stuck between a grip and a sage

L

lobodelanoche

Joined
Feb 7, 2012
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I've been looking at the Mini-griptilian and a Sage 1 for about a month now and can not decide between the two. I only have the money for one and don't have a place i can handle them so im going in blind. any suggestions? and i do want one of these two so please keep the suggestions confined.
Thanks
 
I have the normal bm grip.
Personally although the Sage has a better steel in the blade I'm more confident in the BM grips handle
 
The axis lock imo is stronger than the liner lock.
Truth be told a lock will only really help if you going to do things like batten with your knife.

For normal edc cutting chores the locks mean jack, the blade is what cuts
 
Axis lock is excellent especially if you've never had a knife with that lock type. My mini grip keeps growing on me, it really is a great little knife. I'm not a huge fan of the sage, just doesn't work that well in my hand. There are quite a few spydercos i prefer over the sage.
 
I'd go spyderco sage , i really wanted a grip for along time , that was until i handled a couple at a gun show...wasn't very impressed ..
 
Shape: Sage blade is the classic Spyderco wide leaf-shaped, FFG which makes it an effective slicer. Mini Grip comes in 3 standard blade shapes -- drop-point, tanto, and sheepsfoot. The Mini Grip is more compact. The Sage handle is longer than the Grip's and offers a 50/50 choil. The handles are about the same thickness but the Sage's are flat whereas the Grip's are rounded. There is also more texture and jimping on the Grip. Most people prefer the pocket clip on the Sage, which allows for deep carry.

Materials: S30V is a little better than 154cm, but not by light years. The Grip's handle is made from hollow plastic, which is consistently the biggest complaint about the knife. Although it actually functions quite well, to some it just "feels" cheap.

Personally, I prefer the mini Grip because of the slimmer shape, and the ergonomics are a little better in my small hands.
 
I have owned both, and it is the mini-grip for me. The Sage is nicer looking, and has a better steel, but the knife is very, very wide. It takes up a ton of real estate in the pocket, and you don't get a ton of edge for the size. Now there is an advantage to that size. If is easily a four finger knife, while the mini-grip is only a 3 finger knife. It is close, but the axis lock is what puts the grip over the edge for me. That and it is about $30-$40 cheaper, which is not insignificant.
 
For me it's definitely the Sage. It fits my hand perfectly and operates like pure silk. The Minigrip feels like a toy by comparison.
 
I have both, they are in different leagues in my opinion... The sage has a very comfortable handle, better steal, and better handle material... Whereas the grip feels almost cheap in comparison... as far as locks go, who cares? a lock is a lock, and if you don't like the lock on the sage, buy a different sage.
 
+1 for the Grip. It's been my EDC for over 5 yrs. for a reason! (actually quite a few reasons)
 
My first over $50 knife was a Grip. I was so disappointed I ended up giving it away. Wish I would have bought a Sage back then.
 
SAGE. Hands down one of the best bangs for the buck in the knife world right now. Also one of my very favorite Spyderco designs. Heck, regardless of brand, it's one of my favorite designs, period.

The build quality is stellar, carbon fiber handles are super sexy, the liner lock is top notch, blade shape is great for general utility cutting, and the ergonomics keep a smile on my face.

It's not that I hate Benchmade, but it says something when I've sold all of the Benchmades I ever owned, and keep acquiring Spyderco knives.

Good luck picking out the knife that is right for you.

-nate
 
I've owned, carried, and used variations of both knives. I've had the Sage 1 & 2 (still have and carry the 1), and several variations of mini-Grips including Ritters. Don't have any left now. The biggest mini-G drawback for me was their short length. A 3-finger grip in a hand that has 4 working fingers and a thumb doesn't do it for me. A lot of my cutting involves fairly tough industrial packing/strapping materials where I need to put a bit of pressure into the cut, even with a sharp blade. I want to be able to hold the handle with all 4 fingers. I can do that with the Sage, I couldn't wth the mini-G.

The blade steel isn't that big of a differenece and you can get a mini-G with S30V or D2 if you want. Also, there's nothing wrong with a well-designed liner lock and spyderco designs theirs as well as anybody. 'Course, there's nothing wrong with an AXIS lock either; absolutely ambidextrous and easy to operate, although I think it's more comfortable to opeate on a somewhat longer handle like the 525 or 1530 Bone Collectors have. The mini-G didn't feel cheap to me because I actually like FRN (Noryl, or whatever BMcalls it). The biggest reason I kept the Sage 1 and fired the mini-Gs was just that they were too small for my average sized hands (I wear a L men's work glove but they're just a bit loose on me). If you decide on the mini-G, I'd suggest looking at the mini-Ritter version. I do really like that blade shape and the slightly wider blade that they have.
 
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