Click to expand...

I don't think the OP here has any question if the knife is legit...?
 
Oh, sorry, I saw Speedholes was mentioning the weight. Being cut wrong would give it the wrong weight as well as the wrong shape :P

I wonder how it got out of the factory like that. They have a few new employees? Sal probably went home early that day.

For the record my black Manix 2 BD1 is a perfect specimen, and I've never seen any of their knives have weird-cut blades like that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top