My new Manix, review and observations

[Cliff Stamp]

... Modified Fallkniven U2, it makes my Manix edge in this state of sharpness (only scrape shaving) seem like a spoon.

The really interesting thing is that SPGS isn't even a good steel for that profile. Of course it is better than sillyness like 154CM, but it is horrible compared to 13C26, 52100, F2, etc., assuming of course proper hardening.

the engineer in me definately needs to make more time to read up on more steels...

The biggest misconception comes from looking at the compositions, forget about that, look at the austenite solute levels, for stainless focus on C/Cr and compare to the carbon saturation line. This will predict hardness, corrosion resistance as well as toughness and wear resistance from the carbide fraction. Frame out some general classes, don't get caught up in the specifics immediately.

-Cliff

 

[gunmike1]

The really interesting thing is that SPGS isn't even a good steel for that profile. Of course it is better than sillyness like 154CM, but it is horrible compared to 13C26, 52100, F2, etc., assuming of course proper hardening.

That is what amazes me about the performance, that steel is about the last one you would expect to work well at that profile, imagine what those other steels could do.

The biggest misconception comes from looking at the compositions, forget about that, look at the austenite solute levels, for stainless focus on C/Cr and compare to the carbon saturation line. This will predict hardness, corrosion resistance as well as toughness and wear resistance from the carbide fraction. Frame out some general classes, don't get caught up in the specifics immediately.

-Cliff

Yeah, I stopped looking at just the compositions long ago. As a newbie all I thought was "whoa, that steel has more carbon, it must be better!, More Vanadium, even better!". Experience has shown that to not always be the case. I will definately study along the lines you are speaking of, as your post a while back showing how "junk" steels and "premium" steels (stainless) can be on or near the same tie lines really opened my eyes. With the proper heat treat those "junk" steels could be expected to get just as hard as the "premium" steels, but would be tougher and have better edge stability (lower carbide fraction), of course sacraficing wear resistance. The "junk" steel would actually provide me with more of what I want, since I'm not shy about sharpening my knives, than the "premium" steel. And seeing how close 8Cr13MoV was to 13C26 on the same tie line gave me a whole new appreciation for the "cheap" Byrd steel. Of course my personal impression was already very positive about the Byrd steel, that just reinforced it for me.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

That is what amazes me about the performance, that steel is about the last one you would expect to work well at that profile, imagine what those other steels could do.

Here is the real interesting thing, 420HC in that kind of profile would blow past 154CM (or any fad "super" stainless) in common profiles as a cutting tool. This isn't a theory but a documented fact, not only known to guys on rec.knives 10-15 years ago, but supported by independent CATRA data from Buck. Yet still you see steel as the number one selling point when geometry is so critical. I don't want to hear about which steel you are using, what are the advancements you have made to the geometry because of the steel.

With the proper heat treat those "junk" steels could be expected to get just as hard as the "premium" steels, but would be tougher and have better edge stability (lower carbide fraction), of course sacraficing wear resistance.

Yeah, and it costs less and is easier to repair in case of extreme overuse. To be frank, the whole arguement/promotion of wear resistance is a lie, and predicated on absolute nonsense. This is a known fact because you can for example take a high carbide steel like D2 and even when it is exceptionally soft (<50 HRC) it still has far more wear resistance than steels like O1 even at 60+ hrc. However which one of those would actually stay sharper longer? Would anyone even begin to argue that 45 HRC D2 would stay sharp long, well the wear resistance is still WAY higher than S7 at 58 HRC. Those types of steels are not used to hold fine cutting edges let alone be used in tough tools.

-Cliff

 

[knifetester]

To be frank, the whole arguement/promotion of wear resistance is a lie, and predicated on absolute nonsense. This is a known fact because you can for example take a high carbide steel like D2 and even when it is exceptionally soft (<50 HRC) it still has far more wear resistance than steels like O1 even at 60+ hrc. However which one of those would actually stay sharper longer?

That is an interesting statement. I think edge holding based on wear resistance does have its place in limited cirumstances, take for example some hunters who really favored talonite, claiming they could proccess large numbers of various game compared to standard knives.

