The Sage: A stellar EDC

[Coastal]

It's definitely stellar. Unfortunately, for me it fits neatly into the neither-fish-nor-fowl niche, and never gets carried. A little bigger than I want in the house, and when I go out I'm likely to grab something much bigger. Plus, mine is a Sage 5 which I found cheap. Maybe I should try to score one of the earlier versions, all of which I would like better.

Probably need to give it some pocket time, just to be sure...

[abbazaba]

I hope Spyderco makes a Sage 4 lightweight.

^this!

[nerdlock]

It's definitely stellar. Unfortunately, for me it fits neatly into the neither-fish-nor-fowl niche, and never gets carried. A little bigger than I want in the house, and when I go out I'm likely to grab something much bigger.

I have the same sentiments with the Sage series. I only have one (Sage 2) and it rarely gets carried. The Para 3 and other similar sized knives already fill the niche that the Sage offers for me. Plus there's something that I personally find weird about the aesthetics of the Sage series, but that one is a personal design taste issue and not the knife's fault in itself.

However if I can ever find a Sage 4, that would be a grail moment for me.

[gooeytek]

What could match the Sage 1 in Maxamet? Maybe a Sage 2 in Magnacut?

Sage 2 in Maxamet

[Tristan_david2001]

Sage--it's really good. Put the Sage on diet & exercise, and you get a Caly 3.

Maybe you put him on just the diet you get the calypso jr. ?

[Steeltoez83]

The sage 3 is my go to knife for weddings. I really like the wider scales on that one so it's probably my favorite from the others I own. The maxamet sage 1 is a close second but I bought that for the maxamet. I think the sage sort of covers gents carry, edc, even a moderate working environment. The 3 inch legality is nice for legal reasons too. I find with other platforms I need variety of steels for my own enjoyment. I like how the sage series pays homage to past and present pioneers. And the s30v in my opinion united the knife industry imo. Plus a slight kickback to alzheimers treatment. I haven't checked out any 5 lightweights yet but I have a feeling I won't like it. Not too small not too big just at a great size for edc.

[kobold]

What could match the Sage 1 in Maxamet? Maybe a Sage 2 in Magnacut?

Sage 2 in Maxamet

Well, done. That's perfect.

[Bolster]

It's definitely stellar. Unfortunately, for me it fits neatly into the neither-fish-nor-fowl niche, and never gets carried...

I have the same sentiments with the Sage series. I only have one (Sage 2) and it rarely gets carried…

I agree — this is odd, isn’t it? I recognize the Sage as an excellently designed knife (own three of them), yet have never fallen in love with it, like I have the Caly, the Caly Jr, the Manix, and several others that find more pocket time. Why? For me it’s an “almost” perfect knife… if it were a little less 'tall' when folded (spine of blade to back of handle = 1.6"), if the butt's vestigial pinky hook didn't peek out when in pocket…small things…but it just never seems to get the place of honor that several of my other Spydies do. Weird. Because it seems like it should. On the few days I carry a Sage I think of it as a Caly 3 replacement, and since I can't get a new Caly 3, well, the Sage is close, and a very good knife. I think it deserves love, now I just need to love it.

[Coastal]

I have a feeling that if I owned a Sage 2 or 4 I might carry it.

[Bolster]

I have a feeling that if I owned a Sage 2 or 4 I might carry it.

Those are the others I own, besides an M4 5. I find the Sage 4 uncarryable. A beautiful knife, but remarkably thick and heavy. The Sage 2 is nice if you are a framelock fan, though the titanium does not make it light, as you might expect. My favorite of the 3 I own is, by far, the comp lock M4 5 clad in FRN.

[Tristan_david2001]

I have a feeling that if I owned a Sage 2 or 4 I might carry it.

Those are the others I own, besides an M4 5. I find the Sage 4 uncarryable. A beautiful knife, but remarkably thick and heavy. The Sage 2 is nice if you are a framelock fan, though the titanium does not make it light, as you might expect. My favorite of the 3 I own is, by far, the comp lock M4 5 clad in FRN.

