Sage 5 LW and Gloves

[Bolster]

I've been working in an attic all week, replacing ancient knob-and-tube wiring with Romex. I like to carry a 3" folder for attic duty: Large enough to pull from pocket and grasp with gloved hands, small enough to not poke my thigh as I contort my way through the attic. Blade short enough to be very controllable. I wear leather gloves because I'm often on all fours. Have been carrying a Sage 5 LW (in M4) which fits the bill. In all but one way. When it's time to put it away, it's difficult to thumb the locking tab on the comp lock with leather gloves.

Today I'm going to take a Mule on my belt and see if that makes life easier. However -- I'm open to suggestions on easy-to-open-and-close folding Spydies about this size (though a Delica doesn't fit my hand so well, and I'm not a fan of plain ricassos). I'm mostly interested in hearing from folks who regularly wear heavy gloves AND use Spydercos. What have you found works best for you?

[Red Leader]

The Sage 6 is probably the most immediate answer to your problem, and a great excuse to buy a new knife. I wear gloves all the time for work, and either a button comp lock or a backlock are the ones that rise to the surface for me.

[Danke]

This is a "how tall is a tree" question because the answer is "it depends".

The gloves are the X factor. Are they well fitting thin finished leather ones or just heavy rawhide $5 off the rack?

Even if you can get to the lock there's a good chance the tips of the gloves will be in the path of the closing blade now.

A better question would be what are you cutting and is there a electrician's tool better suited to the task?

Short of that make the commitment to always wear gloves when using a knife and develop the muscle memory around them.

Shoot for 4000-6000 repetitions.

And if I absolutely had to pick a knife cold for this it would be a Manix 2 with the ball bearing lock.

[Pokey]

I used my Tenacious with M4 up in the attic a couple of weeks ago. No problem pulling it out of the pocket, using it, folding it, and clipping it back on the pocket with gloves on.

[Evil D]

I don't have a Sage 5 so can't help there.

For me the undisputed king of gloved use was and probably always will be the Military 1. I've used that one with the most ridiculous mittens you can imagine, for extended periods inside a -20 degrees freezer, and I never had a problem opening or closing it (and this was also a time I really prefer non-deep carry clips).

I like the Military 2 a lot more for EDC but when winter really hits and I'm outside with thick gloves on I'll probably still grab my St Nick's Military 1.

[abbazaba]

Sage 1 is always the answer Pic from a few weeks ago while working on a project...



It's worth mentioning that it has significantly better Spydiehole access for a gloved thumb:



Get'em while you still can folks!

[zuludelta]

I've been working in an attic all week, replacing ancient knob-and-tube wiring with Romex. I like to carry a 3" folder for attic duty: Large enough to pull from pocket and grasp with gloved hands, small enough to not poke my thigh as I contort my way through the attic. Blade short enough to be very controllable. I wear leather gloves because I'm often on all fours. Have been carrying a Sage 5 LW (in M4) which fits the bill. In all but one way. When it's time to put it away, it's difficult to thumb the locking tab on the comp lock with leather gloves.

Today I'm going to take a Mule on my belt and see if that makes life easier. However -- I'm open to suggestions on easy-to-open-and-close folding Spydies about this size (though a Delica doesn't fit my hand so well, and I'm not a fan of plain ricassos). I'm mostly interested in hearing from folks who regularly wear heavy gloves AND use Spydercos. What have you found works best for you?

I don't have issues accessing a Compression Lock while wearing the work gloves I currently use at work, but back when I used to work in subzero temperatures and had to wear thick, insulated gloves every day, I found the Native 5 LW's mid-backlock to be easier to actuate than a Compression Lock: No need to squeeze the tip of my gloved index finger between the liners, and the lack of a Boye dent means that the lockbar doesn't have to travel as much as it does on the Delica for me to disengage the lock with my thumb for one-handed closing. As a bonus in your case, the ergos of the Native 5 LW are pretty close to the Sage 5 LW, so it will feel familiar in the pocket and in actual cutting use. I will also echo the suggestion of the Tenacious, it has a very generously-sized cutout for the linerlock.

