Sage 1 vs. Persistence - close photo comparison

Nice review and great pics. Personally, I thought the Sage grip was a bit weird for me, with my finger on the choil, when I'm used to holding completely on the handle, but the grip position really grew on me as I used the blade as my EDC. I feel like I get a lot of control. That said, I have never tried the Persistence. Although I must say that I would be interested in a 4in version of the knife, given your positive review of the Persistence.
 
I think I have come across a little too harshly in my review on the use of choil positioning of the index finger on the Sage. I really do find it comfortable when held that way and the control is great. Nothing wrong about it at all, though it still feels just a tiny bit foreign to me yet... something that will no doubt lessen and disappear with time and use.

I'm sure that for many users, those who are accustomed to using full-grip hold on knives, it can take some getting used-to to hold a knife with a finger on the choil, rather than completely on the handle.

My G10 Dragonfly most definitely has a choil-required grip and I've grown to like it very much as well. I do plan to add a Cat in the near future also, which also requires a "choil" hold. So I don't want to make too much of this point.

Bottom line for me with these two knives is that I really like them both quite a bit and feel both are good values at widely different price points. But I feel compelled to give extra credit to the Persistence for being such a stellar performer at such a remarkably low price. There is little that the Sage can do that the Persistence can't at 1/3 the price. One can speak to the merits of S30V, which are wonderful, but for the most part, my experience (albeit as a "light" user) is that 8Cr13MoV does a very good job for the average user and saves a lot of money. Same goes for the G10 grips vs. the more costly carbon fiber.

If I were to require a considerable amount of moderate to heavy use from a single EDC knife... I may find the Sage's S30V steel a great advantage, perhaps very well worth the additional cost. As a light-duty user, however, with a variety of different knives in EDC rotation, I don't so much require the advantages of S30V over 8Cr13MoV. But I'm very happy to have and use both the Sage and the Persistence.

The Spyderco knives I still can't warm up to (and I haven't bought a model with this yet - and may never do so) are those with FRN grips/handles/scales. The FRN may do a very good job functionally, but to me they just look a bit, shall we say, cheesy. For that reason, I am only drawn to purchasing G10 and CF Spydercos at the present time. Fortunately, there are plenty of wonderful Spyderco models available with G10 or CF scales, so my aversion to Spyderco FRN models isn't creating any problems for me so far. ;)
 
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ZDHart, thanks for the very nice video you just posted.

Interestingly, I share many of your comments in the preceding post. I also find the 'choil grip' (if it can be called that way) of the Sage a bit awkward; given the freedom of choice I would opt for full-handle grip any day. The Persistence is much better and more straightforward in this regard in that you can just grab the knife and hold it without second thought.

I am also not particularly thrilled by the FRN handle. It is not that FRN feels 'cheap'; it is just that I think G10 or carbon fiber (such as that in Sage) feels better in the hand.
 
Are these Persistence models part of the Spydie line available at Walmart? I really like this knife but would likt to handle it before purchase. You really can't go wrong for $35. Thanks.
 
The Sage I is still my favorite EDC knife and the Persistence is my vehicle backup. Today, I forgot my Sage and the Persistence is currently in the pocket. The two are so similar that I feel comfortable with either one.

Personally, I actually prefer the choil on the Sage.

I don't need an upscale variant of the Persistence/Tenacious line. I have plenty of other knives that fit the bill and there's no need to pimp out the best value priced line of knives currently available.
 
dsmegst said:
I don't need an upscale variant of the Persistence/Tenacious line. I have plenty of other knives that fit the bill and there's no need to pimp out the best value priced line of knives currently available.
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Need is not the central point for me... it's desire! And judging from the huge array of various permutations (different steels, different scale materials) of Spyderco models that have been and are being offered, it must be clear that creating wide variety of options - even on a single knife design - leads to more sales and more business for Sal. For example, think how many people have more than one Delica just to have different colored handles and different blade grinds.

I think a sprint run (or long run) of the Persistence with cf scales and VG-10 or S30V steel would sell like crazy - without cannibalizing sales of regular Persistence models.

Most of us have far more knives than we need, but rarely more than we desire. ;)
 
ZDHart said:
I think a sprint run (or long run) of the Persistence with cf scales and VG-10 or S30V steel would sell like crazy - without cannibalizing sales of regular Persistence models.
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Being that the Sage is 80 bucks, do you think doing this to the Persistence
would bring the price also close to 80 bucks? The Sage is also made in
Taiwan right (I know the Sage 2 is) so I figured cost would be the same.

That would be an amazing sprint run though. You know, they don't even
have to do all that. Just coming out in some different color G10 would be
enough for me to get one.
 
knifezoid said:
Being that the Sage is 80 bucks, do you think doing this to the Persistence would bring the price also close to 80 bucks?
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Sounds about right. I'd happily buy another Persistence, at $80, with CF scales and VG-10 or S30V... and a wire clip! And that knife would surpass my Sage 1 as a most-favorite.

knifezoid said:
That would be an amazing sprint run though. You know, they don't even have to do all that. Just coming out in some different color G10 would be enough for me to get one.
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+1, for me too!
 
great photos & a good review. the spyderco 8cr13 chinese alloy is really a good work steel. in my usage i've found it better than aus8 as a banger.these knives make great gifts for younger people starting out with a pocketknife. the appearance certainly is astounding for the price
 
Well, the Persistence and Tenacious are not made in Taiwan, and as far as I know, the Chinese factory have never done any knives with CF or CPM steels. It'd be interesting to see what sort of quality they can bring to the table.

I just remembered, how many people are going to try out the Ti CatByrd sprint knife? I'm curious about what sort of fit and finish you're seeing.
 
dsmegst said:
Well, the Persistence and Tenacious are not made in Taiwan, and as far as I know, the Chinese factory have never done any knives with CF or CPM steels. It'd be interesting to see what sort of quality they can bring to the table.

I just remembered, how many people are going to try out the Ti CatByrd sprint knife? I'm curious about what sort of fit and finish you're seeing.
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Yeah... I had wondered if a sprint with cf and CPM steels would be done in the same China plant or be done in the Taiwan plant where they're already using those materials. All speculation at this point, though.

As for the Ti CatByrd... that looks like a great knife. Only wish it were a framelock like the original CatByrd is... not that I mind a liner lock if it's done well.
 
I did feel a need to open it up and polish the washers, all 6 of them, and the pivot area on the blade with a Dremel buffing wheel to smooth up the operation.

And FYI, pivot is a 2mm hex drive, scale and clip screws are 1.5mm hex.
 
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Where are you finding a sage for $80? I see prices like this mentioned on this forum, but I never encounter them in the wild.
 
Sithus1966 said:
I did feel a need to open it up and polish the washers, all 6 of them, and the pivot area on the blade with a Dremel buffing wheel to smooth up the operation.

And FYI, pivot is a 2mm hex drive, scale and clip screws are 1.5mm hex.
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Ah... so I guess the six washers are the proper number. Interesting.

Thanks for the info on the hex head sizes... I used a US hex wrench which was not quite the perfect fit! I need to invest in some metric hex wrenches.

cckw said:
Where are you finding a sage for $80? I see prices like this mentioned on this forum, but I never encounter them in the wild.
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eBay. There are some knife sellers there with excellent reputations and seller feedback. You can pick up some great knives there at excellent prices. That's where my Sage 1 came from and my Benchmade 960 Osborne (sweet gentleman's knife!).
 
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