What Should I Get Next- Sage 1 or Caly III?

M

Minnesotapride88

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Oct 25, 2011
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The title says it all- which one should I get for EDC, the Sage 1 or Caly III?

Both look like fantastic knives, but I like lockbacks better than liner locks. Then again, it seems like the Sage 1 is just plain better designed than the Caly III, since I've been reading about the scratching problem and I don't like the pin construction.

Anybody have both? Which one do you prefer?
 
i had only caly 3.5 and i was very pleased wiht it. the only think that i didn't like was the backlock tiny up and down movement. if caly 3.5 would have liner lock or compression lock imo it would be the perfect edc. i sold it, but now i regret that.
but you know that both knives are great. the design is similar, but i like most caly 3 (.5 )
 
Both are great knives. Personally, I'd get the Sage - you will have to look far and wide to find a knife with better ergonomics and hand-feel.

The Caly III has ZDP-189 steel, though - and is a better pure slicer.

Tough call... Get both!

TedP
 
If you're leaning toward the Sage, I doubt you'd be disappointed. (I have only a Caly, and not a Sage--I like the Caly so much I haven't been able to justify the Sage.) I love everything about the Caly 3--the steel, the handle, the choil. Great knife.
 
RevDevil said:
Save your cash, the Calt3.5 in ZDP will be upon us soon!
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unless he wants a 3" blade.

Anyway, I have the sage and a caly sitting at the house that was delivered today actually. The sage is basically the perfect knife for me so the caly has its work cut out. no pun intended.
 
I feel that the Sage series, Sage 1 in particular, are among the best EDC knives made. The ergonomics are outstanding for such a small knife, the wire clip carries deep and holds strong and the fit and finish are superb. I'm not familiar with the Caly 3, however.
 
I have the G10 Caly3 and the Sage1 and out of the two I would get the Sage1. The Caly3 is smaller and flicks open like a dream while the Sage1 has the twill-CF and broad blade. I tend to prefer S30V slightly over VG10 as well. They are both great EDC's but with the Sage1 I can pull it out of my pocket, rotate it open with my thumb, cut what needs to be cut and then fold it closed and put back in my pocket all in one motion with one hand. You'll probably wind up getting both but get the Sage first.
 
I dont have a caly 3 but I do have a caly 3.5 super blue that I carry a lot. I just got the sage yesterday so I havent used it much but Ive been playing with it since then. Overall I think Im going to like the sage better but both are great knives and I wouldnt want to give up either one:

- the sage feels lighter even though it weighs 0.1 ounces more according to the spec sheets. Might just be because of the balance though. The caly feels a bit handle heavy to me
- sage is nicer looking. The carbon fiber scales are exceptional
- sage it open construction which I think looks good and helps with cleaning
- the sage feels a little better in hand because of the taller grip but not really enough to influence things
- the caly rides a bit lower but both are deep carry and feel great in pocket. I dont notice they're there until I need them
- both are built extremely well with no major fit and finish issues. Sage is fairly close to perfect while the grinds were a bit uneven on the caly and the blade is a fraction of a mm off center
- both lock up bank vault tight. The caly has a tiny bit of up down movement if I grab the tip of the blade and pull up but I never notice it normally and I think its just the nature of back locks
- my caly has a longer blade and better blade steel according to those in the know. Neither would apply to a regular caly 3 though
- the sage is screw construction and the caly is pinned
- the sage liner lock is easier for me to close one handed

As I said, I like the sage a little better overall but both are exceptional knives.
 
I moved away from Lockbacks almost 20 years ago and haven't looked back. I have noticed however that Spyderco has a lot of nice designs that are lockback so if that is the lock type that you like you might as well go for one of those.
 
Caly3 (especially in CF/ZDP) is a dead sexy lightweight EDC and cuts like a laser. Of course, I hear good things about the Sage1, so I'd buy whichever you find yourself more attracted to.
 
Ive been carrying my new sage 1 this week and I still do like it but I think I got wrapped up in the new knife excitement. My first point gave only pluses to the sage and made the caly 3.5 sound inferior in many ways which it isnt. Most of what I said still applies but there are some advantage to the caly that I didnt mention or emphasize enough:
- caly has a steeper thumb ramp with more aggressive jimping which I like (same as caly 3 i think)
- caly has a shallower choil which feels a bit nicer for normal use but doesnt lock your index finger in as well as the sage's deeper choil (applies to caly 3 as well)
- caly seems to carry better in my week day casual pants even though its barely any narrower top to bottom when closed. Maybe it hangs different but it doesnt get in the way of getting other stuff out of my pocket as much as the sage, which still isnt bad (caly 3 probably even better)
- the longer straighter blade of the caly 3.5 is better for cutting some things (not sure if caly 3 is the same)
- I really didnt emphasize how good the super blue steel is. Still doesnt apply to regular caly 3's but it really does get stupid sharp very easily and seems to be stable as well. I havent had any problems with my super blue caly 3.5 sharpened to 12 degrees a side (24 inclusive) and it cuts like no other knife I own, including kitchen knives. Counts as 2 in the caly plus column.

The sage pluses still apply but overall Id call it a wash. After the sage new wears off, Ill probably end up carrying both of them about equally.
 
Had both, and I vote for the Caly because of the steel, and it fits in your pocket better.
 
Justa said:
caly seems to carry better in my week day casual pants even though its barely any narrower top to bottom when closed. Maybe it hangs different but it doesnt get in the way of getting other stuff out of my pocket as much as the sage, which still isnt bad (caly 3 probably even better)
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Interesting point...I find that clip angle (relative to the general line of the grip) makes a big difference in how a knife sits in the pocket.

I absolutely love my Sage 1, but I find that -- for me -- it creates a very obvious projection in certain styles of pants (my dress slacks, and some of my cargo shorts), so for those pants, I carry it IWB. The Sage 1 in the pocket has a very similar profile to the Superhawk. In your typical jeans, both knives work great in the pocket.

If I absolutely want to do pocket-carry, I go with my Perrin PPT (which virtually disappears).


.
 
I had both - and sold the Caly 3 (kept the Sage).

If you're on the fence and you dislike shallow choils (a-la Caly 3), then hit up the Native 5 (G10), or find a Native 4 FFG in Carbon Fiber. In my honest opinion, it's well more refined than the Caly 3 was, plus - it's smaller than the Sage by just a hair.
 
I would get the Sage 1 first. It is more practical as the Caly does scratch and the Sage has textured CF as the Caly's is smooth. I love my Caly 3 but only carry it on special occasions and do not use it in an EDC role (heavier use, dirty environments). You will probably end up with both that is why I said Sage 1 first. The Caly does feel better in my hand, although the Sage is great also. I would not worry about the pin construction, there is an Allen head pivot, so you can of course adjust that, but I have never wished I could take mine apart. I was drawn to the Caly because of ZDP, but because I use it very little it is more of a novelty, and VG10 would have been fine.
 
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