Just Got the Sage 1 (lemon?) - its not me its you!

P

Panta

Joined
Oct 13, 2012
Messages
144
Ok so after my last post about my dislike of the endura handle & lock design.
titled: "Why Can't i bee a fan like the rest of the knife planet?"

with grate anticipation after 3 months of waiting for it i just got it.
So, yes this one is a grate design, i can say that right from start i like the design a-lot,
and it's a hole different ball game to my overpriced unbeloved endura.

but...

the knife has several sharp edges, especially the hole, it scrape my nail & skin.
i was expecting a silky smooth mechanism but the detent is harder then anything
in my collection and the action is anything but smooth, it's was gritty, noisy and quit stiff
even after using BM BLUE LUBE and multiple openings it improved the grittiness but not completely,
and its still stiff and not smooth or linear.

should i ignore sharp edges & a stiff less then smooth mechanism in a 135$ knife
and still love it & become a spyderco fan? Sorry, NO!

i could have bean content if it head just 1 of this 2 issues
but i can't be happy with 2 of this issues and in its price
when i got 25$ knife that's perfect from the get go.

so i hated the endura design but was fine with execution
and vice versa with this one, i love the design but hate the execution.

did i got a lemon?
will a long braking period smooth the mechanism?
maybe, but a135$ knife should be perfect from the get go, The more so if a 25$ RAT 1 is.

Spyderco still haven't made a fan out of me.
(many other companies have.)
 
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I'd say you should probably not buy any more Spydercos. No one here will be upset. To each his own I say. Just like proper spelling, some like it and some don't. It's all good.
 
Panta said:
i could have bean content if it head just 1 of this 2 issues
but i can't be happy with 2 of this issues and in its price
when i got 25$ knife that's perfect from the get go.
Click to expand...
If you found the perfect knife for 25$ why do you even bother with buying any other knife from any other maker?
 
My Sage 1 has sharp edges as well. I like the sharpness on the thumb hole, it catches my skin nicely. I just assume that's the way they finish the knives produced in Taichung, but can't say for sure because I don't have any of Spyderco's other Taiwanese knives.

However, my Sage is not gritty or hard to open at all. It's actually smoother and easier to open than any of my other Spyderco's. I'd sent it back and get a replacement.
 
r.g.o.mueller said:
If you found the perfect knife for 25$ why do you even bother with buying any other knife from any other maker?
Click to expand...

guess i have a passion for knifes, i have 14 and counting.
i can tell you that this one is has more sharp edges then the rest of them
including the endura, and that's why i wondered if i got a lemon.
 
i like the design, but the fit & finish is just not there.
as for my spelling, lets see your Hebrew spelling :P
 
Panta said:
i like the design, but the fit & finish is just not there.
as for my spelling, lets see your Hebrew spelling :P
Click to expand...
The crisp edge on the hole is intentional. Sal believes it gives your thumb better grip for normal opening. Some like it, for that reason. I suspect those are mostly folks who only use their folding knives as tools and open them a few times a day, at most. Some complain that it's too sharp. I suspect that group is made up mostly of folks who use their knives as playthings or worry beads, opening and closing them repeatedly without cutting anything. Whatever the reason, if you are among those who don't like the sharp edge, it's pretty easy to smooth it down a bit with a strip of sandpaper, a small stone, or the corner of a larger one. On the other hand, it would be a whole lot more difficult for someone wants the traction the crisp edge provides to create one if Spyderco smoothed them down.

There are also two schools of thought regarding detent strength. Some folks want a knife that flies open with a flick of the wrist, some want one that gives them some confidence that it won't open accidentally in their pocket.

The grittiness may be a real problem, or it may just be the difference in feel between the somewhat grainy surface finish on the tang of a well hardened high end steel blade and the mirror finish left when a relatively soft low end steel blade is stamped out like a coin.

Bottom line, tastes differ, need differ, and not everything works for everyone.

As for the other, you are correct. However, unless someone puts down a location, it can be difficult to tell whether someone is a lazy or semi-literate native English speaker, or someone for whom English is only a second, third, or tenth language. Location can also help in cases where the "stock" answer would be "return it to the dealer or to Spyderco".
 
