Spyderco Manix II or Benchmade Presidio 520

R

roadteez

Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
34
Which one is generally the better choice. It does not matter to me how heavy they are. I'm actually leaning towards which one looks better? Thanks
 
I EDC a 520 and love the knife. Very rugged, strong scales and liners, large bolt pivot, and a very good geometry, the angle of the blade to handle puts the belly of the blade right into the work. Nice large handle. I love the axis lock, very fast deployment. It really is not that heavy for it's size, and if you look around you won't pay that much more than the price of a griptillian.

On the downside, the handle will shred your pants.
Like every Benchmade I have ever owned, it did not come as sharp as other premium brand knives.

The real down side is that after some carry, the aluminum handles will get pretty gnarly looking. The finish scratches pretty easily. That said, they seem pretty indestructable, the damage caused by keys, pocket change etc. rubbing up against the knife in your pocket is purely cosmetic.

I have lots of both Benchmade and Spyderco products, and in this case if you can stand the wear on the scales I would definately choose the 520.
 
They are both good knives, very different in the hand. If you can find somewhere with both knives in stock so you can handle them, that would be good. IMO the ball lock is a bit harder to release one-handed than the Axis lock...I think they both look good...buy both?
 
Both very good knives in their own right... Both very strong mid size folders with even stronger exotic locks. Both 154 cm. I'd say the manix 2 is the better value by quite a ways, however I have always had a thing for the 520. But you asked about which one looks better so, to me, I'd have to say the BM 520 but not by much at all.
 
I use a modified 520 :
img0629cn.jpg

The stabilised wood not shred your pocket but I put keys and hard things in my other pocket. The BM is perfectly ambidextrous (I'm left handed) and easy to open and close with one hand.
It is a strong knife, I never have any problem of rust, the edge is good and easy to sharp.
 
I prefer Spydercos to Benchmades in general, but this one is a tough choice to make...
Each knife is probably my favorite from each brand.
First of all it is difficult to compare a 70$ knife to a 120$ knife, but on the other hand they both use the same steel for the blade and both have great locks.
I prefer the aluminum handle of the Presidio and its flat-ground blade.
I prefer the Caged Ball Lock of the Manix 2 to the Axis Lock of the BM.
The Manix 2 is a much better value but the Presidio wins by a very slight margin because of the flat grind.

Now, if you compare the Presidio to a FFG Manix 2 like the S90V -or the upcoming S30V blue Manix 2-, then the Spyderco has the edge.

But then there is the S30V 520A...
 
Both Blades are a great bargain IMO, I have handled both and would advise to handle both and decide from there, blades are alot different in a picture vs actually holding them in your hand....
 
Have a 525 and CF Manix 2; I like both for differing reasons. Both will have very good/excellent quality, fit, and finish. I prefer the available blade steels of the Manix (cpm-154,S90V,soon available S30V to that of the 520/25 (154cm). I also prefer the FFG blades of the S90V and upcoming S30V to the standard hollow ground version of the Manix. The 520/25 is a very tough yet relatively light hard use style knife, the aluminum scales will get dinged with use (who cares:)). You would not be disappointed with either, or you can always do what most here would do- buy both! What I really wish for is a 520/25 in either S90V or CPM-M4.
 
tenman said:
Have a 525 and CF Manix 2; I like both for differing reasons. Both will have very good/excellent quality, fit, and finish. I prefer the available blade steels of the Manix (cpm-154,S90V,soon available S30V to that of the 520/25 (154cm). I also prefer the FFG blades of the S90V and upcoming S30V to the standard hollow ground version of the Manix. The 520/25 is a very tough yet relatively light hard use style knife, the aluminum scales will get dinged with use (who cares:)). You would not be disappointed with either, or you can always do what most here would do- buy both! What I really wish for is a 520/25 in either S90V or CPM-M4.
Click to expand...

Me too!:thumbup:
 
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