Lil' Native - compression lock

[Matus]

I just had a chance to handle standard Lil' native in black G10 with a compression lock. I am sooo impressed by it! I get a very comfortable, 4 finger grip, the knife feels very smooth, the clip suits the knife. The blade is simply cute looking and very practical (yes, it could be a bit thinner overall, but it is not a must and I understand that Spyderco did not want to make it feather light). Frankly - one does not need a bigger knife to carry around the house for little tasks like opening, letter, boxes and what ever little stuff may need to be cut.

But I just was not able to find a way to release the lock without my index finger getting in the way of the tip of the finger choil. It does not mean that one can not close the knife one handed, but it kills the fidget factor what really makes me sad. There actually is a few mm (maybe 4-5) space that one could use to push the release tab towards the pivot and somewhat mitigate the issue, but to fix it completely either the blade ( make it narrower) or the handle (make it wider) design would have to be changed.

The reason I got interested in Lil' Native was to have a little, fidgety knife that would at the same time be very practical. But it just is not fidgety for me. I am a little depressed :p

[VooDooChild]

Laughs in Shaman.

Just move your finger out of the way before the knife closes all the way. There are a few designs with the comp lock that you need to do that. Once you get used to it you wont notice.

[SG89]

Practice makes perfect

[Sharp Guy]

I only have the SNK Lil' Native and I agree that it's not very fidgety. But it's not because of the nub hits my finger when closing. That's never been a big deal to me. Like VooDoo says, just move your finger out of the way. Doesn't take long to get the timing down. Or...let it hit your finger. It's not like it hurts.

The primary reason I don't find the Lil' Native to be very fidgety is because the blade is so small/light. I can loosen the pivot to the point where the blade swings more free but I end up with more blade play than I'd like. So I don't worry about using my Lil' Native as a fidget spinner. In fact, I don't really worry about any of my knives being "fidgety". Some are and some aren't. I just accept that

[Matus]

Thanks, indeed one can move the finger out of the way before the knife closes all the way down ... but the it does not (as mentioned above). I guess that with use the action gets smoother, but I doubt that the knife would get as far as to drop shut.

There is nothing wrong with the knife, it is just that I was hoping it would be my little fidgety toy :) I will keep an eye out for other models (no hurry really, just the loooong wait for the Para 3 would be easier to deal with to have some little fidgety knife).

[SG89]

I've carried one almost daily for years and it's definitely drop-shut and fidgety. It's definitely not a model for everyone. I sure love mine. I can't wait for the lightweight version with frn scales.

[Martijn]

It’s a fantastic daily carry but also super smooth drop-shut and fidgety. I like it mostly because it’s super sturdy and got that overbuilt high quality feel. And yes while I agree that it’s a bit of a pain that it can hit your finger, after a while you get used to it and it won’t bother you at all. Just give it a few days!

[Buddafucco]

I don't think mine dropped shut out of the box but my Rex45 lil Native drops shut now. And the pivot has never been adjusted.

[Sharp Guy]

I've carried one almost daily for years and it's definitely drop-shut and fidgety. It's definitely not a model for everyone. I sure love mine. I can't wait for the lightweight version with frn scales.

Maybe the DLC on mine slows the blade down a little? Mine's also pretty much like new. I've only carried it a few times. It's kind of tweener for me (like the Dragonfly). Love the design but it's almost too small to be my primary knife. It certainly could be my primary but I prefer something with at least 3" blade and then a Manbug in the bottom of my pocket

[SG89]

I've carried one almost daily for years and it's definitely drop-shut and fidgety. It's definitely not a model for everyone. I sure love mine. I can't wait for the lightweight version with frn scales.

Maybe the DLC on mine slows the blade down a little? Mine's also pretty much like new. I've only carried it a few times. It's kind of tweener for me (like the Dragonfly). Love the design but it's almost too small to be my primary knife. It certainly could be my primary but I prefer something with at least 3" blade and then a Manbug in the bottom of my pocket

Mine is DLC as well. Mine is completely broken in but I remember it having slight resistance at first. I've noticed this with other coated blades vs non coated

[ugaarguy]

If you want a fidgety compression lock Spydie with a wire clip, take a look at the Sage 5 LW. It has a true bushing pivot that makes it very flickable and drop shut friendly. And the tip of the finger choil doesn't intrude into the lock bar cutout on the spine. The Taichng FRN has the perfect balance of being a little more grippy than G10, but not as aggressive as the Golden FRN texture, or even the Seki FRN texture. The Sage 5 LW is one of the most underrated Spyderco knives.

