Spyderco Native Cost

B

Bugout Bill

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Jan 2, 2013
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Even though it is only September, I have started trying to figure out what I want to get some of my friends for Christmas. One friend in particular isn't really a knife guy, but he owns a Buck 110 and a Buck Stockman. However, he doesn't carry either. I have figured out that he is fond of lockback knives, as well as knives with small (3 inch and under) blades. I am a fan of Spyderco, so I figured I would check out their products to see if I could find something to meet his needs. The Native seemed to be perfect, but I was kind of surprised by its cost. $75 seems a little steep. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me as to why it costs what it does, and what a cheaper alternative could be. Thanks.
 
Steep compared to what? Spyderco isn't a huge manufacturer, they are in fact quite small compared to Bck and possibly other manufacturers. My guess is because they pay their workers a fair wage to assemble the knives, in addition to the other more obvious reasons. The price of everything on Earth usually travels in one direction (up). The cost of living, food, healthcare, insurance, inflation, etc as some examples. S30V is also not inexpensive to heat treat properly. Only Spyderco can provide an accurate and detailed cost analysis, but I'd rather not hold my breath waiting for the report to arrive.
 
You are preaching to the choir Rev! Just want to save him a few bucks. Who wouldn't like a new delica? Russ
 
mycough said:
You are preaching to the choir Rev! Just want to save him a few bucks. Who wouldn't like a new delica? Russ
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Lolz! A Super Blue Delica would be the ultimate gift. We're talking friends till the end level here. If memory serves me, all of the Golden, CO made offerings in S30V went up a few bucks over the last 2 years. The Military (plain version) used to cost around $115-$125, it's now about $15-$25 more. The same happened to the Native II, was around $55, now is around $70. Even the Seki City pieces went up a few bucks. Such is the economy it seems. Bill, pick up a Delica. It's a heck of a slicer that your friend will surely love.
 
Thanks for all the input guys, I'll probably get him a Delica, but I'll hold out hope I can find a good deal on a Native.

RevDevil said:
If memory serves me, all of the Golden, CO made offerings in S30V went up a few bucks over the last 2 years. The Military (plain version) used to cost around $115-$125, it's now about $15-$25 more. The same happened to the Native II, was around $55, now is around $70. Even the Seki City pieces went up a few bucks. Such is the economy it seems. Bill, pick up a Delica. It's a heck of a slicer that your friend will surely love.
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A crying shame, but quality certainly hasn't declined. I have heard that the Seki knives cost had caught up, but I was glad that I found a Starmate at a reasonable cost. By the way, how well does the sabre ground delica cut?

ichor said:
Umm...a person who "isn't really a knife guy", who owns two relatively decent knives....and carries neither?
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He considers the stockman to be a whittling knife and the Buck 110 a camping knife, although he does carry it occasionally. I hope that a more EDC oriented knife will get him to start carrying more.
 
The Delica in saber grind is nice too, the FFG will cut a lot better, however the SG is a bit "tougher" and you don't need to be as careful. Either way you go, it's going to be a great gesture and an awesome tool.
 
I've also been looking at the UKPK, specifically the one with the Stretch like blade. It is still a small knife, but it has a finger choil. I don't think he would particularly care about the lack of a lock.
 
Seems like you want to stick with American-made. The new UKPK knives are really a lot of bang for the buck, and can be found for under 50 - plus they're made here.
 
Bugout Bill said:
. . . I was wondering if anyone could enlighten me as to why it costs what it does. . . .
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Because it isn't made in Taiwon for purely cost reduction purposes; the maker is a small family owned business that is known for its high quality production and that has a long-established relationship with Spyderco.

I also believe they implemented some production methods specifically for the lockback of the Native 5 that resulted in higher-than-normal (or lower? I mean BETTER) tolerances.
 
If he doesn't carry, maybe one of the entry level Kershaws would be a good starting point. You can get decent 8Cr13MoV steel, assisted opener, nice clip, good ergos, etc. for $20 - $25 shipped. Something like an Oso Sweet, Tremor, Compound, Cryo, etc. I love those knives. If you wanted to go up the spendy chain, I like the Delica - but at $55+ with shipping, you are getting into some real money. Especially for guy who isn't really into knives and doesn't carry. Maybe drop your $25 knife on him and see how it goes. A non knife guy can't really tell (or care about) the difference between a Cryo and a Delica anyway. A Tremor would rock his world. [Edit: I made a pun without trying. That's just how good I am.]
 
