First, I would like to thank Sal Glesser, Spyderco and TOB9595 for the pass around.
DETAILS Details from Spydercos site -
http://www.spyderco.com/online_prod...41BK&mscssid=EEAV7QB821F39KJS4SD41DM16LDR52G8
the pass around Native has the 35/65% serrated edge.
OUT OF THE BOX - I was immediately impressed with the Natives smoothness of operation it has to be one of the slickest lock backs that I have handled. The Native reminded me of the currently discontinued Calypso Jr. in many ways; the ergonomics are similar, as are the overall lengths. The Native is a little more substantial than the Calypso in width and thickness.
Fit and finish of the Native is up to Spydercos usual high standards, except that the blade is not quite as highly polished as usual I suppose this has something to do with the S30V steel. There is also some slight roughness on the blade spine (presumably due to laser cutting). None of this diminishes the Natives business like good looks if you can do without a mirror finished blade.
LOCK The Native uses the tried and true lock back design nothing fancy, but certainly a solid and dependable performer- Ill take a good lock back over a liner lock any day. The Native has the David Boye dent in the lock lever, which is a nice touch.
BLADE The Native has a hollow ground drop point blade with a prominent (unsharpened) swedge. There are some thumb grooves on the gently curved blade spine, but no distinctive hump found on most Spyderco Clip-its. Since there is no hump, the Natives Spyderhole is close to the center of the blade.
STEEL The steel now being used for the Native is Crucibles CPMS30V, a stainless particle metallurgy knife steel intended to provide easier grinding and better toughness than CPM S60V (440V) & S90V (420V).
Crucibles performance data on S30V looks impressive. In short, S30V should have edge holding equal or better than D2, with better toughness and much better rust resistance. Stainlessness is also claimed to be superior to both 440C and 154CM, with an increase of 45% and 21% (respectively) in CATRA edge holding tests.
Compared to S60V/440V, S30V should have similar wear resistance with much better toughness (about double with both at HRC58). The practical result is that S30V can be run at higher hardness (Spydercos S30V has a nominal hardness of 58-9 HRC vs. 56-7 for their 440V), without becoming brittle.
More information on S30V is available on Crucibles site -
http://www.crucibleservice.com/cutlery.cfm#
HANDLES - The Natives handles are Spydercos familiar FRN with a molded in spider web design. Some folks complain that FRN looks and feels cheap, but Ive been a fan of Zytel/FRN since Gerber came out with the LST series. FRN is light, gives a comfortable and secure feeling grip, and well, FRN is cheap, so it helps keep the price reasonable.
The Native feels comfortable in the hand, but the finger groove seems a little too deep. Even with the deep finger groove, the Natives Spyderhole is partially blocked by the handles, so I dont think that it would be feasible to go with a shallower finger groove.
POCKET CLIP - The Native has a revisable black steel tip up clip similar to the clips on the Delica and Endura.
I generally prefer a tip down clips since, for me at least, tip down is faster and safer (although safety is much less of a concern with a lock back than it is with a liner lock), but the Natives tip up clip caused no problems for the week that I carried it.
Once the Native was clipped to my pocket, it became unnoticeable and I had to feel for it with my hand to make sure it was still there. Effortless carry is one of the reasons that I like light weight FRN knives with 3 inchish blades.
CUTTING PERFORMANCE I didnt do a whole lot of cutting with the Native, just a little bit of cardboard and leather to get the feel of it, plus whatever small EDC tasks that came up. The Native handled everything well enough, but I think I would have got more use out of a plain edged version. The serrations did come in handy when cutting thick leather.
RUST RESISTANCE There was no hint of rusting or discoloration of the Natives S30V steel blade after nearly a week of carry and every day use.
CUT TO THE CHASE I think that the Native is worth a very close look for anyone seeking a FRN lock back EDC with a premium blade steel. I like the Native, but not as much as the discontinued FRN Calypso Jr. the two knives are similar in many ways, but I like the Calypsos blade grind and ergonomics better.
Thanks again to Sal Glesser, Spyderco and TOB9595 for the pass around.
