I'm sure you all have seen a Manix before, but here goes my first attempt at a review anyway. I recieved this guy from Cutlery Shoppe (it's an exclusive run.) I was quite excited to get it as this is my very first Spyderco knife. :thumbup:
(I'm addicted already. This is gonna be bad.)
Initial Impressions
First of all, this thing is ORANGE. I apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures, I used my Ipod to take them.
The G10 is very bright and a nice color. I usually don't like orange but this one's a winner. As I first picked it up, I was struck by how light it is. It's not cheap-feeling, but if you look inside the knife the liners are very skeletonized. The first opening was very smooth in action. The detent is rather strong and the sound of the lockup is a nice little thwack.
Blade
The blade is full flat ground CPM S30V, as is declared by the tang stamp. On the other side it says, of course, "Golden, Colorado USA Earth." For me, US made is nice but not necessary. There are many nice knives coming out of Taiwan, Italy, and other countries as well.
I was suprised to see how high the secondary bevel is. It's the highest secondary bevel I've ever seen out of the factory box, but then again I've never owned a Spyderco before. The blade comes very sharp, slices paper and shaves arm hair with ease. It's not Ankerson sharp, mind you, but it's sharper out of box than my BM 710 was.
The blade (you can't tell with my picture quality) but the blade has faint vertical striations that give the blade a brushed look that is very nice. It's better than a satin finish and doesn't show fingerprints very well.
I have never used a Spyderhole before. I am converted! It makes it sooo easy to open the blade either with a flick or with my thumb controlling the opening the whole way. And it is SMOOOOOTH......There is a bushing system in there, gentlemen, so you can tighten the pivot down tight and still have a smooth opening.
The blade itself is of medium thickness with a very nice taper to it. It doesn't leave the tip too thin, it's a thicker tip than the Military for sure. The blade is centered nicely, you can see the nice centering even though the focus is off.
Handle and Lock
The handle is by far the most ergonomic knife handle I've ever held. I have medium-sized hands and it feels great with my index finger behind the guard or in the choil.
The G10 is finely grippy, not so grippy as a Cold Steel folder but more grippy than the Benchmade 710. I really like the feel, it gives a nice grip without destroying your hand.
The knife has jimping literally all around the handle. The choil, the spine, and the prowed liners look nice but also function well. The jimping is comfortable and not too stabby - I love it! The G10 is also beveled to produce a slightly rounded feel to the handle, a very nice touch.
The clip is nice. It's polished to go with the aesthetic theme of the knife. It has good retention. Tip up only (fine by me) with left hand/right hand option.
The Lanyard hole is enormous. It's very wide and while I'm not a lanyard guy I might just try it.
The lock is a caged ball bearing. I must admit that it is stiff to start out. I've only had the knife for about 24 hours and already it's starting to break in to where I can axis-lock it just like I do my 710. The lock seems stronger though, because maybe of the stronger spring and the lovely thwack that the lock makes upon engaging. It's supposed to be self adjusting, and it has plenty of room to adjust. The cage (which is well textured for grip :thumbup
doesn't go into the groove all the way initially, but I suppose eventually it will as the knife wears.
Conclusion
This knife is a steal, folks. Get it while you still can. I got mine for $120 but as soon as the 600 are all sold you'll probably see them go for $180 or even maybe more, who knows. The S90V/CF's go for $250 to $280.
As for me, I'm not going to sell this. It's my new favorite, and I'm going to use this and use it pretty hard. (No Noss4 stuff here though). From the nice G10 to the ergonomic handle to the hard lock, this is a quality, quality knife that is begging to be used.
Thanks for reading. Any feedback to how I can make better reviews is appreciated.
(I'm addicted already. This is gonna be bad.)
Initial Impressions
First of all, this thing is ORANGE. I apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures, I used my Ipod to take them.
The G10 is very bright and a nice color. I usually don't like orange but this one's a winner. As I first picked it up, I was struck by how light it is. It's not cheap-feeling, but if you look inside the knife the liners are very skeletonized. The first opening was very smooth in action. The detent is rather strong and the sound of the lockup is a nice little thwack.
Blade
The blade is full flat ground CPM S30V, as is declared by the tang stamp. On the other side it says, of course, "Golden, Colorado USA Earth." For me, US made is nice but not necessary. There are many nice knives coming out of Taiwan, Italy, and other countries as well.
I was suprised to see how high the secondary bevel is. It's the highest secondary bevel I've ever seen out of the factory box, but then again I've never owned a Spyderco before. The blade comes very sharp, slices paper and shaves arm hair with ease. It's not Ankerson sharp, mind you, but it's sharper out of box than my BM 710 was.
The blade (you can't tell with my picture quality) but the blade has faint vertical striations that give the blade a brushed look that is very nice. It's better than a satin finish and doesn't show fingerprints very well.
I have never used a Spyderhole before. I am converted! It makes it sooo easy to open the blade either with a flick or with my thumb controlling the opening the whole way. And it is SMOOOOOTH......There is a bushing system in there, gentlemen, so you can tighten the pivot down tight and still have a smooth opening.
The blade itself is of medium thickness with a very nice taper to it. It doesn't leave the tip too thin, it's a thicker tip than the Military for sure. The blade is centered nicely, you can see the nice centering even though the focus is off.
Handle and Lock
The handle is by far the most ergonomic knife handle I've ever held. I have medium-sized hands and it feels great with my index finger behind the guard or in the choil.
The G10 is finely grippy, not so grippy as a Cold Steel folder but more grippy than the Benchmade 710. I really like the feel, it gives a nice grip without destroying your hand.
The knife has jimping literally all around the handle. The choil, the spine, and the prowed liners look nice but also function well. The jimping is comfortable and not too stabby - I love it! The G10 is also beveled to produce a slightly rounded feel to the handle, a very nice touch.
The clip is nice. It's polished to go with the aesthetic theme of the knife. It has good retention. Tip up only (fine by me) with left hand/right hand option.
The Lanyard hole is enormous. It's very wide and while I'm not a lanyard guy I might just try it.
The lock is a caged ball bearing. I must admit that it is stiff to start out. I've only had the knife for about 24 hours and already it's starting to break in to where I can axis-lock it just like I do my 710. The lock seems stronger though, because maybe of the stronger spring and the lovely thwack that the lock makes upon engaging. It's supposed to be self adjusting, and it has plenty of room to adjust. The cage (which is well textured for grip :thumbup
doesn't go into the groove all the way initially, but I suppose eventually it will as the knife wears.Conclusion
This knife is a steal, folks. Get it while you still can. I got mine for $120 but as soon as the 600 are all sold you'll probably see them go for $180 or even maybe more, who knows. The S90V/CF's go for $250 to $280.
As for me, I'm not going to sell this. It's my new favorite, and I'm going to use this and use it pretty hard. (No Noss4 stuff here though). From the nice G10 to the ergonomic handle to the hard lock, this is a quality, quality knife that is begging to be used.
Thanks for reading. Any feedback to how I can make better reviews is appreciated.