I Spent 1 Month Carrying The Rex121 Spyderco Sage 5 - Here Are My Final Thoughts As An "Average Joe"

[@metal_complex]

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[@barkingspider2007]

Great Update! I generally carry K390, REX 45, Maxamet and ZDP189. Maintenance consists of a strop or a touch-up on a Spyderdco medium grit ceramic bench stone. I get 4 months or so out of REX 45 between needing to touch the edge up and it comes back to razor sharp. For fun I sharpen for friends and neighbors. REX 45 is a lot more forgiving than Maxamet and very likely REX 121, The average user you talk about would be very happy with 63 - 66 rockwell super steel and just send it out for the full sharpening 1 time yearly. They could touch up on ceramic as needed. I happen to like to sharpen and "Sample" a variety of steel. 😎👍 Thanks for the video.

[@geraldkoth654]

I have a Native 5 in Rex 45 and another in S110V. Just to see I used each for a year without sharpening just stropping. I use the knife for everything up to and including gasket scraping on cast iron and aluminum. Both of them stayed as sharp as I ever wanted for the full year. 13 degrees per edge up to 1200 venev diamond and stropped with diamond paste on leather, 1 micron and 0.5 micron to do initial polish. 5 micron and 2 micron for bringing back to razor sharp. I sure wish they would put Rex 121 and BBB 15V in a Native 5. I refuse to use the compression lock as any twisting at all just does not seem save with that "lock" Backlock only for me. And the 45 has Micarta Scales that replaced the horrible orange g10. The 110V has the full liner with burple scales in g10. I hate that lightweight scales. Gave a GP special in Rex 45 to my son. I also gave him the BBB 15V Manix after I sharpened it. He does a lot more rented mule sorts of things with the knife than I do, He has used it for 1 1/2 years without even stropping it. Still fine for all his work.

[@barkingspider2007]

@@geraldkoth654 Yeah... I like the Natave 5 also. I gave my Dad one in Maxamet over the summer. He lost the knife by Thanks Giving. I'm still trying to decide what to replace it with. NJ has a small knife culture. Thinking about the Para 3 in 15v or Maxamet.

[@loganweber7488]

@@geraldkoth654 I think if I am twisting with a knife with Rex 121 or BBB 15V, the lock type would be the least of my worries. But I do like the Native 5 with the back lock. Pretty sure I saw a preview somewhere of the Native 5 with BBB 15V though for what it’s worth. Spydercollector maybe?

[@barkingspider2007]

@@loganweber7488 They released the Para 3 in 15v two weeks ago. I picked up 2. The Sage and the Para 3 LW are close in size and share the compression lock.

[@mikeguy9668]

Ive carried mine everyday for 4 or so months. Ive ran over staples on crates, couple nail heads and havent had any damage. I mean take that with a grain of salt, but its done right by me so far

[@80for80]

That's good to know! Everyone freaks out about how "chippy" it is lol

[@attila5221]

@@80for80 it's chippy as fuck, only when we're talking impact damage, otherwise edge stability goes insane. Triple B has a video on it of him whittling a brass rod, damage only occured when impact was introduced.

[@latindoggy8059]

Big Spyderco Fan I love the FRN Scales

[@latindoggy8059]

@ and one was born on your birthday the FRN scales are the best

[@Itrieditathome889]

Me too they stand up to the chemicals and dirt I encounter as an automotive technician much better.

[@Xentis03]

FRN is a great material for user knives. I guess this allows us to know who uses their knives as desktop fidget toys. Nothing wrong with that, if those guys are afraid to use their stuff

[@RSRS-ws3px]

We do know that the high edge retention steels are usually more prone to chipping but I was moving a trail camera a couple years ago and I only had my Andrey Biryukov S125V bladed knife on me. It has a 4.25” blade and I had to cut away 4 or 5 branches. I didn’t want to use it but it was all I had on me. I figured I would be sharpening it afterwards. Well, it didn’t affect the blade at all, except making it dirty. I cleaned it when I got back to my house and pulled out a piece of paper to check the edge, it sliced right through the paper like I had not done a thing with the knife. It is still paper slicing sharp to this day and I have used it one more time to chop away briars along the tax ditch running along my field. Either S125V is amazing or he does a great heat treat!

