Sage 6, WHO'S EXCITED

[bandaidman]

ill be curious how the left hand button will work for most people. as a lefty I like it

[Soban]

All right, I'll be the first to admit I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of the Sage series. I only have one Sage, the Sage 2 framelock. There's just something weirding me out about the overall curves and shape of the knife. It's just me though.

But the button lock on the Sage really blows me away. Being a big fan of the Smock, I really can't believe why there's no more button locks on the lineup. I believe it's the next evolution of the compression lock and definitely makes it more ambidextrous.

So who's excited for this one? Discuss.

Edit- though there's a slight disappointment in me that the 6th iteration isn't a cbbl, but this is good stuff. More button locks please.

its not just you, sage has a sort of ugliness to it compared to the native. that said, sage 3 bolt lock and sage 5 are 2 of my favorite spydies and smocks locking mechanism IS my favorite spydie locking so I'm very hyped for sage 6 especially s90v.

[Wartstein]

IMO it needs to be a CQI change for the entire compression lock lineup. This will solve my only real gripe with this lock, ...

Your gripe being the less than ideal ergos of the comp.lock due to the cutout - ??

It is anyway one of my three "gripes" with the comp.lock , and the button compression lock should solve two of those so yes, I AM excited.

(My second "gripe" is that the comp.lock is not the best for operation with gloves and cold, wet fingers (also concerning accidentally dropping the knife then) - the button should make that situation much better!
Third "gripe" remains though (weaker closing bias than for example a backlock)

[Evil D]

IMO it needs to be a CQI change for the entire compression lock lineup. This will solve my only real gripe with this lock, ...

Your gripe being the less than ideal ergos of the comp.lock due to the cutout - ??

It is anyway one of my three "gripes" with the comp.lock , and the button compression lock should solve two of those so yes, I AM excited.

(My second "gripe" is that the comp.lock is not the best for operation with gloves and cold, wet fingers (also concerning accidentally dropping the knife then) - the button should make that situation much better!
Third "gripe" remains though (weaker closing bias than for example a backlock)

Yep, though more and more I feel like one of the few that have this problem, I guess I have sissy hands or something but I always get hot spots on my palm when I use them hard. Then someone will always tell me to wear gloves or tell me I'm holding it wrong. I really don't care what the cause is when there's a solution looking right at us here.

[Infinite Zero]

Can someone please explain how the button lock is more lefty-friendly?

Mind you, I haven’t tried a lefty compression lock yet (my lefty Para 2 arrives tomorrow), but it appears that the button is designed to be pressed with the thumb, and would be on the wrong side for a lefty, requiring a compromise in grip.

[austrian_spyder_fan]

.....I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it.....

ASF

[riclaw]

ME! I don't own a Smock because of the blade cutout but this one seems to keep the outline of the Sage 5.

[RustyIron]

But I am a little disappointed that it won’t be hosting Spyderco’s excellent ball-bearing lock, at least not yet.

I agree that the caged ball bearing lock is the shizz. But a button-operated compression lock is still pretty cool. Spyderco makes a lot of compression lock knives that don't interest me because they're not ambidextrous. The addition of a button opens up a LOT of new possibilities.

[Wallach]

Definitely the best reveal this time. Been wanting Spyderco to do this ever since the Smock, and watching Vosteed come out with their "top liner lock" models and get so much praise for it only made me more certain Spyderco should have been doing the same.

Not sure yet which model I'll get, but at least one of them I'll try to get day 1.

[holokai]

Can someone please explain how the button lock is more lefty-friendly?

Mind you, I haven’t tried a lefty compression lock yet (my lefty Para 2 arrives tomorrow), but it appears that the button is designed to be pressed with the thumb, and would be on the wrong side for a lefty, requiring a compromise in grip.

The compression lock requires you to pinch the top of the scales; actuating a compression lock “normally” with an index finger allows you to keep your thumb and other fingers centered on/pinching the scales so you retain a solid grip.

A lefty using a right-handed compression lock will have to move their thumb up to actuate the tab. This will move their thumb-side force away from the vertical center of the scales, thereby reducing grip as the only grip on the knife is from the pinching force on the compression lock tab.

A button lock will keep the pinching forces centered on the scales regardless of thumb or index finger actuation so the grip is retained. Hope this makes some sense.

[ASmitty]

The CF/S90V might just dethrone my Mordax for pocket time.

