Microtech Ultratech vs Spyderco Manix 2

“I think they're different horses for different races. First off, I prefer the LW version of both. Spyderco has talented injection molding engineers, and both knives are very strong and light weight. The Para 3 LW is IMO EDC perfection. The rounded scales are super comfortable, minimize hot spots and help make it unobtrusive in the pocket, even in relatively tight slacks or jeans. The blade length and shape are very versatile. The compression lock makes it super fast to deploy and stow one-handed. The Manix 2 LW, however, is a great general-use work knife. You buy this knife when you do a lot of manual labor and wear pants with roomy pockets, because it does take up a lot of room in the pocket despite its light weight. The lock and opening hole make it extremely easy to use with even super heavy duty work gloves on. It's a longer blade with a more robust tip than the Para 3 LW, which can help for cutting tasks that require very long, hard cuts. It's also on the less-expensive end for Spyderco so you might feel less bad about beating it up at work.”

“If things escalated *past* the firearm and into knife territory things are so fucked that it literally doesn’t matter what it is, long as it’s sharp and pokey. I would say that’s probably a situation where you don’t want a folding knife because shit is going down fast. You didn’t give a budget but if you’re looking solely at a defensive scenario I would either go fixed blade or Microtech OTF. The Cypher II is excellent, and there’s the classic Combat Troodon. But the Leek is a fine knife. The Damascus is just for looks, I’d stick to a real steel for maintenance reasons. I don’t know what their composition is but Kershaw uses some good steel like 154cm or even Magnacut.”