Now perhaps they were seeing chemical blunting with carbon steel blades, or perhaps they were seeing benefits of high wear resistance when cutting through dirty hide. Kind of counter intuitive to how very soft talonite is. Or perhaps that was just hype? Beat me.

As well, consider cutting some materials: cardboard, carpet, rope and the like, perhaps high wear resistance is a favorable trait. Not at the expense of hardness, but as an independent characteristic.

I do see some applications, ie large chopping tools which require frequent sharpening, where wear resistance would be counter-productive.

In general, I wonder how you square your assertions with claims of makers, such as Bob Dozier and Gene Ingram, who make knives for hunters and based on their feedback D2 is an excellent materal for the work they do?

Would they be better off using 1095 at very high hardness instead? If so, why do they stick to D2? Why are their customers so happy with the results they get from properly heat treated D2 relative to other knives? Consider they have some very savvy and highly field experienced customers that could use any balde, by any maker , in any material they chose?

 

[Dog of War]

To be frank, the whole arguement/promotion of wear resistance is a lie, and predicated on absolute nonsense.

This is one of a handful of truisms that ought to be part of "Introduction to Knives 101". It would be interesting to know how highly wear-resistant steels, developed primarily for industrial tooling if I'm not mistaken, started getting promoted for use in consumer cutlery.

If so many knife manufacturers weren't so blindly committed to stainless steels we wouldn't be so far down this path IMO. It's hard to imagine that corrosion resistance was determined to be so vitally and universally important to knife users that, outside of slipjoints, there's precious little choice today if you want a carbon steel pocket knife.

Admittedly it took me a while to unlearn some of these falsehoods. Now it amazes, whenever we see a thread about what's the toughest folder, nearly all the recommendations are tactical stainless prybars ... and try suggesting that "toughest" almost by definition means non-stainless, nobody seems to want to hear it. Simple stainlesses like 12C27, intended to offer good corrosion resistance without sacrificing other desirable qualities in a knife like edge stability at low angles, only seem to have a small following.

All of which is pretty amazing .... it's as though efficient cutting has become a secondary consideration for a large segment of the knife industry.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

I think edge holding based on wear resistance does have its place in limited cirumstances, take for example some hunters who really favored talonite, claiming they could proccess large numbers of various game compared to standard knives.

Yeah, people claim lots of things. There are reasons that no actual scientific research is done in that manner because the results are meaningless. I have said for years, if you want to actually use this as a real way to evaluate your knives then either you or the individuals involved have to make sure they are eliminating human bias, especially when the measurements are mainly subjective. There are a number of very easy things both users and makers can do so address this problem.

Would they be better off using 1095 at very high hardness instead? If so, why do they stick to D2? Why are their customers so happy with the results they get from properly heat treated D2 relative to other knives?

Yes, because they don't any different, because they don't know any different. Note this has already been done, Johnston did it with ATS-34 by Bos/Engnath vs 1095 at 66 HRC. Now if you really want to increase the performance further then yes wear resistance will help by only if you keep the hardness so look at M2, F2, etc. .

Of course this is predicated on using optimal geometries, Dozier grinds D2 with very thick/obtuse edges compared to Johnston's use of 1095 for the exact same tasks (skinning, butchering, cattle work). If you compare in such heavy geometries then there is little benefit to high edge stability and you do end up then heavily comparing based on wear resistance, however even then you have to have the hardness. You could draw D2 down to way under 50 HRC and it would still have more wear resistance than 1095.

It would be interesting to know how highly wear-resistant steels, developed primarily for industrial tooling if I'm not mistaken, started getting promoted for use in consumer cutlery.

Note this isn't universal, look at Japanese cutlery which primary use W series steels, or the Sandvik blades which are the same. The really coarse high carbide steels are primarily of benefit for people who don't sharpen knives and use them in really blunted conditions. In such a state then those steels excell.

It's hard to imagine that corrosion resistance was determined to be so vitally and universally important to knife users that, outside of slipjoints, there's precious little choice today if you want a carbon steel pocket knife.

