Since its original release in 1997, the Native® has been a mainstay of the Spyderco product line and a shining example of our American-made quality and innovation. Now in its fifth generation of design, the current Native 5 family proudly reflects our tireless commitment to Constant Quality Improvement (C.Q.I.) by boasting a number of significant design and engineering advances. The Native 5 Lightweight combines these refinements with the weight-saving advantages of an injection-molded fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) handle. It features a spearpoint blade precision machined from premium high performance steels. The blade’s full-flat grind, distal taper, textured index-finger choil and thumb ramp, and understated swedge (unsharpened bevel) collectively offer a distinctive appearance and outstanding edge geometry and point utility. The blade is supported by a highly refined back lock mechanism that takes this time-tested lock design and elevates it to a new standard of engineering and manufacturing excellence. The linerless FRN handle features a Bi-Directional Texture™ pattern for an ultra-secure grip and reduces the overall weight of the knife to a scant 2.5 ounces. The handle also houses four sets of threaded inserts molded directly into the FRN to allow the knife’s broad-based pocket clip to be positioned for left or right-side tip-up or tip-down carry. A generously sized lanyard hole also provides a handy attachment point for lanyards, fobs, and safety lines. The Native 5 also comes in a more hefty G10 variant. This knife’s ergonomic handle features a solid stainless steel back spacer and peel-ply textured G-10 scales. This linerless construction style reduces weight, while ensuring impressive structural strength and solid support for the knife’s highly refined back lock mechanism. The product of extensive research, development, and testing, the Native 5’s back lock redefines the state of the art in the engineering and execution of this elegantly simple mechanism. It offers increased strength, an exceptionally smooth action, an improved self-close function, and even greater resistance to wear and tear than previous versions. Notes Since these are backlocks, they are somewhat more likely to have more lockstick than "new" units but not all of the Natives will have it. Even if lockstick is present, for most people I don't think it would be a dealbreaker. The REC Avocado variants are typically "seconded" due to the coating color inconsistencies, in addition to the normal scuffs and minor scratches and lockstick. There is only one (very rare) full linered old native 5 featuring unnested liners, which has become quite a sought after variant for fans of the Native 5 due to the increased heft imparted by the heavier construction. These have not been made for a number of years (~2018?) so they are only getting harder to find as time goes on. Technical Specifications Overall Length: 6.95in 177mmClosed Length: 4in 102mmBlade Thickness: .125in 3.2mmTip Carry Position: 4-PositionSheath: N/A Blade Length: 2.95in 75mmEdge Length: 2.42in 61mmHandle Material: FRN or G10Lock Type: Back LockOrigin: United States Steel: VariousKnife Weight: 2.5oz 71g (FRN) or 3oz 85g (G10)Clip Position: AmbiGrind: Full-Flat