Sage 5 Lightweight

[elena86]

Thickness behind the edge .... anyone ?

I believe it’s.118 or 3mm.

Impossible !

[sal]

Hi Jcarr,

Welcome to our forum.

sal

[BornIn1500]

I believe it’s.118 or 3mm.

He didn't mean blade stock thickness. Behind-the-edge thickness is different. You'd need some good calipers to measure it.

[olywa]

Ordered one this AM and I'm looking forward to getting it in hand. Since the Native 5 Lightweight and Chaparral Lightweight hit I've had 2 other FRNs on my radar. That would be this one and the upcoming (rumored?) Caly 3.5 Lightweight. Plus I just picked up the FRN bonus I wasn't expecting, the Straight Spine Stretch.

Life is good!

[Gamecock]

Another thing on this knife...the edge is phenomenal. All of my Sprydercos have had good edge, but the sharpness on this one is the best of the bunch. It’s my first Taichung, so maybe that’s the norm with them.

[ugaarguy]

Mine arrived today. The bushing pivot gives it impressive opening and closing action. The FRN texture provides nice grip without being overly aggressive. The fit, finish, and overall build quality are right up there with the Sage 2 that it's replacing as my EDC. The FRN handle is the only thing that's less premium than the rest of the Sage models, but the bushing pivot is an upgrade. Sal and Co, thanks for giving us this more affordable Sage option.

[Wartstein]

Mine arrived today. The bushing pivot gives it impressive opening and closing action. The FRN texture provides nice grip without being overly aggressive. The fit, finish, and overall build quality are right up there with the Sage 2 that it's replacing as my EDC. The FRN handle is the only thing that's less premium than the rest of the Sage models, but the bushing pivot is an upgrade. Sal and Co, thanks for giving us this more affordable Sage option.

I like this design so much that I almost wished I´d be in the market for a small comp.lock knife... looks perfect in all its lines, just makes me want to grab and use it.
Especially the handleshape is done like imho it should be in a small (!) knife that still has a choil: Make the handle behind the choil rather straight at the butt end (so no "hook" or whatever),so that even bigger hands really get two true four finger grip options (one choked up in the choil,one behind the choil).
Taichung FRN pattern is great too: Does not look like it was bidirectional, but in fact really is.

My dream-version of this knife would feature a bit thinner bladestock (lets say 2.5mm, like the Delica, but 3.00 are at least still thinner than Para 3 and even Native) and a backlock, and finally make me buy another small knife.

[Nebrasketball]

Received my Sage 5 LW today. The knife is amazing, great work Spyderco team! Centering is perfect, the grind is even, and it’s screaming sharp from factory. The action is as good as my best PM2/3. The pivot bushing seems to be huge in standardizing the action right out of the box. I couldn’t be happier with the entire package.

[ailevin]

I've had the Sage 5 Lightweight about a week now, and my evaluation of it has actually changed quite a bit in that time. Initially i was a bit disappointed. I had expected it to be considerably lighter than my Sage 1 and the difference is less than half an ounce (on my scale 2.88 oz vs. 3.27 oz). I always liked the feel of the carbon fiber scales on the Sage 1, and out of the box the FRN was less appealing. Both Sages are considerably larger than the Chaparral FRN for an increase in blade length of less than a quarter inch. Also the compression lock didn't seem like anything that special at first, and I couldn't see what this knife was giving me that I didn't already have in the Sage 1. So on the day that the Sage 5 LW arrived I was seriously considering returning it to exchange for a CF Chaparral.

What a difference a week can make. First of all, the CF Sage 1 is very nice to admire and feels nice to the touch. Yet the FRN Sage 5 is better ergonomically, and the Sage 1 had been a favorite for ergonomics. I can't quite explain it but the Sage 5 LW carries better than the Sage 1. Maybe it's the small difference in weight or slight difference in clip placement. I know the form factor is essentially the same, but the Sage 5 LW hangs better in my pocket, and seems slightly less bulky to carry. Last but not least, I completely underestimated the compression lock. Now I have a much better sense of the term "fidget factor." The action is smooth and the knife is exceptionally easy to open and close. The mechanics are outstanding with a nicely centered blade, sure lock up, and no play. I have been unable to put it down all week. It is definitely a keeper.

[JMM]

Having owned every sage model, I can safely say the 5 lw is my favorite of them all, I sold my sage 1, 2, and 4, I have both the CF and G10 version of the sage 3, (which I still contend is the greatest locking mechanism ever produced by Spyderco) and now I have the 5 lw (as well as the standard CF 5) -- I have never been disappointed by a Taichung produced knife, but out of the box, the fit & finish, the movement of the new bushing, the blade sharpness, were/are better than any of the knives I've ever owned from Taichung... I was less than overwhelmed by the Para3 lw, but the Sage 5 LW is, IMHO, an absolute home run, I would wager it's going to have very a high spot in my EDC rotation for a long time to come... at 152 for the cf 5, had I the opportunity to physically hold a 5 LW, I would have gladly paid more than the 113 I paid for the 5 LW ... I can not think of another Spydie worth more bang for the buck (although the Resilience is sorta close) ... Simply awesome!

