I grossly underestimated the Native Chief

[wrdwrght]

Some of us waited a long time for the Chief to arrive and it was worth the wait. It’s an excellent knife.

Yeah, count me as one. I started asking six years ago after recurring pix of a prototype kept catching my eye.

I love mine (S30V and S90V) but will likely not get another unless some exceptional steel comes along (Millies, which I seem now to be favoring, are where I get my steel-fix in longish Spydies).

The Chief’s design and execution are superb.

[CPM-Greg]

I have small-knife proclivities and was on the fence for the Native Chief Carbon Fiber S90V. I stayed away from all "Add To Cart" prompts the week of the sprint. But the positive comments kept coming in and I bought the knife from Safe and Lock. I have carried this knife a few times and I really like it. Safe and Lock are showing they still have some Native Chiefs in stock.
https://www.safeandlockstore.com/knives ... iber-s90v/

CPM-Greg

[thebard42]

But...
You already know what I'm going to say...
When can I get one in full SE? :D

Oh and if this came with rounded scales like the Shaman.... Oh my.

I would be all over this. I have balked on getting a Chief because I don’t want a plain edge that long, but if it was serrated, the uses in my work open up lots of possibilities.

[ZrowsN1s]

I picked up the S30V version when it dropped, and I really liked it. It just couldn't compete with the K390 P4.... fast forward to me getting the S90V Chief. I can't put it down.

I really like the pronounced negative blade angle of the police, but the humpless double distal taper Chief is equally impressive in its cutting ability.

I've never owned a serrated blade that long and thin, but I'd like to. Particularly in a nice steel.

Not sure if I'd prefer rounded handles or not, I love them on the shaman, but I wouldn't want to thicken the Chief up any. Slim in pocket is a selling point for both the p4 and the chief.

[Naperville]

I was in the right place at the right time for once. The sprints hit and I had cash. I could not believe it and snapped up all 3. Now I need the S30V to complete my collection.

[vivi]

I picked up the S30V version when it dropped, and I really liked it. It just couldn't compete with the K390 P4.... fast forward to me getting the S90V Chief. I can't put it down.

I really like the pronounced negative blade angle of the police, but the humpless double distal taper Chief is equally impressive in its cutting ability.

I've never owned a serrated blade that long and thin, but I'd like to. Particularly in a nice steel.

Not sure if I'd prefer rounded handles or not, I love them on the shaman, but I wouldn't want to thicken the Chief up any. Slim in pocket is a selling point for both the p4 and the chief.

That's the thing I like most about the Millie vs the Chief, more negative angle. Otherwise I prefer the Chief in most ways.

[ZrowsN1s]

That's the thing I like most about the Millie vs the Chief, more negative angle. Otherwise I prefer the Chief in most ways.

[abbazaba]

That's the thing I like most about the Millie vs the Chief, more negative angle. Otherwise I prefer the Chief in most ways.

This opinion may not be in line with the elongated Native5 design, but it is the one thing I wish the Chief had that it does not. I find myself adjusting to the blade angle rather than it feeling natural. A slight dip in the blade angle would have been my preference.

[Enactive]

That's the thing I like most about the Millie vs the Chief, more negative angle. Otherwise I prefer the Chief in most ways.

This opinion may not be in line with the elongated Native5 design, but it is the one thing I wish the Chief had that it does not. I find myself adjusting to the blade angle rather than it feeling natural. A slight dip in the blade angle would have been my preference.

If I'm giving constructive critique of the Chief, I agree, a more negative blade angle would be nice.

I use the curve of the handle to accentuate the negative angle by choking all the way back on handle. Of course this only works for some types of cuts.

[dan31]

I like it as is. Some of the Spyderco have to much negative blade angle. Nice the Chief has less. It’s still negative, not straight like a Sebenza.

[ZrowsN1s]

I dont know that I would change the chief to be more like the Police 4 or Millie (blade angle wise). I was more thinking outloud about why the chief is dominating my pocket at the moment, but I'm not going to get rid of my Police 4. They have many things in common I like. The negative blade angle and the spyder-hump are the main differences. I like both styles and am blessed to not have to choose between them, I can carry whichever I fancy at the moment. At the moment I'm really digging the S90V carbon fiber Chief. So good.

