- Joined
- Feb 16, 2010
- Messages
- 471
I recently purchased a Sage 1 and a Persistence. Much has been said about these two knives individually. Interestingly, I find that they are so close
to one another in size and shape that a comparison seemed appropriate.
Here's a quick rundown on the specs, as I measured them today:
Knife......... Cost..Blade...Weight...Closed...Open....Lock...Scales...Steel
Persistence..$25...2.8".....3.7 oz.....4.25"......6.8"....Liner....G10...8Cr13MoV
Sage 1........$80...3.0".....3.2 oz.....4.13"......7.12"....Liner....CF........S30V
The G10 scales on the Persistence are less elegant looking than the carbon fiber scales on the Sage, but a bit "grippier" in the hand.
The attachment screws on the Sage are torx head whereas those on the Persistence are hex. (The Persistence hex heads are metric, I believe, as my closest USA hex wrench was not quite a perfect fit.)
I removed the blade and phosphor bronze washers from the Persistence to do a fluff n buff. I expected to find two washers, but to my surprise, I found SIX!
Overall length of the closed knives is practically identical.
(EDIT: sorry about the busy-ness of the background... in hindsight I would have chosen something much simpler... but these are done now, so be it.)
The black wire pocket clip on the Sage allows deeper pocket carry by about 1/2" and is less obtrusive visually.
The stainless clip on the Persistence is extremely strong... too much so in my view.
The Persistence allows the clip to be placed for tip-up, tip-down, left-hand, or right-hand positioning.
The Sage allows only tip-up, right-hand or left-hand. I prefer right-hand tip-up, so this is a non-issue for me.
The blade length and shape are quite similar. Overall length open is virtually the same.
Note the cutting edge of the Persistence blade comes fully back to the handle.... you can choke up
wonderfully close to the cutting edge and still have your hand comfortable and fully on the handle.
The way the Persistence fits in the hand, for me, is about perfect. The handle is just right. There is no extra handle
hanging out the back of my hand and one can get right up to the cutting edge, without going forward of the grip,
as is necessary with the Sage if you want to grip closer to the cutting edge.
There's just one way to hold the Persistence - fully on the grip itself - and I really like this!
The Persistence offers a lanyard hole. A lanyard hole is not available on the Sage.
With the Sage, the best grip is obtained by moving the first finger up into the choil area, which leaves a bit of grip hanging out
the bottom of my hand. Not a problem, really, just an observation. Of course, you can also hold the Sage with the hand farther
back, entirely on the grip area, extending the blade farther out from the hand if desired... though the feel in the hand this way,
to me, is not so comfortable.
This shows the difference in thickness of the liners. The thin Sage liners help achieve the Sage's lighter weight.
The thicker liners of the Persistence give a somewhat "beefier" feel and, I suppose, it could easily be argued that
the liner lock on the Persistence may be more durable, stronger, and possibly longer lasting.
The additional polishing given to the Sage's liner is apparent here:
Interestingly, I find myself handling, carrying and using my Persistence more than my Sage 1. This is primarily because the fit in the
hand and the ergonomic design of the Persistence feels and works somewhat better for me than that of the Sage. And the difference
in the qualities of the two steels used isn't something that I notice in my relatively light usage. I certainly appreciate the Sage's
CF scales, S30V blade steel, and the slightly more polished finishing. That said, the materials used in the Persistence are quite
satisfactory to easily meet a variety of basic cutting needs... especially for the $25 price of the knife. I'm not a "hard-use" knife
kind of guy. In fact, sometimes it seems I use my knives mostly to open boxes and packages containing newly arriving knives!
I can strongly encourage anyone who might be thinking about picking up a Persistence to do so. I doubt you would have any regrets
in the knife considering it's cost of a mere $25 or so, depending on where you buy it. I can also encourage anyone to get a Sage 1...
it's a wonderful knife that offers great quality components, fit and finish for a relatively modest price of around $80, if you shop carefully.
Sal has stated publicly that the time, attention, and detailed effort given to creating the Persistence was considerable and that much
refinement took place in the process. He also has said that Spyderco is busy continuing to develop knives based on the Persistence.
That's great news.
Each of these knives has some great features, but there are elements of each knife that I would change if I could! If I could have
my way... it would be the Persistence blade & handle design but with carbon fiber scales, black wire clip, and S30V, VG-10, or
154CM steel. Perhaps there will be a sprint run of those at some point. (SAL... please?!)
In the meantime, my Persistence gets a bit of a nod over my Sage 1 for my EDC duties. Not that I want to give up my Sage either.
