Native vs. Tenactious - your thoughts?

The Native, for sure.
Better steel and made in the USA rather than mainland China.
(Yes, the Chinese turn out plenty of good manufactured products at this point,
but I still have yet to see a Chinese folding knife that I really like.)
 
rifon2 said:
The Native, for sure.
Better steel and made in the USA rather than mainland China.
(Yes, the Chinese turn out plenty of good manufactured products at this point,
but I still have yet to see a Chinese folding knife that I really like.)
Click to expand...
The Chinese Bucks are actually very nice.
I bought a Buck mini-trapper and it is a sweet little knife.
And from what i've heard the Byrds are excellent knives as well.
I'll be purchasing a Spyderco Tenacious before September for sure.
Currently I only have 2 Chinese knives (thats 2 out of my 100-ish knives).
I'd still prefer the knives be made in Taiwan rather than China but i don't have power over knife companies.
 
Last edited:
J_Curd said:
I was cutting a part for one of my model plane projects. It was a small square in some 3/16ths plywood. I was working on a waist high surface, and was using the tip to cut into the wood, which required a bit of pressure. The web of my hand deactivated the lock, and as I pushed the knife into the wood, it closed on the 2nd knuckle of my index finger, and continued into my middle finger. It cut about 70% through my index finger and removed some of the bone.

It was at that point I regretted putting a wickedly sharp convex on the blade.

As I said, I dont blame anyone other than myself....wrong tool (I now own small chisels), wrong ergonomics for me.
Click to expand...

Awful story. I'm sorry that happened to you. I would say though, that liner locks are just as easy to disengage in similar scenarios. It's actually much more common than in front locks like the Native.

I really suggest you look into well made framelocks and axis locks. Any folder can fail, obviously, but those are both very reliable when made well. Framelocks are my personal favorite. A nice one just gets more secure the more you squeeze it.
 
jim preston said:
I don't like the Native's design and ergos.
Click to expand...

I also don't like the Native's design and ergos. The opening hole sits too low for me. I have one and it's a great knife, but doesn't work well for me.

I also have a Tenacious and really like it. The steel is not as good as the Native, but it's still quality steel.
 
Beckerhead opinion #29876387687608760876 that doesn't really matter, BUT...

Having never handled a Tenacious I cannot speak for it, but my nephew has a Native that he sent home with me to sharpen and clean up, and it is one of the most awkward feeling knives I have ever handled. Natives look WAY ugly to me, but that is cast aside if the ergos are there, and to this one guy they aren't.

That said, the Native will have better blade steel, better warranty, and is made in the USA.

And to J Curd, sorry you cut yourself, I hope you have or had a full recovery. To me though, that is not a lock failure, it is a user error. I have had some close calls myself with slips, liners, and lockbacks, and every single one was 100% MY fault. I will gladly take that unruly Cara Cara off your hands if needed.

Oh, as to my final answer, skip both and get a Byrd Wings

Glad to help,
BKRHD
 
Thanks man, I did recover for the most part. One of the tendons will never heal, so the lateral strength in my finger is gone. Picking up a gallon of milk makes my finger bend at a very odd, and somewhat uncomfortable angle. Having about 10 other annoying injuries, it doesnt bother me so much, one more on the list of life.

The Cara Cara and my Dremel had a meeting. Its impossible to depress the lock without using the tip of a finger now.

And I agree, I love the steel and blade design on the Native, but the ergos for me are really awkward. It doesnt help that I hate choils either.
 
Both knives have worked well for me. I like the lightness, shorter blade length and the ergonomics of the Native enough to choose it over the Tenacious.

J_Curd said:
As I said, I dont blame anyone other than myself....wrong tool (I now own small chisels), wrong ergonomics for me.
Click to expand...

Did you have any issues with the Cara Cara's lock or any other lockback outside of this incident?

beckerhead said:
Natives look WAY ugly to me, but that is cast aside if the ergos are there, and to this one guy they aren't.
Click to expand...

Are you holding the knife using the choil? Sounds like a stupid question but most people I hand my Spydercos to don't instinctively put their index finger in the choil.
 
Vivi said:
Are you holding the knife using the choil? Sounds like a stupid question but most people I hand my Spydercos to don't instinctively put their index finger in the choil.
Click to expand...

Not a stupid question at all. I like folders with a choil just fine, and one of my all time favorite folders the Byrd Cara Cara has a nice big 'ole choil. And yes, I held that thing in all manner of grips, none of which were good to me.
 
Were there any specific parts of the handle that gave you hotspots or just didn't sit well with you in general?

I modified the handle on mine some. The original one was ergonomic, but I liked this shape better. Spyderco is going to use a similar handle design in their Native 4, much to my appreciation.

 
J_Curd said:
Having had a Byrd Cara Cara Lockback fail on me, removing my index finger almost completely at the knuckle, I trust liner locks. No more emergency room visits due to mid-palm lock backs for me.
Click to expand...

That sort of thing may easily happen with a linerlock as well. In fact, from all I know failures are rather more common in linerlocks than in backlocks.

BTW, my only visit to an emergency room came when a linerlock failed "just like that" when doing some work in the garden. Was a bloody mess, but no permanent damage. The knife was from a reputable company, and I couldn't figure out how it had happened afterwards.

Needless to say, I sold the knife ... :D
 
I put the most trust in framelocks now, because if i squeeze the handle like a vise, I cant see how it could fail.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top