Spyderco Manix 2 XL Folding Pocket Knife, PlainEdge | 8.94" Overall Length, 3.85" DLC-Coated CPM S30V Steel Blade, G-10 Handle, Ball Bearing Lock, Full-Flat Grind

ShaneUnited States

Spyderco Manix 2 XL won't disappoint

This knife is fantastic! I waited a few weeks to review it so that I could give some honest feedback. First, the handle. The handle is extremely comfortable, ergonomic and well balanced. It just "fits" into your hand when you're using the knife. This helps with hand fatigue which, can lead to slippage which can lead to cuts. Cuts should only be on the intended material/media. Not your hand. The scales on this knife are nicely textured. They appear smooth at a glance but hold up very well to sweaty, wet, or oily hands. Internally, there are skeletonized liners inside the handle. These not only help with strength & stability but also help take away a little weight if that's ever a concern for you while packing for say, a camping trip. Secondly, the blade. The blade is fantastic! It's made with Crucible's technology. Does more need to be said? The CPM S30V steel has an extremely high level of edge retention & because of the vanadium content being so high, can take a wickedly scary sharp edge. I have put this knife through some true "field use". I've used it to create a couple of 'feather sticks' for fire starting purposes, I've shaved wood for kindling off of several sticks of 1x2 pine. I've also used it to make breakfast as the only knife, cutting fruits, slicing meats, etc. on a cutting board. This knife just does what it's supposed to do. Now, as with all knifes, it DOES eventually get duller. I've simply stropped it & have brought it back to scary hair poppin' sharpness. I'm impressed. I will say this about this steel: If you don't know what a strop is or, if you don't have a diamond system for sharpening (if you're not convexing), please note that because this steel is such a hard steel, micro burrs & micro chips do happen & it's just the nature of the blade & if you aren't able to strop or refine this blade, you might just get frustrated instead of loving the blade once you've put it to hard use. This is not a steel for beginners. This is a steel for someone who knows what to expect from it in performance & for care purposes. Next, the blade geometry. First of all, this is a BIG blade. It's got a fat (not thick) body to it. However, I like this knife quite a bit. My normal E.D.C. prior to this knife was a Cold Steel Voyager Plain Edge Clip Point with VG1 steel. Good & light knife. However, this Spyderco Manix 2 XL surpasses the performance of the CS by far & away. I made it a point to just put away my other knives so that I wouldn't be tempted to use them in place of because of "comfort" or the "...I always use this knife/type of knife for this..." excuses. I can honestly say that carrying this knife is a pure joy. The blade size becomes a null point once you're used to the knife. It just fits the entire profile, form, & embodiment of this tool. As this is my first Spyderco knife, I must say that I was always skeptical of their hole in the blade in the past. Now, I'm SOLD. This hole allows for easy operation even with gloves on. Furthermore, the blade itself is a beautiful fully flat ground knife. I like this a lot. I had pondered possibly convexing the edge for even stronger retention but, have decided for now to leave it be as it seems to be fairly unphased by most heavy use. Fourth, the locking mechanism. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the locking mechanism on this knife! Did I mention that I LOVE the locking mechanism on this knife? I've actually had a knife in the past with the liner locks fold on me while in use! Therefore, I WILL NEVER buy a knife with a liner lock again. Period. I don't care who makes it or how it's tested. Now, this knife has a fantastic, smooth, strong & reliable lock located in the handle which consists of a ball bearing that "locks" the blade into place at the base of the tang & using an "anvil" as a fulcrum or pressure point to secure the blade open. Not one problem with this design at all. As a matter of fact, I did look at buying the Benchmade Griptilian for the lock that they use as well as the steel (I believe they're using CPM D2). I appreciate this locking system so much because unlike a traditional "lock back" which has the lock release on the back (palm/spine side) of the handle, this is out of the way. It's ergonomically designed so that your fingers aren't disengaging it unless you've intended to. Furthermore, when the lock release is placed on the back of the handle, it allows for a pressure or pinch point which can be quite uncomfortable in a hard or prolonged use situation. The catch .22 is that if the lock is made too "easy/loose", you have a possibility of disengaging a secured blade while squeezing the handle with your hand. Finally, the carry & overall comfort/design. The knife is a bit heavier because of the blade size but, doesn't weigh down pockets at all. You know it's there with slacks but, it's not like you're 'lugging' it around. With jeans, you may actually find yourself checking your back pocket occasionally to be sure it's there. Even better is the slim profile of such a great knife. It fits really well into pockets & the clip is perfectly tensioned as well. It slides right onto pocket edges for security & doesn't come out unless it's by your command. This is extremely important to note because ALL of my Cold Steel knives' clips have eventually worn out the top corners of my back pants or denim shorts pockets. There is some very well thought out engineering in the placement of the thumb jimping & the finger choils as well. I'm 6'3" & have hands to match. The handle is EXTREMELY comfortable in my hands & I can confidently & comfortably choke up on this blade if need be as well. THANK YOU SPYDERCO for thinking of that! As a closing statement, I'll say that I definitely like the tool. I WILL be buying another to give as a gift. My biggest concern is that Spyderco has a tendency to just stop making models it seems. I don't know why they do so. I'm just hoping that this becomes a staple in their line up. It's good enough, in my humble opinion, to be a flagship product for them for outdoorsmen & knife lovers everywhere.

