Native 5 Dilemma

[Dashdaddy]

The s110v is sweet no doubt. It may lack a premium feel but if thats ok with you i would stick with it. Seems like you have chosen well thus far. Prepare to spend ALOT of money. Good luck.

Actually, the Native 5 FRN is my first experience with that material. Of course the FRN has its origin from plastic, but it has a quality to it that was unexpected for me. Previously, I had only seen pictures and read opinions about FRN, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

 

[Dashdaddy]

I’d keep both. I love my fluted cf native, I don’t think I’d ever sell it. It just has some class that the frn version lacks. Keep the LW for a beater.

If the difference of .35-ounces between the LW and fluted cf was the determining factor in how a knife carried for me I’d seriously have to consider a new exercise program.

How has your Native 5 CF held up so far? Any issues? I stated earlier that it felt "too nice to use." To me the carbon fiber is a strange material that I don't know much about. In some ways it actually feels flimsy and brittle, like it would crack easily. That said, this is probably my misunderstanding about the material.

 

[Dashdaddy]

The s110v is sweet no doubt. It may lack a premium feel but if thats ok with you i would stick with it. Seems like you have chosen well thus far. Prepare to spend ALOT of money. Good luck.

Haha, lol. That's why I did not waste my time with a bunch of budget models that are easy to buy. I tried to get right to the point with what I wanted, instead of focusing on cheaper knives, and then always chasing something. However, on some level, I'm sure I will be doing just that! As I stated in the original post, I'm heavy into watches, and the similarities between the two (or any edc tool) is clearly present.

 

[BD_01]

The N5 LW is a great knife! I’ve missed mine ever since gifting it.

I’ve been close to pilling the trigger on the fluted CF a couple of times as a replacement. Now I feel that there’s a few other things I’d like to try in a similar (or slightly higher) price range. I might be missing out though.

 

[ronT2]

How has your Native 5 CF held up so far? Any issues? I stated earlier that it felt "too nice to use." To me the carbon fiber is a strange material that I don't know much about. In some ways it actually feels flimsy and brittle, like it would crack easily. That said, this is probably my misunderstanding about the material.

My knives lead easy lives, mostly light cutting chores. I doubt they will ever be used to anywhere near their limits. So, no, I’ve never had any problems with the cf native or any concerns of it cracking. I understand the “brittle” more ridged feeling you experience but I think that’s just the nature of carbon fiber. I experience the flimsy, more ductile feeling with my hap40 Stretch, the only frn knife I have to compare. Some head to head tests would be interesting.