Compression lock or ball bearing

Earl1

Earl1

Joined
May 11, 2016
Messages
459
I have been looking at the para 3 and manix 2. I can't decide which one to ger. I was dead set on a manix 2 but now am conflicted. o_O. Would love to have both but since I just got back to work I'll save for one and get another later. So many knives,so little money . What say everyone ??
 
Both locks work very well.
It has been my experience that the Ball Lock, compared to the Axis Lock, has an overly stiff spring rate. If you want a beefy work knife with a very positive lock or if you tend to get your knives gritty / muddy then the ball lock could be just the thing.

I prefer a lighter lock action like the Axis Lock or the Compression lock so I gravitate toward those. I have several Para2s, was carrying and using my Blurple with S110V at work today . :thumbsup: :) :thumbsup: :) (I have no Para3s).

I have smaller hands though strong life time mechanic's hands (forty some years) and I found the Manix LW to not fit my hand so well for one handing and general use. That shocks some Manix users but that's my experience. Perhaps the G10 Manix is friendlier.

One gets a little lock slap on the finger when really flipping the Paras; doesn't hurt at all but it lets you know it is there. For the most part I REALLY enjoy the compression lock.
 
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I suggest the Manix 2 in CPM 4V. The one I have is the best example of a Spyderco I’ve ever seen and I own many. I have disassembled it several times and every time I put it back together it is perfectly centered. The tolerances are perfect! Don’t get me wrong I love comp locks and I’m a sucker for a PM2 but this Manix has changed my thinking completely. The lock can be a little sticky until broken in but it locks up tight always.
 
I’ve tuned (cut half a coil out of the spring and honed the mating surfaces) my manix2 and it’s one of the best actions ever, but out of the box it can be stiff.
I second the compression lock being sticky and a can pinch a little when flipped open.

That being said they are very different knives. The manix2 is significantly more solid and stout than a para3.
 
In the past few months I have fallen in love with spyderco. I have a native 5lw which is great,I also had a raven 2 for a bit that is a great knife for under 50 bucks. Theses are now the 2 I'm considering,
 
I’ve used both enough to know that I prefer the bearing lock, just because it feels considerably less awkward to operate.

I like many of the compression lock knives’ designs, and some models even get me so pumped that I forget I don’t really like the lock mechanism. If the S90V Yojimbo had been a bearing lock knife, it would have been an instant favorite of mine.

Luckily, the Manix is a platform that I maintain is one of the best designs for a production folding cutting tool ever - and it has a lock I like as well.
 
Spikediesel said:
I suggest the Manix 2 in CPM 4V. The one I have is the best example of a Spyderco I’ve ever seen and I own many. I have disassembled it several times and every time I put it back together it is perfectly centered. The tolerances are perfect! Don’t get me wrong I love comp locks and I’m a sucker for a PM2 but this Manix has changed my thinking completely. The lock can be a little sticky until broken in but it locks up tight always.
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I have that same Manix and will be taking it apart soon so I can slap some Marine Tuff Glide on all sides of all the metal surfaces because I love it and I’m petrified at the thought of my sweaty legs conspiring with the humid Oklahoma weather to put spots on my perfect knife.

(Edit: I just finished the reassembly. Do not attempt a complete takedown like I did, because the reassembly - specifically the part where you try to refit the CF scale on to the lanyard tube - really puts a spotlight on how ridiculously exact the machining is. I'm a careful guy with dexterous hands and strong fingers, and that scale was a nightmare to refit onto the tube.)

I’ve had spotty luck in the past (pre-2016) but every newer bearing and compression lock model I have handled has been a drop-close flick-open zero-play perfect execution of the knife. Spyderco seems to have ramped up their QC for their mainstay models and their respective sprints. That’s, of course, entirely anecdotal, but I’ve handled a good number of ‘em in the last two years and it has been very consistent.
 
