Paramilitary II vs. Military vs. Manix 2 XL

kestrel57

kestrel57

Joined
Jun 4, 2012
Messages
193
HI, just ordered a Paramilitary II --- it was the last one left with a black blade and camo/digital and reasonable price (perhaps not lefty friendly). I have a Tenacious so I'm wondering about the price (of course, it's better steel at S30V --- I don't need S90V or something like that). I've seen a Military go through 10 bottles of water on YouTube (impressive). I suspect the Manix 2 XL with a probably better lock could do the same. I want to try a FFG Spyderco. I'm lefty so would have had to get a lefty Military --- not my first choice in case of sale or not liking. For now, I wonder if the Paramilitary II is better than the Military but we shall see. :) (At about 3x better than the Tenacious, we really shall see --- especially for a lefty. :rolleyes: )

I suspect the Manix XL at about $99 is the best bet --- it's just a bit wide in a pocket.

Thanks! :thumbup:
 
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All excellent choices, the compression lock on the Para 2 is probably the strongest of the three, and IMO easiest to use, followed by the BBL on the Manix and then the Liner lock (though its great as well) If you're looking at getting just the regular production version, I think I like the Manix 2 XL a little more right now (it changes off and on). I'm not sure what Manix 2 sprint you're talking about, but if its the Black G10 FFG one its in CTS-BD30P, which is Carpenter steels version of S30V, so expect similar performance (some report its a little better in edge retention and ease of sharpening). Here's size comparison between them.
IMG_2338.jpg

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The Para 2 is always a good choice and hard to beat. It's light but only considered small when compared to the other knives here. The standard Manix 2 seems pretty similar to me to the Para 2 in terms of utility, but seems that it can be bought a little bit cheaper. The Military is the function of the Para 2 but bigger. It's still light for its size. The Manix 2 XL seems to be a heavier and heavier duty knife than the Military, I don't know if this is needed or not.

I think for most people you could grab one of these 4, hand it to them and they would be happy. I have a couple of Para 2's and I really like them. I'm considering buying a Military and might eventually own all 4 of these different knives.
 
Do you want a big knife or a smaller knife? Light weight slicer? Or a beefy tank of a knife? The para2/millie are light weight for their size and cut like the dickens. The manix series are heavier, beefier knives. There is no better, just different. The big difference being size. The military is a huge knife, the para2 is a medium sized knife with a full sized handle.
 
mkjellgren said:
Do you want a big knife or a smaller knife? Light weight slicer? Or a beefy tank of a knife? The para2/millie are light weight for their size and cut like the dickens. The manix series are heavier, beefier knives. There is no better, just different. The big difference being size. The military is a huge knife, the para2 is a medium sized knife with a full sized handle.
Click to expand...

You're right bad choice of words. I already have a few beefy tanks so the paramilitary deserves a try. I'm lefthanded so had held off at the advice of some.

Thanks mkjellgren.
 
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