EDITED TO ADD a video comparison:
[youtube]Qe_rXjVV_g8[/youtube]
to one another in size and shape that a comparison seemed appropriate.
Here's a quick rundown on the specs, as I measured them today:
Knife......... Cost..Blade...Weight...Closed...Open....Lock...Scales...Steel
Persistence..$25...2.8".....3.7 oz.....4.25"......6.8"....Liner....G10...8Cr13MoV
Sage 1........$80...3.0".....3.2 oz.....4.13"......7.12"....Liner....CF........S30V
The G10 scales on the Persistence are less elegant looking than the carbon fiber scales on the Sage, but a bit "grippier" in the hand.
The attachment screws on the Sage are torx head whereas those on the Persistence are hex. (The Persistence hex heads are metric, I believe, as my closest USA hex wrench was not quite a perfect fit.)
I removed the blade and phosphor bronze washers from the Persistence to do a fluff n buff. I expected to find two washers, but to my surprise, I found SIX!
Overall length of the closed knives is practically identical.
(EDIT: sorry about the busy-ness of the background... in hindsight I would have chosen something much simpler... but these are done now, so be it.)
The black wire pocket clip on the Sage allows deeper pocket carry by about 1/2" and is less obtrusive visually.
The stainless clip on the Persistence is extremely strong... too much so in my view.
The Persistence allows the clip to be placed for tip-up, tip-down, left-hand, or right-hand positioning.
The Sage allows only tip-up, right-hand or left-hand. I prefer right-hand tip-up, so this is a non-issue for me.
The blade length and shape are quite similar. Overall length open is virtually the same.
Note the cutting edge of the Persistence blade comes fully back to the handle.... you can choke up
wonderfully close to the cutting edge and still have your hand comfortable and fully on the handle.
The way the Persistence fits in the hand, for me, is about perfect. The handle is just right. There is no extra handle
hanging out the back of my hand and one can get right up to the cutting edge, without going forward of the grip,
as is necessary with the Sage if you want to grip closer to the cutting edge.
There's just one way to hold the Persistence - fully on the grip itself - and I really like this!
The Persistence offers a lanyard hole. A lanyard hole is not available on the Sage.
With the Sage, the best grip is obtained by moving the first finger up into the choil area, which leaves a bit of grip hanging out
the bottom of my hand. Not a problem, really, just an observation. Of course, you can also hold the Sage with the hand farther
back, entirely on the grip area, extending the blade farther out from the hand if desired... though the feel in the hand this way,
to me, is not so comfortable.
This shows the difference in thickness of the liners. The thin Sage liners help achieve the Sage's lighter weight.
The thicker liners of the Persistence give a somewhat "beefier" feel and, I suppose, it could easily be argued that
the liner lock on the Persistence may be more durable, stronger, and possibly longer lasting.
The additional polishing given to the Sage's liner is apparent here:
Interestingly, I find myself handling, carrying and using my Persistence more than my Sage 1. This is primarily because the fit in the
hand and the ergonomic design of the Persistence feels and works somewhat better for me than that of the Sage. And the difference
in the qualities of the two steels used isn't something that I notice in my relatively light usage. I certainly appreciate the Sage's
CF scales, S30V blade steel, and the slightly more polished finishing. That said, the materials used in the Persistence are quite
satisfactory to easily meet a variety of basic cutting needs... especially for the $25 price of the knife. I'm not a "hard-use" knife
kind of guy. In fact, sometimes it seems I use my knives mostly to open boxes and packages containing newly arriving knives!
I can strongly encourage anyone who might be thinking about picking up a Persistence to do so. I doubt you would have any regrets
in the knife considering it's cost of a mere $25 or so, depending on where you buy it. I can also encourage anyone to get a Sage 1...
it's a wonderful knife that offers great quality components, fit and finish for a relatively modest price of around $80, if you shop carefully.
Sal has stated publicly that the time, attention, and detailed effort given to creating the Persistence was considerable and that much
refinement took place in the process. He also has said that Spyderco is busy continuing to develop knives based on the Persistence.
That's great news.
Each of these knives has some great features, but there are elements of each knife that I would change if I could! If I could have
my way... it would be the Persistence blade & handle design but with carbon fiber scales, black wire clip, and S30V, VG-10, or
154CM steel. Perhaps there will be a sprint run of those at some point. (SAL... please?!)
In the meantime, my Persistence gets a bit of a nod over my Sage 1 for my EDC duties. Not that I want to give up my Sage either.
EDITED TO ADD a video comparison:
[youtube]Qe_rXjVV_g8[/youtube]
Last edited:
I want to keep both the Persistence AND the Sage!