Is 1oz more than the g10 Caly 3 (3oz) really that remarkably heavy? I feel like that’s still a pretty decent weight. I’d be blessed to be able to carry a sage 4 once in a while.

[zuludelta]

It's definitely stellar. Unfortunately, for me it fits neatly into the neither-fish-nor-fowl niche, and never gets carried. A little bigger than I want in the house, and when I go out I'm likely to grab something much bigger. Plus, mine is a Sage 5 which I found cheap. Maybe I should try to score one of the earlier versions, all of which I would like better.

I think the Sage (particularly the Sage 5 Lightweight) is a great choice for someone who has room in their collection & budget for only one or two Spydercos. It comes in at a decent price, is a reasonable size & weight while offering more than enough blade length for EDC tasks & most workplace cutting needs, it has neutral enough ergonomics to be comfortable in various unconventional grips but is shaped/contoured enough that it will still lock in most hand sizes in the conventional hammer grip & sabre grip, it features a "finger-safe" lock that is one of the strongest in the market, and it comes in a particle metallurgy stainless "super steel" that is still a great performer despite its age. It shares a lot of the best characteristics of the most popular Spydercos, while not really having anything that can be unequivocally considered as a major flaw.

Despite all of that, I can understand why the Sage 5 may come off as a bit unexciting and plain to those who have more extensive Spyderco collections. I use it occasionally for work just because of how sound it is functionally, but it isn't a knife I tend to grab for personal carry outside of work because I have a choice of other Spydercos that I either have a personal connection to or provide some additional feature or come in a steel that I am currently more interested in experiencing.

[Bolster]

I have a feeling that if I owned a Sage 2 or 4 I might carry it.

Those are the others I own, besides an M4 5. I find the Sage 4 uncarryable. A beautiful knife, but remarkably thick and heavy. The Sage 2 is nice if you are a framelock fan, though the titanium does not make it light, as you might expect. My favorite of the 3 I own is, by far, the comp lock M4 5 clad in FRN.

Is 1oz more than the g10 Caly 3 (3oz) really that remarkably heavy? I feel like that’s still a pretty decent weight. I’d be blessed to be able to carry a sage 4 once in a while.

It's subjective, and since the subject in this case is me, the answer is yes. If you like a solid, heavy knife--if you are Apollonian--the Sage 4 is aces.

Zuludelta ^ yes! Just as you said.

[R100]

^^
You guys have nailed it. I have a Sage 5 LW and it is the most perfectly executed compression lock I have, I don't mind S30V, with a black clip it is unobtrusive in pocket and I feel like it could stand up to some heavy use if pushed. I use it sometimes when I need a low key work knife. Yet... it just doesn't take my fancy for some reason. The aesthetics don't really appeal and while it's great in the choil grip, I don't like the grip behind the choil. Even though they are all too small for my hand held like this, the Para 3 and Native 5 work better. I think I would like the Sage more if it was larger and if it maintained the same width while being stretched out it would look and feel better. On the other hand, I agree with Zuludelta(I usually do actually) that if you only had one or two Spydercos it would be a solid choice.

Dan

[anycal]

For me, in direct competition with the Native 5 and Para 3. Not a looker, but makes up for it in quality. And ergonomically, it fits right in this 'small' category.

[Sharp Guy]

I have a feeling that if I owned a Sage 2 or 4 I might carry it.

Those are the others I own, besides an M4 5. I find the Sage 4 uncarryable. A beautiful knife, but remarkably thick and heavy. The Sage 2 is nice if you are a framelock fan, though the titanium does not make it light, as you might expect. My favorite of the 3 I own is, by far, the comp lock M4 5 clad in FRN.

Is 1oz more than the g10 Caly 3 (3oz) really that remarkably heavy? I feel like that’s still a pretty decent weight. I’d be blessed to be able to carry a sage 4 once in a while.

