Spyderco byte - November 2017

The Spyderco byte November 2017 e-newsletter was sent out on 30 November 2017, and it contained the following articles.

C230GP The Lil' Native

MSRP: $174.95

Origin: USA

The revered Spyderco Native has long and distinguished history that began with the release of the original model 20 years ago. Specifically designed as an ergonomic, lightweight, all-purpose folding knife, it was also the inaugural platform for Spyderco’s patented “barrel-style” pocket clip, which provided reversible tip-up carry. Although a stainless steel version was briefly produced in Japan (and years later, a carbon-fiber-handled version as well), it was the Native Lightweight that really found favor with our customers and ultimately established itself as a mainstay of Spyderco’s USA-made product line.

As the popularity of the Native grew, it became a natural focus of our passion for Constant Quality Improvement (C.Q.I.) and steadily evolved through several generations of design before arriving at the current Native 5 platform. Along the way, it earned legions of dedicated followers and inspired numerous variations of the standard models with a variety of different blade steels, handle materials and colors. It also stimulated requests for a more compact version that could serve in the role of a ladies’ or gentlemen’s folder and comply with the blade-length laws of cities like Boston and Chicago. With those goals in mind, we developed the concept of the Lil’ Native.

The first step in defining the form of the Lil’ Native was to scale the basic design down about 15% to achieve a blade length just under 2.5 inches. Like the iconic Spyderco Dragonfly™, we also incorporated an index-finger choil to allow a full, four-fingered grip on the open knife while keeping its overall size small and convenient. Once we had dialed in the ergonomics, we turned our attention to the lock mechanism and decided to offer the Lil’ Native in two forms: a back lock that is truly a “Lil’” version of the highly refined Native 5 and a version featuring our patented Compression Lock™. This allows fans of both locks to choose the version that best suits their personal preferences and also enabled us to distinguish between the two in other ways.

Practically identical to its inspiration, the Lil’ Native Back Lock distills all the key features of the best-selling Native 5 into a package that is about one inch shorter overall. Its linerless handle includes textured G-10 scales, a stainless steel backspacer, and a broad-based four-position pocket clip with lanyard hole. Completely symmetrical in every way, this expression of the design offers fully ambidextrous operation and both left and right-handed tip-up and tip-down carry.

The Lil’ Native Compression Lock showcases the high-strength and user-friendly features of this patented mechanism and reduces the knife’s overall weight with an easy-to-clean open-backed construction. The Compression Lock is built on a framework of stainless steel liners nested into the handle’s textured G-10 scales. Located on the spine of the handle, it greatly reduces the possibility of inadvertent lock release and allows safe, one-handed closing of the knife without placing your fingers in the path of the edge. For fans of discreet, deep-pocket carry, this version of the Lil’ Native features a reversible, low-ride wire clip that can be configured for left or right-side tip-up carry.

The blades of both versions of the Lil’ Native are full-flat ground from CPM® S30V® particle metallurgy stainless steel and have fully accessible Trademark Round Holes for easy, one-handed opening with either hand. Both will also be available with a choice of PlainEdge™ or fully serrated SpyderEdge™ cutting edges. Proudly manufactured in our Golden, Colorado, factory, the Compression Lock Lil’ Native will be shipping in early December and will be followed in early 2018 by the back lock version.

If you’re looking for a compact, easy-to-carry, socially friendly folding knife with a truly distinguished lineage, look no further than the new Lil’ Natives. We’re confident you’ll be as excited about them as we are!

Overall: 5.92 in / 150 mm

Blade: 2.45 in / 62 mm

Edge: 2.05 in / 52 mm

Weight: 2.5 oz / 71 g

Grind: Full-Flat

Origin: USA

New Warranty Policy

When Spyderco manufactured its first knife 36 years ago, the world was a simpler place. Since then, we have grown, our knives have evolved, and the knife market has changed tremendously. The one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is our uncompromising commitment to stand behind our products, their materials, and their workmanship.

Doing that in today’s world means more than just ensuring the quality of our knives and accessories as we made them. It also means facing new challenges, like aftermarket modifications of our knives, custom scales and backspacers, replacement parts, and other third-party components.

