Build Quality Comparison: Sage 2, Alias 2, Acies, Sebenza

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Muaddib1116

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Dec 26, 2010
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Can people who own two or more of these knives give a comparison of their build quality, f&f, deploy feel, lockup feel? I'm almost definitely going to be buying a Spyderco Sage 2 soon, and possibly a Bradley Alias 2, and I'm definitely interested in the AG Russel Acies and Chris Reeve Sebenza (even if those two are outside my budget right now). They're all titanium handled frame locks with super-steel blades manufactured by reputable companies at, what I would describe as, mid-high to high cost. Unfortunately, I've never held any of them, and likely won't until I buy them, so some first hand owner comparison would be welcome. Thanks.
 
Here are my thoughts on the Sebenza and Sage 2 (As a lefty):

To the best of my limited knowledge, I don't know of any knife that is analogous to the Sebenza. Sure, the Sebenza's famous fit and finish may very well be matched by other knives--what I'm referring to is the sheer amount of thought that has gone into the design. Perforated washers? Only on CRK's. Heat treated titanium lockbar face? Check. Arguably the best (though not deepest) pocket clip? Check. Notch cut into where the washers sit to allow dirt/sand/grit to be pushed out? Check. A dedicated left-handed model? Check. And the list goes on.

The fit and finish on the Sage 2 may very well approach the Sebenza, but the law of diminishing returns puts the Sebenza's fit and finish - and price - above the Sage 2. I find the deployment of the Sage 2 to be fast, but not very smooth. I find the deployment of the Sebenza also to be fast, but the Sebenza has an almost unparalleled smoothness--a smoothness that is not a lack of resistance, but a perfectly consistent amount of resistance. I'd trust the lockup of the Sebenza over the Sage 2: if you ever hear the locks click in place, the Sebenza has a thud, the Sage 2 a click.

A better grind on the blade of the Sage 2/Acies than the Sebenza? Probably, and I am myself partial to full flat grinds.

I can't really comment on warranties, as I've never dealt with any of these companies' customer service/warranty department.

As a lefty with weird thumbs, I do have to say that I find the Sebenza to be much more ergonomic than the Sage 2.

If I were you, I'd also add the CRK Umnumzaan to the list. An awesome knife as well.
 
I currently own a sage 2 and sebenza and used to own an alias. In terms of f&f there is no discernable differance between the sage 2 and alias. I will say that the alias had a really sticky lockbar. Honestly if you buy the sage there is absolutely no need to buy the alias. The sebenza does feels different from the others and just locks up with more authority and everything is tighter and feels more solid.
 
Thanks for the input guys, please keep it coming.

kawr said:
Honestly if you buy the sage there is absolutely no need to buy the alias.
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Hahaha, need has so little to do with my knife purchases these days... it's all about want.
 
Muaddib1116 said:
Hahaha, need has so little to do with my knife purchases these days... it's all about want.
Click to expand...

How true. I can't really think of a valid utilitarian reason to own more than 2-3 pocket knives--much less any knife costing over $100.
 
Personally, I'd rather have the one $300 knife, versus several $120. Those knives you mentioned are all great in their own right, but you made it sound like you eventually want the Sebenza. Get the Sebenza. I said it in another thread, if you want those knives because they have some compelling feature, or you're a fan of Spyderco or whatever brand, get that knife. If you want the knife because you really want a Sebenza, get the Sebenza. They're not orders of magnitude more expensive than the other knives you listed, and you seemed to want multiple, so I'd just go for it. The resale value is also very good.
 
If you click on "My Knife Reviews" in my signature line, there is a Sage 2 review that includes a comparison with the Sebenza.

In short, the Sebenza has the best build quality, followed by the Alias II, then the Sage 2. I can't comment on the Acies, not having owned one.

Even though the Sage 2 is third on my list, it's not a bad knife -- in fact, the build quality is top notch -- it is just a bit below the other two. Pricing reflects that and the Sage 2 is probably the best value of the three.
 
