I'm looking forward to getting one personaly.
I've wanted a traditional spyderco lockback but with grippy G10 AND steel liners for some time now.
I have a LE Stretch with FRN and nested liners, but it doesnt look as sleek to me and a tad too big, more of a "user/work" knife.
My LE white micarta Goddard has no steel liners and looks too "light use", plus i hate the partial serrations.
I bought a NATIVE 4 CF and again, its too sleek AND "slick". I thought to myself this would be perfect in G10, and I LOVE the full flat grind compared to my old school GIN-1 Native from the 90's.
I got a hold of a Wegner design OCELOT, which is a great example of what a well thought out ergonomicly design spyderco with traditional lockback and grippy G10 would be like. Unfortunately, mine is MINT with box and a plain edge AND numbered, so its destined to be a safe queen since their value has gone up from the 90 bucks i initially bought it for.
Thought of getting another Ocelot PE, but it would be cheaper and easier to find a new native 5.
When compared to all the above mentioned spydercos, you could see how a native in g10 was inevitably going to be offered. I believe a LE blue one was offered as a forum knife? but i dont think it had steel liners. And it had the older grind lines, not FFG.
And we all Know that the old standard models (pre delicas) in G10 are too rare and valuable as a user. Even the Rookies (mini policemans) can take a while to find and go for way over $100. Great if you want to add to a spydie collection of steel liners / G10 slabs (not a bad idea). But you get SOOO much more blade with the new native FFG profile.
It may be a tad heavy for its size compared to FRN natives, but you have to consider that it has the steel liners and is meant to be a "beefy"er version.
Anyway, I've obviously thought of this for a while, hope my insight/analysis/rationalizing helps out. In the end, you just have to get it and hold it in your hand and carry it for a while to be sure.
GOOD LUCK!
HEHE,
My own earlier post ended up influencing me in a recent purchase.
I bought a few other knives and moved around my edc knives in a 12 knife collector case. I realized a smaller ti framelock would be nice to go with my larger sebbie. I cant justify spending 300 on a smaller sebbie right now so i looked at the sage II.
When i realized it was made in taiwan, I found it hard to spend around 140 on a taiwan knife, so i lost interest. NOT in a snob way, or in a lack of QC way (i totally respect spyderco in this departement). but it was more in a "sending jobs overseas during a shitty economy" way
and i REALLY dont NEED another ti framelock. I realized i have another long forgotten "lesser" ti framelock (interestingly also made in taiwan) in the crkt s-2 middle size.
It's not at all the caliber of a spydie but it will have to do, to fill that spot for now.
I thought of what else i've coveted recently and remembered the native 5 and this thread.
"no better time then the present" i thought. i tend to go knife crazy and purchase in groups.
It would be my 3rd edc spydie along with two other lockbacks, but the only with g10 and liners. it would also go well with my mini native collection.
a vintage mint gin-1 steel plain edge with box (i bought it cause it reminded me of my first similar native in gin-1 that had serrations though). it ended up looking too sweet so after only a weeks carry, it ended up a "collectible".
My native 4 in cf was an implulse buy since i saw one new from a store for 100 when i saw most others for 150.
LOVED it, but too sleek, a dress knife that would never get put in a suit. and WHAT? - no top jimping? - BLASPHEMY!!!
Anyway, this latest spydie native offering seemed to read my mind so now i have no excuses, so i'm getting it.
I may give an update when i recieve it, but something tells me its all been said here before.
Cheers!
I can't stop buying knives I tells ya.