Cosmetic whining: Has the Native IV/V paint issues

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enderwiggin

Joined
Nov 18, 2006
Messages
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I'm calling this post a whine since I'm sure I'm going to get some flack for it. I've owned 2 carbon fiber Native IV's, and loved everything about the knife... Except the painted Spyderco logo. With both knives, the Spyderco logo wore very quickly. I'm not sure why Spyderco painted the logo on the Native IV, opposed to the etched logos on many other models.

Am I the only one out there with this gripe? I'm also curious if the G-10 Native V logo is going to be any different.
 
Which logo are you referring to? The one on the blade is laser engraved.

Pics would also be helpful.
 
I don't know about the logo being painted but if its a user is it that big of a deal? If a collector then I can see being upset. Heck, many people want and will pay extra for a sterile blade without writing and logos.
 
Whining belongs in whine and cheese, as far as a rubbed off logo, I would like to see that for myself.
 
Some Spyderco knives do have what appears to be paint over the laser etched logo. At one time they used gold paint. I have both large and small Persians like that, and other models as well. Now they occasionally use black paint and the Native IV was one of those. The bug logo on mine looks smooth and shiny and feels like it extends above the surface. The paint tends to rub off more easily than the blackening used on most other bug logos. There should be a laser etched logo under it, but I'm not about to scratch it off my Native IV to find out as mine is just part of my collection, not a user. If the logo on one of my users was painted, and became faded or rubbed off completely, I wouldn't care, because even the blackened ones fade unevenly over time. Truth be known, I'd be even happier if they disappeared completely.

One thing may work in your favor in regard to the Native V. Unlike the Native IV, which was made in Japan, it will be made in Golden. Two different factories, two different ways of marking knives, more chance it will be marked like the current C41 Native than the Native IV.
 
I used to own two Native4. One was user. Not intentionally I took pain from the bug off on the first day, when I cleaned blade. :o I was little disappointed with my actions, but no biggy, it was a user. Due to stupidity I sold this knife after carrying about a year. :grumpy::grumpy: Until this day, Native4 remains the only knife I regret selling, still I have one more as a part of collection. Certainly one of my favorites.
 
Deacon and BH, thanks for answering with personal experience instead of crying "you have a fake!" or something similar. Neither of my 2 Natives were fakes, both came from (two seperate) reputable dealers, in Spyderco boxes with paperwork and the same level of F&F of every other Spyderco I've bought.

The Native IV is one of my favorite Spyderco knives, and the logo issue was one of my few gripes about it. I was just surprised the logo was paint-filled logo etch, given that even entry-level knives like the Delica are etched logos.

The first Native IV I sold to another forum user, as a "user" after mentioning specifically that the logo and blade showed some wear with light use and providing pictures like this:

screenshot20110822at503.png


The logo on my 2nd native also began to wear surprisingly quickly with use (slicing a cake, cutting up some fruit, and cleaning the blade with Dawn dish detergent), so I ended up removing the paint entirely with CitruStrip, a method recommended on here for removing paint from clips:

20110822164253.jpg


...Honestly, I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned before, given the forums' constant praise of the Native.
 
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Hmmm, that looks weird. I cannot say that I have ever seen that before. I might be completely insane, but I will go out on a limb here. I'd hardly think that "paint" as you refer to it, flaking off is enough of a catastrophic error to knock the Native off it's pedetal. You are refering to something cosmetic, not functional. The knife got to where it has because of the way it cuts, not because of the blade markings.is this weird? Without a doubt. Does it make the knife any less of the icon it is? Try again. Just my opinion.
 
enderwiggin said:
Deacon and BH, thanks for answering with personal experience instead of crying "you have a fake!" or something similar. Neither of my 2 Natives were fakes, both came from (two seperate) reputable dealers, in Spyderco boxes with paperwork and the same level of F&F of every other Spyderco I've bought.

The Native IV is one of my favorite Spyderco knives, and the logo issue was one of my few gripes about it. I was just surprised the logo was paint-filled logo etch, given that even entry-level knives like the Delica are etched logos.

The first Native IV I sold to another forum user, as a "user" after mentioning specifically that the logo and blade showed some wear with light use and providing pictures like this:

screenshot20110822at503.png


The logo on my 2nd native also began to wear surprisingly quickly with use (slicing a cake, cutting up some fruit, and cleaning the blade with Dawn dish detergent), so I ended up removing the paint entirely with CitruStrip, a method recommended on here for removing paint from clips:

20110822164253.jpg


...Honestly, I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned before, given the forums' constant praise of the Native.
Click to expand...

Are the steel stamps the same on both knives?
 
No, it doesn't affect the function of the knife at all, hence the "cosmetic whining" post title. Like I said, it's a minor gripe, and I don't see where we're disagreeing. I'm just surprised by the choice to paint-fill an etched logo, instead of leaving it as-is or adding a standard etched logo, and am curious if the G-10 Native will be the same way.


And yes, Rycen, the steel stamps were the same on both knives.
 
Whoever made the Native IV may not have been set up to do the other style of etching, and perhaps they, or Spyderco, felt the paint added contrast. No biggie for me. Same deal as with the gold paint. If it's a collector piece, the paint will stay intact. If it's a user, much as I love Spyderco knives, the less visible the bug is, the better.
 
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