A Little Bit of Love for the C78BK Native III

SpyderNut · #1

I had the good fortune of stumbling across this NIB Native while doing some research recently. I thought, “It can’t be a Native III. It’s probably just an old stock photo.” After doing a little digging, however, I discovered it was legitimately a Native III. I held off for a few weeks on buying it (thanks in part to the temporary paralysis I received from the Amsterdam thread

). However, it was the last Native III left in stock and the asking price was just under $70—with free shipping to boot. Too hard to resist. After opening it up on Friday night, I was very pleased to find the lock to be rock-solid. No play whatsoever. The grind lines in the VG-10 blade are very symmetrical and even. In all honesty, I really couldn’t find a thing wrong with it. (I think I actually like the feel of the Native III better than my Native5. Call me crazy, but it’s just a bit more comfortable in my hand). All in all, I’m very pleased with this purchase. I only wish I could’ve picked up one more to keep as a “pre-need replacement!” :)

Here are a few things I like about the Native III over the current Native (C41BK):

• Rounded choil. I really like how the III has a perfectly rounded choil vs. the C41BK’s round/flat-like choil. True, it really doesn’t make or break the situation for either knife, but I think the fully rounded choil is more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
• Wire clip. I’m a huge fan of wire clips on most of my small to medium-sized Spydies. Having a wire clip was a real bonus for me.
• Top swedge. Again, just being picky here, but I really prefer the swedge of the III over the C41BK’s swedge. The C41BK’s swedge just doesn’t look “finished” to me. I like how the III’s swedge continues along the spine in a nice, continuous grind.
• Bi-Directional FRN. Just a personal preference, but I really like the Bi-Directional FRN over the “spider web” type pattern on the C41BK.
• Steel. I don’t consider myself to be a steel snob by any means. Good old VG-10 holds an edge well and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance or upkeep. (S30V is great stuff too, don’t get me wrong. I just like the high-polish attributes of VG-10 vs. the “grainy” texture of S30V).

Here are a few pics for comparison:

C78BK
http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=61

C41BK
http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=20

And here are a few pics of my own (sorry for the lack of quality :o ):

Notice the designer's mark on the rear-most tip of the handle. :)

xceptnl · #2

My first Spyderco was a Native and I really loved it like it was a $300 folder (even though it cost less than $60). The Native III never really grabbed my attention and when it did, I thought it looked cheap. My two regrets just fell upon me when seeing your pictures..... that jimping looks terrific and ****, I missed the fact it was VG-10. Thanks for the informative thread.

timlara · #3

Great pics, SpyderNut! And for the record, I second every single one of your bullet points. Even though I definitely appreciate all the engineering that went into the improved lock/pivot on the N5 (got em both), the III will always be a true classic in my book.

And I can't believe I never noticed the Sal mark in the FRN!

eric m. · #4

I love that knife! I hope to "stumble onto one in the future! Great buy! :spyder:

dgebler · #5

Yea, the jimping and swedge look awesome!

dbcad · #6

Sweet looking knife, agreed on the swedge and jimping :)

gbelleh · #7

I like my Native III a lot. I like the swedge too. But, I don't carry or use it much, mainly because of the thickness in the pocket. But it's an interesting knife that I'm glad to have in the collection.

SpyderNut · #8

Thanks for the kind words, guys. :) The jimping is one thing I forgot to mention. At first, I wasn't sure if I'd like it as it appeared fairly aggressive. But after playing with it for a bit, I decided this style of jimping is actually pretty comfortable--and pretty unique looking too. I agree with you, gbelleh, regarding the thickness of the III's handle when in the pocket. Perhaps this explains why the current Native is quite a bit thinner. This kind of makes me want one of the brown FRN Native CTS-XHP models now. :D