Spyderco Manix 2 vs SureFire Stiletto

“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.”

“Flashlight enthusiast and tactical operator operating operationally are completely different user sets with completely different use criteria. If you want a light that you can mount to a primary or secondary weapon that will withstand recoil, extreme temps, being dropped, banged, covered in dust and dirt, smashed and submerged repeatedly and never fail, then Surefire, Elzetta, Cloud, and Streamlight are the best choices. CRI and runtime are not part of the performance criteria. Other brands may work as weapon/tactical lights temporarily, but they will not withstand the working conditions long term.”