Recommendation? Mantra 3 or wait for Para 3 LW/Ikuchi

H

Humble

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Jan 15, 2019
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Hey everyone I am new to this forum and am looking to get my first actually nice knife.
I have been researching knives, steels, and everything inbetween for about a month or two now.

I originally went to a gun shop which had a small but decent selection of Spyderco's among other brands and wanted to actually try out the knives I was looking at all this time. I really liked the compression locks on the PM2 and PM3 as they dropped down and flicked open so buttery smooth. I found out I also didn't really care for the backlocks that much. I really came to look at a Manix 2 LW however. I ended up buying a Manix 2 LW but returned it two days later. Didn't check it out in store as much as the other knifes and got it purely off value and weight. I couldn't stand how stiff the lock was. It hurt and made imprints on my fingers. It was so bad I couldn't even get it to close one handed 4/5 times. I would pull back on it with both of my fingers and it would take a tremendous amount of force and even then it wouldn't disengage the lock fully to close. When I did get it to the blade was nowhere close to dropping freely. I lubed it and messed with it but it no dice. I also wen't to another shop and tried out some Benchmade's knives. Honestly I think I like the compression lock more than the AXIS. I tried out a Spyderco Carribean and that knife is so cool! Straight butter smooth, but it's a bit big and heavy for my EDC needs I believe.

I think I have landed on either the Mantra 3 or waiting on the Para 3 LW or Ikuchi. I don't know however how long the wait will be until the they both release. If I did wait on either of these two I'd have trouble deciding. The Ikuchi looks great but am unsure about the front flipping opening, as long as it is as easy as a regular flipper and opens completely I think I'd love it. Para 3 LW has a great price point. Mantra 3 looks like it would really fit my knife fidgeting habit:D. (I wish they would make a Salt LC200N version of any of these knives.)

Any opinions? Any other knife recommendations?
 
I am afraid about the mantra 3 being a pain to sharpen and i have no appeal for flippers by Spyderco
My vote would go for the para3lw first and the Ikuchi second just because I like the look of it
 
No one (here) knows when the P3LW is actually coming (could still be a couple months) and a well know dealer that does pre orders told me on the phone yesterday that they already have several hundred reserved (which will be fulfilled first), I think it's safe to say that it's going to be hard to get a P3LW without resorting to secondary market gouging for awhile.

As far as the Ikuchi, sure it looks cool but also totally impractical! But hey, maybe that's your thing.

As far as the "recurve" on the Mantra 3, it really isn't. It's more like an extra outward curve that extends down by the plunge, it's not a recurve like is found on a Blur or Commander.
 
The Mantra 3 was one of the few Spyderco knives that left me underwhelmed. The detent was too soft which affected the flipping consistency, I wasn't a fan of the carbon fiber/g10 laminate, and I REALLY didn't like the recurve near the bottom of the blade (it really felt like there should be a finger choil there to me).

Also... Have you checked out the upcoming Spyderco Smock? Looks fun. A bit big though.
 
I am really not sure about the Ikuchi but it has a kind of unique look to it that I found appealing

I don’t own a mantra of any version some a lot of people should have a better opinion in it, however for what I am concerned , I really mean Nd the factor doesn’t have any kind of sharpening choil
The recurve is usually not a big deal and a sharpmaker make a great job on it- never had any issues with the recurve of my 0350 - but the edge does straight to the flipper tab and I don’t feel comfortable with that
 
Each of the knives you mention is significantly different.

Apples, oranges and pears.

I've got a Manta3 and a standard G10 PM3. I like flippers and I like the Mantra3 a lot. However, I've got 7 other Spyderco flippers that I also like.

I don't like the PM3 as much as I like the PM2 because the blade/knife is too short/small for me. The PM2 is more comparable in size to the Mantra3 and would be a better choice IMO than the PM3.

I plan to buy the Ikuchi when it's released but who knows when that will be? That knife is also entirely different that the Mantra3 and PM2/3. It's thinner, smaller and is reportedly a cigarette lighter type front flipper.

If you can only afford 1 knife, wait until the Ikuchi comes out and decide then. Or, choose between the Mantra3 and PM 2/3 now and, if you like the Ikuchi better when it comes out, sell the other on the Exchange.

Or, if you're like me, just buy them all. Then you can use/carry which ever you want whenever you want :)
 
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I would go for the PMLW, it's the cheapest and uses the best steel. BD1N is a phenomenal steel. Edge retention should be near what S30V gets, but it's far easier to sharpen, tougher, and should be more corrosion resistant. I've been totally thrilled with my UKPK in BD1N.
 
well, the lack of vanadium in bd1n would(should) make s30v have much higher edge retention, since it has a good amount. I think bd1n gets bonus points for being a cleaner steel in terms of lower sulphur and phosphorus
 
Yeah I think I have landed on the Para 3 LW. Do you think I'd have better luck purchasing it when it releases or pre-ordering it from bladehq right now? Also how is BD1N in terms of Rust/corrosion?
 
bd1n has 16% chrome - quite stainless on it's own, but in addition, it has 0.1% nitrogen, which basically counts as a few extra percent of chrome, @Larrin posted an equation the other day.
I bet it would perform like 20% chrome overall... the scholarly studies I've read on the subject show that at 0.33% nitrogen, steel shows almost zero mm per year corrosion in 5% FeCl3 solution. (edited to add: in this case, 5% nickel was also involved)
 
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Humble said:
Yeah I think I have landed on the Para 3 LW. Do you think I'd have better luck purchasing it when it releases or pre-ordering it from bladehq right now? Also how is BD1N in terms of Rust/corrosion?
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I'd probably order it now just in case. Knife center doesn't charge your CC until it ships, BHQ I think charges $5 down for pre-order

BD1N has excellent corrosion resistance.
 
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brando555 said:
I'd probably order it now just in case. Knife center doesn't charge your CC until it ships, BHQ I think charges $5 down for pre-order

BD1N has excellent corrosion resistance.
Click to expand...

I haven't heard the best things about Knifecenter with pre-orders. Will probably go with BHQ
 
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