Last year, I purchased a Spyderco Native with black blade for display. As with all of my display knives, I had to play with it for a few hours before putting it away. Having left a good first impression, I bought another one, and the Native immediately earned a place in my pocket.
The Native is a mid-sized folder, just shy of seven inches in length when open, with a three-inch blade. Its handle is fairly plain-looking and composed of one piece of black FRN, meaning there are no pesky screws to get loose over time and fall out, but you also can’t take it apart for a thorough cleaning. There’s enough texturing to keep my hand from slipping, but slipping wouldn’t be much of a problem anyway, thanks to the handle’s two deep finger grooves. The pocket clip’s edges are rounded, so it doesn’t dig into my hand, and tight enough that it won’t let go of my pocket when I’m not looking. Though I’ve heard of the screw that holds the clip on quickly loosening and falling out, it has never happened to me.
The spear-like blade shape is visually appealing, with its false-edge grind on the spine. The blade is hollow ground and about 2.5 millimeters thick, made of CPM S30V, one of the higher-end steels on the market, and comes shaving-sharp out of the box. You almost can’t beat the price, considering the blade steel, as other knives of comparable materials are often priced near the $100 mark, while the Native can now commonly be found around $40.
However, it’s not perfect. The knife has several sharp edges in various places, which can sometimes be uncomfortable; for example, the inner edges of the handle where it meets the blade when the knife is closed, the edges of the blade’s spine, and the edge of the trademark Spyderco opening hole are all fairly sharp. Also, the opening hole is a bit small and partially submerged in the handle when the knife is closed, making it difficult to access if you have big thumbs or if you’re wearing gloves. Similarly, the forward finger groove is a bit small. I have fairly small fingers and mine fit snugly, so bigger or gloved fingers might not work so well.
My Native is still nearly shaving-sharp without ever being sharpened, and despite its flaws, it’s a pretty tough knife for general purpose use, and an excellent value. I highly recommend it.