[Jmotley]

I’ve been loving the Sage 5 LW! I do hope we see some variations in the future. I do think a VERY slightly thinner blade would be nice. Handle color/steel/ serrated edge/ salt version would all be very welcomed in my book. Thanks again Sal and company

[toocool006]

Has anyone heard if there will be sprints of this guy?

[abbazaba]

Sal has hinted several times at more steels and colors but nothing confirmed yet.

[Edward_Scissorhands]

For an EDC, would you consider this Sage 5 LW or the Para 3 LW to be a better choice? The Sage seems to be higher quality, and the steel is better, but the Para 3 is marginally lighter.

[carrot]

For an EDC, would you consider this Sage 5 LW or the Para 3 LW to be a better choice? The Sage seems to be higher quality, and the steel is better, but the Para 3 is marginally lighter.

Honestly I think it comes purely down to the flavor of Spyderco you like most. The Sage5 inherits more Native DNA and the Para3 inherits more Military DNA. If you are a Chaparral fan, the Sage is its bigger sibling; if you are a PM2 fan, well, you already know what you like.

The original Paramilitary (with the oversize handles and square tang) was the first knife I ever really came to love, so I am firmly in the Para camp.

I still have yet to pick up any model of Sage though I've handled many.

[sal]

Hi Ailevin,

Welcome to our forum.

I'm glad that you didn't 'respond to the first impression. It always surprises me when someone will receive a new design and within a week change it, get rid of it or stash it. As a designer, we spent sometimes years refining and perfecting a design and it's always a bit disappointing for someone to make a snap judgement without giving the design an opportunity to demonstrate it's spirit.

sal

[Haunted House]

Sal has hinted several times at more steels and colors but nothing confirmed yet.

Nice! I’m definitely keen on a Sage 5/LW, just waiting for other steel options.

[Edward_Scissorhands]

For an EDC, would you consider this Sage 5 LW or the Para 3 LW to be a better choice? The Sage seems to be higher quality, and the steel is better, but the Para 3 is marginally lighter.

Honestly I think it comes purely down to the flavor of Spyderco you like most. The Sage5 inherits more Native DNA and the Para3 inherits more Military DNA. If you are a Chaparral fan, the Sage is its bigger sibling; if you are a PM2 fan, well, you already know what you like.

The original Paramilitary (with the oversize handles and square tang) was the first knife I ever really came to love, so I am firmly in the Para camp.

I still have yet to pick up any model of Sage though I've handled many.

Thanks! TBH, I like the look/shape of the Para 3 blade more than the Sage. Also, it's a little lighter. Wish the quality was a bit higher, but it's still not bad.

My main thing is, I don't like a lot of weight in my pocket. From the research I've done, it looks like it doesn't get much better than the Para 3 LW unless I want to get the itty bitty knives like the Dragonfly. About 2.4 oz seems to be the lower limit while still having a decent-sized grip and blade.

[Wartstein]

Thanks! TBH, I like the look/shape of the Para 3 blade more than the Sage. Also, it's a little lighter. Wish the quality was a bit higher, but it's still not bad.

My main thing is, I don't like a lot of weight in my pocket. From the research I've done, it looks like it doesn't get much better than the Para 3 LW unless I want to get the itty bitty knives like the Dragonfly. About 2.4 oz seems to be the lower limit while still having a decent-sized grip and blade.

Chaparral FRN: 2.1 oz
Delica: 2.3 oz
And that despite both having full liners...

Both imho a lot better than the Para 3, starting with the reasonably thin blade stock, the much better use of the available grip area and so on...

[Edward_Scissorhands]

Thanks! TBH, I like the look/shape of the Para 3 blade more than the Sage. Also, it's a little lighter. Wish the quality was a bit higher, but it's still not bad.

My main thing is, I don't like a lot of weight in my pocket. From the research I've done, it looks like it doesn't get much better than the Para 3 LW unless I want to get the itty bitty knives like the Dragonfly. About 2.4 oz seems to be the lower limit while still having a decent-sized grip and blade.

Chaparral FRN: 2.1 oz
Delica: 2.3 oz
And that despite both having full liners...

Both imho a lot better than the Para 3, starting with the reasonably thin blade stock, the much better use of the available grip area and so on...

I was looking at the Delicas, but I think I'd miss having the finger choil.