I'm usually one who prefers lightweight knives. Yes, the Sage 4 is pretty solid but I've never thought it's overly heavy. It's not something I'd try to carry while wearing light athletic shorts (I wouldn't with a lot of my knives) but it's a non-issue when I'm wearing heavier shorts or blue jeans. For reference, according to Spyderco, the Sage 4 weighs 4.2 oz. The Manix 2 with skeletonized liners weighs 4.3 oz and a lot of people carry those. The Manix 2 without skeletonized liners is 4.9 oz. The first Manix I owned was one of those. I thought I'd hate it due to the weight. Turns out it carried better than I thought

Per Spyderco the Sage 2 weighs 3.5 oz.(3.4 oz on my scales) and the Para 3 weighs 3.4 oz. I just had a Sage 2 on one hand and a Caly 3 G10 (3.0 oz) in the other. I can't feel the difference

[nerdlock]

I have a feeling that if I owned a Sage 2 or 4 I might carry it.

It is a nice piece, no doubt, but I have other titanium models I carry more often, especially the Slysz series. My 2 is relegated to one of my knife storage boxes these days.

[Sharp Guy]

... it just doesn't take my fancy for some reason. The aesthetics don't really appeal and while it's great in the choil grip, I don't like the grip behind the choil. Even though they are all too small for my hand held like this, the Para 3 and Native 5 work better. I think I would like the Sage more if it was larger and if it maintained the same width while being stretched out it would look and feel better

It seems (and feels) to me that the Sages have the longer handle. This has been discussed a few times before and they're all basically the same handle and really close in size

[R100]

... it just doesn't take my fancy for some reason. The aesthetics don't really appeal and while it's great in the choil grip, I don't like the grip behind the choil. Even though they are all too small for my hand held like this, the Para 3 and Native 5 work better. I think I would like the Sage more if it was larger and if it maintained the same width while being stretched out it would look and feel better

It seems (and feels) to me that the Sages have the longer handle. This has been discussed a few times before and they're all basically the same handle and really close in size

The Sage does have a longer handle. It's just that for me the 3 finger grip behind the choil is more comfortable on the N5 and Para 3. I imagine this is to do with hand shape and is very individual. My hand is broad with fairly short thick fingers - I don't play piano.

Dan

[Tristan_david2001]

I have a feeling that if I owned a Sage 2 or 4 I might carry it.

Those are the others I own, besides an M4 5. I find the Sage 4 uncarryable. A beautiful knife, but remarkably thick and heavy. The Sage 2 is nice if you are a framelock fan, though the titanium does not make it light, as you might expect. My favorite of the 3 I own is, by far, the comp lock M4 5 clad in FRN.

Is 1oz more than the g10 Caly 3 (3oz) really that remarkably heavy? I feel like that’s still a pretty decent weight. I’d be blessed to be able to carry a sage 4 once in a while.

I'm usually one who prefers lightweight knives. Yes, the Sage 4 is pretty solid but I've never thought it's overly heavy. It's not something I'd try to carry while wearing light athletic shorts (I wouldn't with a lot of my knives) but it's a non-issue when I'm wearing heavier shorts or blue jeans. For reference, according to Spyderco, the Sage 4 weighs 4.2 oz. The Manix 2 with skeletonized liners weighs 4.3 oz and a lot of people carry those. The Manix 2 without skeletonized liners is 4.9 oz. The first Manix I owned was one of those. I thought I'd hate it due to the weight. Turns out it carried better than I thought

Per Spyderco the Sage 2 weighs 3.5 oz.(3.4 oz on my scales) and the Para 3 weighs 3.4 oz. I just had a Sage 2 on one hand and a Caly 3 G10 (3.0 oz) in the other. I can't feel the difference

Yeah that was really my main point, I feel like I’d personally have trouble feeling the difference of 1 ounce between the two, the sage model has a wider profile, so that 1 ounce extra doesn’t seem like it would be that bad to me, especially when you’re getting the benefit of that beautiful handle styling.