The basic idea proposed by a number of individuals on rec.knives was simply because it was easier to make them. Now before there is a rant explosion to this, consider that guys like Engnath stated clearly that he found O1 to be much more demanding to grind that the high carbide stainless such as ATS-34.

All of which is pretty amazing .... it's as though efficient cutting has become a secondary consideration for a large segment of the knife industry.

THere is a lot of sillyness, all predicated on the lack of critical thinking. Crucible used to have (maybe still does) a blurb in their S30V document that the high || impact toughness of S30V gave high chip resistance when cutting around bones for hunters. Now that is complete and utter nonsense because that is not an impact senario and is in fact the complete opposite as it is determined by edge stability and would be strongly influenced by strength and you would not want a high carbide steel.

If you take a M2 hacksaw blade for example and draw the temper so it gets much tougher, you will find the teeth break off much sooner because they are weaker. Toughness isn't the critical criteria in most cutting applications, it is strength, that is why hacksaw blades hit the secondary hardening hump and not the toughness hump. The thing which is most amazing is that if you point this out here, there is a huge rush of defense all of which presupposes that the people who are SELLING you a product are to be considered as an unbiased source of informaton. People even make a joke out of the fact that this is said as if it was absurd to even consider that you should not blindly accept what salesmen say. At times it seems like bizarro world.

-Cliff

 

[gunmike1]

As well, consider cutting some materials: cardboard, carpet, rope and the like, perhaps high wear resistance is a favorable trait. Not at the expense of hardness, but as an independent characteristic.

For those uses why not use a SE blade, where even a low wear steel can outperform the high wear steels just because of the edge holding advantage of SE over PE? Spyderco's new SE Delica's and Endura's in ZDP 189 would seem ideal for those uses over a long time with no sharpening or minimal sharpening, as it is hard, extremely wear resistant, and the Spyderedge pattern should give it a many to one advantage over even a PE ZDP-189 knife, which recieve a lot of praise for edge retention at those tasks even in PE form.

 

[Mountainman38]

My Native chipped out visibly to the eye on thin cardboard, so it looks like I shouldn't have trouble with chipping (fingers crossed).

Hey Mike,

I'm interested in buying a Manix, and have read your posts, and those from Cliff, with interest. I really like flat ground blades (my RAT-7 outcuts my Native on cardboard), I like the S30V steel, and I like the size of the Manix.

I'm curious when you mention the problems you've had with your Native. Do you have the S30V version? I've got one of the newer ones in VG-10, and have been quite happy with it. I particularly like the wire clip on it, and the slim point that pierces well. I think I may have gotten a little carried away with my initial testing on it, though.

I wanted to see how my RAT-7 would pierce, so I grabbed an empty coffee can and stuck it hard with the RAT -- no problems. So I clicked open my Native and carefully pushed it into the can -- didn't trust it on a hard thrust. It went through, but afterward I could see visible rippling on the blade. This necessitated buying a dual grit diamond stone and learning how to sharpen, so I could get my blade back into shape. As a side benefit, I started working on my RAT and turned it into a far better cutting tool.

What were your impressions of your Native vs. the Manix? Do you like the Manix much better? Will I ever carry my Native again if I get a Manix? How can I get my wife to let me buy a Manix, let alone get one for me?!

Thanks!

Tim Gates
Burlington, WA

 

[gunmike1]

Hey Mike,

I'm interested in buying a Manix, and have read your posts, and those from Cliff, with interest. I really like flat ground blades (my RAT-7 outcuts my Native on cardboard), I like the S30V steel, and I like the size of the Manix.

I'm curious when you mention the problems you've had with your Native. Do you have the S30V version? I've got one of the newer ones in VG-10, and have been quite happy with it. I particularly like the wire clip on it, and the slim point that pierces well. I think I may have gotten a little carried away with my initial testing on it, though.

