I have to say, I love both of these knives. They both have similar blade lengths. The Manix 2 XL is a hand filling knife. Some complain that it is too wide, but if you do not use the pocket clip and drop it in your pocket, it works very well, not blocking the pocket. The jimping on the knife is very good, as it is on the handle spine and bottom. Plus there is jimping on the top and bottom of the blade. The handle has a very good hook for the hand on the pommel and a good guard on the front. If you add those to the jimping, this makes a knife that will not move around in your hand, no matter what. The knife simply feels good in the hand, as well, and there is no need to move your hand around trying to find the right hold. The jimping, thumb hole, and back of the blade have the points and edges nicely broken so the knife does not feel too rough and sharp in the hand. The blade shape is much better than the standard Manix. With the continuous curve towards the point it is designed for slicing and cutting.
Those are the good points, but there are a few negative ones. The lock is very difficult, on mine. Though it has loosened up, it is a two hand closing knife, very often. The knife is a bit heavy. It is not too heavy, but compared to the Endura, it is. The lock is very complicated, as compared to the Endura's back lock and the Axis lock. It is easy to see why people that have used the Manix line in very dirty environments have had lock up issues; requiring frequent cleaning. The knife is very wide in the hand and in the pocket, as well. It takes up a lot of pocket real estate. The knife is as much larger than the Delica as the Delica is larger than the Manbug. Also, the handle is almost too confined for my large hand.
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The Endura is a Svelte wonder. It is very slim for its size and very light weight. This knife does not sag my pocket like the Manix XL will. Nor, does it take up as much room in the pocket as the XL despite the blade lengths being similar. There is nice jimping on the back of the blade and the bi-directional texturing is wonderful. There is not much of a way the knife will move around in your hand with that texturing. This knife also comes in a choice of materials, colors, and steels but you only get two choices with the XL---black or blacker. The blade slices well for most things and is a good piercer.
The downside with the Endura is that the handle is such, that getting the right hold can be a problem because of a finger choil/bump in the middle of the handle. I have been taking that bump down a little bit at a time. The more I take it down the better it gets. The blade is not as good as a slicer as the Manix XL.
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Overall, I think I prefer the lighter, slimmer Endura over the Manix 2 XL most of the time. The lock is easier and more natural to use and I can drop it in my pocket and not know it is there.
Those are the good points, but there are a few negative ones. The lock is very difficult, on mine. Though it has loosened up, it is a two hand closing knife, very often. The knife is a bit heavy. It is not too heavy, but compared to the Endura, it is. The lock is very complicated, as compared to the Endura's back lock and the Axis lock. It is easy to see why people that have used the Manix line in very dirty environments have had lock up issues; requiring frequent cleaning. The knife is very wide in the hand and in the pocket, as well. It takes up a lot of pocket real estate. The knife is as much larger than the Delica as the Delica is larger than the Manbug. Also, the handle is almost too confined for my large hand.
The Endura is a Svelte wonder. It is very slim for its size and very light weight. This knife does not sag my pocket like the Manix XL will. Nor, does it take up as much room in the pocket as the XL despite the blade lengths being similar. There is nice jimping on the back of the blade and the bi-directional texturing is wonderful. There is not much of a way the knife will move around in your hand with that texturing. This knife also comes in a choice of materials, colors, and steels but you only get two choices with the XL---black or blacker. The blade slices well for most things and is a good piercer.
The downside with the Endura is that the handle is such, that getting the right hold can be a problem because of a finger choil/bump in the middle of the handle. I have been taking that bump down a little bit at a time. The more I take it down the better it gets. The blade is not as good as a slicer as the Manix XL.
Overall, I think I prefer the lighter, slimmer Endura over the Manix 2 XL most of the time. The lock is easier and more natural to use and I can drop it in my pocket and not know it is there.