[Evil D]

I like it as is. Some of the Spyderco have to much negative blade angle. Nice the Chief has less. It’s still negative, not straight like a Sebenza.

Having the majority of the edge below the bottom of the handle is at least a bonus. If it had more negative angle it might also need more belly and I'm not sure I'd want that. I think it'll be a crazy good design for serrations.

[Hardbawl]

A lot of love for that knife around here lately, it's really starting to tempt me. Though of course I'll have waited to long to get the Rex45 version at a fair price, that's the one I'd love to try.

Like you I put off getting the Chief because of the irrational bad press S30v gets on this forum. Have been getting a Spyderco knife and farm country testing each of them for a year. So, I finally bought a Chief in S30v and tested it for a year. It did so well that I am no longer testing. The Chief is my knife. S30v steel as supplied by Spyderco is the “Old War Horse” of knife steels and has performed way better than expected.

If you have large hands, get a Chief. Trust me, you will not be sorry. Writing this has made me decide to order a spare.

[Nate]

The blade angle discussion is interesting. Don’t think I would argue for any changes to the Chief, but the effectiveness of the angle on something like the Sliverax is undeniable. At least with a company like Spyderco they seem to have just about every base covered.

[JRinFL]

I have no complaints about and I find the blade angle to be perfect. It puts the point exactly where I expect it to be, even on blind cuts. The Sliverax is over done in my opinion. It feels awkward in my hands, sorry to say.

[vivi]

A lot of love for that knife around here lately, it's really starting to tempt me. Though of course I'll have waited to long to get the Rex45 version at a fair price, that's the one I'd love to try.

Like you I put off getting the Chief because of the irrational bad press S30v gets on this forum. Have been getting a Spyderco knife and farm country testing each of them for a year. So, I finally bought a Chief in S30v and tested it for a year. It did so well that I am no longer testing. The Chief is my knife. S30v steel as supplied by Spyderco is the “Old War Horse” of knife steels and has performed way better than expected.

If you have large hands, get a Chief. Trust me, you will not be sorry. Writing this has made me decide to order a spare.

Like you I knew I needed multiples after using one for a while. It's a great design.

S30V is good stuff. Always takes a great edge for me. More than happy with how its been performing in my Military.

[sn0wman72]

What is "negative blade angle"?

[vivi]

What is "negative blade angle"?

This is a knife with no negative angle:



Compare to the Military and Sliverax in the image above, two knives with a deep negative angle.

Or even an Ikuchi, which has a very subtle negative angle:




Straight 180 degree angled knives feel worse in most uses to me. I avoid them. Having a little negative angle makes them cut more aggressively and enhance ergonomics. I don't have the angle my wrist as much for certain cuts.

The Chief has a nice amount. I've been carrying my Military a lot lately so I felt compelled to draw comparisons between the two. The angle is a little more dramatic on the Military, and its one of the things I love about the design.

[ladybug93]

What is "negative blade angle"?

This is a knife with no negative angle:



Compare to the Military and Sliverax in the image above, two knives with a deep negative angle.

Or even an Ikuchi, which has a very subtle negative angle:




Straight 180 degree angled knives feel worse in most uses to me. I avoid them. Having a little negative angle makes them cut more aggressively and enhance ergonomics. I don't have the angle my wrist as much for certain cuts.

The Chief has a nice amount. I've been carrying my Military a lot lately so I felt compelled to draw comparisons between the two. The angle is a little more dramatic on the Military, and its one of the things I love about the design.

your examples are so appropriate for me right now. i have been carrying a ceo and it made me want an ikuchi, which i had been happy to ignore previously.

[sn0wman72]

Thx vivi. If I understand correctly, negative blade angle means a portion of the blade is lower than the handle of the knife -or- the blade is angled down from the handle. How does a curved handle effect this?