Oh The Choices...

[Jack F.]

I'm sure that this is posted on here all the time, but I'll ask it again.
Which Spyderco knife should I get?

Requirements: Finger choil, about a 3 inch blade, $150 or less, able to maintain an edge well.
I plan to do basic edc tasks with it such as cut boxes, rope, maybe occasionally a tiny bit of wood.
I've thought about the sage 1 however the reports that its odd blade angle make it hard to sharpen worry me as I was planning on getting a Spyderco sharpmaker along with whichever knife I end up getting.

I have been carrying a Leatherman multi tool for awhile and love it but the blade on it is just not up to par for a lot of things so I want a nice dedicated knife. Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[Evil D]

Whoever said a Sage is hard to sharpen needs to improve their technique or something.

How experienced are you with sharpening? I ask because you want a finger choil and a steel that will maintain an edge well, and in your price range you could get a S110V Manix 2 in either the lightweight or G10 version which are both excellent knives, but they're going to take some extra time sharpening if you're a novice.

[Johnnie1801]

No contest, PM2 in s110v :D

[remnar]

Hello Jack,

There is nothing odd about the Sage 1 blade that makes it more difficult to sharpen than any other blade. The Sage series sounds like what you're looking for, or maybe a Caly or Native. All of those fit the criteria that you have.

[ZesT]

Any of the sages, sage 5 is coming out later this year.

[sal]

Hi Jack,

Welcome to our forum.

Sage fits the requirements.

sal

[Evil D]

No contest, PM2 in s110v :D

Actually, quite a contest

[Jack F.]

I am a novice at sharpening so I don't want anything thats crazy hard to sharpen, how much more time do you think s110v would take over something like s30v?
And thank all of you for your super quick replies!

[Evil D]

I am a novice at sharpening so I don't want anything thats crazy hard to sharpen, how much more time do you think s110v would take over something like s30v?
And thank all of you for your super quick replies!

It's really only "harder" because it's literally harder, and more wear resistant. So, it's going to take more time and more passes on the same stone as S30V. If you don't do anything crazy and chip the edge, you can simply keep it sharp and you won't have any issues. This means touching up the edge on a regular basis (I do it after every use). Otherwise you can get the diamond rods for the Sharpmaker that will speed up the process of repairing chips and such. It's not impossible, it just takes more of the same to get from dull to sharp as any other steel.

[Surfingringo]

I would get one of the sages in s30v. S110v is not the easiest steel for a novice sharpener to work with. S30v is top notch steel and will be a big improvement over what you are currently using in your Leatherman. Within the Sage series, I am a big fan of the Titanium Sage 2.

[bdblue]

Nobody mentioned the native yet

[Jack F.]

What about lock types, all of these knives seem to have different types. Are there any that you all think are better or is the lock almost negligible because they all work about the same?

[3rdGenRigger]

They're all designed to be sufficiently strong and in all likeliness you'll snap the blade before any of the locks break. It just comes down to personal preference of usage. Some people really like liner and frame locks, some people like backlocks better, some people like the CBBL and bolt action locks more. There's also the aesthetic considerations too. The Sage knives will all perform very similarly due to their VERY similar dimensions etc. so if you have no preference over the type of lock you should go with whichever one appeals to you the most visually. I personally have a CF Sage 3 and a Sage 4.

[Holland]

Chaparral 1

[palonej]

No contest, PM2 in s110v :D

Actually, quite a contest

You read my mind David!!!

[Sharp Guy]

Sage fits the requirements.

sal

I would get one of the sages in s30v. S110v is not the easiest steel for a novice sharpener to work with. S30v is top notch steel and will be a big improvement over what you are currently using in your Leatherman. Within the Sage series, I am a big fan of the Titanium Sage 2.

Sage advice! Sage 1 or 2 are great choices IMO. I have a Sage 3 and like it a lot too but it's a little wider in the pocket than the others so I don't carry it very often.

Nobody mentioned the native yet

Also a great choice! As much as I like my Sages, the Natives see a little more pocket time for whatever reason.

[mattman]

It sounds to me that whoever he was reading about the "awkward angle" of the sage blade, was likely referring to the edge bevel, and they were having the typical "noob" issue of hitting the apex...

This is generally an issue with *any* knife that was final sharpened by hand during manufacture, and is generally just that, learning the difference between "sharpening", and "reprofiling"...

Spydercos Golden facility has recently upgraded to robotic final finishing for several, if not all, models coming from that plant, and they have been exceptional!

If you want to avoid this minor issue, start with a recent example from Golden, but, eventually you will need to understand and deal with this down the road, as you learn to sharpen.

[Philo Beddoe]

[timlara]

Hi Jack,

Welcome to our forum.

Sage fits the requirements.

sal

Welcome to the forum, Jack! I will cast another vote for the Sage line. Great EDC size and it offers multiple handle and lock choices with the different variations.

I'm going to go ahead and wishfully hope that Sal's mention of the Sage here is a hint that the Sage 5 will be dropping soon if it's on his mind! :)

[farnorthdan]

No contest, PM2 in s110v :D

Actually, quite a contest

Now thats one nice looking M2 right there fellas and gals :D