DylanUnited States

Tactical or EDC blade

LIke i've mentioned before in my endura 4 and tenacious review spyderco makes great blades and this blade is no exception... I dont usually rate things 5 stars but for this blade i will make an exception...seeing as this is the first review on amazon and most people buying this knife are serious knife nuts like myself enjoy learning more and more about the blades we buy before making the purchase...and since this is a rather expensive blade(anything over the 100 dollar mark is an expensive blade to me your mileage may very) i will try to give an honest in depth review on this knife. 1. Uses. honestly i think this particular blade is probably best suited as an emergency tactical blade because i find it to be a little large for every day carry. Its a serious blade for pocket carry with a blade that is near the 4 inch mark( 3.88 ) and a Hefty weight of 6.2 oz its a big knife. It has an overall length of 8.93 inches open and is 5.08 inches closed. serious blade for the money in my opinion. Secondly its just a cool blade to fondle and collect if ur not into using ur blades...who knows when spyderco will cease production of this blade but they drop knives like a bad habit so if your a collector i think it will make a great addition to your collection. 2. Ergonomics. This is where this blade really shines over the regular sized manix. with the extended handle(similar to the military's) it gives you alot of purchase on the handle in both the choked up position as well as the normal saber grip position. If your a jimping man man this blade has you covered in pretty much any way you could want it to...jimping above the spider hole, the palm area, as well as the finger choils really lock your hand in tight. 3. Blade/deployment. The blade is 3.88 inches over all and is full flat ground(ffg). this knife is an excellent slicer(as with most ffg blades) and will zip through most situations with ease...now i say most because in certain situations a less broad blade is required and that is one issue i have with the mega manix...the blade is very broad, however in most cutting tasks i find this blade to work well above average. S30V is awesome stuff and anyone who uses it or has used it can attest to its edge holding capabilities it will take a razor edge and hold it for a long time. Mine was also razor sharp straight out of box. the blade deployment is typical spyderco. with an oversized 14 mm thumbhole it flicks out nice and quick even with gloves on. 4. Strength/lockup. My blade out of the box locked up like a bank vault. it seems they have adjusted the ball lock to perfection because mine has no side to side play and more importantly zero up and down movement. My blade was however slightly off center when i got it but after playing with the pivot its perfectly centered and still allows me to get the blade out nice and fast. the g10 handles are very nice typical spyderco and offer alot of strength and decent traction. Now one thing that may be misleading to some. the description says it has skeletonized liners. i can assure you they are not...they are solid stainless and all the forums i have checked state the same thing. some people may find that to be an issue to be honest it doesn't bother me. a major plus with the mega manix is blade retention...it seems spyderco has addressed the detent with the manix line and has them buttoned down to endura like detention wich is a very good thing...basically the blade stays in the handle when u want it to and comes out when you need it to. 5. Value for money/Rap up. With a high quality blade comes a high quality price and this blade is no exception but the value is thier in my opinion. S30V, G10,Quality fit and finish, all rapped up right here in the usa and honestly you cant put a price on keeping american workers employed and if that means spending a few extra bucks then so be it. overall great blade. This is my first large review i've written and i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i did writing it...i'm open to comments and suggestions and will leave my comments open for anybody who wishes to share info with me. stay safe and happy cutting Dylan.

JJCEOUnited States

Excellent quality and craftsmanship in a top class knife!

