Spyderco Sage

Reviewed 07/02/2013 by Tony

-Price Paid: $85.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

This is the second time that I have purchased a Sage 1, the first time was when I picked up several of the Sage Series in a trade and decided to keep the Sage 2 instead because I wanted a Frame Lock at the time.

My best friend did say that I was making a mistake at the time and he was right, I should have kept the Sage 1 in the first place.

Well I have rectified that mistake and I couldn't be happier, the Carbon Fiber Scales are fantastic and don't scratch like the Titanium ones on the Sage 2 did.

The Liner Lock is plenty good enough for every day tasks and carry, with a low ride clip that makes the knife almost disappear into your pocket.

The idea of buying this knife was really to replace my Benchmade 525 that needed it's Omega Springs Replaced for the 3rd time and that was starting to get real old real fast.

If you just want a knife for every day carry that is reliable with great ergonomics in your hand and slips away in your pocket then the Sage 1 is defiantly well worth considering for the money.

Reviewed 05/31/2013 by M Prieto

-Price Paid: $105.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I love this knife. Great quality. Perfect size - 3", 3 oz and thin. Like the clip. Have worn everyday for last six months. Never notice. Great blade. Easy to open. Solid liner lock. Like the graphite-epoxy grip.

Reviewed 12/13/2012 by Jensen

-Price Paid: $108.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

nicest knife i own, hands down. taiwan built spydercos are on a whole 'nother level, please dont let that stop you from trying this masterpiece. remember, its not where its made that counts, its who made it.

i have no complaints after carrying this knife the better part of a year, its comfy, solid, carrys like a dream, and looks fantastic. lock up is solid and it makes a great, loud, percussion like sound when opened and held just right. super smooth open and close. fit and finish are flawless.

compared to other carbon fiber, s30v knives i think the price is more than fair and worth every penny. i buy other knives and carry them while theyre new, but the sage always ends up back in my pocket.
i gave a 9 for ergos because i have large hands and it can feel cramped if im not choked up using the choil, no big deal at all but woth noting. not the knifes fault.

Reviewed 06/20/2011 by Jon G.

-Price Paid: $97.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

The Spyderco Sage1 is a manual-action folding knife with a 3" S30V plain edge blade, a closed length of 4-3/16", and an overall length of 7-1/8". It weighs 3.2oz. All measurements are according to the Spyderco manufacturer's website.

Like all of the Sage series, the blade is a fully flat-ground spear-point design made out of CPM-S30V stainless steel. Out of box, the Sage came absolutely hair-splitting sharp with nice even bevels on both sides. The blade stock is 3mm thick and tapers to a fine, but not needle-thin tip. So far, I have used my Sage to cut office paper, a thin cardboard hang pack containing a Leatherman Micra for my girlfriend, thicker cardboard IKEA boxes, and heavy plastic furniture shrinkwrap, all of which were an absolute breeze to cut through. As far as I can tell, the blade is every bit as sharp as it came from the box. Granted, this is not very hard use and isn't a good gauge of edge retention, but reputation puts Spyderco's S30V as among the best among production knife-makers, in terms of their heat treat and overall performance.

Like many Spyderco knives, the Sage has a 50/50 choil (half steel, half handle) between the handle and blade, in which the index finger is meant to rest during use. This facilitates "choking up", allowing finer control over the blade during more precise cutting tasks. Behind the first choil is a narrow hump and fairly large handle cutout to access the liner lock release. When gripped, my middle finger and part of my ring finger fit into this cutout. Certainly usable, but not ideal for me and my hands. Behind that, the handle flares out slightly into the fairly blocky butt. The top of the handle is a basic arc shape.

The Sage's overall ergonomics seem to be designed for users with larger hands, but is still fairly comfortable in my smaller hands. Compared to the UKPK/Caly3 (a comparably-sized Spyderco folder), the Sage's choil is incrementally deeper and narrower, which makes it slightly more comfortable in larger hands. Nevertheless, I wear small/medium gloves, and the Sage's choil and overall ergonomics are quite comfortable for me. I actually find the Sage's blockier handle butt easier to grasp compared to the more tapered handle butt on the Caly3/UKPK.

The handles are made of twill-woven carbon fiber finished with some kind of epoxy-like resin, and have a slightly bumpy texture. I would consider the Sage1's "grippiness" in-hand between smooth FRN and textured G-10. The carbon fiber handle slabs sit atop skeletonized full-length stainless steel liners, lending both strength and aesthetics to the design.

