Manix Modifications. What have you done? What do you want to do?

[ladybug93]

newest addition is a dlc manix. i've wanted one for a very long time and always planned on keeping it stock and murdered out. however, i've always really liked the way the black and grey looks on the 51200 manix. when i was looking at bladescales thinking about getting grooved black g10 scales for this knife, i saw that they now offer black canvas micarta as well. anyway, with as much as i enjoy the od green micarta scales from them on my 15v manix, and with as much as i like the grey, black look also, i decided to get them.

i really like the look and feel of these (just like my other set) and i'm looking forward to seeing them wear in. i will say though, i'm seriously considering rubbing in some mineral oil to darken these up. i like the way black canvas micarta looks when it's oiled. what do you all think? i've never oiled micarta before. will it make the scales more slick or reduce the softer fabric feel?


i also added an aluminum ball cage from flytanium because i prefer the metal cages over the plastic. it could be because this one is still very new, but it doesn't feel quite as grippy as my titanium or brass cages. maybe it's the aluminum or anodization, or it could just be that this spring is tighter. whatever the case, i still like it better than the plastic and im sure the action will break in a little more.

i'll post an updated family pic sometime soon. up to five manixes now and just waiting for the m2lw salt.

[cabfrank]

I wouldn't oil it because it looks great now, and it will look great as it wears. I don't have anything that good looking though, so take it with a grain of salt.

[ladybug93]

for reference, here is the difference between oiled and non-oiled, taken from rcbladeworks (sorry for a shaman picture on this thread).

[JSumm]

Looks great LB! I too love the DLC and gray combo. Still waiting to pick one up myself.

[Coastal]

i like the way black canvas micarta looks when it's oiled. what do you all think?

If I had one that looked like yours, I'd leave it un-oiled for awhile at least, because it looks great as is.

That said, I tend to oil mine eventually. They get much darker immediately, and then lighten up a bit. It definitely evens out the spottiness and creates a more finished look. And I'd say it knocks down some of the fuzziness, but retains the grippiness of micarta. Not slick at all.

I just bought a pair of grooved OD micarta scales for a mis-sharpened Manix XL I rescued from eBay. They would look great with that DLC blade!

[Coastal]

Triple post?

[Coastal]

Yes, triple post.

[wrdwrght]

Mod a Manix?

To the degree Philippe Halsman and Salvadore Dali might a Leonardo: https://www.dalipaintings.com/images/pa ... a-lisa.jpg?

Or just to the degree Marcel Duchamp might a Leonardo: https://www.wikiart.org/en/marcel-ducha ... tache-1919?

While I firmly believe folks should mod their Manixes (and other Spydies) as they see fit—and while I might even admire some mods—I prefer to take the masterpieces Spyderco releases to us as they come.

Just a thought.

[cabfrank]

I'd prefer two stock Spydercos to one modded, for me, but the mods are definitely cool.

[ed9957]

I decided to do a RIt Dye job on the the Rex 45. I got the idea from RustyIron and used the Racing Red. The FRCP is definitely harder to change colour and this was my first Rit Dye attempt. I used a hot water bath and added some vinegar and soaked it for 20min. I had previously added a patina to the blade and installed an titanium clip.

[ImHereForTheMilitary2]

I think I am going to go full purple hardware on my blacked out Manix. Flytanium ftw

[TkoK83Spy]

Thought you talked yourself out of ricin' out that Manix? All black was the way to go two weeks ago.

You flip flop your favorite knives and preferences quicker than a teenage girl crushes on boy band members! I predicted this a month ago though

[ladybug93]

i have a hard time deciding too. that's why i need more manixes.

[TkoK83Spy]

i have a hard time deciding too. that's why i need more manixes.

At least you know "the one" my friend

[ladybug93]

i have a hard time deciding too. that's why i need more manixes.

At least you know "the one" my friend

the two... don't forget the pacific salt.

[Bolster]

Mod a Manix?

To the degree Philippe Halsman and Salvadore Dali might a Leonardo: https://www.dalipaintings.com/images/pa ... a-lisa.jpg?

Or just to the degree Marcel Duchamp might a Leonardo: https://www.wikiart.org/en/marcel-ducha ... tache-1919?

While I firmly believe folks should mod their Manixes (and other Spydies) as they see fit—and while I might even admire some mods—I prefer to take the masterpieces Spyderco releases to us as they come.

Just a thought.

LOL, such a good riposte. You, sir, deserve to be drawn and quoted.

[ladybug93]

g10 is fine. i think micarta looks and feels better. plastic cages are fine. i think metal looks and feels better.

it's really that simple. i'm not sure why people think it's an affront to the designers to modify a knife that you buy in order to make it better for yourself, especially when those mods don't actually change the design at all.

i guess spyderco should also stop making exclusives, sprints, and multiple versions altogether since those are really just mods to the standard g10 and satin s30v. no more micarta and cruwear pm2 or shaman. no more steel or g10 color changes because it's not how it was meant to be.

it's a good thing sal doesn't think that way, or spyderco wouldn't exist. why put a pocket clip on a knife? that's not how they're carried. why make a knife that can open with one hand? it's safer to open and close a knife with two hands and that's just the way it's done. why modify what previous designers made? it should be appreciated as designed. why use new materials? if the designer wanted different materials, they would've made it that way originally.

like i said before... many of us are modding knives because we like them so much, not because we think they are bad designs.

[Bolster]

Based on the hilarious Mona Lisa images, I took wrdwrght's mild commentary to be about defacement, not about enhancement. I also agree with wrdwrght where he says "folks should mod their Manixes (and other Spydies) as they see fit." My only quibble is that pay-for mods take $$ or even $$$ out of my "buy another knife" fund. But on the up side, they do keep a creative cottage industry afloat, and the results are fun to look at!

It's the old gourmet vs gourmand distinction. I happen to be a knife gourmand at the current time.

Having just spent $200 on lightweight snake gaiters, I'm in no position to criticize anybody on how they spend their money.

[ladybug93]

Based on the hilarious Mona Lisa images, I took wrdwrght's mild commentary to be about defacement, not about enhancement. I also agree with wrdwrght where he says "folks should mod their Manixes (and other Spydies) as they see fit." My only quibble is that pay-for mods take $$ or even $$$ out of my "buy another knife" fund. But on the up side, they do keep a creative cottage industry afloat, and the results are fun to look at!

It's the old gourmet vs gourmand distinction. I happen to be a knife gourmand at the current time.

Having just spent $200 on lightweight snake gaiters, I'm in no position to criticize anybody on how they spend their money.

i'm getting to the point where i can't choose what to carry. i have five manixes now that all want to be carried daily and then other models that i really like as well. i can (and will) continue to collect others, but it's getting a bit ridiculous because it's too many great knives to choose from. personalizing a few spydies makes them better for me, but also keeps me entertained without compounding that problem.

[RustyIron]

it's really that simple. i'm not sure why people think it's an affront to the designers to modify a knife that you buy in order to make it better for yourself, especially when those mods don't actually change the design at all.

Right? When people buy a new truck, what do they do? Slam it to the ground! New car? Reprogram it the next weekend. House? Tear out all the walls and rebuild it our way. There is little in the world that can't be made better. It's not as if any of our Spydercos are hand-made originals--they're "off the shelf" factory knives. If you dye the scales of your putrid green G10, it's not the same thing as painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.