CF Help Please?

[Lance Uppercut]

Hi All,

I'm pretty new to Spyderco, and all I currently own is an FRN Delica 4 FFG and an FRN Dragonfly 2. I have had them both for several months now and they see pretty much even pocket time. I use the Dragonfly at work, when I travel, and when I get dressed up. I use the Delica all other times (i.e. around the house, on the weekends, and going out for a casual evening).

I have decided to purchase a higher quality knife and have zeroed in on the Sage 1 and the Chaparral. The point of my explanation above is to illustrate that I have equal use for both a small and medium-sized knife. For the sake of argument, let's just assume I will only be getting one. The other may happen, but if it does, it probably won't be for quite some time.

That being said, which one should I get? Which of the two would you suggest to someone new to Spyderco? Alternatively, which would you choose for yourself if you could have only one of the two?

[iwolf81]

Hi Lance,

First, welcome to the neighborhood!

You've done your research well. Both the Chaparral and Sage I are great steps up. I recently got both myself. Given that you already have a Dragonfly, which is only slightly smaller than the Chaparral, I would suggest the Sage I as your next step. It's a little larger than the Delica, but still carries easily in the pocket, whether clipped or unclipped. It is also still small enough not to scare most folks at work.

Regards,
Ira

[mattman]

Tough question. Without knowing your usage needs, I am going to suggest the Sage, only because it is the the one least similar to your others... liner-lock vs your 2 mid-locks, thicker blade stock. they are both great knives, but the Chapperral is just a bit too much like your others, so my suggestion is in the vein of "expanding your horizons".

[dgulbra]

I would go Sage 1. Its a perfect size, great looking and different from what you already have.

[The Deacon]

There's no wrong choice here, just a question of which will suit you better. Both are excellent knives, use the same steel, the same style clip, and the same textured CF scale material.

The Sage is more hand filling and at least arguably more robust due to its thicker blade. It features open frame construction, which some favor. It's also as "lefty friendly" as a wrong handed lock can be. Which is never a bad thing, as even right handed people occasionally need to use a knife left handed.

The Chapparral is the better slicer, due to it's thinner blade. It would be the best choice if you live in, or might need to visit, an area where only blades under 3" are legal. It's also lighter and significantly thinner overall, which makes it the better choice if pocket space is at a premium or "printing" an issue.

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[jackknifeh]

You are making the decision I made about a month ago. I was dead set on a Sage1 then the Chaparral appeared. I chose the Sage1 to be the first of the two because if I could only have one I'd want the tougher of the two. Also, I have a Michael Walker to serve as a smaller "nice" or dress knife. Like I said though the Sage is the first of the two. I'm looking forward to the Chaparral for Christmas. I often carry something larger along with a smaller knife also. Right now it's a Gayle Bradley on my belt using a leather sheath with a great big Spyderco spyder tooled into the leather.

Not knowing your needs I'd say if you carry one knife and never know if you'll need one that is a little stouter I'd go with the Sage1. BTW, the Sage1 is my absolute favorite knife in the world (at the moment). Even after I get the Chaparral I believe the Sage1 will still be my favorite but I plan on loving the Chaparral.

Jack

[dschur]

As someone who owns and loves both, I would immediately and unequivocally recommend the Sage 1 be purchased first.

It is an all-time classic.

The Chapparal is a great knife, the Sage 1 is phenomenal.

[Donut]

I think it comes down to which type of lock you like more.

I would prefer to buy the Sage 1 first because I think it is an all around better knife, but I expect to use the Chaparral much more than the Sage 1 because I prefer a lock back.

[phillipsted]

As a user of both of these knives, I would also recommend the Sage over the Chaparral for your first CF Spydie. I agree with what everyone else is saying here, but the Sage 1 is in a class all by itself.

TedP

[jtoler_9]

Hey Lance, let me know what you end up with. I'm in the same position, looking to add a TC carbon fiber to my Spydies. Course I may end up with the Caly 3 CF ZDP. Also a sweet knife. Tough decision, I wish you luck either way.

[Bruce]

Maybe this helps you, the 2 knives you have + a Sage and Chaparral:



Whichever one you choose, they're both great!

[Lance Uppercut]

Hey Lance, let me know what you end up with. I'm in the same position, looking to add a TC carbon fiber to my Spydies. Course I may end up with the Caly 3 CF ZDP. Also a sweet knife. Tough decision, I wish you luck either way.

So I ended up getting the Sage 1. The knife is absolutely AMAZING. However, it's just a little large for my tastes for an EDC blade. I wanted to keep it but realized that it probably would only get carried around the house, so I ended up selling it to a friend. He's never owned a Spydie before, so at least I got a new Spyderco convert out of it!

Anyway, now I've also started looking at the Caly 3 since it's pretty much the same size as the Delica I have and love. So now it's between the Caly 3 and Chaparral...

[jackknifeh]

So I ended up getting the Sage 1. The knife is absolutely AMAZING. However, it's just a little large for my tastes for an EDC blade. I wanted to keep it but realized that it probably would only get carried around the house, so I ended up selling it to a friend. He's never owned a Spydie before, so at least I got a new Spyderco convert out of it!

Anyway, now I've also started looking at the Caly 3 since it's pretty much the same size as the Delica I have and love. So now it's between the Caly 3 and Chaparral...