I wanted to see how my RAT-7 would pierce, so I grabbed an empty coffee can and stuck it hard with the RAT -- no problems. So I clicked open my Native and carefully pushed it into the can -- didn't trust it on a hard thrust. It went through, but afterward I could see visible rippling on the blade. This necessitated buying a dual grit diamond stone and learning how to sharpen, so I could get my blade back into shape. As a side benefit, I started working on my RAT and turned it into a far better cutting tool.

What were your impressions of your Native vs. the Manix? Do you like the Manix much better? Will I ever carry my Native again if I get a Manix? How can I get my wife to let me buy a Manix, let alone get one for me?!

Thanks!

Tim Gates
Burlington, WA

I have the S30V version of the Native, but would like the Native 3 for the VG-10 steel and the wire clip. I have only handled the D'allara with the wire clip in the store, but it was the most comfortable clip I have ever felt on a knife. It seemed to me like it would almost disappear from your thoughts in use. After the chipping stopped the Native has served me well. For my paws it is very comfortable when I use the choil for my normal grip, and it isn't fatiguing on the hand. In other holds the knife doesn't work as well for me, as the deep choil becomes more awkward, but I rarely use anything but the standard forward grip on mine. It is a good medium duty cutter, but you can't really compare it to the Manix, they are just made for far different applications. The Native is a good, lightwieght knife that a lot of times I go clipless on, and it doesn't bother me in the pocket much. It cuts most things pretty well, but like you mention has more blade drag going through cardboard than the full flat grind knives I have used. It does have a nice point for piercing, and a pretty acute profile from the factory with good cutting ability. I chose to sharpen mine flat to the stone to test it out at really acute angles (it's about 15 degrees included now), so it will be more of a light duty tool now focused on high levels of sharpness and edge retention (when I get the time to test it, I'm focusing on the Manix now, as it's my latest toy).


The Manix is a tank of a knife. It is big, heavy, and extremely strong. It it very comfortable in the hand for me, but is wide and heavy in the pocket (I wear jeans though, so the only time I really notice it is when I reach in my pocket. Others are far more sensitive to weight than me). If you carry your wallet in your knife pocket like I do you will sometimes have to pull out your knife to pull out your wallet, which sheeple can find terrifying, considering the size of the Manix. I think I will go with left hand carry as soon as I get a Torx bit small enough to swap the clip position, as I only carry keys in my left pocket and the clip will dig into my hand less on heavy cuts being on the off side. It has thick stock (.155" vs .125" on the Native), but has a full flat grind and a full distal taper so you still get excellent blade geometry and thus, cutting ability. S30V isn't my favorite steel, but this knife is performing OK so far, holding it's working edge well (it still cuts, but I rarely let my knives get this dull, but if you don't sharpen at least it will still be able to do work with it), and the only chip is only visible under my lighted microscope (60-100X, I use the highest magnification), I just used my 10X loupe last night and couldn't see it. Maybe my eyes were tired as it had been a long day for me, but either way the chip is tiny. For S30V that makes me pretty happy, considering my history with it and the many other documented problems people have had with it. I would recommend you handle one in the store and put it in your pocket to see if it will work for you. I had the chance to carry one for a week in a passaround, so I already had a good idea of what I was getting. If you want a HD working knife with a tremendously strong lock that is comfortable in the hand with good cutting ability and can put up with the size in the pocket, I would definately recommend it based on my experience so far.

As for Native vs. Manix, like I said you can't really compare them, it's like comparing a Humvee to a Camry. They are just made for far different things, but do what they were designed for well. I usually carry 2-3 knives at all times, so I have a feeling you will carry both if you get a Manix, and use them as appropriate for each cutting situation you run into. At least that is what I do with my EDC rotation.

 

[gunmike1]

OK, I finally gave it a good chip. I must take a good amount of the blame though. I was opening one of my daughter's new toys, and it has those impossibly twisted tie wraps that they use on toys these days. I can see the wire through the insulation, but I cut it anyway. The knife went right through, but took out a .012" deep chip (and a couple smaller ones) in the process. When I measured the thickness of the solid metal in the wrap it was .032", pretty damn thick. It sure didn't look that thick before I cut it, or else I would have grabbed a junker knife or wire cutters.