Thanks guys.

misterjuiceman said:
Personally, I'd rather have the one $300 knife, versus several $120. Those knives you mentioned are all great in their own right, but you made it sound like you eventually want the Sebenza. Get the Sebenza. I said it in another thread, if you want those knives because they have some compelling feature, or you're a fan of Spyderco or whatever brand, get that knife. If you want the knife because you really want a Sebenza, get the Sebenza. They're not orders of magnitude more expensive than the other knives you listed, and you seemed to want multiple, so I'd just go for it. The resale value is also very good.
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I want the Sage 2 to complement my Sage 1 and the Sage 3 I will be buying eventually. I suppose that I saw the Alias, and at first was thinking of it as a cheaper Sebenza, but after some youtube reviews, see it in its own light. I guess my point is that I agree with you on one hand, but on the other, in the vein of collecting knives, I'd eventually want all of them, and right now the Sage 2 and Alias 2 are more in my budget.

Thanks for the replies.
 
I have a Sebenza, Sage 2, and Alias 1 (the big brother of the knife you're asking about). I'd rank the build quality/F&F of the particular knives I have as follows: Sebenza, Sage 2, Alias 1.

As has already been mentioned, not much in the production knife world compares to a Sebenza in terms of build quality/F&F. But the Sage 2 has pretty much flawless F&F too (perfect lockup, absolutely no blade play, dead-center blade, etc.). Everything's a tiny bit tighter/more precise on the Sebenza, but the F&F on the Sage (and Spyderco's current Taiwan-made knives more generally) is really superb and, I dare say, unmatched at its price point.

As for the Alias 1, I mine may have been an anomaly, but it had a few annoying issues that I would have preferred not to have to deal with in a $200+ knife. In particular, it had an extremely sticky framelock and a pivot screw that became loose after a couple dozen openings/closings. Those issues were easily fixed with some Sharpie on the blade tang and Teflon tape on the pivot screw, and the Alias 1 is now one of my favorite knives to carry. But they are enough to make me rank the build quality of the particular Alias I have a few notches below my Sebenza and Sage.

One thing that the Alias has going for it is that it's very slightly faster to deploy than the other two. I remember seeing someone refer to its "haul-ass opening" (;) ) in a post here, and now that I have one I'd have to say that's description is right on the mark.
 
I own a small Seb, an Acies and Bradley Alias 1. I am not really a Spyderco guy though I have a few. Apart from all being Ti framelocks, they all are different from each other.

Personal favorite is the Ag Russell Acies, mostly because of the large deep blade design, the feel of it in my hand with thick scales, its deep pocket clip and the smoothness of the opening. It is like a CRKT Ripple in its silky smooth operation. It also is different looking then Seb or Alias which are very close together in looks and feel in my opinion.

I didn't choose a small Seb, I got a deal on it used. I do love it, but feel no need now to buy a bigger one, which I would have preferred. It makes a great EDC style blade due to its size.

The Acies is more unique, it seems everyone has a Seb. It says tough, tactical and yet sophisticated and high end.
I don't view any of them as being custom, but all classy and high quality.

Doing it all again I would buy the Acies and could live without the other 2 though now in hand I couldn't part with them now either.

Hope that helps.
 
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For the sake of the rest of us in the audience, could someone add the relevant BM knife to the comparison- the Subrosa I think it is.
 
