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I've always liked the original Native in FRN with the barrel clip. I didn't like the Native 4 or 5 because the cutting edge was shorter than all of the previous Natives. That changed yesterday. I walked into a Fin Feather Fur Outfitters that is close to me and took a look. I stop there about 4 times a year to see if they have any new knives. They had a Native 5 Lightweight. I asked to see it and after holding it and opening and closing it....I said "I'll take it". I paid about $30 more than I should have but I wanted to take that model home, and I appreciated the fact that they have a storefront for me to visit and they have a bunch of knives. I will gladly pay more at a brick and mortar store.

Anyway, I love it. I previously didn't want it due to the squared off handles, and the shorter blade. I changed my mind. It is a much better Native than the previous generations. Thanks Spyderco. Well done. This Native is a butt kicker.

I will however be sending the clip out to be Cerakoted black.

It has officially been 10 years that I've been into Spyderco knives. I'm still going hard and have no intention of stopping. :)

Arrrggggg.....!!!!!! I was so close to buying a Lil' Matriarch. Or, maybe another Dragonfly 2, which I manage to lose at a record pace. Or, if the knife fund grows large enough Para Military 2. But, now....

I recall seeing Eric demonstrate the Native 5 Lightweight in a Blade Show video and thinking, wow, this is really like a larger scale Dragonfly, with a few differences.

I'm thinking this could be an all-around everyday knife.

What I really need is to find an unopened carton of $100 bills, then I wouldn't have to make these complicated decisions.

Great photos too!

Thanx David. Nice review and nice pics. I think the Native 5 Lite-weight is the best light weight lock-back we've ever made. Eric, Tom (Facotry manager) and Doug (engineer) worked on the lock refinement for more than two years. Many protos were made and refined. We're pleased to be able to offer the model to our customers.

sal

Thanks Sal. I agree that it is the best light weight lock-back you've ever made. It shows that it has been very refined.

David Lowry wrote:I've always liked the original Native in FRN with the barrel clip. I didn't like the Native 4 or 5 because the cutting edge was shorter than all of the previous Natives. That changed yesterday.

David,
This is great that finally you got Native5. I love the knife, but I stick with G10 variant. It is true that cutting edge got shorter, but I didn't find this very important for me. I used to carry C83 Persian and Caly3.5, which have much longer blades as my primary knives but I found N5 is totally capable to perform any tasks, which I need. Enjoy the knife.

Congratulations! From the pictures it seems as though your knife has the exact same off centre tip that mine does. Must have been ground by the same guy :rolleyes:

sal wrote:I think the Native 5 Lite-weight is the best light weight lock-back we've ever made. Eric, Tom (Factory manager) and Doug (engineer) worked on the lock refinement for more than two years. Many protos were made and refined. We're pleased to be able to offer the model to our customers.

I'm with you on that one Sal - comparing this back lock to the one on my Delicas is like comparing a truck to the sports car. The lock on the Native 5 is so refined and smooth and just a pleasure to operate. The lock up is so solid and I particularly love the way the lock engages right at the end of its travel. I notice that you have polished all the bearing surfaces and smoothed out a lot of the sharp corners on the blade tang. The way the blade drops free when you disengage the lock is just sensational. Great stuff.

I am proud to be able to carry this piece, half a world away :)

Bruno

Love the knife, is my current EDC. Big enough to do a lot (if not everything on a daily basis), small enough to carry easily and be a not-so-scary-knife. Lightweight, too. And a very good steel. :-)

A 'slightly bigger' LBK if you want, an upsized dragonfly. Good stuff!

glbpro wrote:I am proud to be able to carry this piece, half a world away :)

Same here!

I have not seen much about the new Native 5 LW serrated model, aside from the one "blade swap into a Native 5 G10" thread.

I received one yesterday, and I am very impressed. It is a quality piece at an affordable price. I especially like the FFG and SE combination. Interesting, the SE scallops on the Native are larger than on the SE Military I have... Lock-up is rock solid on this one. The handle does not feel too blocky (much less than the standard G10 one anyway), so I will not sand down the edges like I did with my G10. This FRN material feels exactly the same as the FRCP on the Manix 2 LW, I have no problem either way. The spoon clip works well, but I would not have been disappointed if it had a deep carry wire clip.

