Native in GIN-1 steel???

KBR

KBR

Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
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Today I saw a very interesting Native. This Spydie was the 35/65 model and it did seem to be in a semi "used" condition, but my curiousity was heightened when I saw that instead of the CPM440 marking, it had GIN-1 in its' place. :confused:

Can anyone give me any info on this Native? If it is rare, I'd like to go ahead and pick it up. Price: $45, but I did manage to talk the seller down to $35. Is it worth it?

P.S.-It is a Spyderco, not a fake.
 
It is for sure worth 35.00.If you get it and want to trade it for a 440V PE and a neck sheath let me know.
 
Thanks for the input.

u812, I'll let you know something after I get it. I have to wait till next weekend. :( The knife is being sold at a store that is inside a flea market of sorts, and it's only open on the weekends. Like I said, it is in good used condition but the edge will need some work. That Native has been there for a while, so I'm sure that it'll be there this week.

Does anyone have any info on the GIN-1 steel, as far as edge retention, ease/difficulty of sharpening, etc.?
 
Don't get it just for me.I may have the native traded by the time you get it.The gin 1 steel is very easy to sharpen IMO.
 
samo, how retro do you figure this Native is? It's still in great shape, except that the blade could use a little polish.
 
I'd figure that any Natives in GIN-1 without a number etched or engraved on the blade (first batch only) would be the second or third batches. They probably changed it to CPM-440V pretty quickly in the post-release tweaking phases. If they were ever made in Japan (certainly possible), the switch may have come when Spyderco started making them at their Golden plant, which does almost all of the CPM-440V knives. Was the blade laser-etched with Golden CO, or was Seki City Japan stamped into the steel?

It's definitely worth the price even if you don't trade it. However, if the serrated edge needs a lot of work, I'd suggest, after buying it, that you send it to Spyderco and have them sharpen/regrind the blade. Serrations hold pretty well through sharpening, but with a lot of grinding away, the points become less pronounced (they can still be razor-sharp, though).
 
Liko,
1. there is no number etched in the blade,
2. the blade is stamped with Seki City, Japan,
3. the Spyderedge is in decent shape, serration points are decent.

The lockup is still solid, the edge needs a little sharpening, but other than that I think it's in great shape. I hadn't even considered sending it to the factory, but I might go ahead and do that just to have it back to "like new" condition. I appreciate the tip, Liko.;)
 
ahh...first post here...hello fellow 'enthusiasts' (heheh-knife nuts!)

My Native is GIN-1 STAINLESS.

It is engraved-"GOLDEN, COLORADO U.S.A. EARTH"

No other numbers etc. It is not laser etched either.

It is my understanding that the GIN-1 STAINLESS designation was unique to the American manufactured Natives with the FRN scales. The SS scale Natives are (were?) made in SEKI Japan and use the other SS designation.

I may be wrong though....

Mongrel
 
I finally got my Native this past weekend. I managed to talk that vendor down to 30 bucks!!!!
I have a correction to an earlier post, it is stamped with Golden, CO, not Seki City, Japan. No other numbers etched on the blade though. Must be from a second or third batch??
Anyway, excellent knife in every way. Very happy with it, and it's soon going to be sent back to Spyderco for some regrinding and complimentary sharpening.:D
 
The GIN-1 Native is neither rare nor a start-up steel. The Native was produced in GIN-1 for a while (like a couple of years, IIRC). As was the Delica and the Endura, and a couple of others. I am a little surprised to hear that it is stamped Golden Colorado, as the GIN-1 steel definitely comes from Seki City Japan. GIN-1 is short for Gingami 1. At one point, GIN-1 blades were marked G-2, but it was the same steel. I have one of the old Natives in GIN-1, in a plain edge. It will take a wicked sharp edge, and although it won't hold it as long as, say VG-10, it is no slouch. Its composition is 0.90 Carbon, 15.5 Chromium, 0.6 Manganese, 0.3 Molybdenum, 0.37 Silicon, and traces of Phosphorus (0.02) and Sulphur (0.03). The stainless scaled Native used to be AUS-10 steel, which was even better, but also a Japanese steel.

My understanding was that one of the reasons that the Natives all went to 440V was (along the "better edge holding") to bring ALL of the manufacturer into the States, instead of having it done in Japan. Any way you look at it, though, the Native is definitely worth what you paid for it. :)
 
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