Spyderco Native 5 LW Review (Perfectly designed, perfectly executed)

[@turing2376]

Couldn't agree more, awesome design. Love the straight back on it. Carried one with that exact same aftermarket clip you have on there for a while.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

It’s a design that keeps me coming back for sure!

[@joncardell]

Totally agree. I overlooked the Native line for years… finally tried them, and was very pleasantly surprised. Fantastic value for the price and with the forward choil, I can get a full grip on it even with my size 13/xxxl hands. Hard to beat. Not as slicey like you say as the Delica/Endela/Endura lineup, but a great all-around workhorse.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Everyone knows about the native but not nearly as many try them out. I don’t think many hate then once they’ve given them a good shot. Total workhorse blades!

[@The335plyr]

I am a late comer to the Native - I owned para 3's, PM2's, Manix's etc and never really found a Native I wanted to pull the trigger on. When the REX45 G10 Native dropped I picked one up and immediately was blown away. This whole time I should have been buying Natives and I was buying Para 3's lol. The G10 being linerless is this perfect hybrid of rigidity in hand and lightweight feel. I am also looking to add a LW Native in SPY27 soon to get one of the excellent lightweights in the mix. Really enjoyed hearing your thoughts about these models and I couldn't agree more with everything you said! The Native is underrated in my book and definitely one of Spyderco's best models. Subbed.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Awesome to hear! It really is such a great model and to think Eric originally designed it as a budget model to sell at Walmart! One of my greatest regrets with knives is not getting the Knife center green g10 s90V native. It was the first linerless G10 version and they had it on sale for like $135!

[@The335plyr]

Engineer’s Perspective man that one hurts for me too lol I regret that one AND the smooth G10 Cruwear. I should’ve picked one of those up. Wasn’t thinking ... and the St Knicks 4V... and.. and... Hahahaha. I didn’t know that about the budget knife at WalMart thing that is funny. It ended up being a home run!

[@ummzify]

I just ordered one of these as my first spyderco/ knife, I've been torn between this and the para 3. I went native because it looks so cool to me!

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Can’t go wrong with either! Love me the native and hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Check out some of my sharpening videos so you can keep it in tip too shape!

[@ummzify]

@@EngineersPerspective701 will do boss :D

[@natethekidd9355]

I got the native 5 lw in spy27 and it’s the most solid feeling knife I own. It’s my go to work knife and it’s easy and enjoyable to use.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

That’s an amazing work knife! It’s pretty crazy what a good design and build can go with plastic, linerless handles!

[@danofiremano]

I agree and it is an essential knife in my collection with 5 different versions (including the G10 S110V Blurple).

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Just added the Magnacut salt to my lineup yesterday!

[@Wiktan]

mine is on the way also, BF did its job@@EngineersPerspective701

[@nandayane]

I want some LC200N for the sharpen-ability and stain free nature, this is in my running now. thanks for sharing.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Great! Spyderco has so many good options now it’s hard not to have at least one! I haven’t heard anything about the heat treat on the seki lc200n but I’d expect them to have better cutting geometry than golden or Taichung. The native is just so good I went that route

[@nandayane]

@@EngineersPerspective701 how would you compare keenness to cruwear or 3v? does it get as sticky sharp as cru-wear? Also Seki does a great job

[@EngineersPerspective701]

@@nandayane I'd say LC200N comes up even finer than either (been a while since I had 3V though) and definitely sticky but a small loss in overall bite. In terms of working edge development I may prefer LC200N. Cruwear seems to just go flat when it dulls. Cruwear takes notably longer to get to that point of course.

[@Jmon808]

Nothing melts into your hands better than a native 5

[@EngineersPerspective701]

It's a real champion in a lot of categories

[@geraldkoth654]

Took mine apart and worked on the spring until I had the perfect combination of folded retention and lock pressure to release. Caswell Stainless Blackening kit.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Honestly mine have broken in beautifully. No complaints.

[@carmelotansengco4605]

I've always preferred bigger knives and I've never been into back locks. until I bought my Native 5. I love the knife. I love fidgeting and I've got three Para 3s. A couple of G10s (S30V and S110V) and a lightweight in CPM-SPY27. I actually prefer my Native 5 LW over any of those. By the way, my Native 5 is also in CPM-SPY27. I find myself carrying it the most among my smaller knives.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

It's such a sleeper in Spyderco's lineup. The native is just an awesome knife! Want to try Spy27 one day but it's competing with S45VN and Magnacut in production folders as the next stainless I get

[@carmelotansengco4605]

@@EngineersPerspective701 I've seen a lot of reviews on the steel and all of them say it's very easy to sharpen while holding an edge for a long time. I'm just wondering why Spyderco isn't using it more.

