A Closer Look
The first thing you notice is the blade: this is the biggest hunk of steel Spyderco has hung on a folder to date. The blade is leaf-shaped and full flat ground, with proportions similar to a Calypso Jr., but that's where that family resemblance ends. It's ground from the same 4mm stock as the Lil' Temperance, just longer at 3-3/4 inches; or, look at it as similar to the previous "big blade", the Military, but broader. In short, a big honkin' sturdy blade.
The Manix feels like it was custom-made to fit my hand. Really, it's
that good. Like the Paramilitary, Stretch and other recent Spyderco designs, there's a deep choil built into the handle to keep the fingers off the blade, as well as a forward choil on the blade tang that allows the user to "choke up" for detail work. The back of the handle has a curve that fits the palm nicely, a slight "sub-hilt" and finger swell, and a very well designed pinky hook.
The handle is built similar to the Military and Paramilitary, with rough G10 scales and thick steel liners. The edges are nicely rounded off, moreso than the Paramilitary I reviewed. It has a pinky hook that's smaller than the Chinook, and less raked than the Para; the top of the butt is more rounded than usual for Spyderco, too. Unlike the Paramilitary, there's plenty of room for all four fingers,
and the ability to choke up by putting the forefinger in the choil, as an alternative grip.
The locking mechanism is Spyderco's tried-and-true "back lock," and it's a beefy one. It has the largest amount of metal-on-metal engagement of any Spyderco I've seen, and is rated by Spyderco for MBC (martial blade craft), the highest rating they give. Oddly, though, there's no "Boye Dent" in the lock bar, a strange omission on a knife intended for rough use.
The thumb ramp is rather modest in height. The ramp, though, is serrated, after a fashion: rather than grooves cut into the spine, there's a unique series of ridges precisely machined onto the ramp, nicely bevelled on the sides to prevent abrasion in the pocket.
The pocket clip is the standard flat steel three-screw type; it's doubly reversible for tip-up or tip-down, and both left-hand and right-hand, carry. A nice touch, and a major improvement on the Paramilitary.
Unlike many Spyderco designs, the blade pivot is adjustable. It's a bad idea to try to loosen it too much, to make it "flickable"; the locking bar causes too much drag for that. The pivot screw looks to be about the same size as the one on the Paramilitary, which is a surprise; for a big, beefy, MBC-rated knife, that pivot seem a bit undersized. This impression is born out by Cliff Stamp's testing on a Chinook, a Spyderco of similar size, and the same lock and pivot as the Manix: the blade pivot sheared under a heavy impact load. (Ref:
http://bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=335175)
A previous passaround reviewer complained of some vertical play in this knife; I didn't notice any in initial use, until I read his post and went looking for it. It's minor, maybe half a millimeter at the blade tip.
Personally, I don't see this as a major problem. It's endemic to lockbacks, and doesn't necessarily indicate a flawed design. Hell, the Colt/Browning 1911 and Kalashnikov AK-47 are both famous for a bit of slop in the fitting, but that also makes them famously reliable in extreme conditions. Seems to me the same principle applies to hard-use knives.
In Use
For its size, the Manix carries fairly easily in the pocket. Unlike the Paramilitary, there's no sharp back corner on the blade tang, and the scales are nicely rounded off. It doesn't sit as deeply in the pocket as I might like, though; a fair amount of handle shows in both tip-up and tip-down carry. The rough G10 scales provide plenty of grip for an easy draw from the pocket.
The large Spyder Hole affords plenty of purchase for the thumb, aided by the primary blade grind: the grind cuts across the hole, leaving an extra "corner" that helps the thumb catch the blade on opening. It's well away from the handles, too, unlike the Native III, making for a very easy-opening knife, even for users with large thumbs.
The rough G10, pronounced forward choil and rear pinky hook make for a secure grip in both "Forward Edge Down" and "Reverse Edge Out" grips; but, "Forward Edge Up" or "Reverse Edge In" grips are hampered by those same features.
During the week I had the Manix, I used it for everything from slicing fruit & veggies to cutting plastic tubing and cardboard to whittling hardwood. The flat-ground blade made for easy slicing in softer materials, and the S30V steel held its edge through it all. The only material that gave me trouble was double-thickness corrugated cardboard; the thickness and breadth of the blade caused a lot of drag, moreso than a thinner blade would, to the point where it would bind up in the cut. Funny how even the most high-tech folders take a backseat to a Schrade Old Timer on one of the most commonly cut materials around!
Conclusion
So, did I like it? You betcha!! What's not to like? It's a solid, sturdy, comfortable, hard-working folder, if ever there was one. I've been looking for a hard-use folder, and the Manix is now at the top of my list. Of all the passarounds I've had so far, this one was the hardest to put in the mail.
Pro: built like a tank; excellent ergonomics; premium blade steel holds an edge; slices well for a heavy blade; fully adjustable for tip-up/tip-down ambidextrous carry
Con: a bit big for normal EDC; curiously undersized pivot; possible vertical blade play
More Information
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=165
