Need Opinions on my Final 8 EDC...

I’ve been on the fence between a Sage 5 Lightweight and a Chaparral Lightweight. I pulled the trigger on the Sage 5 Lightweight for now. I know I’ll end up with a Chaparral eventually. It’s a tough choice. I went with the Sage because of the liner lock. I like the Chaparral because it is more compact than the Sage.
 
Don't have but a minute but thought I'd give a quick, "What's my first impressions of the Para 3 and the Sage 5" after getting to "play" with them for about 20 minutes today.

First impression...."Wow, they are some large knives!" Now this is relatively speaking...relative to my DragonFly 2 I'm used to carrying! But overall, they even feel/seem larger than my Rat 2 (that my son has now taken from me). This is obviously from how wide they are compared to the Rat...but yea, very first impression was they were large.

Second impression was the the blade on the Para 3 feels larger under my thumb than the Sage 5 when holding the knife. Not uncomfortable by any means but definitely something I could tell from the first time I handled each.

Blade perfectly centered on the Sage 5, not close on the Para 3.

I do like the fact that the Para 3 is just a bit better at deep pocket carry. And I seem to like the shape of the blade a little more on the Para 3...seems to cut out some, seemingly, unnecessary blade width compared to the Sage 5.

I love the compression lock...coming from someone who's cut his fingers a couple times over the years because of being careless and letting the blade fall on them from other types of locks, the compression lock seems like a great match for me!

I haven't had a chance to toy with them much, but my first impression is the the Sage 5 feels like a higher quality knife. From the type of blade, thinness of the blade, the feel in the hand, and operation of the compression lock.

I move the compression lock on the Sage 5 and the blade just falls smoothly closed. With the Para 3 I have to physically close the blade because after I move the compression lock, the blade hardly moves at all. I'm sure this is something that could be adjusted but it's nice to have the Sage 5 just fall close straight from the factory.

Both seem razor sharp when cutting paper so without putting them through some other material the BD1N and S30V seem similar right now.

Again, didn't have but a minute to throw up some thoughts...I'll try to add some more after I've had a chance to use them.

I appreciate all the input leading me to these knives. Look forward to comparing the Mini Griptilian to them late this week!

TripleB67
 
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TripleB67 said:
Don't have but a minute but thought I'd give a quick, "What's my first impressions of the Para 3 and the Sage 5" after getting to "play" with them for about 20 minutes today.

First impression...."Wow, they are some large knives!" Now this is relatively speaking...relative to my DragonFly 2 I'm used to carrying! But overall, they even feel/seem larger than my Rat 2 (that my son has now taken from me). This is obviously from how wide they are compared to the Rat...but yea, very first impression was they were large.

Second impression was the the blade on the Para 3 feels larger under my thumb than the Sage 5 when holding the knife. Not uncomfortable by any means but definitely something I could tell from the first time I handled each.

Blade perfectly centered on the Sage 5, not close on the Para 3.

I do like the fact that the Para 3 is just a bit better at deep pocket carry. And I seem to like the shape of the blade a little more on the Para 3...seems to cut out some, seemingly, unnecessary blade width compared to the Sage 5.

I love the compression lock...coming from someone who's cut his fingers a couple times over the years because of being careless and letting the blade fall on them from other types of locks, the compression lock seems like a great match for me!

I haven't had a chance to toy with them much, but my first impression is the the Sage 5 feels like a higher quality knife. From the type of blade, thinness of the blade, the feel in the hand, and operation of the compression lock.

I move the compression lock on the Sage 5 and the blade just falls smoothly closed. With the Para 3 I have to physically close the blade because after I move the compression lock, the blade hardly moves at all. I'm sure this is something that could be adjusted but it's nice to have the Sage 5 just fall close straight from the factory.

Both seem razor sharp when cutting paper so without putting them through some other material the BD1N and S30V seem similar right now.

Again, didn't have but a minute to throw up some thoughts...I'll try to add some more after I've had a chance to use them.

I appreciate all the input leading me to these knives. Look forward to comparing the Mini Griptilian to them late this week!

TripleB67
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Thanks for the update. So you took the "go big or go home" approach and got all three? Well, congratulations!

"Large" is relative. Imagine if you went with a bigger knife! I've noticed that a lot of the knives that end up in my pocket are similar to or just a tad larger than the Rat 2. (The Tangram Santa Fe is a good example.) Going larger is usually limited by what I'm wearing or what I'm doing. My EDC folders tend to top out with the Civivi Naja. Knives like the Civivi Baklash or Harnds Talisman are usually big enough to take care of any task I'd use a folder for in the first place.
 
Chronovore said:
Thanks for the update. So you took the "go big or go home" approach and got all three?
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No, I didn't get all three, just able to get my hands on all three.

I think it's definitely going to be a knife between 2.5 and 3 inches. Looks like it's going to be between the Sage 5 and the Mini Griptilian (with hole).

Of course I'm going to go through the recommendations here and the online knife website one more time to see if any other 2.5-3" knives jump out at me.

