Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions

Blue Box Reviewed: Spyderco Native 5 CPM-S110V FRN

more_vert
So my Blue Box package arrived today (in what was definitely more of a tan box but who cares, right?) And in it was my well anticipated Native 5 in S110V.
search
search
Upon opening it I also discovered that I was one of the lucky 1 in 50 to receive an Endura upgrade, which is the light blue handled knife. Here it is open.
search
You may remember the prize list listed an Endura with black handles, not this color, but I don't really GAF about handle color to be honest with you. This one seems well put together and doesn't take too much wrist to open one handed. Nothing fancy, VG10 and FRN, but well engineered and that's what I like. I'm used to winning things like 'small fries or drink' so a knife worth around a bennie is pretty good stuff. Thinking about adding a few things to it and seeing how that goes, but i'd probably take it out in my pocket as-is. My luck was good! That said, I've been looking forward to seeing what the Native was all about. The first thing any of us does with a knife is look at it. It's a little small compared to the Endura. But not too small. Looks a fair bit like a much bigger Dragonfly, as a matter of fact. I like the blurple more in G10 than in FRN or other lightweight matierals, this just looks more like a navy blue handle. Some lovely jimping around the flipper and spine. Ergonomics everywhere you look. The very second thing I am most likely to do is to pick it up and try to open it. It's nice, light, and has sound ergonomics. A lot to like. So I was a little surprised to discover that the Native was harder to open than the Endura -- and not just a little. A lot. It didn't feel off, or rough, it didn't feel like the pivot was tight or the lock was dragging -- it just felt slow. Like it's meant to be slow. I couldn't flip it open one handed. So you probably already know what I have to do now. Time for another warranty to kiss its ass goodbye... Five minutes later:
search
Came right apart. And it's simple -- I like simple. Less goes wrong, with simple. Easy enough too. Only thing that took a bit of effort was the pivot, which had obviously been loctited -- but a little grunt got it loose straightaway. What I thought was a backspacer was instead the housing for the lock spring. the lock bar is precisely milled and polisher, it sits on a pivot point that doubles as a standoff. The four way clip is something I really like and came off easily. And the blade tang surface is mirror smooth -- there's very little friction from the lock bar.
search
No rubbing there! Did you happen to notice that there were no washers or bearings or anything like that in the pic? That's because there are none. I spent a bit of time looking, thinking that something must have fallen off the knife when I disassembled it, but no. There is instead a raised ring feature on the inside of the frame (you can see it in the pictures). it doesn't move with the knife at all and for whatever reason they chose, it also is where the three clip bolts attach to the handle if it's put on that side and end. That's not a fast deploy mechanism and it's not likely to become one. Its job isn't so much to smooth the deployment of the knife as it is to make sure that the blade stays in place with hard work, doesn't start wobbling. It provides the only contact between the tang and the handle aside from that monstrous pivot bolt, which is so big that even if I got a wild eyed idea about modifying this knife to flip better, I'd need special parts to do it. But I don't think I'm going to do that. This is not meant to be a flip knife. It's meant to be a light and somewhat rugged work folder, to be mostly opened or closed with both hands. So I contented myself with adding a little lube and adjusting the pivot slightly when I put it back together. Went back like a charm -- there was a bit of a faff getting the lock spring in place behind the lockbar but after that it was easy. So it doesn't flip. But it IS sharp.
search
Look at that geometry. And yes, for the folks for whom it counts more than all the rest put together? It is very much Made In America. More accurately:
search
So there you have it. It's not a flip knife. it's a working knife. The ergonomics on the pinch grip are out of this world. I don't think I'll be putting down my PM2 in favor of it -- given a choice between the two I'd take the PM2 any day, but that's because the PM2 is one of the best production model knives in the world, and the Native, which is a well made, five star knife with an amazing blade, is still only 'ok' by comparison. I'm happy enough with it, but probably won't get another like it. But I place a premium on ease of one handed opening, so to me, that's the thing that makes it just ok. If you don't really care that much about that, if you like to be more careful and deliberate with knives anyway, and if ruggedness matters more to you than a precision works, this just might be right up your alley.
3
1
remove_red_eye
313

search
close
420merica
0
Jun 3, 2019
Great review bro, thanks for such a awesome evaluation of the knife
Related Posts
Trending Posts in More Community Picks