Spyderco Manix 2: Polished or Black?

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Nick15

Joined
Sep 9, 2010
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I'm about to buy a Manix 2. I was all set on the regular polished blade, but then I saw a picture of it with the black blade and now I'm stuck. I love the look of black blades, but I'm starting to really move on from them. Plus the twenty dollar difference just because of the black blade seems a little on the steep side (if there are any other differences between the "tactical" Manix 2 and the regular one, please, tell me). Especially when I know alot of knife companies that put on a black coating that comes off when you cut through a couple pieces of card board... The main question here is how does Spyderco's black coating hold up? Is it as good as Kershaw's or is it as easy to scratch off as Cold Steel's? I don't want to spend an extra 20 bucks when I don't have to, especially when that can go towards another knife:D
 
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I personally like a mirror polish on my Manix 2 with CTS-XHP, as the steel seems to love taking a mirror finish with ease, and the high hardness makes it harder to scratch(compared to softer steels like H1). Only real downside is that it's a real fingerprint magnet.
 
You might notice an abundance of threads here on the subject of removing the black finish from knife blades. A lot of people, myself included, have initially purchased the 'cool' black blades only to wish later that we'd gotten the plain/satin blade. It may be that you'll always like it in black, but there seem to be a lot of folks who liked it, but only for a little while.

Might want to give it some thought, before pulling the trigger on it.

That's my 2 cents. Good luck!

Edited to add:
It looks like Spyderco is using the DLC (diamond-like-carbon) coating for their black blades. Among the black coatings, this one seems to have a good rep for durability. So that's a plus, IF you're sure you really want the black blade. If not, it'll be that much tougher to scrub it off later ;).
 
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Thanks for the useful info Noctis3880 and thanks for your 2 cents Obsessed with Edges!:thumbup:
 
Naked Steel > Coated Blade, every time, imho. It's really a matter of preference, though. If you like the coated blade, go for it. If you prefer the bare steel, go for it.

If you're really torn, buy both :D
 
the black coating on most blades really effects its ability to slice certain materials well. I love the way it looks too, but I choose function over looks.
 
Thanks for all the replies!!! I'm pretty much settled on the plain jane Manix 2. I still must ask though, how does Spyderco's black coating hold up? I've seen there pocket clips with a black coating..... not so great.....
 
Nick15 said:
Thanks for all the replies!!! I'm pretty much settled on the plain jane Manix 2. I still must ask though, how does Spyderco's black coating hold up? I've seen there pocket clips with a black coating..... not so great.....
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Keep in mind the pocket clips are clearly not the same steel as the blade. There is a different finish on the clip and the blade. The finish I have on my Military, Pacific Salt, and Manix2 have help up really well after use.
The blade coating appears to be baked on, the clips are sort of duracoated.
 
I've got both versions. I'm not necessarily partial to black blades. But, on the Manix 2 with black G10 scales, it just looks very cool. Carrying it right now. I haven't had it long enough to comment on how the black coating holds up. But, word on the street is that it does well.
 
Nick15 said:
Thanks for all the replies!!! I'm pretty much settled on the plain jane Manix 2. I still must ask though, how does Spyderco's black coating hold up? I've seen there pocket clips with a black coating..... not so great.....
Click to expand...

The clips are painted black, and the blades are black DLC. They exist at opposite ends of the durability spectrum. I do not own any of the black Spyderco blades but the reports here aver extreme durability, equal to or better than any other black coating.

DLC'd clips would be great to have!
 
Had the blade two days, put a few scrapes in the coating. If you are worried about looks, go plain blade.
 
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The black blade is a coating. As coatings go, it's DLC on the Manix2, and DLC is about as good as it gets for wear resistance. But there's no getting around the fact that it's a coating, and it'll eventually wear and look cruddy if you actually use your knife.

The Manix2 is s30v. It's a good stainless. Unless you're dunking it in salt water and then not maintaining it, it's not in need of a coating.

And I'm not sure why you would want to coat such a pretty piece of steel anyway. Spyderco does a really nice tumble finish on these. It's like a really fine stone wash.

Myself, I stay away from coatings whenever possible. They always end up looking bad, no matter how good the coating quality is.
 
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