[Danke]

Plan B. Take the knife out and cut the end of the index finger off the glove, right around where the first knuckle.

Problem solved.

[Bolster]

Plan B. Take the knife out and cut the end of the index finger off the glove, right around where the first knuckle.
Problem solved.

I'm not trading a splinter-pierced index finger to accommodate a knife design! LOL.

The gloves are the X factor. Are they well fitting thin finished leather ones or just heavy rawhide $5 off the rack?

They are relatively expensive, heavy leather gloves appropriate to crawling around in attics and crawl spaces and protecting hands. I don't recall if they were on a rack or not. I don't use thin sports car driving gloves for rough work. I don't know anyone in the trades who does.

A better question would be what are you cutting and is there a electrician's tool better suited to the task?

Whatever I need to cut in an attic or crawlspace. Could range from electrical tape to cardboard to wood to drywall. I can't think of an electrician's tool that's better suited. I'm a heavy user of utility knives, but for attic/crawl work a heavier (thicker) knife is more useful. You don't get to carry a lot of tools with this kind of work so you need one blade that does it all.

And if I absolutely had to pick a knife cold for this it would be a Manix 2 with the ball bearing lock.

The Manix works, and is a good suggestion (I have tried it, works with gloves) but it binds in the pocket when maneuvering through limited space due to its size. Anything larger is a hard no. This may be a case where the framelock Sage (as suggested above by abbazabba) might be the answer. Looks easier to manipulate with gloves.

I've not tried a Spyderco button frame lock yet, but that does sound like a really good solution. I'll take your word (@Red Leader) that it works well with heavy gloves. A backlock? Maybe. I like an easy-open blade but, maybe. I'll try it out -- I have a Caly3.

[Danke]

Close quarters. Here's me in the attic doing some wiring (with gloves).

[Pokey]

Close quarters. Here's me in the attic doing some wiring (with gloves).

Man, where were you when I needed to replace some HVAC ducting a few weeks ago?

[srivats]

I've been working in an attic all week, replacing ancient knob-and-tube wiring with Romex. I like to carry a 3" folder for attic duty: Large enough to pull from pocket and grasp with gloved hands, small enough to not poke my thigh as I contort my way through the attic. Blade short enough to be very controllable. I wear leather gloves because I'm often on all fours. Have been carrying a Sage 5 LW (in M4) which fits the bill. In all but one way. When it's time to put it away, it's difficult to thumb the locking tab on the comp lock with leather gloves.

Today I'm going to take a Mule on my belt and see if that makes life easier. However -- I'm open to suggestions on easy-to-open-and-close folding Spydies about this size (though a Delica doesn't fit my hand so well, and I'm not a fan of plain ricassos). I'm mostly interested in hearing from folks who regularly wear heavy gloves AND use Spydercos. What have you found works best for you?

If you like the size of the Sage, have you tried Native 5? Back lock will be easier to use with gloved hand. Or you can get one of things that you glue/attach to the comp lock tab to make it easier.

Pic from google to show relative size -

[Bolster]

Or you can get one of things that you glue/attach to the comp lock tab to make it easier.

Nice!! Do you like it? Can you give me a source?

[abbazaba]

Or you can get one of things that you glue/attach to the comp lock tab to make it easier.

Nice!! Do you like it? Can you give me a source?

https://www.etsy.com/market/spyderco_co ... n_lock_tab

I've never tried one. I did a quick search on Thingiverse but didn't find a free model... There is probably one out there if you have a 3d printer.

I still endorse Sage1 as the only real solution

Edit: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/sp ... ock-button

[srivats]

Or you can get one of things that you glue/attach to the comp lock tab to make it easier.

Nice!! Do you like it? Can you give me a source?

I don't have direct experience .. but I have seen folks using it and liking it. Lot of sellers on etsy doing that. As I said that pic was from google to show relative Sage/Native size and to show you that tab.

[aicolainen]

Nice to see, or at least hear about knives being used.