[@5to522]

I have the Native 5 blackout and love it. It is in the most carried knife rotation along with the Delica 4 lightweight and Dragonfly 2 lightweight. You know which of my knives never gets carried? The Para 3. I even bought black micarta scales for it and I don't carry it because I can't stand that compression lock. I don't know how people sit there and fidget with that lock without killing their fingertips. I opened and closed it a few times and it was the most annoying feeling on the tip of my finger. It's such a small opening too that you can only use the tip of the finger to press it down. Anyway, love all Spyderco lockbacks and find them much more satisfying to fidget with, especially my Native 5.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Truthfully I really like the Para 3. But the native 5 is sooo good. Do I like it more than the Para? Probably yes! Both really good though. Only issue with the native is it really needs about 0.005” taken off behind the edge from the factory.

[@Smaug1]

Maxamet is several steps up in edge retention. Try it; it’ll blow your mind.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

I’ve had it for a few years. Love it. Some videos on the channel feature it if you’re interested

[@BladeLabMiami]

Seems very similar to the Sage line in terms of shape/size. I have the Sage 1 in Maxamet which is my favorite EDC at the moment, by a pretty wide margin. Love that knife.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

The native and sage definitely have some of the same DNA in the handle design. It's been many years since I sold my Sage5 but from memory that may be my favorite handle on any folder. I'm probably going to either get the Sage1 maxamet or a sage 5 FRN. haven't decided yet and it's not at the top of my list. But eventually!

[@BladeLabMiami]

Sage 5 has the compression lock, right? Nicer than the 1’s liner lock, but I really don’t care for plastic scales.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

@@BladeLabMiami correct on the compression lock. There are times when I even prefer the plastic so that’s no issue for me and it saves $$

[@ZPositive]

You can reduce the thickness of the lock spring to lower its spring constant. I took 0.005" to 0.010" off of mine with a carbide burr on my dremel tool. It made a huge difference in the action. Just disassemble, measure, cut, reassemble, test several times and you'll be amazed at the results.

[@tariqkamil7853]

Or u can also open it to its max/peak point, and leave overnight or a couple of nights. I did that with both my cold steel airlite and ultimate hunter

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Any problems with lockup after that? I’m pretty satisfied with goes they’ve broken in but I’m imagining a para 3 action right now and it makes me want to do it

[@tariqkamil7853]

@@EngineersPerspective701 not sure who ur asking, but for me, no issue with the lock up. But don’t think your gonna achieve the para3 drop shut.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

@@tariqkamil7853 they’re both already pretty drop shut actually, it would be the opening action of be chasing. Both have broken in mighty well though so not sure of it’s worth the hassle

[@tariqkamil7853]

@@EngineersPerspective701 maybe give my suggestion a try, it’s non invasive hahaha. But o I’m told the g10 native 5 cos it has washers flicks out better but I haven’t had experience

[@KeithKacanek]

I just bought the GP Knives Exclusive in Rex 45 with white FRN. I love it! I just wish Spyderco would make deep carry clips standard!

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Great knife and ripe for rit dye if that’s your thing! I love the MXG deep carry clip for the native

[@KeithKacanek]

@@EngineersPerspective701 Thanks, I’ll have to check that out!

[@charlesdudek7713]

I've been considering a Native 5 for a while. I just have to look into which steel I'd prefer, the lc200n or the magnacut.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

If you enjoy sharpening and how an edge comes up then LC200N. But magancut will probably be an overall better performer

[@georgeyoung4292]

I had Maxamet version of this knife just recently but i had to sell it... Really in my opinion the best model.. Its small but not too small, its ridiculously light and action was like you show here, free drop just before knuckles and both tumb and spyder flick.. Even my wife who is folding knife anti-talent could do it.. Awesome knife.. 😉

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Such a great knife! What did you think of maxamet while you had it?

[@georgeyoung4292]

@@EngineersPerspective701 Fantastic stuff🙏 I really dont understand where all the myths about Maxamet came from.. Myth1 "Its like Glass , it will break in your hand" (ive seen people batoning with it just to demostrate) Myth2 "Its impossible to sharpen" (Michael Emler & Apostle P both pro sharpeners) absolute non sense.. Its a lot easier than many stainless steels.. But for me K390, 4V and CruWear.. I have Mule 4V that was my beater for 3-4years 😉

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Love K390 and Cruwear! Don't have any 4V yet unfortunately 😪. Agreed! I really enjoy how Maxamet sharpens because it just doesn't hold onto a burr and breaks down into a grabby/aggressive edge instead of going flat.

