Yes, another recommendation thread. I need help in a multi-faceted way

K.O.D.

K.O.D.

Sell your cloak buy a sword
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I've been considering selling my Spyderco Manix 2 foliage green CTS-XHP sprint run. I realized a week or so ago that I hadn't carried it since March, and figured out why. As much as I love the ergonomics of the knife, and the wonderful steel, the weight and amount of space (width wise) it takes up just makes it uncomfortable to carry.

I had long considered getting the lightweight S110V model to see if the weight reduction would make up for the width. However, the pinned construction turned me off. As a rule, I don't own more than one of the same knife. The first year I had the Manix 2, I carried it a lot, but didn't do more than slice cheese and open mail. Now it sits. I hate "safe queens" and knives I don't use.

Despite have a very used standard digi-cam satin PM2, I'm considering the new S110V version, despite my "no duplicates" rule. For those who've snagged and actually used the new PM2 or really any S110V Spyderco, what are your feelings on this steel? Is it worth breaking my code for the S110V?

Any suggestions as to other options? No ZT's or Benchmade's please, and no framelocks. I know this limits my choices, but I hate metal handles.
 
No, I have not. I have a hard time justifying the cost vs materials and craftsmanship. I've had a Kershaw Emerson and a DPx HEAT, and am not a huge fan of the wave mechanism. However, I have had my eye on used ones on the exchange, but there are a few issues I have. I don't care for partially serrated, chisel grinds, recurves or tantos. I guess I'm anti-tactical. So for the right price and the right features, maybe.
 
And I'm back to General for the first time in months because I heard someone say "S110V"! ;)

For what it's worth, S110V is a very good steel overall. From my experience, the steel will hold an edge on par with S90V, but will tend to hold it's edge for longer in the form of a slightly finer edge, and will take a finer edge more readily. Overall, it forms more smaller, harder carbides than S90V, and has a grain refinement that is somewhat similar to M390, though not quite as fine and even.

What the actually means is great edge retention (with a finer overall edge), and generally a little easier to sharpen than S90V, though it is a little less popular than S90V in general because it seems like it is a little less available to most knife makers, but I am not entirely sure of that personally. S110V is also supposed to have higher overall corrosion resistance than S90V, at least generally.

Spyderco tends to treat their S110V a couple of different ways, ranging from 59-62rc on their heat treat, which will of course slightly effect the overall properties of the steel in performance, but unless you're comparing a blade at 59rc to another one at 62rc, you probably won't have a major difference in most categories.
In the PM2, I think they have done the same treat that they did for the Manix Lightweight, which generally seemed to float around 61-62rc from what I have seen and heard from people who have them. That being said, I only know 2 people who have the S110V PM2, so I don't know for sure where they fall overall on the hardness spectrum.

Either way, you will likely find that S110V is a great steel, especially on a knife like the PM2, when used for slicing in particular. It is a little more prone to micro-chipping than S90V is at high hardness, but I don't think it would be all that much of a problem unless a tree attacked you and all you had was the PM2 to defend yourself...
And it will take a better polished edge by far than S90V and better-utilize it as well when cutting. It is better to go for something at 15dps on the edge if you can (which Spyderco generally does anyway), and keep the edge fairly thin overall with S110V. That maximizes the edge retention of the steel and really lets it show off it's best properties.

When taken down to less than .010" behind the edge, especially reground down to ~.005" behind the edge, at 62rc, and treated with a finer edge, I have seen S110V compete more with steels like S10V (though it was kicked around completely by the same edge geometry on the S10V, and still couldn't compete with S125V at all either), and outclass M4 entirely, but that is also a somewhat of an extreme regrind, and MUCH thinner than the Manix or the PM2 come from the factory, so it would require quite a lot of work to remove that much steel from one of them I imagine.

I used S90V as a comparison point since it is the steel with the most immediate general similarity in terms of edge retention, but S110V will also compare favorably to M4 in terms of edge retention as well, though that will also depend pretty heavily on the blade geometry of both knives and the individual heat treats, as I said before.

Hope all of that helps :D
 
K.O.D. said:
No, I have not. I have a hard time justifying the cost vs materials and craftsmanship. I've had a Kershaw Emerson and a DPx HEAT, and am not a huge fan of the wave mechanism. However, I have had my eye on used ones on the exchange, but there are a few issues I have. I don't care for partially serrated, chisel grinds, recurves or tantos. I guess I'm anti-tactical. So for the right price and the right features, maybe.
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If you are thinking about an Emerson, then I would honestly recomend one of the ZT/Emerson colabs instead. Overall, I think they are much more worth the money.

And if you like the 0620, but not the tanto, I have seen several people who have had the blade converted into more of a spanto/drop-point grind by some professional sharpeners, and have had absolutely wonderful things to say about it.
 
K.O.D. said:
As a rule, I don't own more than one of the same knife.
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You might be alone in that regards!

I have a total of 7 knives with Manix in the name, and right now only 2 Para2's. I don't mind the weight at all, clipped to the pocket of my tight jeans. I recognize that they are tall, especially my XL versions, but I like them and carry them anyway. I do have the S110V Manix 2 and Para 2. I would recommend both of them to you, especially the Para 2. If you say no Benchmade or ZT or Manix, then that really limits you in the size range of the Manix 2.
 
Charr said:
If you are thinking about an Emerson, then I would honestly recomend one of the ZT/Emerson colabs instead. Overall, I think they are much more worth the money.

And if you like the 0620, but not the tanto, I have seen several people who have had the blade converted into more of a spanto/drop-point grind by some professional sharpeners, and have had absolutely wonderful things to say about it.
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If you are going that route, you might as well go with the ZT 0630 instead. But all of these are framelocks, which he stated he didn't want.
 
I have probably owned about fifty PM2's in total...representing every available steel. Sold most of them again...as usual.
And...I just got my BURPLE PM2 in S110v several days ago...and I love it.
I have had a Manix 2 in M4 (very nice folder) and the LW model in S110V.
I wasn't happy with the LW...as it was too Light in Weight and seemed flimsy. :)
 
AzWizzard said:
If you are going that route, you might as well go with the ZT 0630 instead. But all of these are framelocks, which he stated he didn't want.
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Fair point.

I prefer the steel upgrade in the 0620, that's what makes it worth the extra effort for me personally.
 
how about a spyderco police 3, its a big blade put has slim profile, its one of my personal favorites and in my opinion a very underrated knife
 
KOD, I think if you don't have a lightweight and you like the manix its worth the purchase. S110v is awesome plus the lightweight almost feels like a different knife to me. It is the only knife I ever carry when wearing gym shorts. It's like its not even there. Even though I have too many knives and some nice knives don't get much carry because of it, my manix lw always gets some pocket time because its "specialty role" as my work out knife. I've yet to hold another knife that has its feel.
 
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