EDIT: fixed some typos and added a couple of comments.
I've been wanting a Sage 3 for a while and tracked down a new one. To non-Spydero people I'm sure it looks the same as a lot of other Spydercos. For a Spyderco person this is a different knife than the Sage 1, 2, or 5. (Sorry for the crappy pics. Was too lazy to break out a real camera.)
At first it looks pretty much like the other Sages except for the lock, obviously.
But it's not. It's noticeably larger and heavier in the hand. Here it is compared to the Sage 5. Side by side, they look about the same. With the Sage 5 in front you can see the difference: taller blade and longer handle.
Here's a pic of a Native 5, Sage 5, Sage 3, and Manix in that order. The Sage 3 is closer in height to the Manix than to the Sage 5. The Sage 3 also carries more like a Manix than the other Sages. The Sage 1 and 5 are small enough that my hand gets past them easily. The Sage 3 and Manix are a little tighter to get past.
I got out the micrometer and measured. At the tallest point when closed, the Sage 3 is about 1mm taller than the Manix. It's also about 1/2 oz heaver than the Sage 5. The Sage 3 and 5 blades appear to be the same size or very nearly so (Sage 3 blade is slightly thicker stock).
In the hand it just feels like a more substantial knife than the Sage 5 all the way around. The blade is a little bit thicker. It feels more like slightly smaller Manix than a Sage.
The bolt action lock is fantastic. Similar to the ball bearing lock on the Manix but with more travel and less resistance. It's more like an axis lock. Stiffer than a Benchmade axis lock and doesn't have that scratchy feeling from the axis spring. The blade flips open and drops shut easily. Action is very similar to that of a free-falling Manix, but with smaller blade.
I'm surprised this knife hasn't gotten more attention.
I've been wanting a Sage 3 for a while and tracked down a new one. To non-Spydero people I'm sure it looks the same as a lot of other Spydercos. For a Spyderco person this is a different knife than the Sage 1, 2, or 5. (Sorry for the crappy pics. Was too lazy to break out a real camera.)
At first it looks pretty much like the other Sages except for the lock, obviously.
But it's not. It's noticeably larger and heavier in the hand. Here it is compared to the Sage 5. Side by side, they look about the same. With the Sage 5 in front you can see the difference: taller blade and longer handle.
Here's a pic of a Native 5, Sage 5, Sage 3, and Manix in that order. The Sage 3 is closer in height to the Manix than to the Sage 5. The Sage 3 also carries more like a Manix than the other Sages. The Sage 1 and 5 are small enough that my hand gets past them easily. The Sage 3 and Manix are a little tighter to get past.
I got out the micrometer and measured. At the tallest point when closed, the Sage 3 is about 1mm taller than the Manix. It's also about 1/2 oz heaver than the Sage 5. The Sage 3 and 5 blades appear to be the same size or very nearly so (Sage 3 blade is slightly thicker stock).
In the hand it just feels like a more substantial knife than the Sage 5 all the way around. The blade is a little bit thicker. It feels more like slightly smaller Manix than a Sage.
The bolt action lock is fantastic. Similar to the ball bearing lock on the Manix but with more travel and less resistance. It's more like an axis lock. Stiffer than a Benchmade axis lock and doesn't have that scratchy feeling from the axis spring. The blade flips open and drops shut easily. Action is very similar to that of a free-falling Manix, but with smaller blade.
I'm surprised this knife hasn't gotten more attention.
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