The Deacon said:
The crisp edge on the hole is intentional. Sal believes it gives your thumb better grip for normal opening. Some like it, for that reason. I suspect those are mostly folks who only use their folding knives as tools and open them a few times a day, at most. Some complain that it's too sharp. I suspect that group is made up mostly of folks who use their knives as playthings or worry beads, opening and closing them repeatedly without cutting anything. Whatever the reason, if you are among those who don't like the sharp edge, it's pretty easy to smooth it down a bit with a strip of sandpaper, a small stone, or the corner of a larger one. On the other hand, it would be a whole lot more difficult for someone wants the traction the crisp edge provides to create one if Spyderco smoothed them down.

There are also two schools of thought regarding detent strength. Some folks want a knife that flies open with a flick of the wrist, some want one that gives them some confidence that it won't open accidentally in their pocket.

The grittiness may be a real problem, or it may just be the difference in feel between the somewhat grainy surface finish on the tang of a well hardened high end steel blade and the mirror finish left when a relatively soft low end steel blade is stamped out like a coin.

Bottom line, tastes differ, need differ, and not everything works for everyone.

As for the other, you are correct. However, unless someone puts down a location, it can be difficult to tell whether someone is a lazy or semi-literate native English speaker, or someone for whom English is only a second, third, or tenth language. Location can also help in cases where the "stock" answer would be "return it to the dealer or to Spyderco".
Click to expand...


yes i guess i belong to the second group you mentioned, BUT!
this are my knifes.

Spyderco Endura 4
CRKT ripple (first production & the later blue one)
Kershaw Scamp
buck Vantage Force Pro
CRKT Eraser
Boker Epicenter
Fox karambit
Zero Tolerance 200
Benchmade Adamas 275
Ontario Rat model 1 ...

i have no knife in my collection with so many sharp & so uncomfortable edges
not even 20% of the sage 1.

my 25$ Rat 1 is way way smoother.
the ripple mechanism is a smooth machine.
the Adamas is probably my second most smooth knife.
even the stiff non linear mechanism ZT 200 is smoother and more linear then this.
heck my unbeloved endura is way smoother & without so many sharp corners.


i can scrape my nail material with the sage like its a knife edge.
its like all the reviews Ive sean & read was a lie... its just terrible.

so that's why i have to ask again, could my sage be a lemon?
 
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If you didn't t like the Endura or the Sage 1, arguably two of the best production edc s on the market, try another brand. For more money you can get a Benchmade.
 
whp said:
If you didn't t like the Endura or the Sage 1, arguably two of the best production edc s on the market, try another brand. For more money you can get a Benchmade.
Click to expand...

there's a diffidence between not liking the 45$ endura handle & lock design
then a 135$ knife that is not finished & has a over gritty stiff detent & mechanism ..

and if you look up i noted some of my knifes, i do have & love my BM adamas and others.
 
No it's not a lemon, that's perfectly normal. Sell it on the exchange for the going rate of $85 shipped and move on. After all it's still a very cheap knife, if you want perfection drop $300-$600 on a CRK and be done.
P.S. Your in the minority here and chances are this won't taint anyone else's thoughts on Spyderco.
 
My Endura hole was very sharp...but I have come to like it.Use is smoothing it out too.I use tools all day so I have pretty good callus's on my hands.
The action on all my spydies is smooth...no grittiness at all.
The only serious problem with my Endura is the factory edge is so sharp I seriously wonder if I can duplicate it...seriously I got it for heavy use and now prize the keen edge so much I baby it!On the upside my new para2 and manix 2 xl are workers so no problem.

I need more practice on the sharpmaker and a good bench strop...then I can enjoy the Endura more!!!
 
Spydercos are not for everyone and that's ok. Most of us here will have different ideas of what makes a great fit and finish but from my experience any Spyderco coming out of Taichung has about as good of F&F as you can get in that price range. If perfection is what you're after I would recommend as another has said, save your money and go the Sebenza route.
 