[@georgeyoung4292]

@@EngineersPerspective701 4V is really amazing.. Edge stability is off the charts, it sharpens like a dream, the edge it achieves is 2nd to none and it doesnt rust.. Just patina! But arguably CruWear is more balanced and i was lucky to score 1st run of Manix2 with Gray Diamond pattern G10 (1st run was at 64+HRC, later runs are just a bit softer but still Awesome).. But harder doesnt mean better as was demonstrated by K390 PM2 😭 The biggest mistake i ever made to sell that knife.. You living in the USA , when you get a chance i really recommend jump on it...

[@EngineersPerspective701]

If I did get a custom blade it would probably be in either 4v or 15v depedning on the application. Maybe magnacut over 4v also depending on the maker's hardness targets and application. I'm super bummed that I have all the soft cruwear especially now that Benchmade is putting out 64-65HRc models! Their models in it are just too thick for me to be worth getting though. I have the 10V PM2 and LOVE it! I think they've been hitting 64-65HRc and mine feels right in there. What's really a wonder are the seki city K390 models! The K390 delica has been a beast. Seems harder than the 10V and way better geometry around 0.015" behind the edge at 15-17dps (not sure the angle because I'm hand sharpening).

[@mr.e9017]

I got lc200n native, then swapped the blade with g10 scales.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Nice! What was the previous blade in the g10 model?

[@torfinnjohnsrud793]

What do you think of the native 5 vs delica 4? I just got my first foldable Spyderco (delica 4) and I think it is the ultimate EDC knife I can have. I'm limited to less than 3" blade because of my workplace, so the para 3 lightweight and the native 5 looked like alternatives. But I consider the para 3 blade too thick for an EDC. The native 5 is very compelling but I keep thinking the delica 4 is so efficient for it's footprint and thickness. Probably either is equally appropriate, but since I already have the delica I think I'll stay with it. Now I want an endura for hiking/backpacking...

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Both are great and I have a video on the delica as well. The delica is as you said, thinner, more compact and way better cutting geometry. The native is WAY better executed and suited for both edc and hard work. Personally with the thinner everything and k390 I’d choose the delica but the native is absolutely a favorite of mine as well

[@garrettlosabia3818]

I think an underrated aspect of the native 5 is the grip you get on it. The native feels like you’re holding a much bigger knife and for me it is a lot more comfortable in hand than my delica wharncliffe. Both knives are awesome. I’m actually EDCing the Native 5 Salt

[@EngineersPerspective701]

@@garrettlosabia3818 totally agree! That handle is comfortable and allows for serious work to be done! The seki handles are much less substantial but honestly still surprisingly comparable too.

[@andybaek9912]

I bought this knife in SPY27 because of this review and its also my first spyderco! Can I have your thoughts on the steel?

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Very exciting! Honestly I haven’t spent the time with it with to really say and based on what I hear from others I don’t want to make any comments without using it. Lookup Outpost76 and NotYourAverageEDC for some good feedback on it.

[@dimatha7]

Hi, first like and comment. Have a nice evening, it's day over here. I am now going to get my third shot. Stay healthy.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Thanks man and good luck!

[@llamawizard]

As someone who has never owned a spyderco, could you explain the nuances of a couple of the different models? Para 2 and 3, shahman, manix, this native, etc. Thanks!

[@EngineersPerspective701]

These are all really high level. I recommend you flip through their catalog to see the differences in shape and then watch a bunch of reviews! Paramiltary 2: One of Spyderco's bread and butter models. A 3.5" blade and compression lock. Likely one of the greatest work knives ever created. Comes in every flavor of steel you can imagine. Note that it's a work KNIFE not tool. The BM 940 works better as a screwdriver or pry bar but lacks in gloved use, cutting ability, etc. Para 3: Scaled down paramilitary 2 with all the same advantages, disadvantages just shorter. Except you'll probably want an after market clip. Shaman: Super beefy with a super comfortable grip. Cutting geometry is pretty thick for a Spyderco so it doesn't cut as well as other models. Definitely a beater of a blade. Great for gloves again. Manix: Also a bread and butter model. Super ergonomic handle and strong ball lock that is ambidextrous. Lots of blade steel flavors as well. Blade is like a middle between the Shaman and PM2, leaning towards the PM2 side. A favorite of many and the lightweight version is one of my favorite overall knives. Native 5: Doesn't have the hump that the PM2 or para 3 have. Amazing back lock and super comfy grip. The best combination of slicing ability and hard use out of all these. Also a personal favorite.

[@llamawizard]

@@EngineersPerspective701 Wow! Thanks!!!

[@llamawizard]

@@EngineersPerspective701 Native Andy on my radar, but is now!!!

