Sage 5 G10 Rex 121

These are still on the way from Spyderco - they should be shipping from me between July 3rd and 7th.

Description

Crucible® Industries’ CPM® REX® 121® is a high-vanadium, cobalt-bearing tool steel designed to offer the greatest wear resistance, attainable hardness, and red hardness available in a high speed steel. Created to bridge the performance gap between high-alloy tool steels and carbide materials in demanding industrial applications, when applied to knife blades, it offers extreme hardness and unequalled edge retention. This unique expression of the popular Sage 5 showcases REX 121’s remarkable properties in its full-flat-ground, satin-finished blade. To further distinguish its elite status, it also features distinctive burnt-orange-colored peel ply-textured G-10 scales. All other features of this knife are consistent with the proven Sage 5 platform, including nested, skeletonized stainless steel liners, a high-strength Compression Lock® mechanism, and a reversible wire clip that supports ambidextrous tip-up carry.

Spyderco will donate approximately 5% of sales of the Sage line to the National Alzheimer's Association Denver, Colorado Chapter. The Alzheimer's Association is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer's care, support, and research. Their mission is to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health. Contributions to the Alzheimer's Association provide care and support to families in Colorado coping with Alzheimer's disease, as well as fund national programs and research to ultimately find a cure. Visit www.alz.org/co to learn more about how your support makes a difference.

Annotations:

CPM Rex 121 is no longer able to be produced anymore since the "C" in CPM (Crucible Industries) has ceased operations and no other current  foundry has the required capabilities. Therefore, while this is technically part of the standard Spyderco catalog, it's not likely that there will be many more runs of it produced, if any. I expect these to become highly coveted collectible items due to both the eventual rarity and also uniquely extreme performance characteristics. 

knifesteelnerds.com has CPM Rex 121 rated as a 12/10 in edge retention, 1/10 in toughness (don't pry with knives!), and 3.5/10 in corrosion resistance. For edge-retention reference, Maxamet is 11/10 and 15V is 10/10. The gold standard of EDC steel for the last 20 years, S30V, has a 6/10. The kitchen knife "German high carbon" steel you're probably familiar with (1.4116) has a 2.5/10. Rex 121 is truly an outlier! Just be sure to be careful not to chip or snap it.

And yes, the scale color was directly inspired by the UT school colors! Hook 'em Horns! 

Technical Specifications