Sharp Spyderhole is intentional and by design. If you find it too sharp you can take a sharpmaker rod and run it around the edge a few times. If you don't have a sm you can wrap a piece of 400 grit sand paper around a pencil and do the same thing.

As far as the knife being gritty, that is very odd. My Sage (it is a sage 3, not a sage 1) is probably the smoothest folding knife I own. I have never received anything from the Taichung factory with gritty action. My recommendation would be to flush it rigorously with warm soapy water while opening and closing. It is possible there is a bit of debris trapped in the pivot area. Hopefully this will help.
 
Panta said:
Ok so after my last post about my dislike of the endura handle & lock design.
titled: "Why Can't i bee a fan like the rest of the knife planet?"

with grate anticipation after 3 months of waiting for it i just got it.
So, yes this one is a grate design, i can say that right from start i like the design a-lot,
and it's a hole different ball game to my overpriced unbeloved endura.

but...

the knife has several sharp edges, especially the hole, it scrape my nail & skin.
i was expecting a silky smooth mechanism but the detent is harder then anything
in my collection and the action is anything but smooth, it's was gritty, noisy and quit stiff
even after using BM BLUE LUBE and multiple openings it improved the grittiness but not completely,
and its still stiff and not smooth or linear.

should i ignore sharp edges & a stiff less then smooth mechanism in a 135$ knife
and still love it & become a spyderco fan? Sorry, NO!

i could have bean content if it head just 1 of this 2 issues
but i can't be happy with 2 of this issues and in its price
when i got 25$ knife that's perfect from the get go.

so i hated the endura design but was fine with execution
and vice versa with this one, i love the design but hate the execution.

did i got a lemon?
will a long braking period smooth the mechanism?
maybe, but a135$ knife should be perfect from the get go, The more so if a 25$ RAT 1 is.

Spyderco still haven't made a fan out of me.
(many other companies have.)
Click to expand...
Since you know knives so well, what is preventing you from smoothing out the edges? Take all of two minutes with a ceramic rod or stone and your little complaints go away? Stick to $25 knives if this is too much for you.
 
along with knife collecting,comes some sort of knife experience with knife smithing ! or your never going to be happy, the first thing i did when i got my sage 1 was take a stone to the sharp edge on that hole and also to top of spine,way to sharp for my liking.
 
Panta said:
so that's why i have to ask again, could my sage be a lemon?
Click to expand...
I only have one to compare it with. It's early production but has only been played with a few times over the years. But, for what it's worth:

The edges of the liners are ever so slightly rounded over and as smooth as silk. You could run a newborn's finger along them without worry.

The edges of the blade spine have the kind of crispness that some custom makers deem the hallmark of a well made blade.

I would describe the action as smooth, but somewhat tight compared with some other liner locks. I can't say how "flickable" it is because I don't have the dexterity to thumb flick my knives.

I would describe it as sounding dry when I open or close it slowly, possibly because I've never lubricated it, but would not describe the sound or feel as "gritty".

If yours is not like that then yes, you may have gotten a lemon, or at least a less perfect specimen than I did.
 
My Sage 1 is sorta gritty. I think it has something to do with the detent ball since when I push the liner all the way against the scale, the blade just drops without any grittiness.

I don't know how to fix it though
 
Surfingringo said:
Sharp Spyderhole is intentional and by design. If you find it too sharp you can take a sharpmaker rod and run it around the edge a few times. If you don't have a sm you can wrap a piece of 400 grit sand paper around a pencil and do the same thing.

As far as the knife being gritty, that is very odd. My Sage (it is a sage 3, not a sage 1) is probably the smoothest folding knife I own. I have never received anything from the Taichung factory with gritty action. My recommendation would be to flush it rigorously with warm soapy water while opening and closing. It is possible there is a bit of debris trapped in the pivot area. Hopefully this will help.
Click to expand...

i used the BM Blue Lube several times & on the ball detent.
i found that the grittiness is 100% from the ball detent itself.

after about 500 times opening & closing it it got much better,
but i would have expected it to be much better as my other knifes are smoother.
the sharpness its not just the hole. it need's to disassembled and basically finish de-burr it.

.
 
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