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The Sage 5 Might Be the Perfect Spyderco...

R

Ruggdogg87

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
1,223
Just received my Spyderco Sage 5 and have never done a review but this really might be the perfect Spyderco. I love the compression lock but the Pm2 is a little big in some instances. I also have a Sage 3 and this is much smaller (which I thought they were all the same size). It may not appear so in pictures but the knife is not near as tall and much more comparable in size to the Native 5. Lock up is rock solid with no play, very smooth and this has perfect centering. Here are some comparisons with my Sage 3. It's also much grippier than the Sage 3.

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This will go into the pocket immediately and will replace my Sage 3 as my go to Spyderco. For $131 I suggest picking one up.
 
The Sage 3 is not the same size as the others (not sure about Sage 4). Sage 5 would be most comparable to the Sage 1 in terms of weight, materials, etc. I really like the Sage 5 but different from you I find the smaller size make it a bit awkward to manipulate the compression lock, guess I just have large hands. Here is the Sage 5 with its relatives, never picked up a Sage 4 though. Sage 2 is still by far my favorite.
Untitled by Danny Nystrom, on Flickr
 
Seneca18 said:
The Sage 3 is not the same size as the others (not sure about Sage 4). Sage 5 would be most comparable to the Sage 1 in terms of weight, materials, etc. I really like the Sage 5 but different from you I find the smaller size make it a bit awkward to manipulate the compression lock, guess I just have large hands. Here is the Sage 5 with its relatives, never picked up a Sage 4 though. Sage 2 is still by far my favorite.
Untitled by Danny Nystrom, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Thanks for the additional pictures. I have large hands as well but on the thin side. I find I can easily manipulate the lock with my pointer finger. I had a sage 2 as well at one point but the Small Sebenza kicked that out of my pocket and collection. Great knife though.
 
I've had a variety of Sages in #1,2, and 3...including the blue G10 Sage 3.
They are all super knives, but I still have a Sage 2 NIB that I keep as proof that Spyderco can really make a fine titanium-slabbed folder in a 3" blade.

Ruggdogg87 said:
Just received my Spyderco Sage 5 and have never done a review but this really might be the perfect Spyderco. I love the compression lock but the Pm2 is a little big in some instances.
Click to expand...

I agree with your note about the PM2 being a bit too large in some circumstances. I have always kept several PM2's on hand, nevertheless, as the compression lock works so smoothly in that model. It is just a joy to operate.

The pics show up the size difference between the models very nicely.
Thanks for the review...well done.
 
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I've always thought the Sage 1 and 2 were really neat and the Sage 5 is now even more so, but they are too small for me. PM2 is the smallest that I carry.
 
bdmicarta said:
I've always thought the Sage 1 and 2 were really neat and the Sage 5 is now even more so, but they are too small for me. PM2 is the smallest that I carry.
Click to expand...

It's the handle that's to big for me I guess. The Sage 5 has a 3" blade versus the 3.44" blade on the PM2. 3" is the smallest I'll carry.
 
I don't think there is ever a perfect knife, there are too many things to consider to ever say that, biggest consideration being what task(s) you'd use it for, but the Sage 5 is definitely one of my favorites and I've only had it a day.

My very first "higher end" Spyderco's were a PM2 and Sage 1, and both are what caused me to fall in love with Spyderco knives. After amassing a decent sized collection that has a majority of Spyderco knives, I'm no longer excited about the Sage 1, it's by far the least favorite of the 3 Sage's (1, 2, 5) that I own.

It isn't as smooth as my Sage 2, but I have an extremely buttery smooth Sage 2 that has barely any resistance opening or closing. Besides that, I loooooove the Sage 5. One thing I did notice immediately upon a quick 30 second inspection was there seems to be some sort of "bar" or "nubs" on the blade inside of the pivot that look like they guide the blade along in the pivot. Does anyone have any information on this? Is it an update to the compression lock, an update Spyderco is going to start implementing on knives (or has recently), or is it just unique to the Sage 5?
 
That is a nice looking knife. I do agree that the handle for the pm2 is really big, especially for the blade size. This Sage 5, never had a Sage, but loos like it would be a great EDC.
 
Wow that's a looker as well. The Sage 2 would be my all time favorite EDC if Spyderco offered an alternative to the wire clip. I've broken 2 so far snagging it on door jams. Great knives though, not too small and built so well.
 
I was very inclined to purchase a PM3 when they are released as the PM2 handle feels just a tad big to me. I really like the PM2; I have several of them in different steels but just wish the handle was a little bit shorter. The Sage 5 looks about perfect for the handle size I have been looking for and has pushed the PM3 out of contention.
 
`br4dz- said:
I don't think there is ever a perfect knife, there are too many things to consider to ever say that, biggest consideration being what task(s) you'd use it for, but the Sage 5 is definitely one of my favorites and I've only had it a day.

My very first "higher end" Spyderco's were a PM2 and Sage 1, and both are what caused me to fall in love with Spyderco knives. After amassing a decent sized collection that has a majority of Spyderco knives, I'm no longer excited about the Sage 1, it's by far the least favorite of the 3 Sage's (1, 2, 5) that I own.

It isn't as smooth as my Sage 2, but I have an extremely buttery smooth Sage 2 that has barely any resistance opening or closing. Besides that, I loooooove the Sage 5. One thing I did notice immediately upon a quick 30 second inspection was there seems to be some sort of "bar" or "nubs" on the blade inside of the pivot that look like they guide the blade along in the pivot. Does anyone have any information on this? Is it an update to the compression lock, an update Spyderco is going to start implementing on knives (or has recently), or is it just unique to the Sage 5?
Click to expand...

I agree with you. I think I was more going on the lines of a perfect Spyderco, not perfect knife. It has the compression lock that most everyone loves, a 3" blade which should make it legal in most areas, a compact handle that is much more proportional to the blade size versus the PM2, and very very light. Overall just feels like a near perfect EDC.

As far as the nubs I had not noticed them before so I will have to take a look in better lighting.
 
Bugs57 said:
Yes PM3 will be a smaller version of PM2.
Click to expand...

Think it will in between the size of the Sage 5 and PM2 or fairly close to the size of the Sage 5? I don't think they have talked about size yet but haven't kept up on it.
 
My fav Spyderco is my Sage 2, it fits my xl hands perfectly using the choil. I've never got on with the PM2, love the lock but the handle isn't comfortable for me.

The only reason I haven't jumped on a 5 is I've moved from urban to rural, and my leatherman gets more pocket time now. I'm a bit sad about it really.
 
Ruggdogg87 said:
Think it will in between the size of the Sage 5 and PM2 or fairly close to the size of the Sage 5? I don't think they have talked about size yet but haven't kept up on it.
Click to expand...

On the Spyderco forum there was a gentleman who went to the G8 show and described the PM3 blade as roughly 1/2" shorter than a PM2 and the handle about 1/2" to 3/4" shorter than a PM2. He also stated that the PM3 is the same height and thickness as a PM2 and that the Sage 5 is thinner. This was his estimation of the PM3 as it was on a prototype table where photographing prototypes was prohibited.
 
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