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I have the Alias II, the Sage, and a small Sebenza. Both the Alias and the Sage had some minor issues when I first got them (e.g. off-center blade, gritty opening, imperfect edge, etc..) but these were correctable so in the long run who cares. Without whipping out the scanning electron microscope (which a few people apparently do), the Sebenza was completely perfect. The Alias can be flicked open easily and deploys the fastest of the three; the Sebenza is not made to be flicked and deployment feels what I agree can be described as "hydraulic"; and the Sage deploys at roughly the same speed (maybe slightly faster) as the Sebenza unless you like to get creative with your deployment which I don't. In terms of lock-up, the Sebenza is the most solid, followed by the Sage, followed by the Alias which has a teensy bit of side-to-side play--though in fairness I've used the Alias the most.
Ergonomically, I find the Alias a little more comfortable than the Sebenza because the handle is contoured vs. the Sebenza's straight lines. The Sage is probably the most comfortable but then it's also the largest--owing mainly to the width which has to accommodate that wide classic Spyderco leaf-shaped thumb-holed blade. And speaking of blade shape, I'll say the Sage excels in slicing, the Alias in piercing, and the Sebenza in both. In terms of pocket clips, the Alias and Sebenza are about tied but the edge ultimately goes to the Sage's awesome wire clip. The Alias clip is up-down reversible, the Sage is left-right reversible, and the Sebenza only accommodates tip-up carry (if that matters to you.)

Random notes:
- Sage has a 50/50 choil
- Sage's titanium finish is less scratch-prone than the Alias or the (standard) Sebenza
- Sebenza has a "double-U" cutout in the lockbar which increases resistance to help prevent over-extension
- Alias is made by Bradley which is owned by Benchmade which offers a cheap lasermarking service if you want to embellish it*
*(I think this was worth $5+shipping): http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9810/finishedfront2upload.jpg
 
Nice thread. I have a sage 1 and a chaparral and a small carbon fiber sebenza.

I like them all. I do feel a bit more special using my
Small carbon fiber sebenza but do think the sage was sharper
Out of the box.

The acies2 is on my radar and if I pull the trigger I will
Probably sell one of my two spyderco knives.
 
I don't have the Acies but do have a Sage and a handful of Sebenzas. My favorite is a small Insingo that has perfect F&F. The Sage is not far behind though. For me I use the two for different reasons. I'm not too crazy about having the Sebenza clipped to my pocket since it has been pulled out at least twice. Once it flew off behind the bed when I was changing my shirt. I paniced for two days until I found the knife. For that reason I have removed the clip and it rides around in my front pocket with my keys. Works great that way given the size. Onto the Sage 2. I very much like the wire clip design. It is very easy on the pocket and is not very noticable at work. The Sage2 is a little large to just be dropped in my pocket so it is carried when I want a knife clipped.

The Sage2 is a better slicer than the Sebenza due to the FFG design. On top of that the edge holding is better than my S35VN based Sebenzas. Also easy to touch up. Seems like Spyderco has the S30V heat treat down very well.
 
I have a few Sebenza's a Sage 2 and used to own an Alias2 that I returned for several f&f issues. The Seb is a step above the other 2 if not a few steps. The Sage2 is a great knife though and def worth the $ so get the Sage2:thumbup:
 
I do not have a Alias but have a Sebenza and a Sage 2 as part of my Sage collection and wow what a great little knife for the money the Fit and finish is spot on, crazy sharp out of the box S30V you cannot go wrong there. BUT it lacks the Made in the USA stamp. CRK has a great Warranty, Spa service and clean classic design. The trade off is the price point. The 150 dollar Sage 2 give the Sebenza a run for its money. I would suggest saving up for the CRK Sebenza you will not regret it at all, and later on maybe add a Sage 2 to your collection. Its perty neat how Spyderco is using the sage knives to pay homage to great inavators in the knife world.
 
I have an Alias 1 and have not been impressed with it. I sent it back due to a fault with the lockbar and the problem persisted even after repairs were done. It's basically unusable at this point - it doesn't even make a good paperweight because it's so light and slim (useless G10 and Titanium :grumpy:).

I haven't had any experience with the other models, so I don't have much of an opinion on them.
 
Don't buy any of the others and save for the Sebenza. You won't regret the decision. I have owned the Alias 1, Sage 2, and Sebenzas. If you for whatever crazy reason decide that the Sebenza didn't live up to your expectations you can resell it on here w/o losing money (or much money if you use it for a few months :)) Either way, Sebbies are pure win. Good luck!
 
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