Native III, Manix or Captain

K

kr1

Joined
May 30, 2006
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I am trying to decide on another EDC knife. I know that that Native III is half the price of the other two. I was looking at the Captain but I am leary of the liner locks (maybe for no good reason) and I haven't heard a lot of good things about the Captain though the design intrigues me. I saw one review that suggested strongly that the Manix is a much better alternative to the Captain. My son has a Native and it seems like a pretty good knife as a possible replacment. It would be replacing a Dragonfly which is a really good knife but I am looking for something a little bigger and stronger to replace it for EDC.

Let fly with the opinions. I would really appreciate hearing any specific reasons you would pick one over the other. Are the other two worth twice the money of the Native?

Thanks in advance for your help.
KR
 
kr1 said:
I didn't know that the S30V was still available. Lets assume it is does this make a difference?

KR
Click to expand...
Aside from the steel, which is really more a matter of preference than one of quality, the handle of the C41 Native is somewhat thinner, because it is flat, while that of the C78 Native III has palm swells and heel rests. Both the Natives are great, lightweight (under 3 oz) FRN handled knives with 3mm thick blades that will handle most people's everyday cutting chores quite well. They are both fully ambidexterous to boot.

The Manix is a tank, it is one of the strongest knives in the Spyderco lineup, possibly the strongest. Capable of any task a folding knife is suitable for, and a few that it's not. It is, however both heavy (6.1 oz) and thick as a result of its 4mm blade, dual non-nested liners and G-10 handle slabs. In addition to being full ambi, it also offers the choice of tip up or tip down carry.

The Captain is another extremly thick knife, although a good bit lighter (4.75 oz) than the Manix. It is considerablly smaller too, just slightly larger than a Delica. Its blade shape is either "visually interesting" or just "strange looking", depending on your point of view. It is a right hand liner lock that tries to pass itself off as lefty-friendly by including holes for LH clip mounting. In the process of trying to appear "hand neutral" it eliminates the access cut in the left scale common to most liner locks and burys the lockbar so that even right handed closing becomes problematic, especially under less than ideal conditons (wet, cold, or gloved hands). I have relatively small hands but found the Captain's 50/50 choil, although nice and deep, was too narrow for my finger to fit into comfortably. That was a real problem, since without using the choil, the handle was too short to allow me a solid four finger grip.

You might also want to consider the C101 83mm Manix it's 5.5 oz weight puts it between the Captain and its full-sized brother and its handle provides a good solid four finger grip, even without using the choil.
 
For the price/value I would suggest the Native III as it is pretty hard to beat. For something beefier go with the Mini Manix.
 
Manix out of those three.

The Captain has a blade profile that doesn't look like it would be very useful in EDC tasks.

I'm not a fan of the Native, so that leaves the Manix, which I am a huge fan of.
 
While I love the ergos on the handle of the Captain, the blade shape just didn't do anything for me. I love my mini Manix, give it a try.
 
I've grown very partial to my S30V "wally world special" Native. Albeit, I wouldn't mind more of a drop point blade for some belly near the tip, but its a fine knife and seems to hold an edge very well (after I flattened the edge, it was slightly concave). Also extremely light and rather slim; rides in the pocket as good as anybody could wish.

Uh, lets see how else can I do this knife right? Extremely strong lock, as you would expect, and I find the ergo's perfect.

Seriously though, it seems to be a great knife, I just wonder how much abuse it could take in a working role.
 
KR,
I have quite a fwq knives, but my usual "carry" knives are an S30V Native and a PE Manix. I usually end up carrying the Native EDC and the Manix on excursions. The Native is not (by far) the strongest or smoothest and I have never been a fan of the "dagger" shaped blades, but it holds an edge well amd is a super convienent size. I carry it clipped inside the front right side of my waistband and never feel it these until I reach for it.

The Manix is big and strong and smooth and heavy and sharp. It is a very good knife, but not a comfortable EDC for me. It gets attention when it is pulled out for even minor tasks if anyone is around and it cost about 3x what I paid for the Native.

I am glad I have both and if I had to get rid of one, the Native would be the first to go, but the Native is by far the one that I carry the most often.