To put that in perspective I tested my Endura 3 on the tie wrap, with a lightly used factory resharpening. It has an edge thickness of .024-.026", with an angle around 14.9 degrees (betweem 14.2 and 15.6 degrees where I measured). It took more effort to cut through than the Manix (it took a couple passes), and ended up with some smaller chips, the deepest at .006". Not bad performance, considering the high carbide volume of VG-10.

I then brought out my CRKT Denali, an standard CE underhardened AUS-6A affair. I reprofiled it to 15 degees per side, with a 20 degree microbevel on a DMT 600 pad. The edge thickness is .030" behind the bevel. After much effort, the edge severely rolled and had a .009" chip come out of it, but it did finally cut all the way through the tie wrap after several passes.

If you want to cut metal that thick you should choose a more suitable steel or tool. I cut some 22 gauge speaker wire with no issues with the Manix, so I am of the opinion that solid metal in the tie wrap was too thick unless you have a more optimized steel or much thicker profile than the Manix has. Anybody have any experience with cutting wire that thick with a knife without suffering damage?

I will post pics if I can chop and enhance them enough to clearly show the chipping and the thick solid metal core of the tie wrap. My camera's macro function isn't working, so I'm not sure how the pics will turn out.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

The edge thickness is not relevant unless the edge itself is overstressed, i.e., the bevel cracks off. The angle however is critical and since stiffness is cubic with thickness even a small difference is hugely magnified. A 10 degree bevel is fairly difficult to cut metals with and not have damage because even light twisting will tear the edge apart, however a 15 degree edge is actually 50%*3 or 150% stiffer which means it takes almost three times as much force to get the metal to deform. The critical part is how it is cut, with a straight push then all that is loaded is the compressional strength which is very high for steels, however the lateral strength across the edge is MUCH lower, not even of the same magnitude which is why you want to minimize that as much as possible.

-Cliff

 

[gunmike1]

The edge thickness is not relevant unless the edge itself is overstressed, i.e., the bevel cracks off. The angle however is critical and since stiffness is cubic with thickness even a small difference is hugely magnified. A 10 degree bevel is fairly difficult to cut metals with and not have damage because even light twisting will tear the edge apart, however a 15 degree edge is actually 50%*3 or 150% stiffer which means it takes almost three times as much force to get the metal to deform. The critical part is how it is cut, with a straight push then all that is loaded is the compressional strength which is very high for steels, however the lateral strength across the edge is MUCH lower, not even of the same magnitude which is why you want to minimize that as much as possible.

-Cliff

Yeah, with the tiny space I had to stick the knife in to make the cut you had to put a little lateral stress on the edge. I tried to make it as straight as possible, but that thing was twisted and knotted up with no way to get at it better. I should have used wire cutters or a beater, but I do know what the limits are now. The speaker wire posed no threat as it is soft braided copper and I was able to cut straight down into it. The VG-10 at the 2.5 degree larger angle made a good difference, but also had less side loading, so it wasn't the most even of comparisons, as I looped the tie wrap and cut into it pretty straight. The CRKT was just a low end benchmark, and performed as expected. I still think I will lower my Manix to 10 degrees with a 15 degree micro, and avoid metals like that with it. I can carry a beater in my pocket for that work (I usually have one on me, and just got 6 more for Christmas), or use wire cutters if they are near.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Even with the beaters, it is of benefit to cut the edges really low and then work on refining cutting technique so as to minimize damage. This not only helps keep the better knives from getting damaged when they are used but also keeps mundane tasks interesting. After years of doing this I for example now see 10/15 (flat) ground knives as utility tools, not for cutting, because they are way overbuilt for that, even including opening cans and such. I have done harder wood working, including limbing etc., with deeply hollow ground knives like the U2 - it does take care and you end up focusing on method rather than force.

-Cliff

 

[thombrogan]

That is an interesting statement. I think edge holding based on wear resistance does have its place in limited cirumstances, take for example some hunters who really favored talonite, claiming they could proccess large numbers of various game compared to standard knives.

