The Spyderco Native 5

I will have to disagree, I see the native 5 called out on the forums a lot when you start looking at 3" or less EDC knives. It won't get called out as much as the delica or mini-grip but it's called out a lot. I think the sage series and chaparral get called out less but still quite often too.

It's my favorite EDC next to the sheepsfoot mini-grip. I like the ergos a lot and the blade shape is pretty good.
 
Fixall said:
I just don't see the point of purchasing the FRN version over a Chaparral unless you have larger hands. You lose a fraction of an inch of usable blade but gain SO much more... Not to mention the Chaparral Lightweight is about $10 cheaper than the Native 5 Lightweight.

The Chaparral has better steel, CTS-XHP vs S30V. The Chaparral has a steel back spacer compared to the FRN back spacer on the Native 5. This give the Chaparral a MUCH better feel in my hand than the Native 5. The Chaparral has a deep carry, wire pocket clip (which is my favorite clip style from Spyderco) compared to the standard pocket clip on the Native 5 which allows it to ride much too high in the pocket in my opinion. The handle is much larger on the Native 5 without giving you really any extra blade to use. For people with big hands, I'm sure that's a positive, but not for someone with baby hands like me. I also MUCH prefer the bi-directional pattern of the FRN compared to the volcano pattern on the Native 5.

Basically, the majority of the issues I have with it only apply to the Lightweight version.

I'm really hoping the G10 version changes my mind about the native 5.
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The chaparral is a lot more dainty of a knife. I consider that chap a gentleman's folder whereas the native is a more robust, utilitarian EDC knife. The blade is much thinner on the chap, as is the lockbar which I actually found a bit aggravating on my thumbs but I know that's not everyone.

The G10/lined native feels a lot more substantial than the LW model. I think it also opens itself up better for different handle materials.
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I don’t like the ergos much on the 5. The previous LW was a lot better in the hand.

I much prefer the ergos and way slicier blade on the Chaparral. It’s cheaper too.
 
I prefer the ergos of the Native5 over the Para3. I also prefer the thinner blade stock. I am still not sure why a 3 inch blade need stock as thick as the Para3 has.

I think that it is tough to compare the Chaparral to the Native5. On paper the Chaparral looks similar in size but in use they are a lot different. The Native is a robust knife and the Chaparal is a smaller, thinner, more elegant and slicier knife.

I think the Sage series compares more closely with the Native5 than either the Chaparral or the Para3 and like all of them a lot too.
 
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I just got a native 5 a week or so ago. It is the light weight version in s35vn
It is a fantastic little knife. Got in almost new condition from what I can see. It is a tad small on the handle for me but I have been carrying everyday. I think a manix 2 lightweight or polestar would fit my hand a bit better,but for a small edc that's very capable of getting the job done it's hard to beat a native 5. My only complaint is the backlock it's not my favorite lock,but this just a personal preference. The lock is Rock solid so ya never habe to worry about it failing.
 
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