Native 5 - why? use case?

[BearShark44]

I own a dragonfly, ambitious, delica, sage 5, pm2, mules and my favorite is the Endela. Obviously a Native 5 should have happened already, but I just can’t click buy.

What’s the use case of the native 5? What’s it good at? Short cutting edge 2.4”, pointy with strong backbone 3.2mm, so it seems made for puncturing only? Other?
For the blade shape, best steel option would be something tougher?… CruWear/pd#1, or the BHQ M4, but those ships have sailed.
And chunky handle, making a short blade bigger in pocket, why is that a good thing? Yes, choil makes for close grip to edge for power cuts.

I guess I want one, I just don’t know why. Thanks for any clarity.

[Fastidiotus]

I've always viewed it as the Delica alternative. If you hold a Delica and feel it's a perfect knife then there probably isn't anything the Native is going to really bring to the table. If you hold a Delica and think that the thumb ramp is too steep and the handle is a little too thin vertically to really lock into your grip then the Native is probably your 3" Spyderco. Native is also stupid easy to disassemble to clean or service.

You own a Sage though which is easily the best 3" Spyderco so "why?" indeed.

[Toucan]

It's for thumb ramp haters, liner haters, thin blade stock haters, etc. Also, people that want US-made, or a finger choil.

Personally, none of those are deal breakers, and I prefer the compactness of a Delica... but it is good to have options.

I love the Delica, but the non-knife people I've shown have typically preferred the Native. I think it feels more "robust", and maybe a bit more traditional.

[cjk]

Compared to a Delica 4:
The Native 5 is thicker in the pocket, but due to having no hump, it isn't as wide in the pocket.
The Native is also shorter when closed.
Due to the choil and lack of blade hump, the Native 5 has more flexible grip options. If you like to put your thumb on the spine of the blade like I do, you'll like the Native 5.
As you've noted, the Native 5 blade is thicker. It makes it feel like a sturdier tool. The thicker handle inspires a lot of confidence also. I feel like I could do much more stupid stuff (and useful stuff too) with a Native 5 than I could do with a Delica 4. The Delica 4 slices better. The Native 5 is a better all arounder.

I like both the Delica 4 and the Native 5 a lot, but I probably prefer the Native 5.

@TazKristi could you move this thread to general?

[bobnikon]

I find the Delica to be a little ... Delicate (sorry) but honestly, I like the beef of the N5 and it cuts anything I ask it to. I have S30v plain, LC200N serated and plain, Magnacut plain, and S90v plain. Love them all. As far as steels, you can currently get the S90V with CF scales, S30V with G10 scales, LC200N and Magnacut with FRN scales, (forgot the Spy27) and there are probably a few other versions out. I put AWT scales on my Magnacut blade and it feels like a very premium knife. Of course out of the box the S90V with CF scales is premium.

All kinds of options, best to get one and end the wondering. But not the wandering.

Cheers
Erik

[Evil D]

I use mine for everything I used to use a Dragonfly for. It's still small and light enough for me personally but is a lot more capable.

[zhyla]

By the time you own 5 Spydies you’re supposed to stop trying to justify knives.

I hopped off the Native train with the 5.

[ChrisinHove]

The Native feels harder working. I can press more firmly on the back of the blade, and can get a stronger grip on the handle, with more control. YMMV.

My M4 N5 is my go-to knife when I’m working with construction timber.

[Wandering_About]

The Native 5 is great for when you need a folding pocket knife to cut stuff. The LW Salt especially is a great low maintenance working knife, in my opinion.

[kobold]

I bought the Fluted Ti S35VN, Fluted CF S90V, Orange G10 Rex45, Blue FRN Spy27, Yellow Salt SE LC200N, Red Salt PE Magnacut models, so that the Native can serve in as much as possible use cases.

I still like 4" models in the colder seasons, more fit for gloved hands, but otherwise urban carry, gardening, boating, fishing and so on are all great w the Native.

As to why, I like the backlock, the swedge and no hump blade, the finger choil, or I should say the ergonomics, the looks, the unsurpassed ease of disassembly and maintenance, the variety of available steels and the Golden fit & finish of the model.

[GarageBoy]

I didn't originally like the native on paper, but it is the one golden model in a size that I like that gets all the sprints and exclusives, plus I got a second for cheap during one of the sales. It's a nice full sized grip for a relatively small knife (using the choil). Blade shape is pretty versatile. (I'd prefer a lil less belly)

[Xformer]

In short: it's a beefier and more minimalist Delica, with a better steel as a stock offer (VG10 vs S30V).

The Native 5 lightweight version is its final form imho.

One of the very best knife Spyderco ever made. I just wish they'd make it a little longer. A native 5.5.

[riclaw]

Several people on this forum have said that the carbon fiber on the S90V model is some of the best, if not the best. So for me, the CF N5 is going to be carried on formal occasions.

[spydergoat]

It's just a good EDC size knife made in USA. You don't need one because you have that spot and it's not gonna make you go wow and forget about your Delica or Endela. But it's a good choice for someone who needs this kind of knife, especially people who think the spine hump is too weird looking.

[Brock O Lee]

The N5 is a tough little bulldog that can do a lot of work.

It is unfortunately an in-between size for me, and I prefer the handle and clip of the slightly larger Sage.

[toml4185]

Once you try the Native 5 LW, it’s hard to justify needing any other knife for EDC practical purposes (doesn’t stop me having tons of Spydercos though ). Personally, I use a Native 5 LW Salt in magnacut for fishing and it is all I need for cleaning fish and cutting line etc. Compared to other similar knives (e.g. Delica) it feels a lot heftier to me.

[cjk]

In short: it's a beefier and more minimalist Delica, with a better steel as a stock offer (VG10 vs S30V).

The Native 5 lightweight version is its final form imho.

One of the very best knife Spyderco ever made. I just wish they'd make it a little longer. A native 5.5.

I concur on the desire for a Native 5.5.

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

The Native 5lw Salt is a worry-free little workhorse and does its job time after time, a great knife for EDC.

[Mat_ski]

I own three N5 but rarely use them. At some point I realized I really like thumb ramps (either size).

[mikestp]

One thing to note about the thickness: although 3.2mm (3.0mm forward of the plunge grind) is thicker than I'd like 3mm is very standard for pocket knives and not "thick".
Unlike most pocket knives from other brands it has 2 things going for it:
1) The height of the blade is very tall at 29.6mm right in front of the plunge grind so it is much slicier than you give it credit for. The Native is actually not far off the performance of the Manix while being much easier to carry (I can 5th pocket carry a Native)
2) The FFG and distal taper that Spyderco is known for mean the blade gets thin fast. you can do some serious work with the blade on the Native

A 3mm thick Spyderco blade cannot be compared to a 3mm saber ground blade from the competition, its an entirely different animal.

So why the Native 5 over other Spyderco knives?
Chaparral - One of my favorites but doesn't asked to be abused the way a native does. I wouldn't hand my Chaparral to a random coworker because I'd give them a 50:50 chance of snapping the blade. The Native is a Knife I can put into any task or hand to anyone.

Dragonfly - Great blade but not enough handle for me. Native 5 works much better for me and has far superior build quality.

Delica - Handle still not as good as the Native and too far from the cutting edge. Build quality not on par.

A note about blade length: Generally I either need something sharp of any length OR specifically something long enough to cut apples/oranges. This means for me a useful blade is either 3.5"+ or not. I see no reason to split hairs between which "small" knife has 3mm extra cutting edge...

In summary the Native is the Spyderco where perfect carry, ergonomics, performance and build quality come together. Bigger Spydercos don't carry as well and other Spydercos of similar size aren't as ergonomic.