Sometimes I feel a little bit spoiled by Spyderco…
They just keep coming up with cool knife designs, and their knives always seem to perform at a high level…
Right now, two of their most popular folding knives are:
| Image | Products |
 | Spyderco Manix 2 (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
 | Spyderco ParaMilitary 2 (Check Price And Reviews On Amazon!) |
And in this Spyderco Manix 2 Vs Paramilitary 2 comparison, we’re going to put these two designs up against each other in the following categories…
- Blade Steel And Materials
- Blade Shape And Handle Design
- Locking Mechanism
- Size And Dimensions
- Pocket Clip And Carry Position
- Price Comparison
In the end, I’ll tell you which of these knife designs I prefer, and you should have all the information you need to determine which is the right knife for you…
Let’s jump into the comparison!
Blade Steel And Materials…
Spyderco Manix 2
The Manix 2 is built using high quality materials. To start off with, it comes in a number of blade steels but the most common is CPM S30V, which is one of the best knife steels you can get…
It’s a great knife steel because it is very corrosion resistant, but at the same time it is very strong and holds an edge extremely well…
Excellent edge retention is an important feature for me when it comes to blade steels because you don’t want to have to sharpen your blade every time you use it, and with the blade on the Manix 2, that won’t end up being a problem…
Now the handle on the Manix 2 is made from G-10, and it incorporates stainless steel liners as well. G-10 is an outstanding handle material for many reasons…
I like it because it’s very strong, but at the same time it’s pretty lightweight so your knife doesn’t feel overly heavy…
It’s also very comfortable and gives you a good purchase on the knife when you’re using it to slice or cut. All in all, I am very impressed with the materials Spyderco uses for this knife design.
Spyderco Paramilitary 2
The Paramilitary 2 is actually a more compact version of the Spyderco Military model. So it’s no surprise that it uses high quality materials that can handle tough use…
Just like the Manix 2, the Paramilitary 2 comes in a number of different blade steels but the most common is CPM S30V which, like I mentioned before, is a premium knife steel…
Again, I’m glad Spyderco chose to go with CPM S30V on this design’s blade because it’s very strong, corrosion resistant, and it takes and holds an edge very well…
The handle on the Paramilitary 2 is also G-10 with stainless steel liners. Once again, I like the choice of G-10 as a handle material because it’s lightweight, strong, and comfortable…
It also does a good job of giving you traction while you’re cutting or slicing with the knife, and it feels great in your hand.
All in all, the materials that Spyderco chose to use on the Paramilitary 2 are also very impressive.
Blade Shape And Handle Design…
Manix 2
The Manix 2 has kind of a leaf-like blade shape. It’s almost like a drop point blade, with some of the signature features that are common with Spyderco knives…
It has a full flat grind, and comes with a Plain Edge, the Spyder Edge, or the Combination Edge. The Spyder Edge is basically Spyderco’s version of a serrated edge, and the Combination Edge is a half plain edge and half serrated blade…
Personally, I prefer a Plain Edge on all of my knives because it just makes them easier to sharpen, but I like that Spyderco offers this design with the Spyder Edge and Combination Edge for those who want a serrated blade…
In addition to that, the Manix 2 has the traditional Spyderco hole which allows you to deploy the blade quickly and easily, and the knife comes to you very sharp right out of the box…
There’s also some jimping on the thumb ramp (along the spine of the blade) and on the finger choil to help give you more control when you’re using the knife…
As I mentioned earlier, the handle is made from G-10 and is very ergonomic. The texturing is very comfortable, and it allows you to get a very secure grip on the knife when you’re using it.
Last, Spyderco offers some really cool color options for this knife design. You can get the Manix 2 with either a metallic blade or a black blade, and the handle comes in colors like black and dark blue.
Paramilitary 2
The Paramilitary 2 has a more triangular-shaped blade that follows the classic Spyderco styling. It’s a scaled down version of the Military model’s blade, and I think it’s pretty attractive to the eye…
The blade has a full flat grind, which makes it great for cutting and slicing, and it comes with a Plain Edge or the Spyder Edge, which again is Spyderco’s version of a serrated blade…
Like I mentioned before, I prefer the Plain Edge version because it’s easier to sharpen, but I’m glad the serrated blade option is available for those who want it…
It also has the traditional Spyderco hole which makes it quick and easy to deploy the blade, and there is jimping on the spine and the finger choil to give you extra control when using the knife…
The Para 2 also has versions that come with a metallic colored blade and a black blade, and again, the handle material is G-10 which is strong, lightweight, and gives you a great purchase on the knife when you’re using it…
I should also note that Spyderco offers the Paramilitary 2 in a variety of handle colors and patterns including black, camo, and midnight blue…
I really like that Spyderco offers this design in a number of variations because it means you can pick out a knife that will fit your particular needs and styling…
Locking Mechanism…
Manix 2
The Manix 2 uses a Ball-Bearing locking mechanism. This locking system incorporates a hardened steel ball bearing that sits between an anvil and the tang of the blade…
It’s one of the smoothest locking mechanisms you can get for a folding knife because of that ball-bearing, and it’s also an extremely strong system.
It really makes deploying the blade on the Manix 2 smooth, fast, and easy.
