Decision help: delica/endura/sage/gayle bradley

The Centofante 3 is a great suggestion, I forgot about that one. It's a cool little knife and slices beautifully. It would be an excellent contrast to the heavy-duty GB and allow you to hit your $200 total price point.
 
jasper83 said:
Someone suggested a chaparral instead of a sage...thoughts on this?
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The Chap is very nice, you can see some size comparison here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1214276-Thickness-Behind-the-Edge

It's a gent's knife for sure, I wouldn't be using it for anything too strenuous. It's got a rather thin edge which makes it a great cutter, and its tolerances are very impressive. One thing to note is that the tolerances are so small that there might be some grittiness with the opening because the blade will grind against the liner if you press on it too hard when opening. I'm not sure that steel choice is honestly that big a deal for it, but CTS-XHP is a decent steel. It's a tad easier to sharpen than S30V, but in all honesty I'd be hard pressed to notice a difference in unmarked blades.

FWIW, I sold my Chap and kept my Sage. I like the Sage's size better since it's more comfortable in my hand, and the liner lock makes it easier to close one handed. I also think the action is smoother on the Sage.
 
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The Bradley and Chap would make a great combo. Most of your daily cutting could be done with the Chap and if you really needed some heavier cutting or a longer blade, then the Bradley would be there. Also, the Chap is not quite as close to the Native's size as the Sage.

This is not great quality but here's another comparison pic.

 
So....I've got GB and Sage 1, GB and Chaparral, GB and delica/spyderedge or plain. If I said there were no restrictions on the partner for the GB, what would you suggest?? I'm really wanting the best second knife.

I really appreciate the time your giving to this decision.
 
I've learned over the last year or so to not over think these decisions. If I can narrow it down to a few choices, then I will simply go with the one that I can find at the best price. Also, none of the models that you are considering are being discontinued so I don't see a need to get one before it's gone. I have also come to the realization that I will probably end up with all of them at some point. :D YMMV
 
I have several Natives, Delicas, and Enduras, among others. If you were to just consider size of the blade, the Native isn't much bigger than a Delica, honestly. For a wider range of useful blades, may I suggest a Dragonfly on the smaller end and either an Endura or a Military at the large end?

The Chaparral is a great little knife, too, but not a lot smaller than the Native. The Dragonfly is nearly an inch shorter, but is an amazing cutting tool. I'm especially fond of mine in ZDP189.

The Endura is roughly the same size as the Military. The main difference is back lock versus liner lock. Both are excellent knives. You cannot go wrong here.
 
jasper83 said:
So....I've got GB and Sage 1, GB and Chaparral, GB and delica/spyderedge or plain. If I said there were no restrictions on the partner for the GB, what would you suggest?? I'm really wanting the best second knife.

I really appreciate the time your giving to this decision.
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I still like the GB+Chaparral idea but, since you said you were open to all suggestions, for my uses I would add a serrated salt knife to the GB. The salts are some really special knives in the Spyderco lineup and serrated h1 is amazing stuff. I can't say if you need one now, but Spyderco fan needs at least one at some point!
 
jasper83 said:
So....I've got GB and Sage 1, GB and Chaparral, GB and delica/spyderedge or plain. If I said there were no restrictions on the partner for the GB, what would you suggest?? I'm really wanting the best second knife.

I really appreciate the time your giving to this decision.
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With regard to the choice between spyderedge or plain, I have found the spyderedge is unreal when cutting fibrous materials (especially rope). However, for my (mostly office) EDC uses, I much prefer a plain edge because the cuts are much cleaner. That being said, if you spend time on the water (like surfingringo), the salt series in spyderedge really has no peer.

If I were in your shoes, I would be looking at the GB and a Sage or Chaparral. The Delica, while a nice knife, isn't the same quality as the Sage or Chaparral. If you can stomach the increased cost (and it seems like you can), you should check them out. I love my Chaparral, the fit and finish is truly awesome and the size is perfect for my EDC. The Sage is a bit bigger, but still eminently pocketable. I haven't bought one yet, but a Sage 3 is in my near future (I dig interesting locks, and already have several liner and frame locks).

The Dragonfly is another good suggestion. It's the truest embodiment of Spyderco's "little big knife" philosophy: the thing is extremely small but the insane ergonomics make it extremely comfortable to use. If you get one, I'd definitely second the recommendation for ZDP-189, it's a fantastic steel if you haven't used it yet. Despite that, if I had to choose one, I really prefer the CF handles on the Sage and Chaparral to the FRN on the Dragonfly.
 
Ok...I have a GB in the mail and just got the Sage 1 on Tuesday. I really like the sage and am super excited about the GB. I continue to read up on comparisons between the chap and sage and don't know that I've made the best choice. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

On another note, my black/black PM2 has some pretty serious side to side blade play (and not centered) that concerns me. I know I can tighten the screw, but that makes it difficult to deploy. I'm not sure if this is something to be expected, can be adjusted or a design issue.

What should I do? I only recently pulled it out and used it to cut cardboard (first time used).
 
jasper83 said:
Ok...I have a GB in the mail and just got the Sage 1 on Tuesday. I really like the sage and am super excited about the GB. I continue to read up on comparisons between the chap and sage and don't know that I've made the best choice. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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I've carried a Sage 1 nearly every week day for ~3 years. I'll carry something else on the weekends, but my Sage is in my pocket more often than not. On the other hand, when I tried to branch out and try something new (the Chap), it was in and out of my pocket in 3 or 4 days. I think you made the right decision.

jasper83 said:
On another note, my black/black PM2 has some pretty serious side to side blade play (and not centered) that concerns me. I know I can tighten the screw, but that makes it difficult to deploy. I'm not sure if this is something to be expected, can be adjusted or a design issue.
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Pretty much to be expected, as with just about any production knife. You often have to choose between ease of opening and side to side bladeplay. That said, a little more use will break it it nicely, and I'd expect the problem to alleviate itself with time. You could also try adjusting the stop pin screw as well.

You're spoiling yourself with the Sage (and the Gayle Bradley, for that matter) - its action is one of the best on the production market, not many knives can match it.
 
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So true calc...I really like the sage. Excited for the GB to get here! Now I'm excited about the next knife to add to the GB and sage. Thoughts?
 
I picked up a Sage 1 here on the forums last year and I REALLY like that knife. It has mostly taken the place of my Delica. Also recently picked up a new Gayle Bradley and I am very impressed with it. I carry one of them about every day but not together. I always pair one of them with either a SAK cadet/electrician/pioneer or traditional Case or GEC, usually a SBJ or 15.
 
jasper83 said:
So true calc...I really like the sage. Excited for the GB to get here! Now I'm excited about the next knife to add to the GB and sage. Thoughts?
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If you like the Gayle Bradley's blade shape, the Stretch is an interesting option.
 
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