As you know I live where the gods forgot to install a heating, so I've used just about all my Spydercos with gloves.
It mostly works very well, but my experience might not be directly comparable. For one I've never tried any of the Sages (forgive me Sal, I'll get to it eventually). The closest comparison would be the Para 3, which I can operate surprisingly easy with gloves. I'm also not sure I've used gloves that are directly comparable, I use ski gloves a lot. They're usually padded, so adds a bit of volume to my hands, but they're softer and more pliable than a coarse leather glove would be. For work I use what we directly translated call assembly gloves around here. I have different types, both leather and rubber coated elastic fabric, even some slightly thicker ones that have a cut rating, but they're all made very thin to preserve dexterity for detail work.
Another thing worth mentioning is that for outdoor use, where I use the thickest gloves, I often go up in knife size. That doesn't really seem like an option for you.

My overall favorite lock that works well in any condition, with gloves or without is the mid backlock.
But like mentioned above, a liner lock can work just as well or even better with gloves if the lock release is made accessible enough.
The Sage 1 looks to be very well suited. To be honest I've never given any thought to this aspect of the Sage 1. Why @abbazaba ? Here I was living a perfectly happy life without a Sage 1 and now it's competing for the S5 Salt's spot on my priority list :)
Native 5 has been mentioned. I know you're not totally sold on the N5. I have a complicated relationship with it as well, but it's too good to not have around. It's a pretty obvious candidate if you're looking for a easy to manipulate work knife in that size bracket.
While maybe too big, I can't not mention the Stretch for this use case. Stretch 1 is my favorite and more closely fits your size requirement, but the Stretch 2 in k390 is a work horse. And even for someone with slim paw like me, the S2 fits better with gloves. S1 is a perfect fit without gloves and OK with assembly gloves.

Honorable mention to Rockjumper/Leafjumper. At work I regularly do hands on work with electrical systems, though as I mostly work with electronics and control systems it's typically not very heavy duty stuff. For this the Dragonfly 2, wharncliffe has been a stellar companion. Carries easy, very nice for precision cuts, cutting in tight spaces and getting under zip ties etc.
At home where I deal with slightly rougher electrical work I've been using the Rockjumper for similar tasks. Overall I like the DF2 better (for precision and access in tight spaces), but the Jumpers are definitively easier to manipulate with gloves and the longer edge proves useful at times. I know you're also not crazy about acquiring more VG-10, but maybe there's still k390 Leafjumpers to be found?

[Wartstein]

Or you can get one of things that you glue/attach to the comp lock tab to make it easier.

Nice!! Do you like it? Can you give me a source?

Started a thread about that kind of device once (with a link to some vid)

viewtopic.php?t=90167

I think David / @Evil D has experience with it...?

[vivi]

some thoughts after reading the OP:

- Try pants with pockets on the side. It eliminates the issue of folder length. So does IWB carry and back pocket carry. There's a lot of ways to carry a knife besides front pocket.

- Any time I know I'll be wearing leather work gloves for an extended period, I prefer a fixed blade at 3 o clock. For me that mostly means doing trail maintenance and using machetes, or cold weather camp chores with a 5-7" fixed blade.

- If for some reason I'm sticking to a folder, I like a lockback with no boye dent and a generously sized lock release. C95 Manix and CS 4 Max are great for this.

- When using a compression lock I personally find it easier to use my index finger to release the lock, gloved or not. Maybe give that a shot instead of your thumb.

- Maybe just leave a knife up there and grab it when you need it but don't carry it on you.

[Evil D]

Or you can get one of things that you glue/attach to the comp lock tab to make it easier.

Nice!! Do you like it? Can you give me a source?

Started a thread about that kind of device once (with a link to some vid)

viewtopic.php?t=90167

I think David / @Evil D has experience with it...?

I like them quite a bit. I initially had some negative things to say about them until I tried one, and I've since gone back and deleted those comments because I was wrong about them. I've put them on all my user compression lock knives.

I like them enough to glue one onto a $340 Sprint run lol.

[Bolster]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies, guys. I am going to have to try a comp lock add on button. That's gotten me very curious.