[Matus]

Good point about the Sage 5 - I may eventually get my hands on one. But with a Para 3 on the way, the Sage feels a little too close size wise. But it is on my radar.

[Salty Dog]

Its fine for me, its such a fantastic little knife that I don't mind the trade off.
Still pretty fidgety, one of spydercos best.

[Xformer]

I've carried one almost daily for years and it's definitely drop-shut and fidgety. It's definitely not a model for everyone. I sure love mine. I can't wait for the lightweight version with frn scales.

You and me both. I just hope it will be a FRN model (with full liners), rather than a Para 3 lightweight without liners. I'll also hope we'll have jimping on the choil too.

[Xformer]

If you want a fidgety compression lock Spydie with a wire clip, take a look at the Sage 5 LW. It has a true bushing pivot that makes it very flickable and drop shut friendly. And the tip of the finger choil doesn't intrude into the lock bar cutout on the spine. The Taichng FRN has the perfect balance of being a little more grippy than G10, but not as aggressive as the Golden FRN texture, or even the Seki FRN texture. The Sage 5 LW is one of the most underrated Spyderco knives.

Until you mentioned it, I've never noticied that each factory had their own FRN texture... You learn something everyday.

[JMM]

I just had a chance to handle standard Lil' native in black G10 with a compression lock. I am sooo impressed by it! I get a very comfortable, 4 finger grip, the knife feels very smooth, the clip suits the knife. The blade is simply cute looking and very practical (yes, it could be a bit thinner overall, but it is not a must and I understand that Spyderco did not want to make it feather light). Frankly - one does not need a bigger knife to carry around the house for little tasks like opening, letter, boxes and what ever little stuff may need to be cut.

But I just was not able to find a way to release the lock without my index finger getting in the way of the tip of the finger choil. It does not mean that one can not close the knife one handed, but it kills the fidget factor what really makes me sad. There actually is a few mm (maybe 4-5) space that one could use to push the release tab towards the pivot and somewhat mitigate the issue, but to fix it completely either the blade ( make it narrower) or the handle (make it wider) design would have to be changed.

The reason I got interested in Lil' Native was to have a little, fidgety knife that would at the same time be very practical. But it just is not fidgety for me. I am a little depressed :p

I think there are a fair number of people that just don't care for the way compression locks work on knives that small. I really like the compression lock in general, but for my big paws, it doesn't belong on a knife that small no matter how much I want to fiddle/practice/etc with it, it just doesn't work for me. I like the form factor of the Lil' Native in general, and I really like the back-lock version, and will definitely buy a slip-joint version when they drop. But compression lock is a no go for me for anything around that size, the Lil' rhino 'feels' the same way to me... jm2c

[aicolainen]

I have the Lil rex45 and I find it plenty fidgety. I have narrow hand and slim "piano fingers", so the fit is perfect and even for its size, with my fingers, I have no problem manipulating it predictably.
I still haven't used mine very much, though.
I used to prefer the comp lock much more some time ago, but as time (and my interest) progressed, I find that I prefer usability much more than fidgetability. There isn't necessarily any issues with the comp lock in that regard, but with the lil'native, I think I would have preferred a back lock. It just fits better with how I use my small knives.
It has also to do, at least partly, with the fact I find it a bit awkward to carry. It's not really slim enough to go in the fifth without a clip, and with the clip I find it much harder to get it seated in my front pocket than most of my other knives.
I admit that I haven't given it a fair chance yet, but thats how it goes when your new arrival isn't an instant hit and you have a bunch of good knives to choose from.
I'm still positive to the plattform, and curious about whats to come. Both a slip-it version and an (eventual) LC200N back lock is very tempting. It's really just a matter on how they stack up to the competition and how many knives I could reasonably justify owning

[Sharp Guy]

I've carried one almost daily for years and it's definitely drop-shut and fidgety. It's definitely not a model for everyone. I sure love mine. I can't wait for the lightweight version with frn scales.

Maybe the DLC on mine slows the blade down a little? Mine's also pretty much like new. I've only carried it a few times. It's kind of tweener for me (like the Dragonfly). Love the design but it's almost too small to be my primary knife. It certainly could be my primary but I prefer something with at least 3" blade and then a Manbug in the bottom of my pocket

Mine is DLC as well. Mine is completely broken in but I remember it having slight resistance at first. I've noticed this with other coated blades vs non coated

I got my SNK Lil' Native out last night and made some adjustments. It's dialed in nicely now. I know I messed around with it once before. Not sure why I couldn't dial it in previously