<snip/>

In general, I wonder how you square your assertions with claims of makers, such as Bob Dozier and Gene Ingram, who make knives for hunters and based on their feedback D2 is an excellent materal for the work they do?

Mr. Knifetester, sir,

These particular arguments are appeals to authority. Beyond the association of the particular steels to their users and makers, no other information is provided. It would be akin to writing off a BRK&T knife in Sandvik because Jason Stewart won't ever choose Cliff to be a godparent of his kids in that the factual merits of the knife aren't discussed.

Admittedly it took me a while to unlearn some of these falsehoods. Now it amazes, whenever we see a thread about what's the toughest folder, nearly all the recommendations are tactical stainless prybars ... and try suggesting that "toughest" almost by definition means non-stainless, nobody seems to want to hear it.

Now that you've broken new ground in cutlery cogniscance, please remember that it's possible to learn new falsehoods. In the meantime, if you want to assert that high-carbide, large-carbide stainless steels (and low-chrome steels such as D2 and A11/CPM-10V) aren't tough, I'm listening!

Simple stainlesses like 12C27, intended to offer good corrosion resistance without sacrificing other desirable qualities in a knife like edge stability at low angles, only seem to have a small following.

All of which is pretty amazing .... it's as though efficient cutting has become a secondary consideration for a large segment of the knife industry.

I think the reason that most of us don't want to consider such statements is because we've spent several hundreds of dollars on knives which could be outperformed by $13 Scandi-ground knives in terms of sharp, stable edges. It's easier to swallow a quart of blood and some teeth than to swallow a drop of pride. Also, with the edge-geometries with which many of us are familiar, the 'chock full of alloys' steels can outperform the L1s, 12C27Ms, and 1095s of the world.

Tested that theory out myself this weekend. Put about a 29 included degree edge on my VG10-bladed pocketknife and opened lots of presents and cut down lots of cardboard and plastic boxes and several plastic bottles. It micro-chipped within the first few uses, but was thin enough and had polished backbevels, so it still did 'okay.' Later added a 35 included degree cutting edge of similar polish and it cut lots more plastic and carboard with no micro-chipping. When it dulled, a few strops on abrasive-impregnated mylar over glass brought back its edge. At 4 degrees per side, the lower/smaller carbided steels should outperform at a similar hardness; at 17.5 per side (barely over 4x's thickers), a different picture emerges.

OK, I finally gave it a good chip. I must take a good amount of the blame though. I was opening one of my daughter's new toys, and it has those impossibly twisted tie wraps that they use on toys these days. I can see the wire through the insulation, but I cut it anyway. The knife went right through, but took out a .012" deep chip (and a couple smaller ones) in the process. When I measured the thickness of the solid metal in the wrap it was .032", pretty damn thick. It sure didn't look that thick before I cut it, or else I would have grabbed a junker knife or wire cutters.

It'll chip 52100 with a competent heat-treatment (ala SR-101), too, so don't worry. Next time, try serrated H1 or AUS-8 or; and this one took time for me to accept; quickly unwrap the ties with your fingers.

Anybody have any experience with cutting wire that thick with a knife without suffering damage?

Not yet for steel wire; just some blunting using H1, AUS-6, and AUS-8. Get some nail-clippers for cats and dogs. They'll take a little damage, but that's why Sal created Sharpmaker hones.

Thanks for your thorough review, gunmike1!

 

[gunmike1]

It'll chip 52100 with a competent heat-treatment (ala SR-101), too, so don't worry. Next time, try serrated H1 or AUS-8 or; and this one took time for me to accept; quickly unwrap the ties with your fingers.

I did unwrap the other 3 ties with my hands, that one way impossibly twisted, and for the life of me I couldn't get it to unwrap with my hands. I have some nail clippers for dogs (never even thought to use those) and small wire cutters, those would have been the tool of choice. It looks like you are trying to give me an excuse to buy a H1 SE knife, which has been on my "to get" list for a while. I'll blame you when my wife sees the bill. Oh yeah, I'm about to order a DMT XX coarse due to you with my $100 gift card I got from the in laws, you're really costing me money!