Good luck.
Mark
 
The Captain as far as I understand was designed for various tasks on boats. For a regular EDC, it doesn't seem like the most versatile. This would bring it to the Native or the Manix. There is a big size difference, so if you want something a little more comparable, I'd take a look at the Mini Manix. They both have the leaf shape blade and are both comfortable as far as I'm concerned. I personally like the Manix over the Native, but it is more than twice as expensive. Another model that's closer to the Native is the Caly 3, which is like a Mini, Mini Manix- sorta.

My choices in the order of preference for EDC:
Mini Manix
Manix
Caly3
Native
Captain (I like the design, but it's just not very practical for my uses)

As for the S30V version of the Native vs the VG-10, I'd go with whichever version feels better in hand and for pocket carry (or whatever type of carry you prefer). I understand that the S30V version is slightly thicker, but if you're considering the Manix, I imagine that the thickness difference doesn't matter too much unless you don't like "thin" feeling knives. The steel difference usually isn't very noticable to the average user. VG-10 won't hold an edge as long, though not so much that it matters. S30V is a little harder to sharpen, noticable if you're planning on reprofiling it compared to VG-10. S30V has had complaints of chipping under both easy and hard use in some occassions, but a lot of people haven't personally experienced that, like myself. I like S30V and VG-10, I care more about the specific model over the steel as far as these two steels are concerned. Hope that helped.
 
I like the Native III. Good ergonomics, good contours in the handle, light weight. I'm happy with the wire clip. S30V Native is a bit slimmer, and slides in and out of the pocket easier.

I don't own a Manix, but I've handled one. It's a bigger knife, and solidly built. I'd consider it for times when I really needed a knife for tough work - multi-hour jobs cutting tough materials. I'd rather EDC the Native for infrequent cutting tasks. If you want the G10 and steel liners of the manix in a smaller package, the mini-manix and Ocelot are worth looking at.

I have no experience with the Captain, but the slight curve in the main edge probably makes it cut better than I'd expect. Not sure what to think about the tip, or the overall width.

Seeing as you're already familiar with nylon-handled Spydercos, try out a Manix (or mini-manix, or Ocelot, or paramilitary). To me, the weight of the manix is a big minus for EDC, but if you're a bigger person, carry around a bunch of tools already, need a really solid knife, or just don't mind the size, then go for it. There is a distinct step up in feel and quality when graduating from nylon to G10. Plus, I think the Manix is made in the USA as opposed to the Native III from Japan.
 
Also, as tough as the Manix is, I don't think it's that strong at the edge or the tip compared to the E4s and D4s, simply because it's thinner at those points. My friend chipped the tip of my Manix doing some prying on two plastic pieces that I'm sure wouldn't have happened if he used my E4 Wave. If I knew he was going to pry with it, I wouldn't have let him use it in the first place though.
 
Thanks everyone for the opinions.

I can't say I have decided but I think I am leaning heavily in favor of the Mini Manix based upon what everyone is saying. I like the Native but I think the Manix is more what I need but I believe that will be somewhat heavy for every day use and if I'm not carrying it because of its size or weight it kind of defeats the purpose. That leaves the Mini-manix.

Thanks again for all the help,
KR
 
If you haven't held each of them, you should try to find them in a local knife shop. Trying to go by pictures / comments is difficult to really decide which feels right for you.
 
Either model of the manix is a knife you will probably keep forever. Awesome knives built like tanks. Useful blade shape comfortable handle good steel. No gimmicky non-sense just an extremely well-built useful knife.
 
I just received my mini manix last night. I have to say this is one "good feeling" folder!

Not oo big, not too small, and just feels right for any cutting task an average SJ, or buck 110 can handle! it's a keeper! :)
 
kr1 said:
I am trying to decide on another EDC knife. I know that that Native III is half the price of the other two. I was looking at the Captain but I am leary of the liner locks (maybe for no good reason) and I haven't heard a lot of good things about the Captain though the design intrigues me. I saw one review that suggested strongly that the Manix is a much better alternative to the Captain. My son has a Native and it seems like a pretty good knife as a possible replacment. It would be replacing a Dragonfly which is a really good knife but I am looking for something a little bigger and stronger to replace it for EDC.

Let fly with the opinions. I would really appreciate hearing any specific reasons you would pick one over the other. Are the other two worth twice the money of the Native?

Thanks in advance for your help.
KR
Click to expand...