Paramilitary 2
The Paramilitary 2 uses the Compression Lock locking mechanism. This is a locking system that was developed and patented by Spyderco, and it also produces a smooth and extremely strong blade deployment.
It incorporates the blade tang, a stop pin, and a ramp, and it locks out the blade very securely. Similar to the ball-bearing locking system used by the Manix 2…
…the Compression Lock system allows you to smoothly and easily deploy the blade on the Paramilitary 2.
Size And Dimensions…
Manix 2
The Manix 2 is a medium-sized folding knife. The blade measures in at 3.37 inches long, and the handle length is 4.66 inches…
That brings the overall length to 8.03 inches when the blade is fully deployed, and I think that’s a great length for an everyday carry (EDC) knife because it allows you to carry it without taking up too much real estate in your pocket.
Paramilitary 2
Like I mentioned before, the Paramilitary 2 is a more compact version of the Military model (and the Para 3 is an even smaller design in the Spyderco Military model family)…
The blade length on the Para 2 is 3.42 inches long, and the handle comes in at 4.82 inches long. So that brings the overall length on the Paramilitary 2 to 8.24 inches long when the blade is fully deployed…
Just as a reference, the Paramilitary 2 is 1.28 inches shorter than it’s bigger brother (the Military model), but it is pretty close in size to the Manix 2 (the manix 2 also has a larger version called the Manix 2 XL)…
In the end, the Paramilitary 2 is just 0.21 inches longer than the Manix 2 when both of their blades are fully deployed…
And just like the Manix 2 is a great size for everyday carry, the Para military 2 is also an ideal size for EDC.
Pocket Clip And Carry Position…
Manix 2
The Manix 2 sets you up for tip up carry, and the clip can be swapped to either side of the knife…
Personally, I’ve always preferred tip down carry when I can get it, but it’s something I can easily get over if I like the overall design of the knife (and I do like the Manix 2)…
Even though you are limited to tip up carry, I do like that Spyderco gives you the option to put the clip on either side of the knife. So you do have a little bit of control over how you choose to carry it…
Now the clip on the Manix 2 will be metallic (in color) if the blade is metallic or it will be black to match the black-bladed versions of this knife design…
Either way, I think it looks pretty sleek, and it sits the knife in a good position within your pocket. It doesn’t completely disappear (with only the clip showing) the way some knife designs…
But it sits fairly low, and it’s pretty discreet and comfortable while it’s being carried around.
Paramilitary 2
The clip on the Paramilitary 2 can be set up for tip up carry or tip down carry, and it can be swapped to either side of the knife…
That means you have four choices when it comes to the position of the clip on the Para 2, and I love it because it gives you a ton of flexibility and allows you to carry the knife exactly how you’d like to…
Now just as with the Manix 2, the Paramilitary 2 has a good looking clip, and it will match the color of the blade on your version of the knife. So it will either be metallic (in color) or black…
Last, the Para 2 also sits relatively low in your pocket without completely disappearing the way some other knife designs do…
Again, like the Manix 2, it sits pretty low, and it’s comfortable and fairly discrete.
Price Comparison…
Unfortunately I won’t be able to give exact numbers in this category because the prices of these knives are changing all the time. That being said, the Paramilitary 2 and the Manix 2 are very similarly priced.
You’ll usually find that they are within a few dollars of each other, and sometimes you’ll actually find that they are priced exactly the same.
Spyderco Manix 2 vs Paramilitary 2 – Conclusions…
So to sum it all up, in the Blade Steel And Materials category, the most common steel for both the Manix 2 and the Paramilitary 2 is CPM S30V which is one of the best knife steels around because it is strong, rust resistant, and holds an edge well…
And both designs also come with G-10 handles which is also a great material because it’s durable and lightweight…
In the Blade Shape And Handle Design category, the blade on the Manix 2 has kind of a leaf-like shape and the blade on the Paramilitary 2 has a more triangular Spyderco shape…
Both blades have a full flat grind and are great cutters, and both knives have comfortable handles that give you a good purchase when you’re using them…
In the Locking Mechanism category, the Manix 2 uses the Ball-Bearing locking system and the Paramilitary 2 uses the Compression Lock system…
Both locking mechanisms are very smooth and very strong, and they both allow you to deploy the blade quickly and easily…
In the Size And Dimensions category, the Paramilitary 2 is slightly longer (0.21 inches) than the Manix 2 when their blades are fully deployed…
In the Pocket Clip And Carry Position category, the Manix 2 clip limits you to tip up carry but can be swapped to either side of the knife…
…whereas the clip on the Paramilitary 2 can be positioned for tip up or tip down carry and can be swapped to either side of the knife…
And last, in the Price Comparison both of these knives are priced very similarly because they use similar materials and are similar in size…
So which of these knives do I prefer? I prefer the Paramilitary 2…
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I prefer the Paramilitary 2 because I like that the clip can be moved in four positions, which allows you to carry it in your pocket exactly how you’d like to…
And even though both blades use the same materials and perform pretty much the same way in terms of cutting ability…
I just like the look of the Paramilitary 2’s blade a little bit better (I know it’s not a very technical reason).
Now if you like tip up carry, and you prefer the look of the Manix 2 in terms of blade shape, then feel free to go with it because it’s still an awesome knife…
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Either way, I hope I was able to show you the major similarities and differences between these two fantastic knife designs from Spyderco!