Get some nail-clippers for cats and dogs. They'll take a little damage, but that's why Sal created Sharpmaker hones.

Those triangles can sharpen just about anything I have run across, including my potato peelers, they are very versatile.

Thanks for your thorough review, gunmike1!

Just trying to share my impressions with the masses who may be considering a Manix. Thanks for the compliment, I'm new to doing reviews and any feedback is appreciated.

 

[gunmike1]

Even with the beaters, it is of benefit to cut the edges really low and then work on refining cutting technique so as to minimize damage. This not only helps keep the better knives from getting damaged when they are used but also keeps mundane tasks interesting. After years of doing this I for example now see 10/15 (flat) ground knives as utility tools, not for cutting, because they are way overbuilt for that, even including opening cans and such. I have done harder wood working, including limbing etc., with deeply hollow ground knives like the U2 - it does take care and you end up focusing on method rather than force.

-Cliff

The first thing I'm going to do on my 6 new beaters is reprofile them to a reasonable geometry. I really look forward to seeing what kind of performance I can get from these "junkers", hopefully I can find an optimized geometry and finish for cardboard and other cutting tasks that give them reasonable performance. One is definately going to be ground thin and used for limbing, as I definately need to get my technique straight on that before I use my "good" knives at thin profiles for that. I am constantly trying to refine my technique, as I am really new to the knife hobby and used to using dull knives at ridiculously obtuse angles. I'm getting better, I just need more practice and concentration. I do make a concious effort to make a straight cut that doesn't side load an edge, I just need to find another solution when that isn't possible.

 

[thombrogan]

I have some nail clippers for dogs (never even thought to use those) and small wire cutters, those would have been the tool of choice.

The nail clippers should work better for 'wrapped around toys in urgent need of enjoyment' situations.

It looks like you are trying to give me an excuse to buy a H1 SE knife, which has been on my "to get" list for a while.

If it's for cutting where controlled depths are recommended, may I suggest Spyderco's Tasman Salt folding pocket knife? Hawkbilled knives are very handy for such things.

I'll blame you when my wife sees the bill. Oh yeah, I'm about to order a DMT XX coarse due to you with my $100 gift card I got from the in laws, you're really costing me money!

If you're going to blame me, please be sure to get a Tasman Salt with a serrated edge. Lightweight, versatile, with a stable lock and a low-maintenance H1 blade, its aggressive serration pattern will make short work of many tasks. Should you really need to blame me, the plain-edge version works better when precision cutting is needed.

Just trying to share my impressions with the masses who may be considering a Manix. Thanks for the compliment, I'm new to doing reviews and any feedback is appreciated.

You done great. Anything to show strengths and weaknesses or tips, tricks, and tweaks is good. You'll know you're getting good when your friends make lists like this to comment on your newfound detractors.

 

[db]

Yeah those little wire twist ties on toys are edge killers. I even chipped a all hard M2 blade I made cutting a toy out. A small wire cutters is the best for those things.
edited to ad.
That DMT D8xx is worth every cent.

 

[M Wadel]

gunmike

will there be any destruction testing of the manix?

 

[gunmike1]

If it's for cutting where controlled depths are recommended, may I suggest Spyderco's Tasman Salt folding pocket knife? Hawkbilled knives are very handy for such things.

If you're going to blame me, please be sure to get a Tasman Salt with a serrated edge. Lightweight, versatile, with a stable lock and a low-maintenance H1 blade, its aggressive serration pattern will make short work of many tasks. Should you really need to blame me, the plain-edge version works better when precision cutting is needed.

I haven't tried H1 or a hawkbill, you have found my future H1 knife for me! Ever since I read that the work hardening of cutting the SE into the H1 brings it's edge hardness and retention way up over the PE H1 knives I was planning on trying it out in SE anyway.

You done great. Anything to show strengths and weaknesses or tips, tricks, and tweaks is good. You'll know you're getting good when your friends make lists like this to comment on your newfound detractors.

Thanks for the compliment. That thread you linked great! It is now in my favorite places folder.