I've got to chime in here, since I've been a Native III for about a year, and just got a full-sized Manix plain edge about a week ago.

First of all, I love the Native III. The 3D design, the finger cutouts, and the whole shape just melt into my hand. It is just a little too small to be really perfect, though. I don't like the hollow grind, as it tends to bind on deep cutting (fruit, vegetables). It is a great tool, and light enough that I never notice when I carry it. It's very solid, and takes a VERY keen edge.

On to the Manix: at first, I was a little let down with this knife. It's surprisingly larger than my Native III, and WAY heavier. I definitely notice it when clipped to my pajamas (laugh all you want), but isn't too bad carried in a pocket. It does stick out of the pocket quite a bit, so I've ended up carrying it inside the waistband with my shirt over it. I also carry my Native, and like having two options.

I must say that as time has gone by, the Manix has really grown on me. At first, I moved the clip for tip-up carry, so my Native and Manix would be the same. The Manix is so big, though, that when I pulled it out, I had to work my way down the handle until I could get my thumb in the hole to open it. This felt awkward, and was kind of slow. In this configuration, the clip sort of bit into my hand as well. Yesterday I changed it back to tip-down carry, and like it much better. It's much faster to pull out and open, and the clip is hardly noticeable now.

As far as utility, the way Eric designed this knife is amazing. It's so easy to use, I find myself looking for things to use it on. It works great for slicing up lots of cardboard, for opening packages (the tip is so sharp I almost don't feel it piercing plastic wraps), for chopping and cutting fruits and vegetables, for shaving hair off my arm (I've got to stop that -- my wife thinks my arm looks funny!), and sometimes just for pulling out and admiring.

If you like a big knife, WAY bigger than your Dragonfly, go for the Manix. You'll be amazed at how useful it is. If you want something that's just a step larger, go for the Native. I prefer the flat grind of the Manix, though. You might consider a Caly or something with a flat grind.

Good luck in your decision! If you have the money, get both -- you'll be very happy you did.
 
Mountainman38 said:
I've got to chime in here, since I've been a Native III for about a year, and just got a full-sized Manix plain edge about a week ago.

First of all, I love the Native III. The 3D design, the finger cutouts, and the whole shape just melt into my hand. It is just a little too small to be really perfect, though. I don't like the hollow grind, as it tends to bind on deep cutting (fruit, vegetables). It is a great tool, and light enough that I never notice when I carry it. It's very solid, and takes a VERY keen edge.

On to the Manix: at first, I was a little let down with this knife. It's surprisingly larger than my Native III, and WAY heavier. I definitely notice it when clipped to my pajamas (laugh all you want), but isn't too bad carried in a pocket. It does stick out of the pocket quite a bit, so I've ended up carrying it inside the waistband with my shirt over it. I also carry my Native, and like having two options.

I must say that as time has gone by, the Manix has really grown on me. At first, I moved the clip for tip-up carry, so my Native and Manix would be the same. The Manix is so big, though, that when I pulled it out, I had to work my way down the handle until I could get my thumb in the hole to open it. This felt awkward, and was kind of slow. In this configuration, the clip sort of bit into my hand as well. Yesterday I changed it back to tip-down carry, and like it much better. It's much faster to pull out and open, and the clip is hardly noticeable now.

As far as utility, the way Eric designed this knife is amazing. It's so easy to use, I find myself looking for things to use it on. It works great for slicing up lots of cardboard, for opening packages (the tip is so sharp I almost don't feel it piercing plastic wraps), for chopping and cutting fruits and vegetables, for shaving hair off my arm (I've got to stop that -- my wife thinks my arm looks funny!), and sometimes just for pulling out and admiring.

If you like a big knife, WAY bigger than your Dragonfly, go for the Manix. You'll be amazed at how useful it is. If you want something that's just a step larger, go for the Native. I prefer the flat grind of the Manix, though. You might consider a Caly or something with a flat grind.

Good luck in your decision! If you have the money, get both -- you'll be very happy you did.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this great write up and taking the time. I still haven't made a decision but am heavily leaning towards the Mini Manix but the weight worries me. If it was the price of the Native I probably wouldn't give it a second thought though. :) I really with I could see and handle one somewhere but I don't know anyone local who has one so it keeps ping ponging in my head. :D

Thanks again.
Everyone has been a big help.
KR
 
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