[@kraftzion]

Every spyderco I ever owned was stiff from the factory. I will just work them back and forth about a hundred times without engaging the lock. Takes about 2 minutes and then they are fine. With the exception of my s90v carbon fiber military. I don't know if both the carbon fiber and the s90v were grippy or what what was going on but it was either to loose or to stiff. Could never hit the sweet spot.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

I’ve not hand many major issues with stiffness really and they’ve all broken in. Even this native wasn’t what I’d consider to be bad. Just not what i was hoping for. Now it’s absolutely perfect !

[@kraftzion]

@@EngineersPerspective701 I have 2 more coming so maybe they won't be stiff. A rex45 pm2 and a k390 endura. Goingto have to sell my bm contessa and 710wh lol.

[@ZPositive]

I have a maxamet native 5 LW, which is awesome. But I keep eyeing the LC200N version, thinking it would make the sickest slicer if reground to 0.010"-ish behind the edge. Damnit, your video is pushing me even further toward making the purchase. 🤤

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Great minds think alike! I bought the LC200N version with the intention of getting it reground! I haven’t yet because I’ve just been enjoying it so much as is. Would you send it in or do you have a setup? I have a cheap 1x30 but dealing with the heat build up is such a pain that I don’t really use it for that.

[@ZPositive]

@@EngineersPerspective701 I don't let anyone touch my stuff 🙂. I do all my own custom work. I have a 1x30 that works acceptably well, it's just time consuming to do only one quick pass between water dunks. I'm considering putting a DC motor or VFD on the grinder so I can vary its speed. But if you're really squeamish about the heat, you can just use stones and lots of time to do the regrind. I reground my Spydiechef to 0.012" behind the edge by hand starting with a 60 grit stone, then progressing through the stones and polishes to get the blade to a mirror finish. Yep, it took a long time, but the knife is a work of art now.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

@@ZPositive I’ve used the micro VFDs from automation direct with pretty good success. Those were 2hp, 240VAC and then their larger 10hp, 240VAC models as well. Would those require a 10V DC power supply or can they be run of the line lower is the question. I didn’t wire them so I can’t remember. I’ve done my 8” gyuto in BD1N at 63HRc from 0.016” to 0.011” and that was BRUTAL!

[@ZPositive]

@@EngineersPerspective701 I think the VFDs come in a bunch of different flavors, so you can just pick one that needs single phase and drives single phase. I don't have experience with VFDs that require a DC input. But the 1X30 grinders are fractional horsepower at best, so a VFD may be the cheapest way to go. Or I could just stop futzing around with the 1X30 and just get a big boy 2X72. 🤑

[@EngineersPerspective701]

@@ZPositive oh definitely, just saying the models I’ve used in the past! I kind of have a 5yr plan to have a heat treat oven and a water cooled 2x72 and some other associated equipment just to dabble in knife making as a hobby.

[@nomojo1110]

I do really want a Native 5 FRN but my mindset always stops me. I just cannot reconcile 2 rotating parts around an axis without bushings (washers). And you mentioned Seki models, the backwards tolerance is pretty much unacceptable at the price. Both my Dragonfly2 and Endela both have it and it's never addressed beyond plebs like myself having a moan ;) Cheers Mate.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

The native is proven so just dive in, the water is fine!!! It’s like when Glock first came out. Oh the plastic frame will break, blah blah. You can find some with over a 100,000 rounds through them with only minor parts replaced. Never find a Beretta 92 or Sig 226 like that though. So wish the Seki backlocks would improve but still enjoy them anyways.

[@Sumatra123]

Actually the blade rotates in contact with the steel pocket clip inserts.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

@@Sumatra123 yeah the brass definitely does touch. I wouldn’t say they are necessarily the “bearing surface” but it’s outside my expertise for how much they actually contribute

[@Elidogz]

I had that same burnt orange rex 45 native & that thing cut the s**t out of my finger lol

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Spyders bite! Hope it heeled up alright

[@waltv6385]

healed, and btw, at 14:00, it’s pronounced “am-bi-dex-trus”

[@dmarkj22]

Tha Native 5 is a great knife but I don’t like the lightweight. Feels cheap and plasticky. I prefer the fluted carbon fiber and G10.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Common comment. Love the LW version but really want a g10/CF version

[@grumpyoldphart7325]

Is it USA made?

[@tariqkamil7853]

Yes.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Made in Golden, Colorado U.S.A. Earth

[@cofieleven]

I dont want my knife to "drop free"

[@EngineersPerspective701]

To each their own! Personally I find with the finger choil it’s safe and it makes one handed closing a lot easier.

[@Smaug1]

“Golden, CO makes the best back locks of any knife anywhere.” That’s Spyderco fan boy talk. Try a TriAD lock from a couple year old Cold Steel, for half the price. Beats Spyderco easily. A couple examples: Voyager, Grik.

[@EngineersPerspective701]

Say whatever makes you feel good dude. For a knife that doesn’t need to hold 500lbs, Golden sets a damn high bar.