Native 5 — intentions behind design?

[basedlarrydavid]

I recently picked up an S90V/CF Native 5. I had yet to own a native and was surprised by the thickness behind the edge. I took it to 17.5 degrees (roughly factory) and 0.25 micron on the strops. I used it to break down a few boxes and was surprised by how much it resisted push cutting cardboard.

The tip of the blade isn’t super aggressive, but the swedge makes me wonder if the Native was designed with piercing in mind over slicing.

What are your experiences?

[The Meat man]

I have a Native 5 in Maxamet and I never noticed it being particularly thick behind the edge.

Now I have found that my Millies seem to slice a little better than the Native, even with the thicker stock, so perhaps they are ground thinner at the edge than the Native.

[zhyla]

How thick behind the edge? There may be some variation in thickness. I wish Spyderco would focus on this a bit more as some models are spot on and others aren’t.

The Native is thicker stock than I would like for its size. I think the history of the Native is it was supposed to be a mass appeal EDC knife. I assume they made the blade so thick to make it more bullet proof for novice knife owners.

[Wartstein]

How thick behind the edge? There may be some variation in thickness. I wish Spyderco would focus on this a bit more as some models are spot on and others aren’t.

The Native is thicker stock than I would like for its size.

Try the Chaparral! Almost the same edgelength as the Native, slimmer and shorter carry, perfectly thin bladestock for the size...

[zhyla]

Try the Chaparral! Almost the same edgelength as the Native, slimmer and shorter carry, perfectly thin bladestock for the size...

There is one in my pocket right now! Much better knife all around for me.

[Wartstein]

Try the Chaparral! Almost the same edgelength as the Native, slimmer and shorter carry, perfectly thin bladestock for the size...

There is one in my pocket right now! Much better knife all around for me.

Great! Same here..

[Jazz]

I cut a ton of cardboard, and find some just doesn’t want to be cut. Weird. Cutting at an angle helps a whole lot. Doesn’t matter how sharp my knife is either. The factory 20° or so edge really bugs me. I need 15° to actually cut anything. Especially whittling wood. 20° on wood is a whole lot of work. 15 flies though.

[vivi]

I find lower grit edges work better on cardboard. Something else to consider.

[Sharp Guy]

I had yet to own a native and was surprised by the thickness behind the edge.

I wonder if this due to the Saber grind. I have several Natives with FFG and I've never thought they were overly thick behind the edge. My Maxamet Native was reprofiled to 15 dps and it still measures .018" b.t.e. It's definitely no Chaparral but then not too many production knives are.

I used it to break down a few boxes and was surprised by how much it resisted push cutting cardboard.

Again, could this be due to the saber grind? My FFG Natives push cut cardboard very nicely.

[ZrowsN1s]

my natives slice pretty good. Obviously thinner geometry like on the Delica makes for better slicing, still I tend to prefer the native for the ergos. And some folks like a stouter blade.

[Wartstein]

Again, could this be due to the saber grind? My FFG Natives push cut cardboard very nicely.

Very likely, isn´t it?
Mine (S35 VN, FFG of course) did slice cardboard like expected from a blade of that specific stock (still I replaced it with a Chap and never looked back).

[dammyippon]

Just cut a bunch of hard plastic with my native 5 in blurple g10 and it ran through it with ease. It's not my best slicer but it's cut's well, has great ergos and is tough enough for any job I use a folder for.

[vilePossum]

I had the same experience with a PE native in S35vn... Or now that folks have replied maybe it was because I came from a delica... Not sure. But it was what ultimately made me sell it.

[cycleguy]

I always thought its heft and handle size was to be more fitting as a small all around workhorse versus being a more delicate casual slicer.

CG

[Doc Dan]

The Native is not my favorite knife from Spyderco. It is a tough little work horse, but for cutting and etc. there are better knives. The Caly3 is in the same size range and it is a great performer. I hope they bring this knife back in a LW....and if it were made in Golden with all of the lock improvements, so much the better.

[knivesandbooks]

I like my natives. They don't have the best geometry but they hold up well. Wouldn't buy it as a slicer but I've never been dissatisfied by mine. My s90v orange lw is a great all day worker, same with my g10 s110v. I have a serrated and that one isn't as good as the wharny delica but it does fine. I keep it in my car usually.

Great for truly working. Work knife through and through.

I would love to get an lc200n. It was one of my most anticipated knives of last year. Buttt money is tight and GEC has been popping out some goodies their last few patterns.

I really feel like the native deserves some cru wear or something of those sort of toughness. Shame on me for not getting the jade m4 when I had the chance.

[Mattysc42]

If you’re after toughness, lc200n has you covered. Lc200n is a good deal tougher than cruwear. As far as I know, the only steel spyderco uses that’s tougher than lc200n is h1.

[cycleguy]

1

[wrdwrght]

Though the Native preceded the original hard-use general-utility Manix by 7 years, I like to think of the Native (the 5 especially) as a Mini Mini Manix. And I’m not being too far-fetched.

Indeed some have called the Manix2 the Mini Manix because it’s smaller than the original (the Manix2 XL being more like the original in size). The Native, swedges and humplessness aside, feels like an even more scaled-down Manix to me.

Agree with this interpretation or not, the Native does perform more like the brute-force Manix family than the surgical Caly one.

The former’s blade angle is more neutral than the latter, which, being quite negative (the Calypso Jr. an exception by degree), favors an effortless and, thus, a more easily precise draw-cut (no wrist-canting needed).

With the Native5’s more neutral blade angle, like the actual Manixes, you can apply force more directly to the point for a drilling motion, say, clear a space. This motion hints at a design meant for general utility, especially when coupled to draw- or push-cuts that can be improved with a cant of the wrist.

But, can a Caly be made to perform the same tasks as a Native5? Of course, but perhaps with some extra gymnastics.

[cycleguy]

I have thought much the same that the native 5 seems to be a scaled down manix ... so a manix jr or a manix little bro' ... however, I do prefer the back lock and am sad to see this model of manix go.

CG