I can see that this one will be carried often, especially as a serrated companion to a slightly larger PE EDC. I am carrying it in waistband today, no comfort issues yet, so far so good.

sal wrote:Thanx David. Nice review and nice pics. I think the Native 5 Lite-weight is the best light weight lock-back we've ever made. Eric, Tom (Facotry manager) and Doug (engineer) worked on the lock refinement for more than two years. Many protos were made and refined. We're pleased to be able to offer the model to our customers.

sal

Great job Spydercrew :spyder: !!! What are the chances to see the same improved lock-back in the Delica/Endura/Salt line Sal ? Because I am a thumb-ramp guy,Native is not my cup of tea but I am looking forward to purchase a Delica/Endura/Salt with the improved lock.I allways proclaimed that Delica/Endura deserves a better lock-back( I hate when they develop up/down blade play, and I never hard use my folders).

Brock O Lee wrote:I have not seen much about the new Native 5 LW serrated model, aside from the one "blade swap into a Native 5 G10" thread.

I got one a couple of weeks ago because it was on sale and I love SE stuff. I was getting ready to swap a S110V blade into it until I saw the Forum Native thread.

I was a little disappointed that all other Native SE's I have have a good half inch of PE at the end and this one doesn't. The CE model has 2/3 of the blade PE.

Donut wrote:...
I was a little disappointed that all other Native SE's I have have a good half inch of PE at the end and this one doesn't. The CE model has 2/3 of the blade PE.

Yes I agree, I also prefer the larger PE tip of the previous lightweight version. One scallop less would have been perfect.

I figured I would most probably always pair this one with a plain edge folder, so I'm ok with the fully serrated blade. The main selling point was 3 inches of FFG SE goodness. A lightweight chassis with an improved back lock also helped. :)

Yeah, I agree, it's a very nice model. One scallop less would be sweet.

You know what else is interesting in this model? S35VN is a tougher steel than S30V, so I think it should perform better with SE.

It's the only knife I know of with S35VN and SE.

Donut wrote:...
S35VN is a tougher steel than S30V, so I think it should perform better with SE...

Good point Donut... It is also supposedly slightly easier to sharpen than S30V, which is a plus for me with serrations.

I've had this (PE) blade for about 7-8 weeks and it keeps surprising me. One of my all time favorite edc's, love the weight you can carry it any time.
(mainly urban use and in woods and the like I've usually carried a bigger folder or fixed blade as well)
I'm planning to eventually also get the black DLC coated version which does seem to have a more 50/50 combo edge, but for now I'll focus on the forum knife. :D

PS my first Spydie was a Native 1 (CE) about 15 years ago which also saw quite a bit of use but when I started getting into knives more I preferred different grinds. (non hollow grinds and never been a big fan of the very slim tip of which the top milimeter also broke quite fast on mine)

The Native 5 is bigger then my Enduring Freedom Native?

Very interesting.

HarleyXJGuy wrote:The Native 5 is bigger then my Enduring Freedom Native?

Very interesting.

I'm not sure what you mean. Here's a pic of my Native family.

The Native 5 lightweight
OIF Native (same as the OEF)
S110V carbon fiber Native 5



They are all very close in size

aquaman67 wrote:

HarleyXJGuy wrote:The Native 5 is bigger then my Enduring Freedom Native?

Very interesting.

I'm not sure what you mean. Here's a pic of my Native family.

The Native 5 lightweight
OIF Native (same as the OEF)
S110V carbon fiber Native 5



They are all very close in size

To bad.

Someone in this thread I think said the 5 was a little bigger. I could be wrong it happened once before. I was 12 I think.

Are you in the Military aquaman?

I just hope the powers that be are listening to all these square handle complaints. I know it's a lot of money to invest in a new FRN mold, especially for just this reason, so maybe with the next iteration this is something that can be tweaked a bit.

Most of the time I am thinking that it is much easier to remove material than it is to add material. That would be the best way to design knives. This is the same with sharpening notches.

I would love to see some discussions on "How do you round the corners on FRN and make it look nice (stock)."