Native: Couple questions...

[Buck268]

Well, I just picked up a Native in CPMS30V the other day at wally world. Was going to order a G10 Meadowlark from New Graham, but I was playing with the Native and it felt alright and I kinda wanted to check out the much herald S30V blade.

Anyways, I have since noticed that the handle has no liners and is just a simple FRM clamshell. How well does FRN handle extreme cold (say, -10*F)? Would I have to worry about cold related cracking or weakening at these temps? Not that they are the norm, but in Michigan's Kewenaw (tip of the U.P.) it does get real cold.

Also it seems to be the tip is pretty weak, especially in a steel prone to chipping. Has anybody ha any problems with blade breakage?

 

[steelscout30]

Down here in Ohio, things aren't that cold but in normal winters things get pretty icy. Last year I carried my Military (S30V...has a thin tip too because of a long blade and a high flat grind) and the tip stayed okay through all the cold outdoor chores we Boy Scouts do at winter campouts including the Klondike Derby (long sled race that tests our skills in all aspects that an ideal Scout would be good at..starting fires, building shelters, etc etc). Anyway, I took my S30V Native and Military out to Philmont (New Mexico, 10 degrees Fahrenheit at night, elevation 12,441 ft. max elevation) and the handles and tips held up on both; great edge retention too. The FRN on all my Spydies has held up better than similar products from other companies; that's just my experience. Hope I helped.

 

[4 s ter]

How well does FRN handle extreme cold (say, -10*F)? Would I have to worry about cold related cracking or weakening at these temps? Not that they are the norm, but in Michigan's Kewenaw (tip of the U.P.) it does get real cold.

Also it seems to be the tip is pretty weak, especially in a steel prone to chipping. Has anybody ha any problems with blade breakage?

The temperatures get just as cold here just to the east of you at Sault Ste. Marie. Apparently FRN is fine down to the -40 (C or F) level - it gets a bit stiff and somewhat more fragile at that point.

I've been carrying a Native for years and can't agree about the tip being weak. Of course I consider a knife to be a cutting tool and I don't pry with the tip, but I've never broken a tip of any Spyderco knife - even those with finer tips than the Native. I have broken tips off a couple of other brands while using them for cutting purposes (but I'm not going into that here )

 

[Buck268]

Well I took a small chip out of the tip the first day I got it using to to unscrew a eye-glass sized screw on the batter cover of my photon II LED. Now it didn't damage the tip but chipped the blade edge (which was facing up, not down into the screw) where it appearently contacted some part of the screw. My first lesson in S30V, guess I got spoiled with all those AUS8 work knives I've had (and other lowerlevel 400 series)...