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TrojanSteel said:
Because it isn't made in Taiwon for purely cost reduction purposes; the maker is a small family owned business that is known for its high quality production and that has a long-established relationship with Spyderco.

I also believe they implemented some production methods specifically for the lockback of the Native 5 that resulted in higher-than-normal (or lower? I mean BETTER) tolerances.
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Spyderco's maker in Taichung, Taiwan does excellent work, no doubt about that. However, both the FRN Native Lightweight that Bugout Bill is asking about, and the Native 5 which you are confusing it with, are made in Golden.
 
The Deacon said:
Spyderco's maker in Taichung, Taiwan does excellent work, no doubt about that. However, both the FRN Native Lightweight that Bugout Bill is asking about, and the Native 5 which you are confusing it with, are made in Golden.
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Oops, sorry about that.
 
From your comments about your friend, your description was "isn't really a knife guy". if you want to give him something to draw him into the EDC crowd, I'd be really careful about giving him something like a Kershaw Tremor. This is a great knife, I love mine (and for 20 bucks) but...it is a BIG, heavy pocket knife. I don't know how old your friend is, but most non knife folks will see the assisted opening feature as a "switchblade", which, depending on the generation, could be an immediate turn off . Plus, the Tremor has a 4" blade, also intimidating for non knife people, as the blade is quite "tactical" in appearance. People today , in general, see knives carried on the person, as weapons not tools. IMHO, I think a knife like this would do just the opposite of what you're trying to accomplish...namely, I think...turn a non knife guy into an EDC guy. My 2 cents
 
Let us not forget what manufacturer forum we are in.

Bugout Bill said:
I've also been looking at the UKPK, specifically the one with the Stretch like blade. It is still a small knife, but it has a finger choil. I don't think he would particularly care about the lack of a lock.
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A UKPK is an excellent choice. I'm very fond of the Strech like blades, and the regular leaf shape on those UKPK are very well done. It's basically a less expensive Caly3 style knife.
 
RevDevil said:
Let us not forget what manufacturer forum we are in.



A UKPK is an excellent choice. I'm very fond of the Strech like blades, and the regular leaf shape on those UKPK are very well done. It's basically a less expensive Caly3 style knife.
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How strong is the back spring on it?
 
RevDevil said:
Steep compared to what? Spyderco isn't a huge manufacturer, they are in fact quite small compared to Bck and possibly other manufacturers. My guess is because they pay their workers a fair wage to assemble the knives, in addition to the other more obvious reasons. The price of everything on Earth usually travels in one direction (up). The cost of living, food, healthcare, insurance, inflation, etc as some examples. S30V is also not inexpensive to heat treat properly. Only Spyderco can provide an accurate and detailed cost analysis, but I'd rather not hold my breath waiting for the report to arrive.
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$75 is a big step up over a few years ago. You could find them at Walmart for a bit for $50 not that many years ago. Spyderco's Japanese and especially their US made knives have gone up a lot in price, more so than other US made knives like Kershaw, Benchmade, or Buck. A 50% increase over 3-4 years isn't just inflation/cost of living increases. A 10% increase in that time frame is reasonable. I'm guessing they can't get as many knives out for some reason and have to increase the price because they can't do sales in volume anymore.
 
fzla226 said:
$75 is a big step up over a few years ago. You could find them at Walmart for a bit for $50 not that many years ago. Spyderco's Japanese and especially their US made knives have gone up a lot in price, more so than other US made knives like Kershaw, Benchmade, or Buck. A 50% increase over 3-4 years isn't just inflation/cost of living increases. A 10% increase in that time frame is reasonable. I'm guessing they can't get as many knives out for some reason and have to increase the price because they can't do sales in volume anymore.
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One thing to note is that Buck and KAI are much larger companies. That also has much more significance than others imagine.
 
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