Sage I or Native?

C

Chang1

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Sep 30, 2006
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I'm trying to debate which Spyderco to go with. I'm pretty much set on either the Sage I or the Native with the FRN handle and S30V blade. I will only have money for one. So which would you go with? Thanks in advance.
 
The Native IV does have its own appeal, but I'm looking to give S30V a try. I've never had a knife with S30V and Spyderco seems to have knives within the parameters that I'm looking for. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 
I'd go for the Sage. Never owned a Native but the Sage has the best ergos of any Spyderco I've tried.
 
Pluses for the Native would be ambidexterity, choice of tip up or tip down carry, and a slightly more compact package when closed.

Pluses for the Sage would be more attractive CF with somewhat better grip, more discreet carry, and a larger, fully accessible, Spyderhole. Native is also thinner, which would be a plus to some and a minus to others.

Build quality is about equal and excellent, and right now both can be found at incredibly low prices if you shop around, so it really comes down to which features you find most (or least) appealing. To me, the handle shapes are very similar, but the thumb ramp and slightly thicker handle make the Sage feel better in my hand. Of the two, I'd carry the Native, but only because of the lock. If I live to see the midlock version of the Sage, I know it will become my 3" knife of choice.

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Paul
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Native

Like Deacon said, has more carry options.

It also has more blade options, if you are interested in combo edge or spyder edge.

S30v version is made in the USA, Sage is not
 
5.56 said:
Native

Like Deacon said, has more carry options.

It also has more blade options, if you are interested in combo edge or spyder edge.

S30v version is made in the USA, Sage is not
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Well, I screwed up. Thought he was talking about the CF Native 4. The FRN Native Lightweight is tip up only, just like the Sage. It does offer much better traction that the matte CF Native 4, and probably a bit better than the Sage's textured CF. It also has the advantages of being lighter and less expensive, but you're getting what you pay for - unlined FRN compared with the Sage's CF. Where it loses points is the grind, unless you can manage to snag a Forum Model, the Sage will out slice it.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
Thanks again for the replies guys. I think with the benefits you pointed out and more, I'm going to go for the Sage I. Thanks again.
 
Chang1 said:
I'm looking to give S30V a try.
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if you want to try S30V I would go for Native for one simple reason: I trust more S30V heat-treated by Spyderco (or one of Spyderco's proven suppliers in US) than S30V heat-treated in Taiwan, also Native is much less expensive
 
bh49 said:
if you want to try S30V I would go for Native for one simple reason: I trust more S30V heat-treated by Spyderco (or one of Spyderco's proven suppliers in US) than S30V heat-treated in Taiwan, also Native is much less expensive
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I'm pretty sure the blade is made in the US (including heat-treating), so it's the same S30V in the Native that's in the Sage.

S30V is a damn fine steel, though. I like it better than my VG-10 and ZDP-189. I wish they would make a Delica or Stretch in S30V, since those are my favorite knives.
 
THG said:
I'm pretty sure the blade is made in the US (including heat-treating), so it's the same S30V in the Native that's in the Sage.
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I believe that I saw that Sal said that the S30V is made by Crucible, but cut and heat treated by the Taiwanese manufacturer of the Sage.

Now that it has been brought up, has anyone that has the Sage seen a different performance in the S30V steel from those models manufactured in Golden, CO?
 
I too would be interested in hearing if anybody has any feedback on the Sage's Taiwan heat-treated blade vs Golden Colorado heat-treated blades. Until reading this thread I was under the impression that the sage used S30V identical to the american versions but it appears that I was mistaken.

I have the Sage II titanium and I love it, but I do not have any Golden made S30V blades to compare it to. (My next buy will likely be a Military)
 
The Sage has been out nearly 2 years now. Somehow, I think if there were any issues with the heat treat, Spyderco would have noticed and made sure they were corrected, since they Rockwell test random samples of all their knives. I'm confident that, if there had been issues reported here by users which could even remotely be blamed on faulty heat treat, the folks who hate it simply because of where it's made would have jumped on them and linked to them ad nauseum. They can't fault the materials. They can't fault the fit and finish. Raising questions about its heat treat is just one more straw they are desperately grasping at in an attempt to smear it. It would be funny if it wasn't so damn transparent and pathetic. In reality, the Sage has been one of the most highly praised models in Spyderco's lineup, and with good reason.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
Thanks Deacon. I wasn't trying to stir the pot or anything. I know that if the Taiwanesse manufacturer had done a poor heat treat to the S30V that Sal wouldn't have let the Sage out to the consumer. I just have never heard or read any comparisons between S30V heat treated in Golden, CO and Taiwan. I was just curious about the edge retention for S30V from different makers for Spyderco. I suppose there are too many factors, such as what's being cut, to take into account to make such a judgement call. For the record, I am still planning on getting the Sage I.
 
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No problem. As you noted, there are a bunch of factors involved. The only really apples to apples comparisons I can think of would be between the Sage and either the UKPK leaf or drop point blades or the Forum Native. Everything else from Golden in S30V is either thicker, significantly different in size or profile, or a different grind. I haven't done enough cutting with either of my Sages, or my UKPK or Forum Natives, to be able to make a meaningful comparison except to say that the Sages seem to be sharpened on a finer grit belt than the Golden knives.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
That's interesting observation about the Sages being sharpened on a finer belt. I look forward to experiencing the Sage I myself. Thanks again Deacon.
 
i was sharpening my bosses native S30V with FRN handle the other day , nice knife but it wasn't for me , the knife is too nose heavy . liners in the handle would help but a FFG is what that knife needs .


p.s. i looked at the blade's edge before sharpening and i saw he was using one of those carbide "pull" sharpeners , after taking a while reconstructing the cutting edge i told him "unless your filleting lots of fish on a boat with a $10-$15 fillet knife , don't ever use that sharpener again" , he was surprised i knew what he sharpened the knife with and said "but that's the only sharpener i have" i told him just give it to me when it gets dull .
 
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