Native Chief REX45 vs Police 4 K390 LW

[TheGiant80]

At this point I’m pretty well known for the insufferable “knife a vs. knife b” threads, but I thought just one more wouldn’t hurt much. This decision isn’t hypothetical either; I’ve actually narrowed down my next purchase to these two. And so I ask..

If YOU were to buy one of these two pocket swords, which would you select and why? I’m really interested in hearing your preferences. Which scale material and blade steel you prefer? Any and all input is appreciated!

[marty_bill_]

Both. Get them both! You need both you deserve both. 2 is 1 and 1 is none.

[aaronkb]

Both. Get them both! You need both you deserve both. 2 is 1 and 1 is none.

Had to show this to my gf to help her understand me, thank you for putting it so eloquently <3

If YOU were to buy one of these two pocket swords, which would you select and why? I’m really interested in hearing your preferences. Which scale material and blade steel you prefer? Any and all input is appreciated!

I don’t have either of these knives but I have both steels and love them both for different reasons.

My rex 45 para 3 can be used in place of a can opener in a pinch, with very minimal edge damage. Crazy. I recently found myself in this position when I was on a trip and had to open a can of pumpkin purée for my dog (a bit mixed into dog food is good for their digestion), but couldn’t find a can opener. Unfortunately I didn’t have that knife on me, and instead had to use my k390 pm2. Figured k390 is a pretty badass steel, it should be ok? Completely destroyed the edge. Didn’t just dull it... destroyed it. Thank god for my Spyderco doublestuff.

So for outrageous abuse, Rex 45 is the clear winner. That said, k390 has insane edge retention and is a little easier to sharpen IMO. It’s been compared to m4 on steroids, and I tend to agree. In the absence of cans or the presence of can openers, I think k390 beats Rex 45 by miles on edge retention.

Hope that was helpful!

[vivi]

Assuming both were readily available for their original retail price, I'd choose the Chief.

Here's how I view their pros and cons.


Chief

+ Lack of thumb ramp makes the index choil worlds more ergonomic for me to use VS knives like the Police or Military.
+ Slightly thinner behind the edge
+ Much more compact folded up while having nearly the same cutting edge as the Police
+ No liners, so this won't happen

- Opening hole is less exposed
- Rex45 for me has a slight disadvantage in edge holding vs K390
- Scales are pretty squared off around the edges compared to the G10 Police 4, and especially the FRN. All my chiefs needed contouring by hand before I wanted to EDC them, none of my Police folders did.


Police

+ Slightly better edge holding
+ A bit more cutting edge
+ More exposed opening hole
+ Much,much, much better scale contouring from factory
+ More solid feeling due to liners

- A bit more unwieldy in the pocket
- Not as smooth as a draw tip up. The smooth part of the scales under the clip is not placed correctly, and as a result the bi-directional texture grabs on to my pocket on the draw.
- Corrosion issues. I found the blade to resist corrosion better than the liners (To be fair this was the G10 model, LW may use different steel for liners.)
- Not wild about the scale color, which is why I put a K390 blade in my black FRN scales from the vg10 version.
- Comes with a slightly thicker edge
- Thumb ramp gets in the way for me when using the index choil. I use the behind the choil grip about 95% of the time on my Police and 30% of the time on my Chief, that's how big of a difference the thumb ramp makes for my grip


Both are fantastic knives, but these days I prefer the Chief to the Police. I'm not sure when I last carried a Police, and it used to be my #1.

The Chief really opened my eyes to how much the thumb ramp compromises ergonomics when choked up.

[VooDooChild]

I have to have both since Im always going back and forth on how I feel about thumb ramps.

Police 4 should be better on a cutting board if that means anything to you.

[TheGiant80]

I should mention, the P4 K390 LW is available for $161 USD and the REX Chief is on for $202 USD..

[FourStringFiend]

If you can get a good deal on the Rex 45 Chief get it now since the Police is regular production....and somehow its still available.
https://www.nationalknives.com/spyderco ... 10-handle/

I have both but if could only get one I would get the Chief.

I agree with Vivi's pros and cons for the most part (I don't have the corrosion issues but your use and carry environment might be similar to his?). I also prefer a shallow ramp or none at all.

The smooth part of the scales under the clip is not placed correctly, and as a result the bi-directional texture grabs on to my pocket on the draw.

This is a glaring issue with the Police 4 LW. I wish they would have made the clip longer to rest more on the flat section instead of the edge. I sanded the bi-directional texture just under the clip and it snags less when pulling out of the pocket. That being said my Police has a smooth almost "drop shut" action that the native does not have.

Get the Chief now then later in the year get the Police during the Black Friday sales.

[Catamount123]

I have both. I really like the Police, but I would definitely take the Chief, if I had to choose between them. The Chief is a wonderful, classic Sal design, a sprint run, and, I’m not sure if we’ll be seeing any more REX45 from Spyderco.

[TheGiant80]

A lot to consider. Appreciate the comments everyone!

[VipeX]

Were you able to grab a M4 Chief from BHQ?

[JRinFL]

Remember, vivi is also a giant so his comments about hand fit are better than my comments would be for your use.

I love the Native Chief. It's the only "large" folder that does not feel overly large in my hands. FTR, my hands are what I would consider m/l, but gloves sizes can very from l to xl. I guess some glove makers are sizing for elves as there is no way I have xl hands.

[aaronkb]

A lot to consider. Appreciate the comments everyone!

No problem! I’d also like to add to my comments (and echo others) in that I would prioritize the sprint run pretty much every time. The police lw will be around for a while, and there are a number of sprints i’m super bummed about missing. Don’t risk it, the secondary market is a nightmare.

[Evil D]

I don't have either yet so this is all speculation, but...I think I'll prefer the ergonomics of the Chief but want the size of the P4, and at this point since the P4 is the only one getting a SE option and it's coming in a steel that I want to try out in SE, that makes it an easy decision for me, I'm holding out for the SE K390 Police 4. If they get around to doing the Chief in the same combo I guess I'll have a similar decision to make.

[eventhorizon]

https://nemoknivesreview.com/2021/04/01 ... the-joker/

https://nemoknivesreview.com/2021/05/15 ... c-part-ii/

[malice]

Got the chief rex very recently, and I handled the police a few years back.

Normally I really don't like large folders, I usually prefer dragonflies, Urbans, techno's etc or I just reach for a fixed blade.
But with the chief, they managed to make a huge, solid feeling, but at the same time light and nimble folder.
It's basically my pocket rapier.

Not going to EDC it in the city, but everything else....
Just lovely.

[TheGiant80]

I think at this point I’m leaning a bit towards the Chief..

Were you able to grab a M4 Chief from BHQ?

I’m in Canada and the last time I spoke to someone from BHQ, they said they weren’t shipping to my country due to Covid. I was on their website when the M4 Chief variant was available, but couldn’t do anything about it unfortunately.

[ChrisinHove]

There really is only one answer, and you know it.

[kodai78]

Chief now! Police LW later.

[TheGiant80]

UPDATE: REX 45 Chief has been ordered and the plan is to EDC it for a month straight and see if we bond.

Cheers to everyone who provided input, much appreciated!

[toocool006]

It's the only "large" folder that does not feel overly large in my hands.

I agree with this so much. Police and military got sold within days of trying them out as just way oversized for me. Chief has been goldilocks "just right" from day one. I have quite small hands (glove small) and where the police or military feel like "pocket swords", the chief feels like a large but reasonable knife. It's an amazing design for me.