I got one in the mail today. I think you'll find many places with them in stock now. First impressions are very good. Great fit and finish, built like a tank and great steel. Mine wasn't as sharp as I wanted but literally 5 passes on a Sharpmaker with the very fine stones and it cuts tissue. Lock needed to break in a little but after playing with it for an hour or so, it's very smooth. The back spring is strong and absolutely no blade play in any direction. This one is definitely another winner.
I received mine on Monday and love it. Great ergos, lock is smooth. I love new jimpings and G10 see post #52 for pictures and first impressions. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/814222-Spyderco-Native-5/page3
Got mine yesterday too, it looks/feels very good. Love the angles of the blade and the G-10 scales are very tactile. Locks up tight. The edge was "sharp", but not very. So I'll be working on that tonight
Picked mine up from the PO Box, yesterday. She's a beauty. Been holding out on getting a native since I couldn't find a combination that I wanted of steel, grind, scale and of course price. Very glad to have picked this up. Fit and finish is close to a sprint run quality knife. One knock on mine, is slightly uneven grind of the belly towards the tip and front of choil on Golden, Colorado side of the blade. Also, the liner edges are crisp- similar to Al Mar Knives' liners, not beveled or sanded down. As far as initial sharpness...out the box, cut curves on paper, and hair shaving sharp. Mine cut paper towel off the bat, but tissue paper- cuts it, just not consistently as well. The ergos are dead on, and good balance in hand. Both liners are milled out and can be felt in the knife's lightness in hand. Visually appealing, clean lines, nice and tight cohesiveness of elements, no compound curves on the handle like in the Sage. Like the particular attention to detail, including a small section of jimping on the front of the back-lock where the spine meets, when blade is open. Jimping style and locations are similar to the para mil 2. Tight lock-up, no blade play what so ever. Strong detent, blade stays put when closed. At first openings it was a tad bit tight, but after using it some more, it is beginning to open/close more smoothly. It's a keeper and is going to have a spot in my edc rotation. Now, if only Spyderco would make a Ti-frame lock version...
I like this version of the native very much. It looks really well put together. I would have prefered the clip that came on the earlier versions of the native but have no complaints on the hour glass clip. Well done Spyderco.
I received mine on Thursday and as my first Native I can't compare to other models, but on it's own merit it is outstanding. It's a stout little knife, built like a tank and smooth to operate. Razor sharp blade that is dead centered, rock solid lock up, the lines are clean, the jimping is split between the spine and the lock bar and mates perfectly when open. The scales are very nice with the texture falling somewhere between the Para 2 and the older G10 UKPK. Outstanding fit and finish overall; as nice as my Para 2 no question.
It's a stout little knife. Not the grippiest G10 Spyderco out there, thankfully. Excellent F&F. Not as smooth as my FRNs, but I'm sure it'll smooth out some.
I have had the exact same experience as Spectre. I got one a few weeks back. It's much more hefty than it looks. Open was a bit ridgid but I anticipate that will go away after I use it more. Love the way it feels in my hand.
Yes. It's a mid lock, so it's like the 110's back lock but located halfway up the spine so you can close the knife one-handed.
If you're looking for a beefy 3" bladed midlock, it's an excellent choice. Very smooth, yet much tighter action than the FRN Native, which has always seemed a bit too soft to me. Rock solid lockup too. Do wish the Spyderhole was fully exposed, although implementing that would probably require a low hump, making it too much like the Sage series. I'm not a fan of G10, but I liked the Native V well enough to have mine rescaled in wood.
Got mine in this afternoon. First assessment is pretty much what the others said Built like a brick outhouse, a really really solid feel to it. Excellent fit and finish Zero blade play in any direction grippy, but not rough, G10 mine would shave out of the box very smooth action so far the clip is working out well for me A nice gem of a knife. Sweet. Going to have to play a bit with this one to investigate it more fully, but I am very very pleased with the purchase.
My first thought was, a little thick for such a small knife. After carrying it for a week, I really like it. Another home run!
I got one yesterday. It is an incredibly well built and strong feeling knife. I can see why it is popular. Unfortunately for me, it is just a bit awkward for my hand and, in my opinion, a bit hard to open and heavy for a small knife. So, I'm sending it back for a Sage 2. Like I said, a great knife, reminiscent of a C95 Manix. I wish it had fit me better, as I'm sure it is great to use. Just my opinions, hope everyone enjoys theirs.
I measured the hardness of the blade. It was 59.46. This is about dead nuts in the center of the hardness range recommended by Crucible (58-61)
