Spyderco Sage 5 Lightweight Compression Lock Knife Mint FRN (3" Satin M4) BHQ

So, first things first, when I unboxed this knife my nose got hit with a gust of spearmint. BladeHQ (or maybe it was Spyderco?? Not sure) decided to throw in a stick of mint gum in the box to go along with the mint-colored Sage 5. I know it's kind of silly but it's the little things like this that really makes things special lol. Seeing the mint-colored scales of the Sage 5 while smelling the mint gum really completed that unboxing experience. Kinda weird I know, but whatever, I thought it was pretty awesome. Made my day honestly lol. With all that aside the Sage 5 really is a great knife. I have a Para 3 to compare it to and while there are pros and cons to both, I do prefer the Sage 5 as an EDC knife. I just want to say that I think the regular Para 3 is a better comparison than the Para 3 lightweight because the regular Para 3 has full liners just like this Sage 5 lightweight whereas the Para 3 lightweight has pretty much no liners. The regular Sage 5 and the Sage 5 lightweight are exactly the same, it's just the lightweight version has FRN scales instead. So basically the Para 3, regular Sage 5 and Sage 5 lightweight are all comparable, while the Para 3 lightweight is in a different category. Anyways moving on, the Para 3 is slightly wider than the Sage 5 such that the thumb hole positioning causes the blade to stick out a bit farther, so the Sage 5 has slightly better pocket-ability, but the Para 3 provides a stronger grip with the taller/more aggressive thumb ramp. I carry my knife in a leather slip on my belt and the Sage 5 fits much better in it than the Para 3, so I prefer the Sage 5. I don't find myself needing that extremely aggressive thumb ramp of the Para 3 and it's not like the thumb ramp of the Sage 5 is inadequate, it's still really good. In terms of overall ergo's they are quite similar with the Sage 5 taking the slight edge, aside from the thumb ramp. When you're holding the Para 3 in the "choked up" position aka using the finger choil, there's a bump in the shape of the handle around where your ring finger rests. That bump is present on both knives but it's slightly more aggressive on the Para 3, almost making it a sort of hot spot whereas the Sage 5 bump is less prominent making it just the right amount. I know the "skinny" mod exists for the Para 3 but I'm just evaluating these in their stock form, but this is also a testament as to why the skinny mod exists for the Para 3. The Sage 5 also has a thinner blade stock, so I find it to be a bit more slicey than the Para 3. Overall, the Sage 5 is a bit thinner in all dimensions too, making it feel slimmer and less "tank like". In my opinion the Para 3 is a bit of a “thicc boi”, or at least it feels like one, making it not as EDC friendly. For some reason I prefer the leaf blade shape of the Sage over the weird clip point (?) style shape of the Para 3 because the tip doesn't feel as skinny/pointy on the Sage. I just feel like a less pointy blade is more social friendly and more EDC-esque as it’s not as dangerous. The clip on the Sage has a much better shape and position as well, allowing for a deeper carry. As we all know, the positioning and shape of the clip on the Para 3 is just terrible with nearly a fourth of the knife sticking out of your pocket when using the clip. The action on the Sage 5 is hands down way better too. The action on the Para 3 is good, but that's about it, it's just "good" nothing more. The Sage 5 uses bronze washers and a pivot bushing making it the best action I've ever felt on a Spyderco whereas the Para 3 is just washers. To be honest the Para 3 needed some tuning up from the factory to feel smooth (adjustments to the pivot screw and cleaning up some debris) while the Sage 5 was buttery smooth out of the box with no blade play. As a side note, I own 3 Spyderco knives; the Delica from Seki City, Japan, the Para 3 from Golden, Colorado, USA and now this Sage 5 from Taichung, Taiwan. The only knife that was not smooth out of the box and required some tuning up was the USA made Para 3. This just goes to show for you proud boys out there that quality is based on effort, not geography (as Nick Shabazz would say). As far as blade steel goes, M4 is said to be as good as M390 in terms of edge retention and toughness but with worse corrosion resistance as it is not considered stainless (only has about 4% Chromium). Haven’t really tested toughness but the edge retention claims seem to be spot on. I live in a dry climate so the corrosion resistance is not much of an issue for me. Won’t say much else about the blade steels as there are a few different variants of both knives. With that being said though, there are many more options for different variants of the Para 3, so it does have that advantage. My only gripe I have with the Sage 5 is the lock bar. The edge of the lock bar where you place your finger is completely smoothed out and curved whereas on the Para 3 it is a bit more squared off. This makes the compression lock bar a bit more slippery on the Sage 5. On top of that the cutout that allows access to the compression lock is a bit deeper on the Para 3, so you get a bit more surface area to place your finger. Also, you can sometimes feel the pointy top part of the finger choil lightly tap your finger when it swings down to the closed position. Doesn't hurt or anything but just feels a bit weird sometimes. None of this is a deal breaker though as they are minor nitpicky things. The compression lock is still absolutely useable. I do want to add that if you’re a lefty and you do that awkward thumb pinch to close your knife, you’ll find that it is significantly more difficult than the Para 3 because of that rounded off lock bar edge and shallower cutout access to the lock bar. I could easily see why someone who requires much more hard use out of their knife preferring the Para 3 more, but I think for basic urban civilian EDC tasks, the Sage 5 is the better option. Honestly though, I could almost pick the Sage 5 over the Para 3 just based on the smooth action alone lol. Oh, and the color on this specific Mint Sage 5 is beautiful. Don’t get too caught up with the blacked-out/murdered-out/tacticool EDC look, trust me it doesn’t make you look any more cool/tough/manly or even minimalist. We were given the ability to see colors, might as well enjoy and appreciate that. Anyways, at the end of the day regarding this mint green Sage 5 lightweight, in my opinion, hell yeah pick one up.

Love the knife. Have to many to count but never a sage. Its rock solid. Large stand offs and fully lined. No flexing. Wish spyderco would use these large stand offs in the para series, they remind me of much pricier brands. Reason for 4 stars.#1 wish it said golden Colorado. #2 mine has lanyard tube rattle out the box. Not a huge deal and I like it enough that I will fix it myself, but 154$ and it rattles more than a 30$ knife. I have a kershaw echelon natural g10. Absolutely love it but the spring rattles and I’ve never carried until I removed the spring. Ooh look that knife up shes rarer than chicken lips and a real beauty. Sorry back to the Mint Sage awesome knife Im gonna carry her and use her, dont fear the m4 everyone talks like its gonna rust and fall apart yet we all carry 1095 which rusts as well but never worry about it. Lastly as always bhq you guys are the absolute best and I will forever be a customer. Not once has bhq ever given me a hassle on returns, shipping is fast and safe. Friendly staff you guys get 5 stars. Anywho, if you’re a spyderco junkie get u a mint flavor sage you wont regret it I promise. I am shocked they’re not sold out!