I don't have a Caly3 so I won't comment on it. I have had a Sage1 for about a month and it immediately became my all time favorite knife and still is. I got a Chaparral yesterday in the mail and love it. If your only complaint about the Sage1 is it is a little too big I'd say the Chaparral is just right for you. The only real difference is the lock which is perfectly fine with me. In fact I may carry the Chaparral in my pocket without a clip. I like the lockback better for that because the liner lock left the back of the handle open for loose change, keys, etc. to get in there and dull the edge. It never happened to my knives but I think it could. But I know it won't with the Chaparral. Luck with what you decide.

Jack
PS Edit: Another thing I like about the Sage1 or Chaparral over the Caly3 is less of a thumb ramp. I never really liked that but know it has to be there on some knives to allow room for the hole. Both the Sage1 and Chaparral spine is almost flat. That's just my opinion though. The hump is one reason I never did get a Caly3. It is even larger than a lot of other knives with the hump (thumb ramp).

[ViperGTS]

So I ended up getting the Sage 1. The knife is absolutely AMAZING. However, it's just a little large for my tastes for an EDC blade. I wanted to keep it but realized that it probably would only get carried around the house, so I ended up selling it to a friend. He's never owned a Spydie before, so at least I got a new Spyderco convert out of it!

Anyway, now I've also started looking at the Caly 3 since it's pretty much the same size as the Delica I have and love. So now it's between the Caly 3 and Chaparral...

Lance,

I had the same concern. I wanted to add a Sage to my collection but held off for now because I think it may be a bit too big for my EDC needs. No doubt its an amazing knife & I'l probably own one some day soon.

Try the Chaparral. It's my favorite knife right now that Spyderco makes. its a great size blade, and takes up much less room in your pocket.

It's very close in blade size to the Delica, but with a handle closer in size to the Dragonfly. its kind of in between the 2 you have now.

Good luck whatever you decide. :spyder:

[The Deacon]

Here's a shot with all three, for size comparison...

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I have all three, and they're all well made knives, but my Chaparral gets the most carry time. Caly 3 is thin and light, Chaparral is thinner and lighter. Caly 3 is an amazingly good slicer, Chaparral is even better. Caly 3 has the better ateel in terms of edge retention. Chaparral has the better steel in terms of rust resistance. Chaparral uses the same CF as the Sage I and, IMHO, it's better looking and offers better grip than the CF on the Caly 3.

[Lance Uppercut]

PS Edit: Another thing I like about the Sage1 or Chaparral over the Caly3 is less of a thumb ramp. I never really liked that but know it has to be there on some knives to allow room for the hole. Both the Sage1 and Chaparral spine is almost flat. That's just my opinion though. The hump is one reason I never did get a Caly3. It is even larger than a lot of other knives with the hump (thumb ramp).

I was actually wondering about the thumb ramp. I wonder if it would cause one's thumb to feel a little cramped when choked up on the blade with your index finger in the 50/50 choil. I enjoy the ramp on the Delica, but since there's no choil, you're not choked up on the blade thereby allowing for a natural extension of the thumb. That, and the Caly3's ramp looks to have a somewhat steeper incline than that of the Delica. I could be way off here, though. Anyone have any insight?

Lance,

I had the same concern. I wanted to add a Sage to my collection but held off for now because I think it may be a bit too big for my EDC needs. No doubt its an amazing knife & I'l probably own one some day soon.

I found the length of the Sage1 to be fine, but it was just a little too chunky overall for my personal tastes. It would get in the way when I would go into my pocket for my smartphone. With the Chaparral, I like how much blade you get for something that can fit into the fifth pocket of your jeans. Regarding the Sage, I realized that I just don't require that much knife for my usual EDC needs. And it's too classy for me to want to put it to work around the house (I'll probably end up eventually getting something like a Para2, Manix2, or Superleaf to fill that niche.)

I have all three, and they're all well made knives, but my Chaparral gets the most carry time. Caly 3 is thin and light, Chaparral is thinner and lighter. Caly 3 is an amazingly good slicer, Chaparral is even better. Caly 3 has the better ateel in terms of edge retention. Chaparral has the better steel in terms of rust resistance. Chaparral uses the same CF as the Sage I and, IMHO, it's better looking and offers better grip than the CF on the Caly 3.

Thank you for the rundown. It definitely makes me lean back towards the Chaparral. I really dug that textured CF on the Sage1. I might have to give it a shot.

[jackknifeh]

I was actually wondering about the thumb ramp. I wonder if it would cause one's thumb to feel a little cramped when choked up on the blade with your index finger in the 50/50 choil. I enjoy the ramp on the Delica, but since there's no choil, you're not choked up on the blade thereby allowing for a natural extension of the thumb. That, and the Caly3's ramp looks to have a somewhat steeper incline than that of the Delica. I could be way off here, though. Anyone have any insight?

I like a thumb ramp for only one thing. It provides safety against having your hand slide forward onto the blade. By having the ramp there you can exert more forward pressure when doing hard cutting tasks. That is one primary purpose of the index finger choil also. The finger choil also helps the blade stop on your finger when closing it rather than the edge hitting your finger. Other than keeping the hand from sliding forward when cutting, I don't care about the ramp. But, if it came to removing the ramp and having to remove the hole and using a thumb stud I'd keep the ramp. I like the hole better than a thumb stud for opening the blade.

I don't think the excessive ramp on Spyderco knives is unattractive but it's definately not attractive. First glance at Spyderco knives by most people leaves the feeling that the knives are a little strange looking. Every strange looking thing about Spyderco knives has a purpose and after using them they stop looking strange because they are so comfortable and functional IMO.

Jack