Name: Spyderco C41GPCW5 Native 5 Folding Knife 3" CRU-WEAR Satin Plain Blade, Smooth Black G10 Handles, KnifeCenter Exclusive
Brand: Spyderco Knives
SKU: SP41GPCW5
Price: 149.5 USD
Availability: BackOrder
Rating: 5 (9 reviews)

Roger
Trout Run, Pa

Nov 15, 2019

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Blade Material, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Subdued elegance

This knife was purchased for every day carry. It will be used at work and on the farm. When I first opened the box I was struck with the subdued elegance of this knife. While not flashy, every line, and every curve are perfectly executed. There are no high spots or annoying rough spots. The blade is perfectly centered. The scales look like they grew on the lockbar. When the knife blade is open you cannot see where the blade ends and the lockbar begins. The sound of opening the Native 5 shouts "Solid". This knife just exudes quality. The ergonomics of the Native 5 are amazing. It is comfortable in the pocket and in the hand. Thumb and index finger jimping [hash marks] make for a secure grip. The smooth scales are not smooth. Look again. There are tiny indentations every 1/32". It feels smooth to a light grip, but when you bear down, you have a very secure hold. The engineers out foxed the ad copy boys on this one. Amazing! Being left handed, I was pleased that I could easily open and close the Native 5 with my left hand alone. The 3" blade is what is called a leaf shape. It is one of the most useful of blade shapes. Because of the continuous curve of the sharp edge, cutting force is applied to a very small area to start. This greatly increases cutting power. Score another point for the engineers. Blade steel is CPM Cru-Wear. This is no holds barred tough tool steel. When the knife arrived it was pretty sharp. I used a DMT Diamond Stone from Knife Center to touch up the edge. In less than 5 minutes, I had the sharpest folding knife that I have ever held in my hand. Cru-Wear takes a better edge than any steel that I have used. Period. Sharp knives work, dull knives are useless. They let me give the Spyderco Native 5 in Cru-Wear a score of 5. If I could, I would give it a 10. This knife is underpriced at Knife Center. As soon as I can, I will be ordering a spare. Enough said.

David
Star, Id

Oct 02, 2019

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material

Native 5 Cru-Wear

This knife came sharp like most Spyderco knives and the native 5 is a great EDC knife matched with Cru-Wear which has been a great performer. Love the feel of the smooth G-10, however I find it a bit troublesome at first because the lock up was so tight that closing it with one hand and smooth G-10 made it a bit difficult. As you can see I didn't knock it down a star because I still love this knife and it has smoothed out some, it's still a lock back so not the most fidget friendly knife, but still a fun quality work knife that I can recommended. The price is great also since the S30V version is pretty much the same, worth checking out if you haven't ever used Cru-wear before and were interested.

Brent
Murfreesboro, Tn

Aug 29, 2019

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material

Cons: Pocket Clip

Native 5 Excellence

I have become a big fan of the Golden, CO produced Spyderco knives. The quality and fit and finish is just so nice, and this knife is no exception. This is my second Native 5, the first being a Lightweight with the S35VN steel. Surprisingly, this knife with the smooth G10 and CRU-WEAR steel is only a little heavier than the lightweight. While there are steel liners in the handle, this knife is very solid and inspires confidence when in use. I wasn't sure if I would like the smooth G10 handles, but after a couple of weeks use, I think they are great. So easy on your pocket and effortless to withdraw and replace when you use it. Very comfortable in the hand and with the ergonomic shape of the scales, your grip is plenty secure, even with wet hands. This is my first knife with CRU-WEAR and it is too soon for me to render judgement on it. So far it seems to hold and edge about the same as my S30V and S35VN knives do, and I haven't really challenged it yet to see if it lives up to the hype of being a super tough steel. I can say it sharpens really well and easily with my KME sharpening system. If you like the Native 5 format, and I do as I find it a near perfect EDC size and shape, I think you will love this unique version of it. Of course, as with nearly all my Spyderco's, the first thing I do is replace the factory pocket clip with an aftermarket deep carry clip, which I prefer to the factory offering.

Tom
Home

Oct 26, 2019

Pros: Weight, Ease of Opening, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Awesome

I own 3 natives. An original native one, and a native 5 maxamet. This is my favorite by far. The fit and finish are really good. Same great ergonomics and solid lock up. Smooth action for a lock back within reason. G10 feels great, and cru-wear is a great choice.

John
Texas

Oct 11, 2019

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

My perfect Spyderco

What's not to love? Smooth G10 that doesn't eat pockets, no liners so it only weighs a bit more than the Native LW and Cru-Wear blade. In my opinion this takes everything good about Spyderco and condenses it down in one knife, which also happens to be my favorite model. To top it off fit and finish are excellent and it came mean sharp out of the box with a surprisingly even factory grind. I may just buy another.

Peter B
Naples , Fl

Sep 28, 2019

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Linerless

From the moment I picked this up, the Knife Center Cruwear, smooth G10 became the most comfortable knife I own, the most perfect EDC, and my overall favorite. It's a little early to say that, but the G10 is so smooth but it grips my hand perfectly. The linerless design makes it really light. I much prefer it. And the strong backlock is refreshing. This is a great knife with great steel.

Timbo
Rochester, Ny

Aug 07, 2019

Pros: Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Pocket Clip

Great variation of a tried and true classic

I have the other three KnifeCenter smooth G10 with Cruwear Spyderco's, so I had to get this one when I saw it drop. I really like the smooth G10 scales. They are very comfortable in hand, and slide in and out of the pocket great.Personally, I don't find it to be slippery, and the ergos of most Spyderco's lock the knife in hand anyway, so I have yet to have a problem with the smooth G10. I wasn't disappointed when I got it in hand. The fit and finish is spot on, blade perfectly centered, and as smooth an action as your likely to get with a back lock. Cruwear is an excellent choice for blade steel. It takes a nice keen edge, and holds it for quite awhile. It's become one of my favorite knife steels. I carry a Native when I go downtown, where we have a 3" carry limit, and as a backup to either my PM2 or Manix 2 when not where that limit applies. It's an excellent knife, and pretty much sheeple friendly. Although I generally prefer to carry a blade 3.25 to 3.5 inches long, the Native is fine for most everyday tasks, and I sometimes find myself grabbing one for my main carry for the day. It performs above it's weight and size class imho. Just a good solid all around performer. KnifeCenter has knocked it out of the park with this series of exclusives in my opinion.

Peter B
Naples , Fl

Sep 20, 2019

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Linerless

From the moment I picked this up, the Knife Center Cruwear, smooth G10 became the most comfortable knife I own, the most perfect EDC, and my overall favorite. It's a little early to say that, but the G10 is so smooth and so dry that it grips my hand perfectly. And it's so light. I wondered why it cost more than the similarly configured Manix 2. But the linerless design makes it really light. I much prefer it. And the strong backlock is refreshing. I got sick of flippers and bought a number of knives with thumb studs but I'm sick of them now. This is a great knife with great steel.

Stan
Redding, Ca

Oct 14, 2019

Pros: Handle Material, Blade Material, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Native 5

The Native 5 is one of my favorite Spyderco models, and this is my third one (LW in Maxamet, blue G10 in S110V). My focus is US- and foreign-made folders so this version was welcomed to my collection. I will be carrying this one after switching to a deep-carry clip; my one complaint about the Native 5 is the amount of handle left above the pocket although the factory clip is more comfortable than deep carry. I also have the Manix 2 with smooth G10 and CruWear, and this steel is incredible and sharpens to a super edge. The scales feel great in hand and I love the smooth texture. This is a beautifully finished knife with premium materials and I would recommend it to anyone.