[@brandynh1439]

Immediately put some RGT diamond milled Ti scales on my Sage 5, and it’s one of my favorite knives with flat scales. I didn’t think you’d drive yours through an aluminum can on screen here, but I’ve done that myself. Got bored one night, and shredded up some beer cans with my Rex121 Sage 5. At ~70HRC, I fully expected it to be just fine with that unusual task for a pocket knife, and it indeed was. My Rex 121 Sage 5 was actually not very sharp out of the box, but I was able to sharpen it up. This steel makes a 50 grit diamond stone skate around like it was 400 grit or so. That being said, it still took quite a long time to sharpen myself, and I even managed to put a small chip in the edge from pushing too hard with my low grit stone (I was getting a little impatient lol) Definitely a steel you’d need to set aside some time to sharpen. My Rex 121 has developed a little dark spot on the ricasso right behind the thumb hole, but that’s from fidgeting and no oiling, so it’s totally my bad. But even so, I kinda wanted it to develop a light patina. Gives it some extra character. Thanks for sharing your experience, MC.

[@blackwaterdogs4256]

Happy New Year, and thanks for sharing good info ! This demonstrates why I always carry two folders in my revolving EDC, one being a beater work knife (today`s choice is a ZT-0350 S30V, ~15 years old, extremely tough knife),. In another pocket, my "good knife" is my recent WE Sine Wave, still too new (and too pretty) to be used for any hazardous duty at this point.

[@JohnDoe-zb7dz]

Well stated about this knife MC. I own the g10 version and it touches up just fine on the friable Gritomatic 1k and 2.5k SIC stones. I never use it like I use my 1095 or 14c28n blades. Right tool for the right job. Common sense that a lot of folks don't have. Cheers. BTW. Jeff Jewel just done a good video on reprofiling this knife.

[@achimgeist5185]

Rex 121, PM60, CPM 15V, Maxamet and other high-alloy steels, real monsters in terms of wear resistance, are all easy to sharpen, you just need diamond plates, they don't even have to be expensive (more expensive ones last longer and are more homogeneous in the grit). It's not even particularly time-consuming. So use diamond plates or CBN plates and a strop with diamond compound. I use diamond plates from Atoma (I also have Naniwa Diamond Pro stones) and diamond compound from Stroppy Stuff.

[@jimpio2165]

Great points. These steels cost more because they're harder to cut, grind and shape into a blade. Let's not forget that proper tempering/heat treat goes a long way too.

[@jimpio2165]

I use mine in my warehouse job. I cut banding, layerd cardboard, rope and a few other materials 12 hours a day. It's a workhorse. I've had to sharpen it once since i got it and that's so it's lazer sharp. All the Rex's are great in my opinion as long as you're not cutting up bricks.

[@a.o.fishin6533]

Of course you put this out while I am lusting for this knife

[@dw8143]

He has a knack for that. It hurts…the wallet 😅

[@a.o.fishin6533]

@ for sure. I’m trying to save up for blade Texas but I’m so tempted.

[@mrmouse-ol9pw]

Are shows a good place to purchase knives? As a reptile breeder I know I wouldn't purchase a reptile from a show because they're all marked up. Supplies sure...animals no. Jc how it is at shows. They have secondary used knives? Or is it just the rare limited knives ur after at a show?

[@a.o.fishin6533]

@ I haven’t been to any but from what I can tell the vendors may be open to haggling or discounts for the show. Plus show exclusives

[@egbluesuede1220]

The Sage 5 is a Spyderco GOAT! If you like Spyderco, you get how they experiment with new steels and try to advance the knife industry. I got one in Rex121 because I had to know what it would be like. I carry it for light duty knife work and customized it to my favorite teams colors. On game day, this is in my pocket every time.

[@josiahbrown1580]

Not to tell you what to do because I'm a bum who's never made a KZbin video but... I would love to see a video just like this over your thoughts on 15v

[@TheWatcher60401]

I was intrigued by this, i went with spy27 instead.

[@ballisticlt7452]

I think you made the right choice. Part of carrying a nice knife is being confident and also somewhat proud to hand it to a friend that needs to borrow it for a quick cut. Knowing that it’s going to chip if they torque it during a semi tough cut is a no go for me. Spy 27 looks like a great daily driver.

[@sethprice241]

It's only going to chip if you baton it into a nail. As opposed to Spy27 which will roll and deform. Unless you're using it for construction work, it's perfectly fine for edc.

[@ballisticlt7452]

@@sethprice241 if only that were true

[@davidv7403]

I'm just a knife enthusiast and I love the idea of a crazy knife steel. I just had to have the GOAT of edge retention and I will likely never have to sharpen this knife. I carry it maybe once every couple weeks if that. I wouldn't even call it light usage, more like show my buddy at the office and open an Amazon package here and there. LOL

[@mikeguy9668]

I'm also a huge fan of k390. I've got the Para 2 bento box version and I love it

[@bogartICQa]

I have this one and 50 others. Currently my favorite because it holds edge for months. No chipping here. Its acid sensitive though, but that is a pure cosmetic.