I have carried the same Gerber knife for 21 years. It is an old knife and still looks new but I just can't keep it sharp. I wanted to upgrade to a better knife for EDC. I wanted a knife with good size as I have large hands. I wanted knife with an ultra-sharp bade that was easy to care for and that would stay sharp longer and wouldn't rust after years of daily carry. I wanted a strong knife with a good locking blade that was easy to open and had a good shape to allow me to safely grip the knife and use it even with gloves on or with wet hands. This Spyderco Manix 2 XL fit all of these needs. I actually purchased two of them. One is the Spyderco steel colored blade and the other is the black color blade with the Diamond-Like Carbon finish. I looked at several other Spyderco knives with the black blade but ultimately I loved the Manix 2 XL so much I just purchased another one of them in black because the quality of the knife design if so good. The knife out of the box was so sharp that I could shave the hair off of my hand and arm. The ball bearing locking mechanism is rock solid. The blade when opened has no side to side movement and it is locked in place with absolutely no vertical up and down movement. The large 14 mm Spyderco hole makes opening the knife easy and the blade snaps locked and stays there. Every day I am carrying one of these Spyderco knifes. If I use it a lot during the day I spend 1 minute on a strop and bring the blade back to razor like sharpness. The quality of the steel is excellent and it is easily sharpened. I am so glad that they are both fine edged knives. The 3.88 inch long CPM S30V stainless steel blade is flat ground and is extremely sharp and beautiful. I love the curved blade design with a smooth plain blade edge and no serrations. The knife blade has the look of an ultra-high quality piece of kitchen cutlery. The internal framework of the knife is a stainless steel skeleton that provides strength and safety to the knife. A large blade needs stability if you intend to use it in tough applications. The framework is covered with G-10 scales that provide an excellent gripping surface for your hands. I really like the shape of the knife handle that is shaped like it was custom made for my hand. It provides such a good gripping area that I feel like my hand will not slip while using the knife. The knife blade has jimping on the top ramp of the knife and on the index finger choil guide that helps to provide a more secure grip on the knife and allows you to have better control of the blade for doing fine work. The knife weighs 5.11 ounces. The skeleton frame reduces the weight and allows you to easily clean the knife routinely. Keeping the knife clean is important to allow it to work properly and to avoid corrosion. The knife frame even has jimping around the handle in four strategic locations to improve your grip and help you to handle the knife. The knife handle has a large and strong clip on it that is changeable for left or right tip up carry. The handle also has a lined lanyard hole for the attachment of a lanyard. The ball bearing locking mechanism is ambidextrous and it locks securely. In fact, it takes a finger on each side of the knife to move the slide switch to unlock the blade and fold the knife. Overall I am very pleased with the quality of the knife and its functionality and appearance. This is a quality product that is made in the USA and it deserves a 5 star rating. I am pleased with the quality of the knife and I recommend this as a very good product! So good I came back and purchased one for my son as a gift. I have purchased 4 Spyderco knives and the Manix 2 XL is my favorite every day carry.

Angelo IacovellaUnited States

Outstanding folder

I've had this for one year now - also purchased one for a family member. After one year there is still zero play in this blade - it's machined so well that it doesn't loosen up at all. The blade is a little stiff at first but after a month or so it moves freely enough to flick open very quickly with one hand. The edge retention on this knife is probably the best of all of my knives. The G10 handle is superb for feel and traction. Yes, it's heavy for a folder, but it is built to last and to be a very strong folder - note that much of the weight comes from the large locking block and the full steel liners are not skeletonized - they're solid. I use this every day opening boxes, cutting zip ties, and my morning fruit - it cuts food superbly. I have several Spyderco knives and this is by far my favorite - the best looking and feeling of all of the Spidies I own. If I lost this I would buy it back in a heart beat. Update: I've owned this for over a year (also recently bought my brother one for his 50th birthday). Over a year later of heavy daily EDC use (mostly boxes, wire tie wraps, and food) and this blade has zero play in it. Solid as a rock. I've only sharpened it a few times - it takes and holds a wicked edge for a long time. Yes, it's significantly heavier than my SOG Aegis, Kershaw Ken Onion Blur, and my Benchmade Griptillian but this knife - blows them all away and is well worth the weight. It's my EDC worn on light EMS zip-off pants and I really don't even notice it any longer after wearing it for so long. Love the details of the knife - like the Golden Colorado USA Earth engraving on the blade - that right there says they intended it to outlast mankind.