Native vs Lil' Native

[ImHereForTheMilitary2]

yet another spyderco has caught my attention, the lil' native. Im wondering, for those of you that own it (or preferably both the native and lil native) how do you like it? I was thinking of making it a left-hand clip and putting it in my back pocket so the blade faces the seam making it less likelyto open accidentally.

This is one of those knives where I would specifically avoid the compression lock for that reason, to make it more difficult to accidentally open. Since I usually carry a plain edge blade, having a small full se blade in my back pocket would make sense. I am imagining that because of its size, it would not be a problem in the back pocket. I wouldn't have to worry about bending it, or it ruining my pants or anything I sit on. Id also opt for the g10 model with the spoon clip instead of the wire clip.

One of the reasons I love the lil native is because it has so many options available.

For you lil' native fans, does this all make sense? have any of you tried carrying it as a secondary knife, in the back pocket?

[TkoK83Spy]

You're out of control dude. There is NO WAY you're learning anything about these knives in acquiring them so quickly. You're going bonkers at a pretty incredible pace. SLOW IT DOWN, learn your likes and dislikes of the 30 knives you've already bought the past couple weeks. Seriously, trust me.

[Stas]

Wait, aren you here for the Military 2 :)

[nerdlock]

I'm a big Lil' Native fan. One of the things I like about the compression lock LN is that since there is no Spydiehole hump, there is literally no blade part sticking out and potentially act as a "wave" opening device. But if you're really concerned about it accidentally opening in your pocket, the backlock version would be perfect for your needs.

[SG89]

My advice is to wait for the lil native lightweight to be released. That’s what I’m doing. I prefer lightweight natives to their g10 counterparts and I predict i will prefer the lightweight lil native to the g10 models. Im hoping the casey lynch wire replacement clip will work well on it, but might be too long. I prefer deep carry.

[Wandering_About]

The Lil Native is a neat knife, but just too small for me. The Native 5 is a very nice size for a "small" knife.

[Tristan_david2001]

The Lil Native is a neat knife, but just too small for me. The Native 5 is a very nice size for a "small" knife.

a pocket knife with a full four finger grip and a generous blade for all kinds of utility edc work and even some food prep constitutes as a small knife?

[Tristan_david2001]

I held the little native comp lock version in store a few times, didn’t really want to put it down because It just felt so good in hand for its size. For me though it’s just not an overall size I’d like to carry for the blade length, but if you’re look for a stoutly built work knife but have a blade size limit I think it would make a great choice.

[ImHereForTheMilitary2]

You're out of control dude. There is NO WAY you're learning anything about these knives in acquiring them so quickly. You're going bonkers at a pretty incredible pace. SLOW IT DOWN, learn your likes and dislikes of the 30 knives you've already bought the past couple weeks. Seriously, trust me.

I think I'll be alright. But thanks for looking out

[ImHereForTheMilitary2]

Wait, aren you here for the Military 2 :)

I am indeed! And I bought one

[ImHereForTheMilitary2]

I held the little native comp lock version in store a few times, didn’t really want to put it down because It just felt so good in hand for its size. For me though it’s just not an overall size I’d like to carry for the blade length, but if you’re look for a stoutly built work knife but have a blade size limit I think it would make a great choice.

Yeah the g10 native had the same effect on me. Like I said it would be a secondary knife for when I need a little SE in my life, as I usually carry PE as my primary

[ImHereForTheMilitary2]

I'm a big Lil' Native fan. One of the things I like about the compression lock LN is that since there is no Spydiehole hump, there is literally no blade part sticking out and potentially act as a "wave" opening device. But if you're really concerned about it accidentally opening in your pocket, the backlock version would be perfect for your needs.

Thanks for the great info. I had knives open in the back pocket before and ruin pants and couch cushions. So I'm definitely going for the lock back model. If I really fall in love, maybe I'll get the compression lock model down the road. I really want to build my primary collection first then sit back and focus slowly on sprinta and exclusives

[vandelay]

I find the lil' native kinda big and blocky for its size. Feels like I might as well have a full size native 5 in my pocket. I tend to either use a dragonfly or a chaparral these days if I want something small that fits in a watch pocket.

[Stas]

Wait, aren you here for the Military 2 :)

I am indeed! And I bought one

Congrats! I’m patiently waiting for a s90v sprint

[Stas]

For me personally even Native 5 is on a smaller size, so never thought of having even smaller Native. MicroJimbo on the other hand… I honestly can’t wait to see this one in the metal :)

[Manifestgtr]

Because of work and my proximity to Boston, the lil native is probably in my top 3 most carried.

The niche that it fills is that it’s small but it’s really diesel. I have a lil native with titanium scales and in all honesty, I have more faith in that knife’s structural integrity than some of my Demkos. The lil native, you could hurl into a tree, step on it, drop it into a brook, retrieve it the next week, clean it up and it’ll be back in service. As for the native 5…due to its size, it’s more ergonomic in my hands and imo it has “better” blade geometry but that’s why you buy the native 5. It’s a great cutting tool that’s simple and comfortable to use. The lil native fulfills a role where the native 5 is a generalist.

That being said, I agree with some of the other posts. Buying new knives is a lot of fun and trying new stuff is a major part of the game for most people. But there’s something to be said about spending time with your rotation and really getting to know it. I built my collection over the course of yeeeaaarrrrs and as a result, you could pull a knife out of my drawer, put it in front of me and I could yammer on about it ad nauseam.

[ImHereForTheMilitary2]

That being said, I agree with some of the other posts. Buying new knives is a lot of fun and trying new stuff is a major part of the game for most people. But there’s something to be said about spending time with your rotation and really getting to know it.

I get that, and I do spend time with my rotation. But the whole reason for the post (as stated originally) was to fill a gap in a newly developed need.

I found myself needing to cut through some tough ropes recently and had a PE pm2 with me. I was able to get they job done, but lamented not having an SE for the job. That got me thinking that I should find some small, hard wearing SE to keep in my back pocket for just such occasions. That's what led me to the lil native, which looks perfect for that job.i just wanted to see what lil native owners had to say about it.

I'm not going to wait learn everything about every model just to fill that need. I may be new to the brand, but I am not new to knives. At this point in my life I know full well what my needs are, and my sypderxo collection is just a hobby that happens to provide useful tools.

I can personally assure all of you that I don't buy safe queens. Any model I buy gets carried, used, and practiced. If I happen to buy a knife that I don't particularly care for, it goes back in the box and turns into a Christmas present for one of my dear friends.

So I'll say it again, and hopefully for the last time: thank you all for the looking out, but I'M GOOD.

[Mushroom]

Ill be the voice of reason you need… buy it!

Buy that Lil Native and any other knife you think you might want! Build your collection the way you want to build it. Buying new knives doesn’t mean you cant learn anything about the other knives you already bought.

The Lil Native is a really great knife. If I’m forced to create an all time list, the Lil Native takes my number 2 spot. It’s a rare occasion that I don’t have one on me. I live close to and frequently travel through Boston, so I like to having the Lil Native to stay legal.

That being said, the full size Native 5 also sneaks into my Top 5 list and I would recommend it just as much as the Lil Native. Especially if you don’t have any blade length restrictions to keep in mind.

[kobold]

The Dragonfly SE is perfect for that.

[TkoK83Spy]

Don't add another to his "list"!! We can all assume he's going to end up with 75+ knives by the end of the year, not sure why he needs so many or so many posts about them. Just buy em all and end it, reduce the forum clutter.