Some thoughts on the Sage IV

Flatlander1963 · Feb 25, 2012

The Sage IV intrigues me a lot. I love the basic Sage design and the mid-lock (the Sage II is maybe my favorite knife). So I was very excited about the IV but then I saw that awful standard picture with the yellow opaque Ironwood on all the knife sale sites I immediately thought....yuk yuk yuk.

I just can't buy this knife based on this picture. How in the world did Spyderco authorize this picture? It doesn't in anyway look like Ironwood. I'll own a IV one day because I love the Sage pattern but I'll wait and buy one from someone in mildly used condition so I can see the wood.

I would have been very fired up to buy a plain g10 Sage IV. Sometimes simple and plain is better.

TheModernNeanderthal · Feb 25, 2012

Its probably not very easy to capture iron wood in great detail for a stock photo. And I know they use computer generated pictures sometimes, do that would make it less realistic. There are plenty of people that have pictures here on the forum of what it really looks like.

I say, if you like the sage, the back-lock, and iron wood, then buy the knife.

jujigatame · Feb 25, 2012

Given that the Sage 3 was plain G10 I tend to think there would a desire not to repeat that on Spyderco's end with the very next knife. For my part, a natural material like wood jives better with the long bolster setup. Whether or not the wood that gets used is visually appealing comes down to personal preference for each of us.

Magnaminous_G · Feb 25, 2012

It is showing the correct pic on the Spyderco website now. The pic you referenced is not the right wood.

1623 · Feb 25, 2012

Just about every Sage IV "in the wild" photo that I've seen looks like the one above...it's far more representative than the original stock photo was.

Some have a darker shade, some lighter, and there have also been some flat out beautiful grain patterns as well.

The Deacon · Feb 25, 2012

OldSarSwmr · Feb 25, 2012

Here are some outdoor pictures on an overcast day. I found the wood to be rich, dark and full of character.

Dan

Flatlander1963 · Feb 26, 2012

Thanks Fellas for the correct pictures. I knew what the knife should look like....my point was really about how the ball got dropped with that picture.

Gadgetman7 · Feb 26, 2012

I'm not a fan of wooden handles but the Sage 4 handles are nice. Both of mine are darker than the pictures. I'll try to take a picture later.