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Earl1 said:
I have been looking at the para 3 and manix 2. I can't decide which one to ger. I was dead set on a manix 2 but now am conflicted. o_O. Would love to have both but since I just got back to work I'll save for one and get another later. So many knives,so little money . What say everyone ??
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1. Do you ever use your knife with your left hand? The bb lock is definitely more ambidextrous. The compression lock can be used left handed but it is primarily a right handed lock. (In my opinion more so than even liner or framelocks)

2. Is overall lock strength important to you? Both are very strong locks; you might find this video interesting as it compares the lock strength and the methods in which either lock eventually fails.

Both are great knives. The Para3 is abit smallee than the Manix 2 as it is essentially a mini paramilitary 2. Key advantages of either model are that the Manix2 seems fo have a more robust tip and the pm3 is much more comfortable in the pocket.
 
Comeuppance said:
I have that same Manix and will be taking it apart soon so I can slap some Marine Tuff Glide on all sides of all the metal surfaces because I love it and I’m petrified at the thought of my sweaty legs conspiring with the humid Oklahoma weather to put spots on my perfect knife.

I’ve had spotty luck in the past (pre-2016) but every newer bearing and compression lock model I have handled has been a drop-close flick-open zero-play perfect execution of the knife. Spyderco seems to have ramped up their QC for their mainstay models and their respective sprints. That’s, of course, entirely anecdotal, but I’ve handled a good number of ‘em in the last two years and it has been very consistent.
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I agree. Between the CQI updates and the unbelievably good sprints we’ve seen lately they really are producing some amazing knives. My old S30v Manix 2 is a great knife as well but this 4V sprint is just awesome.
 
cnm123 said:
I’ve tuned (cut half a coil out of the spring and honed the mating surfaces) my manix2 and it’s one of the best actions ever, but out of the box it can be stiff.
I second the compression lock being sticky and a can pinch a little when flipped open.
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Nice. I've always wondered about that. Does it feel more like an axis lock now?
 
Lapedog said:
1. Do you ever use your knife with your left hand? The bb lock is definitely more ambidextrous. The compression lock can be used left handed but it is primarily a right handed lock. (In my opinion more so than even liner or framelocks)

2. Is overall lock strength important to you? Both are very strong locks; you might find this video interesting as it compares the lock strength and the methods in which either lock eventually fails.

Both are great knives. The Para3 is abit smallee than the Manix 2 as it is essentially a mini paramilitary 2. Key advantages of either model are that the Manix2 seems fo have a more robust tip and the pm3 is much more comfortable in the pocket.
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That is one thing I am looking at between the 2. I am left handed so I am leaning toward the manix already
 
I bought a PM2 before a Manix, and while it served me well for just about a year, my Manix will always be my first choice between the two. It’s one of my favorite knives. The CBBL took some getting used to, even after carrying an Axis lock in my pocket before it.

The action on my Manix is probably even better than my PM2. I do like the Compression lock a lot, though. Maybe even more than the CBBL, but platform to platform, the Manix wins in my book.

And just to tempt you a wee bit more..

2sZ1UcF.jpg
 
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cnm123 said:
Wowbagger, meant to say lock slap
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Hahaha
At first that got me looking at my post thinking I had typed something other than "lock slap". Was afraid I had typed "ball slap on the finger". I don't know what that would mean but I'm SO GLAD I didn't type that by mistake.
:) :rolleyes:
 
Earl1 said:
That is one thing I am looking at between the 2. I am left handed so I am leaning toward the manix already
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To use the compression lock on a right handed knife with your left hand it is pretty awkward. Not impossible but you do end up pinching the lock and gripping the knife in kind of a weak grip to achieve it.
 
I dont have much to add but if OP decides to go with a manix, buy one with the g10 scales and steel liners. Huge difference as compared to the FRN one. Not just the material but also feeling in hand.
 
sharp_edge said:
I dont have much to add but if OP decides to go with a manix, buy one with the g10 scales and steel liners. Huge difference as compared to the FRN one. Not just the material but also feeling in hand.
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Accurate. Both the heft and the way it fills the hand are notably superior.
 
I've used just about every lock there is and the BBL might just be my favorite.
 
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