[@burtronomaniac]

I have a maxamet manix 2 that I use for pretty heavy warehouse work , cutting shrink wrap off pallets , plastic strapping , opening boxes, some breaking down cardboard and an occasional truck door seal most are plastic but some are thin metal which it cuts through with no problem, it has chipped in three spots I believe from maybe hitting exposed nails on pallets when cutting wrap. What would you say would be a better steel for this ???? I love the edge retention, absolutely hate the chips !!!!!

[@piloman5483]

Woulhave bought it had it been available on either the Para series or the Shaman

[@Pete-wr4kj]

Manix 2 also

[@jonathanwatson268]

That's funny, I've been using S110V fairly regularly for several years now as just a regular EDC and the only time I get chips is from hidden staples.

[@mrmouse-ol9pw]

S110 is great edc. I still love m4 for most uses. Did just order the para 3 in 15v last nite so...well see

[@KP_213]

I honestly bought Rex 121 because I wanted to own it, it’s intriguing. I’ll get it into the rotation soon though for some light use 👌🏼 Edit: @14:39, that’s what she said

[@krazy_roach1698]

Thanks ... I enjoyed my Rex121 Sage 5 while I had it but the $300 I spent on the G10 version ehhhhhh another $100-200 I'm in that $500 range which has more of what I'm looking for in a knife.

[@georgespicer907]

I got the g10 version. Put rips garage aluminum scales on that one and swapped the g10 scales onto my sage 5 maximet lw. The knife works great but I haven't sharpened it yet. I can sharpen every knife I own to scary sharp except my maximet sage 5. Am still struggling with that one and I want to master it before I try the rex. But it has cut thru hundreds of feet of cardboard and it won't shave hair any more but still cuts paper fine. I think 15v will work the best at holding a very fine edge but rex 121 and maximet will hold a working edge forever. Because they have the larger tungsten carbides.

[@richardkev3077]

I can’t afford the REX121 Sage, even in FRN form. However, I picked up a Sage 1 in Maxamet during Spyderco’s last sale. Great price, great knife.

[@Tygor3533]

Chipped mine a little just cutting a zip tie, I was very gentle and careful and still it chipped some…I vastly prefer my 15v para2 for edc

[@luistirado3499]

I definitely want to buy one but ive bought a few other knives the last 2 weeks with the last one being the newest Asher Nomad in S90V that dropped but i keep looking at Rex121

[@jacobweldon1674]

What about using it to cut meat or cheese. Will it damage a glass plate?

[@dexter323i]

Are you sure you want to give it away? It looks so good next to your "orange" ig card on that silver background. Like it was manufactured to be part of your desk. :)

[@robinpalaima8500]

I love your honesty!! 😅

[@roycesjourney37]

Tall order maybe, but is there anyway to review Kase Knives Sweden with their treatment of Rex 121? Supposedly his cryo cycles gives the steel more toughness. Really interested in that knife.

[@Halluzinate]

Honestly, I'm a big fan of Spyderco's Rex-121. I don't wanna say "I haven't chipped mine yet" because as soon as I said that regarding S90V, guess what happened lol I find the Sage 5 rex-121 perfectly serviceable for typical, slicing EDC tasks but I say that for most Spyderco knives.

[@chelseapeters7187]

My blade steel is Mexican212 and its edge retention in my experience, is near the performance of and longevity of rex121

[@mrmouse-ol9pw]

Break on a zip tie? 😮

[@jarman_2000]

Seems like a steel that would benefit from regular touch ups while it’s still sharp opposed to waiting until it’s edge goes

[@vorpalblades]

Just like every steel...

[@jarman_2000]

@ I’m not gonna pretend I practice what I preach 🤣

[@Pzykoh_Tey]

I keep picturing rex 121 as the legendary evolution of a ceramic blade 😂

[@m4jqp]

Seems like this would be a great slip joint steel, yah?

[@carlstanland5333]

New Cedric and Ada video on Rex 121 is about sharpening. He chips it on purpose.

[@Ratchman_5000]

Rex 121, striking fear into the hearts of many mortals.

[@matthuck378]

I'm no expert, but it's my opinion that a steel like this is great for basic/light/office EDC tasks. You probably would never have to sharpen it, and it's superior to ceramic knives. Those actually do shatter if dropped, chip easily, and are impossible for a hobbiest to sharpen.

[@clavididk1236]

Im loving the 15v para 3 🔥

[@shaggy_e210]

Yep, definitely NOT a stainless steel 😅 Carried it to work and a drop of wheel acid got on the blade and left a nasty splotch on it. I'm probably going to acid stonewash it for the hell of it now🤷🏻‍♂️

[@DesignedJustRight24]

When is your next live?

[@LadyEmilyNyx]

3" is just too short for me. Rex 121 Military 2 pls.

[@Nobic457]

Can you do a video on how you sharpen your knives? Great video much love man!!