So much more to love over the Smock: real CF, S90V, useable Spyder hole and full flat grind!

Is the Sage 6 on bearings, I don’t own any Sage’s yet?

I doubt the Sage 6 will be on bearings, but it's possible. I'd think that they'd retain the bushing style pivot of the Sage 5 though since it gives a completely drop shut action.

[ASmitty]

I think the Sage 6 will be great, and I’m looking forward to it.

But I am a little disappointed that it won’t be hosting Spyderco’s excellent ball-bearing lock, at least not yet. Maybe the Sage 7?

I, too, wish for a CBBL Sage at some point.

[Infinite Zero]

Hope this makes some sense.

It does. Thanks, that helps a lot!

[olywa]

Well done and thank you Spyderco! This falls under the 'BFD' classification for sure. I can't use the standard compression lock effectively on smaller knives and this makes that a non-issue for me. I'd love to see its' use expanded to other existing or new models.

[Soban]

The CF/S90V might just dethrone my Mordax for pocket time.

So much more to love over the Smock: real CF, S90V, useable Spyder hole and full flat grind!

Is the Sage 6 on bearings, I don’t own any Sage’s yet?

I doubt the Sage 6 will be on bearings, but it's possible. I'd think that they'd retain the bushing style pivot of the Sage 5 though since it gives a completely drop shut action.

no reason for it to be, even the FRN version is drop shut.

[Tristan_david2001]

I’ll keep my eye out for new caly/calypso stuff

[JSumm]

Can someone please explain how the button lock is more lefty-friendly?

Mind you, I haven’t tried a lefty compression lock yet (my lefty Para 2 arrives tomorrow), but it appears that the button is designed to be pressed with the thumb, and would be on the wrong side for a lefty, requiring a compromise in grip.

To me it is very similar to how I close a CL right handed. I broke my right hand last year and had to use knives left handed. The Smock was one of the few I gravitated to. Pinched the button with my left pointer finger like I would pinch the CL with my right pointer finger.

[hobbyist]

Is s90v worth the upgrade over s30v?

[Wallach]

Is s90v worth the upgrade over s30v?

S90V is a little less tough / chippier by comparison, but has way more edge retention. So if you mostly use your Sage for regular EDC stuff and don't think you'll do much where you might chip out the edge (hitting staples / fish bones / etc) it's a pretty good upgrade in terms of how long it'll hold an edge. At the same time, S30V is still a very good steel and if you were concerned even a little bit that you might ding the edge sometimes because you are a moderate / heavy user, I might stick with that so you don't have to worry about it quite as much.

Edit - I definitely thought S30V was tougher than it actually is, they're really not that far apart actually on second look.

[Zipper]

Is s90v worth the upgrade over s30v?

I have used s90v and S30v over the last 10-15 years in fixed blades for field dressing (including both Benchmade Saddle Mountains Skinners and Hidden Canyon Hunters) animals and pocket knives for EDC (work and home, multiple models and brands). I know what the charts say, so really can’t add anything to the science part of the question, that already hasn’t been done to death by a lot smarter people than me.
I can only add what I have learnt through use, sharpening and maintenance (empirical knowledge).
In practical use from arid and subtropical environments, I really don’t see a lot of difference in their corrosion resistance, especially when knives are put away clean and a lightly oiled.
I see no real difference in toughness field dressing animals and general EDC usage. The caveat to that statement is, I don’t intentionally abuse my hunting and EDC knives. If I could say anything about toughness, I have seen more noticeable differences between different makers toughness of s30v than s30v vs ??.
I use diamonds, so ease of sharpening really isn’t that big a deal with either steel. The right tools, technique and skill flatten most issues around ease of sharpening on most steels I have come across.
Both steels can get screaming sharpe if you do your part right.
Edge retention is the one area where I see a noticeable jump up in comparison, where s90v really shines over s30v. Really good for a stainless steel. For that reason it is a favorite of mine.
Is it worth the upgrade? - my opinion on the steel alone, is yes. But of course you are paying extra for carbon fiber scales (over carbon fiber/G10 laminate) as well. So this is not a fair comparison. The handle material is another comparison all together, and I have no real experience with carbon fiber/G10 laminate.
All of that aside, if the price difference is too much and you really want the knife to experience a Sage or a different action, I would be very comfortable with s30v. That is the reason I have Sage 5.