The Sage is absolutely the smoothest and most solid liner lock knife I've encountered. As the Sage1 is meant to be a tribute to Michael Walker and his invention of the liner lock mechanism, this makes a certain amount of sense. The ball-bearing detent holding the knife closed is perfectly tuned: the in-handle retention is outstanding, shaking the knife when closed failed to bring the blade out of the handle. However, when the user deliberately moves the blade out of the handle, the knife glides easily out of the detent position. Whether you prefer opening your Spydies with the pad of your thumb in the hole, "flicking" the blade open with your thumbnail, or the infamous Spyder-drop, all will open the Sage in short order. The knife just glides open and closed with the slightest pressure, but has just enough tension/friction so that the blade doesn't swing freely on its pivot. It probably goes without saying, but the Sage locks up like a bank vault, with zero movement or play in any direction. Though liner lock mechanisms might be theoretically weaker and more susceptible to failure under stress, the liner lock on the Sage is absolutely solid, with the liner thickness taking up just under half of the blade's locking surface.

The Sage comes with an inconspicuous wire pocket clip, fitted into two handle indentations and attached with a single mini-torx screw. It can be repositioned for right- or left-handed tip-up carry, or removed entirely. It might look delicate, but from what I've read, Spyderco heat-treats their wire pocket clips, and they are much more durable than they appear. When clipped to the pocket, the knife buries quite deeply, with less than 1/2 inch of the handle butt showing. The clip tension against the carbon fiber handles is perfect: tight enough to ensure the knife will not fall out inadvertently, but loose enough to easily withdraw the knife and not wear out the clothing material.

Like most Spydercos, the Sage's closed width is somewhat wider than comparable knives from other makers, but the low-riding wire pocket clip helps compensate somewhat for this. I can fetch my keys from the same pocket my Sage is clipped to with minimal difficulty. When seated, the Sage is about the largest knife I'd like carrying in-pocket before getting uncomfortable. Your mileage (and attire and body shape) may vary though.

It's also worth mentioning that the fit and finish of this knife is flawless. I have never seen a production knife with this level of build quality and construction, made anywhere. I'm starting to believe that the country of origin isn't as relevant or accurate of a measure of quality. The manufacturer's quality control is what really matters, and Spyderco's is outstanding.

The Sage 1 is the first knife in a very long time that I've been legitimately excited about. I spent months researching this knife, and in my eyes, the hype around the Sage is well deserved. It has supplanted my Benchmade 943 as my daily carry favorite, and is absolutely perfect for my regular day-to-day urban cutting tasks. I would carry something a bit more robust for hiking or camping (my saber-ground Delica comes out then), but if you're looking for a solid, handsome urban carry knife, the Sage is an outstanding choice.

Reviewed 04/04/2010 by Domanfp

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

I have the sage II so these opinions do not reflect in any way the CF sage I as I have no experience with it.

When I saw that spyderco was making a Ti RIL knife I knew it was going to be a winner and that I had to have one. Sure enough when I got it I was super impressed. The fit and finish are perfect and the pivot and lock are both the smoothest I have come across. The only problem is that it seems a little heavy but what do you expect with dual Ti sides. Overall a custom quality piece at production prices.

Reviewed 04/04/2010 by txman321

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

The spyderco sage is an outstanding knife. The quality is top notch from spyderco and don't worry about it being made in Taiwan, it is equal to or a step above the seki city made spydercos. The carbon fiber handles are outstanding they provide excellent traction. The liners are skelentonized for reduced weight. the blade is full flat ground in S30V Steel. they can be had for a great value right now if you hunt around. One of spydercos best designs

Reviewed 04/04/2010 by bigmo66

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

It took me a little time to decide on buying the Sage 1 as I really like purchasing knives made in the USA. I knew however that Spyderco was not putting together any slouches with this series.

The Sage has been reviewed a lot in the communities so I won't go into great detail but just hit some key points.

-Fit & Finish is spectacular throughout

-Carbon Fiber scales are textured and gorgeous

-Blade is great design and came sharp as heck!

-Ergos are very good in hand

-Liner lock is solid as a rock

It's an overall great knife and I look forward to trying more in the series!

Reviewed 03/04/2010 by SteelSnob

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

Well I've never given any knife a full 10 rating and I've reviewed some great ones like Sebenzas but this one is phenomonal in every way. Flawless f&f,great ergos,super smooth action,tough build with lots of Titanium in the slabs,Heat treat of the S30V blade is spot on and at a price of $130 it just can't be beat. I also had a Sage 1 and it was great too. There are a lot of Ti framelocks out right now but this is one of if not the best out there. Dead centered blade,early lockup,polished hardware,opening hole,wire pocket clip,jimping on the choil and smooth edges are just some of the details that make this knife a must have.

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Reviewed 09/21/2009 by docwatson

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Less than 1 Month

Comments:

First inpressions of the Sage, beautiful knife. Very smooth operation, due to the phosperous bronze bushings, my opinion Spyderco just think about putting these on all their knives as it makes them very slick to operate. Carbon Fiber handle is very secure, every thing about the knife says quality. Go's without saying very sharp. Homerun for Spyderco