Native or Dragonfly Salt

J

jday2727

Joined
Jul 8, 2015
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564
I need help. I want a small Spyderco to rotate with my Delica. I'm not sure about what I want.
I hear the Native Ergoes are great, and I'd like to try the s30v. I'm also from Colorado, so that's something.
However, the Dragonfly Salt is light and rustproof, so it'd be a nice jogging Knife for me, it's cheaper, and I'd get the se. What would you guys recommend?
 
I like carrying my se Dragonfly Salt anytime I'm near the water or the beach. It's also a good companion to my PM2. I don't have a Native to compare it to but if you're going for variety, go with the DF.
 
Dragonfly salt is a great little knife, but it's quite a bit smaller than the Native. If you are going to rotate by changing off with the Delica, then the Native is going to be a good replacement. If you are going to rotate by adding in and carrying 2 knives, then the DF salt makes a perfect coin pocket filler. I have noticed that I like having one of the H1 steel blades with me all the time for when I am going to get a blade gunked and cant clean it right off.
 
As you probably go jogging often or everyday, and you'd like the DF as a rust-proof, sweat-proof jogging carry, get the DF first. Then when funds allow, get the Native. Natives are great knives, and at some point, every Spyderco fan should try one. I'm really looking forward to getting my Native LW CPM-S110V.
 
For a small knife, the dragonfly is great. Since you will be jogging and sweating, the salt version makes a lot of sense. I think you'll be very happy with it.

The native is also very nice but larger and heavier and for what the immediate purpose you describe, not quite as good a fit in my opinion although I do recommend it as an EDC knife.
 
I've never had a Dragonfly because it seems like too much of an in between sized knife, between a Native size and Ladybug size.

I've had several Natives and they're consistently great.
 
I'd go the Dragonfly route. For me the Dfly always had excellent ergos, but the Native with the buried thumbhole never worked for me. Also, the slippery handles weren't a help, either. The 3D version was easier to hold onto, but hard to clip to the pocket and to draw, and the thumbhole issue wasn't resolved for me.
 
You could try a Salt SE and that would give you a rust proof knife the size of the Delica. Being linerless, they are very light weight.
 
For your uses I would definitely get the Dragonfly. FWIW, I much prefer the Dfly ergonomics to those of the Native. I have to choke up on either one of them and use the choil to get a full grip and the Dragonfly just seems more natural to me in that position.
 
I am big Native5 fan and prefer it to any Spyderco. I have more than half a dozen of them in different colors and steel.
In the past I owned few Dragonflies. For various reasons all of them gone. In my opinion these two knives are very different. As a jogging Knife I certainly would take Dragonfly Salt over any Native5. But if you need to do some serious cutting I would go for Native5 in S90V or S110V. S35Vn is not bad either, but for just a few bucks more you can get good steel upgrade. Check out 2013 Forum knife, it is at close out price now. Good grab.
 
bh49 said:
I am big Native5 fan and prefer it to any Spyderco. I have more than half a dozen of them in different colors and steel.
In the past I owned few Dragonflies. For various reasons all of them gone. In my opinion these two knives are very different. As a jogging Knife I certainly would take Dragonfly Salt over any Native5. But if you need to do some serious cutting I would go for Native5 in S90V or S110V. S35Vn is not bad either, but for just a few bucks more you can get good steel upgrade. Check out 2013 Forum knife, it is at close out price now. Good grab.
Click to expand...

You mean the 2015 forum knife right? And yes, that is a good deal on that knife. :)
 
The ergos of the Native don't quite work for me so I'd go with the Dragonfly. It is a very capable knife for it's size.
 
If you factor in the shipping fees charged by the Spyderco site, then even with the discount the Forum knife ends up costing about the same as the blue S110V version (since that one is available with free shipping from several vendors). Maybe the Forum knife is more collectible and maybe it's a little cooler looking, but I think I'd prefer S110V for almost the same money.
 
Evany said:
If you factor in the shipping fees charged by the Spyderco site, then even with the discount the Forum knife ends up costing about the same as the blue S110V version (since that one is available with free shipping from several vendors). Maybe the Forum knife is more collectible and maybe it's a little cooler looking, but I think I'd prefer S110V for almost the same money.
Click to expand...

I'd prefer the s35v to either of them. :)
 
I do regular touch ups to my edc knives and like to keep them at a very high level of sharpness. Because of that routine I experience none of the advantages of a high carbide steel like s90v/s110v but the disadvantages are even more bothersome. A steel like s90v is much more fussy about taking very high level sharpness than s30v or vg10. S30v/S35v/cpm154 are very well balanced steels for my uses. Not knocking the high carbide stuff...it has its place, even in my lineup. Its just not my preference for edc.
 
I actually carry/use the H1 Dragonfly while jogging or swimming. I'm not a big fan of the Native (the ergos don't seem to work for me - so its a personal preference), but I also like the Manix LW.
 
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