By chance, these two (I've had the Manix 2 on backorder/preorder for a couple of months) were both waiting for me in the mailbox on the same day - yesterday. The Chaparral 2 is out of this world - what a sexy little blade. Pictures do not do the faceted Ti scales justice at all. I thought the geometric pattern was just etched in, but no, the pattern actually consists of triangular facets, 3D machined in relief. So you run your finger down the scale and you not only see but feel each individual triangle in the pattern. In addition to that, there is a sort of tooled pattern that further adds to the lighting effect. It's really flipping cool.
I'm getting used to the Manix 2. A good-sized s110v blade at this price point was the draw for me here. This is my first LW-series Spyderco and my initial impression is that the liner-less FRN handle has a toy-like quality to it (especially in comparison to my G10 Manix 2 XL). And the fact that it has next to zero mass makes the spydie-drop opening technique difficult if not dangerous to do (you really have to flick hard to get it to lock). But besides that it feels plenty strong enough to take anything I'm likely to dish out. So I think it's just a psychological adjustment that I need to make. It feels good in my hand. The dark blue color they chose for this model is great, and I like that the lock studs are opaque (was never fond of the clear ones).
Both knives came with perfectly centered blades and well-adjusted pivots with nice and smooth action. The factory edges are superb, gliding effortlessly through paper. Great job, Spyderco. Here are a couple pics:
The two side-by-side for reference. The lighting is too flat in this pic to give you any feel for the overall look of the Titanium scales.
Note: the Chaparral is a svelte little thing! I knew it was small but it still surprised me.
This pic gives a much better appreciation for the detail machined into the scales. It really is impressive, in an understated way. The work coming out of Taichung continues to amaze me.
I'm getting used to the Manix 2. A good-sized s110v blade at this price point was the draw for me here. This is my first LW-series Spyderco and my initial impression is that the liner-less FRN handle has a toy-like quality to it (especially in comparison to my G10 Manix 2 XL). And the fact that it has next to zero mass makes the spydie-drop opening technique difficult if not dangerous to do (you really have to flick hard to get it to lock). But besides that it feels plenty strong enough to take anything I'm likely to dish out. So I think it's just a psychological adjustment that I need to make. It feels good in my hand. The dark blue color they chose for this model is great, and I like that the lock studs are opaque (was never fond of the clear ones).
Both knives came with perfectly centered blades and well-adjusted pivots with nice and smooth action. The factory edges are superb, gliding effortlessly through paper. Great job, Spyderco. Here are a couple pics:
The two side-by-side for reference. The lighting is too flat in this pic to give you any feel for the overall look of the Titanium scales.
Note: the Chaparral is a svelte little thing! I knew it was small but it still surprised me.
This pic gives a much better appreciation for the detail machined into the scales. It really is impressive, in an understated way. The work coming out of Taichung continues to amaze me.
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. The blades do not. You don't have to worry about customs If you buy the knife from a Canadian merchant. Canadian customs will ,occasionally, refuse knives for that reason. Knives in Canada cannot be opened by a mechanism or gravity/ centrifugal forces.