TripleB67
 
Definitely check the exchange once you decide, you can probably find what you want at way less than retail. If you end up liking the mini-grip hit me up, I have a couple lying around.
 
fishface5 said:
Definitely check the exchange once you decide, you can probably find what you want at way less than retail. If you end up liking the mini-grip hit me up, I have a couple lying around.
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Thank you for the advice and heads up!!!

I think it really has come down to a couple knives (the Mini-Grip being one) that offer me a different type of lock than I'm used to. My current knives are liner lock, frame lock, or lockback, and I'd really like to have something different...probably Compression lock or Axis lock (with a blade between 2.5 and 3 inches).

TripleB67
 
I'll give a vote for mini bugout. I bought it on a whim and ended up loving it. Great size and weight for me, plus it is fun to fidget with. Bought one for my son as well, and he can't put it down. Can't compare against your other options since I don't have them.
 
CuttnStuff said:
I'll give a vote for mini bugout.
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Thanks for your input.

Got the Bugout (not mini) from a place that offers free returns. It didn't leave a good first impression with me so I packed it up the other day. Unpacked it again today just to make I didn't miss something. It's a bit better than I first gave it credit for, and the fidget factor is definitely there, but I don't think the full size one is what I'm looking for in my $100+ EDC. I know it's heavier than my Dragonfly 2 but for some reason it doesn't feel that way. I know I'm extremely nit picky, but the non-centered blade and the thumb studs that don't match the knife annoy me.

I'm thinking it's cousin the Mini-Griptilian might offer the fun factor of the Bugout with a little more beef.

Again, I appreciate your input!

TripleB67
 
Update:

I made the mistake of getting the Bugout back out of the box after I had already packaged it up to send it back. This knife is just a fidget dream - especially after I saw someone open it using the Axis lock (hadn't thought of that before). Originally I thought it was too large but after realizing that it has the exact same closed size as my current front runner (Sage 5), I'm rethinking that thought. The super light weight and thumb stud/spacers being a completely different color from the frame still bothers me, but this knife really seems to be growing on me...especially with how it disappears in the pocket for being "larger".

My final four are the Sage 5, Mini Griptilian, Bugout, and Mini Bugout.

I've got the Sage 5 and Bugout on hand, checking out the Mini Grip with the thumb stud tomorrow, and ordered the Mini Grip with the hole. Haven't had a chance to try the Mini Bugout (not sure if I will - seems to be sold out everywhere).

As many of you have mentioned before, I'm not sure there is a loser in the bunch, but it's going to fun trying to figure out the winner!

To be honest, I'm hoping the Mini Grip with the hole turns out to be my favorite. Love the hole for opening, don't own a sheepsfoot blade, it's the cheapest, and with the Axis Lock as an alternate (or maybe it's the primary) opening method, this should be my ultimate fidget EDC that looks good and is extremely useful in a lot of situations! But I shall go into the final decision with an open mind and hopefully no bias towards it!

As always, I appreciate you help and patience with this process!

TripleB67
 
You know you can open and close the Sage 5 Compression lock with the lock and a flick or rotating the wrist for another fun fidget factor, I'm more a Spyderco fan than BM, for some extra consideration if you haven't noticed that yourself.
 
PirateSeulb said:
You know you can open and close the Sage 5 Compression lock with the lock and a flick or rotating the wrist for another fun fidget factor.
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Yes and no! I tried it with the Para 3 LW I tried and it didn't work so well. The "action" on the Para 3 I tried wasn't very good...when I pushed in the compression lock on it the blade wouldn't fall at all so I had to use two hands to close it.

So after I couldn't get the Para 3 to do it I never tried it with the Sage 5. Just tried it and yes, it's a load of fun as well. It's even easier with the Sage 5 than it is with the Bugout... although the hand position seems more natural on the Bugout when opening them this way.

I appreciate you reminding me of that!

TripleB67
 
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I have heard you can operate a Manix 2 same as the bugout but I had the ones I have tried operate like your Para 3 experience so I kinda haven't gone back to trying them myself either.
 
Brand new knives often have a "break in" period regarding their action. The action generally improves with fidgeting/opening-closing/use. Just something general to keep in mind in as you make your final decision.

Good luck :thumbsup:
 
I wanted a mini-grip in the worst way. I ended up with a full size instead because I found a used 551 at an amazing price.

Now I have four. A full size with a Vic Cadet is a hard combo to beat.

I still like the Mini though. Go with it.
 
Bugout or Para 3 lightweight. Easy choices imo. I'd take both if I was you. If you get bored one, you carry the other.

Forget about the Gripitilian line : the big is too big and the small is too small. Imho, the bugout kind of killed the appeal of both. The mini-bugout is too small for being only 15% lighter, doesn't make much sense to me. The bugout is already as lightweight as it need to be. The manix 2 is a specialized kind of tool. It's a huge work knife and less of what I'd call an EDC, unless you spend your day cutting stuff.
 
sabre cat said:
The thing is, you will probably end up with both. A Benchmade and a Spyderco.
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Eventually I'm sure you will be correct!!!

Unfortunately I can only afford one right now...the other one will probably have to wait until at least Christmas!

TripleB67
 
Honestly, the knives your considering are great. It’s just preference at this point. Pick whichever one you know you’ll regret not buying, deep down.
 
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