Those of you who know Spyderco know that we believe in Constant Quality Improvement (C.Q.I.)—a relentless passion for making everything we do better. Well, C.Q.I. isn’t just limited to our products; it also applies to our policies. When the world evolves enough that our policies and procedures are no longer adequate, we fix them to make sure they address critical issues while remaining true to our spirit of service to our customers. That’s exactly what we did with our new warranty policy, which is available on our website and will soon be incorporated into all our printed literature as well.

Although the words of our warranty have changed to reflect the changing needs and tastes of our customers, the unwavering intent behind it is stronger than ever. We will continue to produce reliable, high-performance cutting tools and accessories and stand behind them with honor and pride. That’s the Spyderco way.

Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan established November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. Since then, the number of Americans known to suffer from Alzheimer’s has more than doubled to nearly 5.4 million.

To help raise awareness of this devastating disease, support those affected by it, and help work toward a cure, Spyderco proudly donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every Sage Series™ folding knife to the Alzheimer’s Association, Colorado Chapter. This extremely worthy charity is the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care and research, providing counseling, educational programs, support-group services, and a 24-hour help line to serve the individuals and families in Colorado living with Alzheimer’s disease. For more information about their programs and other ways you can support them, please visit http://www.alz.org/co/.

Seconds Sale

On November 18th, Spyderco held its annual Seconds Sale. This near-legendary event is an extraordinary opportunity for Spyderco enthusiasts to purchase factory second products at greatly discounted prices. Many hardcore fans travel across the country to attend and some even camp out on our doorstep days in advance to be among the first in line. An amazing gathering of some of our most loyal followers, this once-a-year event is a vivid, but humbling reminder of our customers’ extreme passion for all things Spyderco.

We’d like to express our sincere thanks to all who attended and to all the members of the Spyderco Crew who worked so hard to make this year’s event a tremendous success!

Holiday Gift Guide

Finding the perfect Holiday gift for the special people in your life has never been easier. Everyone needs to cut something sometime, so why not make Spyderco or your favorite Spyderco retailer your one-stop-shopping source this Holiday Season? To make your shopping experience even easier, here are some suggested products that are sure to make you a hero this Holiday Season.

Squarehead™ Lightweight – A lightweight, economical version of the original Squarehead design, this handy tool features a chisel-ground CTS® BD1 stainless steel blade, an injection-molded fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) scale, and a sturdy LinerLock mechanism.

Tri-Angle Sharpmaker® – Hands down the most versatile and easy-to-use sharpener on the market, the Sharpmaker sharpens just about any tool with an edge or a point and is the ideal gift for cooks, do-it-yourselfers, outdoorsmen, and, of course, knife enthusiasts.

Double Stuff™ 2 – Hunters, fishermen, and anyone else who uses knives in the field will love this versatile, pocket sized sharpener. It combines an aggressive Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) surface on one side with a fine ceramic surface on the other. Even better, both include a radiused corner for sharpening serrated edges.

Chaparral™ Lightweight – The latest addition to our best-selling series of gentlemen’s folders, this knife combines all the proven features of the Chaparral design with a lightweight, non-slip, FRN handle.

Alycone™ – The perfect “starter” knife to convert your friends and family into Spyderco fans, the Alcyone proudly features all the high-performance characteristics that define out knives, but at a price you can’t resist. Its full-flat-ground blade is precision machined from American-made CTS® BD1 stainless steel and is paired with a stout LinerLock mechanism, checked gray G-10 scales, and a four-position pocket clip.

Dragonfly™ 2 Salt Hawkbill – The newest version of the popular Dragonfly™ 2 Lightweight combines the incredible rustproof qualities of H-1® steel, the extreme cutting power of a hawkbill blade, and all the proven design features of the Dragonfly 2 platform.

2018 Spyderco Product Guide

The Spyderco Crew is currently putting the finishing touches on the 2018 Spyderco Product Guide, which will provide a first look at some of the exciting new products we have coming up next year. As soon as it is released, we will post a link to the digital version on our social media platforms and the catalog page of Spyderco.com.

Holiday Hours

As the Holidays approach, we are all looking forward to some well-earned time off with friends and family. To help you plan ahead, please note the following dates that Spyderco will be closed to allow our Crew to enjoy time with their loved ones:

The Spyderco office will be closed on:

           Monday, December 25th and Tuesday, December 26th
           Monday, January 1st

The Spyderco Factory Outlet store will be closed on:

           Monday, December 25th and Tuesday, December 26th
           Monday, January 1st
           Also closed on Sundays

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.