[@ADSUPINTHIS]

He doesn't. He owns 9, 291 knives. When one dulls, he just moves on.

[@Nobic457]

@ HAHA you know what thats fair! 😂

[@metal_complex]

I use a KME but I don't do it very often given I'm rotating knives so often

[@williamsipe1151]

I once had a car that was really dirty. I didn't want to wash it so much that I just bought a new car.

[@wannaberanger8916]

As somone who’s torn between this and maxamet para3 I like both and will most likely end up owning both.wich one should I get first lol

[@davidbigler4652]

Imho - I prefer the sage than the Para3. It has a pivot bushing so its smother, has a blade shape that I prefer and also believe its tip is tougher because of the blade shape. The sage looks nicer and less aggressive...

[@mikeguy9668]

@@wannaberanger8916 man the Para 2 in k390 is pretty awesome

[@soggywaffles7697]

They’re both super pricey but I’d recommend going with the Sage first. You might not get another chance at spydercos Rex121 if crucible goes down and they’ve invested in a good selection of Maxamet that’ll probably be around for a while longer.

[@wannaberanger8916]

@@soggywaffles7697good point.i don’t wanna promote “panic” buying but I’d be lying if that point being raised dosent alter my purchasing decision unfortunately

[@wannaberanger8916]

@@mikeguy9668I’m not to familiar with bohlers steels but I do like me a pm2

[@avolover1]

I've heard you say you're giving something away a few times. How do I, as one of the anonymous masses, lobby/enter to be the lucky recipient? Thank you for the content. Thank you for being who and what you are and not pretending to be something your not. And especially for graciously receiving vague, ambiguous comments intended as some kind of praise.

[@metal_complex]

Join my livestreams which (usually) occur Friday evenings at 6:30PM cst. Entry and drawing is live participation only (no outside entries) but its totally free to enter 👍

[@sueschenosky9079]

Looks like there's comments from viewers that want to be in your video "TDKG 228". I guess there's no way to avoid them!

[@lymedog3176]

So MC your saying… don’t give it to JoeX to test…lol!!!

[@hydrostaticshock978]

The FRN Sage 5 weighs 5g less than the G10. Thats the weight of one nickel.

[@fredkadanejr-fv2te]

All new respect if you have a hellcat.

[@DuhYaThink]

Right? Times 35.

[@metal_complex]

Welcome to the channel. The actual "right" count is 14,347.

[@Timberfall_craft]

When you say "regular use" you mean you shoveled bricks right?

[@Pete-wr4kj]

Big Spyderco fan but I don't like the FRN scales.

[@Cyanoblades]

That's easy to fix, tons of aftermarket options.

[@chimchu3232]

AWT scales run about $70 bucks but they are well worth the money. I always put them on my spydies if they come with FRN

[@wesleysnider2915]

Nearly all their scales suck.

[@chimchu3232]

@@wesleysnider2915 how so? Never had any issues with them

[@mikeguy9668]

They just look cheap to me

[@boyscout399]

I would have loled so hard if he deployed the blade and it looked serated from all the chipping

[@kathleensmith370]

I love spyderco

[@DarrellHaigwood-cc7ep]

Love MC's honesty. Different folks use knives differently. I'm Tough on my blades, and quickly ruined my REX45 PM2 , but learned from that. Won't buy the 121 because of that experience. But still LOVE my Spydercos.

[@SaltyKayakAdventures]

Maxamet > Rex121

[@markwarren3535]

My everyday pocket knife for the last year is a Microtech Stitch. So what ?? Better than buying 10 gas station knives. And, unlike this Sexy Rexy knife, the Stitch is fine for " bushcrafting ". Or fishing. Why people attach price to use is just beyond dumb.

[@RobsJots]

OK, please give it away to me❤❤😂

[@metal_complex]

It was given away a couple weeks back on a livestream

[@Wepeel]

Looks like an ericasedc video title lol

[@slipknot-codmyt5237]

Never been this lucky. lol

[@Mastersargent3841]

Those who know carry Spyderco

[@vorpalblades]

As overpriced as Benchmade.

[@slipknot-codmyt5237]

Aw yeah first one.

[@lando8913]

You're WRONG MC it's clearly as fragile as a piece of obsidian thin enough to see through. Even more fragile than my ego.

[@TheGermanRiechOfficial]

PLEASE SEND ME THAT KNIFE?? I’ve been try for years to get one from where my father had one and promised to give it to me when he passed a year ago and my older brother stole it before I could get it! Please send it to me I’d be forever grateful in the name of my father . 😢 thanks

[@jocemarine6247]

Not for my use

[@cemetarygates2800]

The knife community is where it's at now because of folks that actually don't use their knives. hahahaha #rabbithole

[@thomasleutwiler4588]

Spyderco is soo🥱