- Frank
Here are some links to other Spyderco pass around reviews -
Temperance (FB05) & Impala (C73)
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=263754
Lil Temperance C69
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=270637
A.T.R C70
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=270638
Chinook II C63GPS
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293968
Jester & Ladybug with Photons
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2499036#post2499036
DETAILS Details from Spydercos site -
http://www.spyderco.com/online_prod...41BK&mscssid=EEAV7QB821F39KJS4SD41DM16LDR52G8
the pass around Native has the 35/65% serrated edge.
OUT OF THE BOX - I was immediately impressed with the Natives smoothness of operation it has to be one of the slickest lock backs that I have handled. The Native reminded me of the currently discontinued Calypso Jr. in many ways; the ergonomics are similar, as are the overall lengths. The Native is a little more substantial than the Calypso in width and thickness.
Fit and finish of the Native is up to Spydercos usual high standards, except that the blade is not quite as highly polished as usual I suppose this has something to do with the S30V steel. There is also some slight roughness on the blade spine (presumably due to laser cutting). None of this diminishes the Natives business like good looks if you can do without a mirror finished blade.
LOCK The Native uses the tried and true lock back design nothing fancy, but certainly a solid and dependable performer- Ill take a good lock back over a liner lock any day. The Native has the David Boye dent in the lock lever, which is a nice touch.
BLADE The Native has a hollow ground drop point blade with a prominent (unsharpened) swedge. There are some thumb grooves on the gently curved blade spine, but no distinctive hump found on most Spyderco Clip-its. Since there is no hump, the Natives Spyderhole is close to the center of the blade.
STEEL The steel now being used for the Native is Crucibles CPMS30V, a stainless particle metallurgy knife steel intended to provide easier grinding and better toughness than CPM S60V (440V) & S90V (420V).
Crucibles performance data on S30V looks impressive. In short, S30V should have edge holding equal or better than D2, with better toughness and much better rust resistance. Stainlessness is also claimed to be superior to both 440C and 154CM, with an increase of 45% and 21% (respectively) in CATRA edge holding tests.
Compared to S60V/440V, S30V should have similar wear resistance with much better toughness (about double with both at HRC58). The practical result is that S30V can be run at higher hardness (Spydercos S30V has a nominal hardness of 58-9 HRC vs. 56-7 for their 440V), without becoming brittle.
More information on S30V is available on Crucibles site -
http://www.crucibleservice.com/cutlery.cfm#
HANDLES - The Natives handles are Spydercos familiar FRN with a molded in spider web design. Some folks complain that FRN looks and feels cheap, but Ive been a fan of Zytel/FRN since Gerber came out with the LST series. FRN is light, gives a comfortable and secure feeling grip, and well, FRN is cheap, so it helps keep the price reasonable.
The Native feels comfortable in the hand, but the finger groove seems a little too deep. Even with the deep finger groove, the Natives Spyderhole is partially blocked by the handles, so I dont think that it would be feasible to go with a shallower finger groove.
POCKET CLIP - The Native has a revisable black steel tip up clip similar to the clips on the Delica and Endura.
I generally prefer a tip down clips since, for me at least, tip down is faster and safer (although safety is much less of a concern with a lock back than it is with a liner lock), but the Natives tip up clip caused no problems for the week that I carried it.
Once the Native was clipped to my pocket, it became unnoticeable and I had to feel for it with my hand to make sure it was still there. Effortless carry is one of the reasons that I like light weight FRN knives with 3 inchish blades.
CUTTING PERFORMANCE I didnt do a whole lot of cutting with the Native, just a little bit of cardboard and leather to get the feel of it, plus whatever small EDC tasks that came up. The Native handled everything well enough, but I think I would have got more use out of a plain edged version. The serrations did come in handy when cutting thick leather.
RUST RESISTANCE There was no hint of rusting or discoloration of the Natives S30V steel blade after nearly a week of carry and every day use.
CUT TO THE CHASE I think that the Native is worth a very close look for anyone seeking a FRN lock back EDC with a premium blade steel. I like the Native, but not as much as the discontinued FRN Calypso Jr. the two knives are similar in many ways, but I like the Calypsos blade grind and ergonomics better.
Thanks again to Sal Glesser, Spyderco and TOB9595 for the pass around.
- Frank
Here are some links to other Spyderco pass around reviews -
Temperance (FB05) & Impala (C73)
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=263754
Lil Temperance C69
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=270637
A.T.R C70
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=270638
Chinook II C63GPS
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293968
Jester & Ladybug with Photons
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2499036#post2499036
