I have no clever title...

[M67]

Steel depends on heat treat too, heard to say which is "better"

PM2 has a compression lock, Manix 2 has an axis lock

As for your wife reaching in to grab a knife, that's just an accident waiting to happen IMO

 

[Woobie]

Not really interested in tanto blades or the Wave system. My wife is terrified of sharps (no clue why but I can't seem to break her of it) and sometimes she will snatch my knife out of my pocket to use which could have bad consequences, worse still if I'm actually wearing the pants.

https://www.alphaknifesupply.com/zdata-bladesteelS-CPMS30V.htm

https://www.alphaknifesupply.com/zdata-bladesteelS-CPMS110V.htm

I usually respect their opinions over at Alpha, and have done business with them. Bottom line is the s110v, all else being equal, will have greater wear resistance and less toughness than s30v. But these things are effected not only by hardness, but the quality of the heat treat.

 

[tradertator]

Is there any particular reasons that you don't care for the Lansky system?

I expected to get differing opinions from actual users and that's why I decided to start this thread. Anytime you Google something, the results seem to be skewed toward the positive end of things and you really have to dig and burn a lot of time to hear from the detractors.

As for handling multiple options, I'd love to but I don't really have the time or budget to be driving all over the place. Are there any knife dealers close to the Bloomington or Linton area that I'm unaware of? The only things I seem to be able to come up with are the big box stores who carry the low-end Chinese-made knives, the gas stations who carry the "Ultra-cool-but-utterly-useless Zombie killer 3000," and the mom and pop hardware/work wear stores that carry one small display of Case knives.

The Lansky takes too long to setup, and I'm lazy. I feel like I can get the same edge with the Sharpmaker, with way less setup.

Cosner's in Bedford carries a little bit of cool stuff, mostly Microtech. JL Waters in Bloomington has a nice selection of Benchmade stuff. Your best bet would probably be Nashville. Apache Tactical used to carry a lot of really nice stuff, but they are getting more and more Chi-Com garbage unfortunately. The Men's Toy shop however has a ton of Benchmade, Microtech, and Spyderco stuff.

Here you go, for $200 darn near exactly this is impossible to beat. A titanium framelock ZT0620 featuring Elmax steel (I like Elmax better than S30 as it is much less likely to "roll" in my experience). You stated that you like simplicity in a knife this is pretty much is just a big old titanium locking bar with a stainless steel lock interface has a G10 show side so your sweaty hands are a non-issue and best of all IMHO it features an Emerson Wave opener. I personally carry a 0620CF myself and it is a great EDC knife IMHO slices really well and is a overall great knife, just a bit of a higher end option versus the PM2 and at the same price point currently as the 0620 has been discontinued and is no longer protected under ZT's MAP policy.

Zero Tolerance 0620 Tanto Emerson Knife (3.60" Black) ZT - Blade HQ

https://www.amazon.com/Lansky-Profe...=1482112304&sr=8-4&keywords=lansky+sharpeners

One thing I would warn about Elmax is it is a nightmare to sharpen yourself from my experience. And if edge maintenance is a concern to the OP, I would consider a different steel.

What about S110V as opposed to S30V? I chose the S30V because it seemed like a very well-rounded steel, is the S110V just a better version?

Also, can anyone compare the PM2 to the Manix 2?

The ZT knives are nice, and I've heard nothing but great things about them, but for some reason I like the looks of the Spyderco line better.

S30V has been around forever, and was the go-to steel for many high end knife makers. S110V is great stuff too though. A little harder to sharpen from my experience, but also has a little better edge retention. Either should be fine, but I tend to favor S30V. Personally, I prefer S35VN over both of them. All that said, I wouldn't overthink the steel. I used to, and now find that I like some of the old staples the best, like 154CM. I like stuff a little on the softer side. It bends rather than breaks, rolls rather than chips, etc..... And ease of edge maintenance is an important factor for me

I like the ergonomics of lock on the Manix, and hate the lock on the PM2. That's purely my opinion though, and there are many that feel the complete opposite. You just need to try both, and decide which is better for you.

 

[Eight]

Also, can anyone compare the PM2 to the Manix 2?

I've had a PM2 for over a year and I edc it almost exclusively. I purchased Manix 2 light weight as a gift and tried it out in the pocket. I felt a notice le difference in the pocket presence between the two. While the ?anix 2 is lighter, it felt more intrusive due to its wider blade shape. My PM2 disappears. I honestly think the Manix2 has a more attractive blade shape, but the PM2 almost seems like it is several blade types in one. The needle like tip is particularly useful. I think it is the perfect knife.

 

[Ruffnek]

The Men's Toy shop

Even if I were to get no other useful information from this thread, thank you for this. I had no idea that there was any where near me that carried quality gear.

 

[Ruffnek]

As for your wife reaching in to grab a knife, that's just an accident waiting to happen IMO

Normally, it only happens when the pants are laying at the end of the bed. If they're on me, she usually just asks me to get the knife out and cut whatever it is that needs cutting so that she doesn't have to mess with the knife at all. I have no clue why she's so fearful of blades but she's been known to be clumsy so... I just wouldn't want her to reach into my pants pocket and pull out my knife, it come open, and have her freak out and cut herself.

 

[rhino]

One thing I would warn about Elmax is it is a nightmare to sharpen yourself from my experience. And if edge maintenance is a concern to the OP, I would consider a different steel.

Appropriate abrasives help when sharpening Elmax or anything else that is hard abrade. Diamonds are a sharpener's best friend.

 

[M67]

Even if I were to get no other useful information from this thread, thank you for this. I had no idea that there was any where near me that carried quality gear.

Just to warn you, last time I was in that place, it was a big let down.

Typical Nashville tourist junk with a couple decent knives. I had a larger knife selection than they did.

But I was there before they had their FFL too so it has been a while

 

[fjw2]

Not really interested in tanto blades or the Wave system. My wife is terrified of sharps (no clue why but I can't seem to break her of it) and sometimes she will snatch my knife out of my pocket to use which could have bad consequences, worse still if I'm actually wearing the pants.

I bought my wife her own knife years ago.That takes of her cutting needs in general, as long as she has it with her at the time of need. If not, she just asks to use one of mine. She knows better than to just take it from my pocket.

 

[Ruffnek]

Well, I have a PM2 in the mail courtesy of Brad's Knives. Amazing service!

 

[HamsterStyle]

Well, I have a PM2 in the mail courtesy of Brad's Knives. Amazing service!

He is awesome. I was just talking today that I really want to pick up a Spyderco in the near future. Good luck with it.