Spyderco byte | July/August 2025 - Featured Product: LIL' NATIVE® Lightweight

Spyderco byte | July/August 2025 - Featured Product: LIL' NATIVE® Lightweight​

Featured Product LIL' NATIVE® Lightweight​

C230PBK / SBK / PBBK / SBBK

Tech Specs​

• Closed Length: 4.04 in / 103 mm
• Overall Length: 7.23 in / 184 mm
• Blade Length: 3.19 in / 81 mm
• Edge Length: 3.05 in / 77 mm
• Blade Thickness: 0.135 in / 3.4 mm
• Weight: 3.3 oz / 94 g
• Blade Steel: CTS BD1N
• Edge Type: PlainEdge™ or SpyderEdge™
• Blade Grind: Flat
• Handle Material: FRN
• Lock Mechanism: Back Lock
• Carry Option: 2-Position
• MSRP: $135.00 - $150.00
• Origin: USA

The Lil’ Native Lightweight is a compact, ultra-lean folding knife that sets a new standard in everyday carry (EDC) cutting performance. It is also the result of a remarkable evolutionary process that has spanned nearly three decades, two generations of designers, and has spawned some of Spyderco’s most popular and revered models.

Genealogy of the Native® Family​

The history of the Native® family of designs began in 1996, when Spyderco co-founder Sal Glesser set out to design a knife specifically for sale at Wal-Mart®. His goal was to create a folding knife that offered the ideal combination of size, strength, utility, and affordability for that specific consumer audience. Although the contract with Wal-Mart ultimately fell through, a limited number of first-production Native knives were sold through Blue Ridge Knives. Known as “First Generation BRK” Natives, they were assembled from outsourced parts manufactured for us by Camillus. Unfortunately, they were not consistent with our stringent quality-control standards, nor did they achieve our stated goals.

In classic Spyderco style, we tackled the challenge head on. We purchased the handle molds from Camillus, upgraded the blade steel from 440A to Japanese GIN-1, and completely reengineered the design’s back lock mechanism. Manufactured in-house at our Golden, Colorado, factory and released in 1997, that version of the Native realized the true potential of the design and was instrumental in introducing our patented reversible pocket clip. As its popularity grew, we continued to raise the bar, upgrading its blade steel to vanadium-enriched CPM® 440V particle metallurgy steel and later to CPM S30V®.

During the next decade, several variations of the Native were manufactured in Japan. They included versions with stainless steel, carbon fiber, and injection-molded fiberglass-reinforced-nylon (FRN) handles and featured several different blade steels; however, the Golden-made lightweight Native was by far the most successful of the breed. It proudly showcased American materials and craftsmanship at a budget-friendly price and quickly became a mainstay of our US product line. Over time, its popularity also inspired other variations, including a black-bladed version optimized for tactical environments and a pink-handled Native that helped support Spyderco’s charitable contributions to breast cancer research. We also produced a tan-handled Native to support a monthly drawing in which we gave away free laser-engraved knives to forward-deployed U.S. military personnel. Versions of this knife were later sold exclusively through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES).

The Native 5 and Native 5 Lightweight​

In 2011, Sal reimagined the Native design to create the Native 5. It maintains the same size and iconic design profile as the earlier generations, but showcases a full-flat-ground blade, a fully configurable four-position pocket clip, and a carefully engineered, precision-machined back lock mechanism. The first Native 5 models featured full, skeletonized stainless steel liners and peel-ply-textured G-10 scales. Although the liners were later eliminated to streamline and lighten the design, the refinements to the Native platform were very well received and soon prompted a calling for a lightweight version. Spyderco responded in 2014 with the introduction of the Native 5 Lightweight.

The Native 5 Lightweight faithfully showcases all the advantages of the G-10 handled Native 5, but offers them in a package that is almost a third lighter than the original version and 17 percent lighter than the current linerless model. The secret to this weight reduction is its linerless FRN handle, which incorporates Spyderco’s signature Bi-Directional Texture™ pattern for enhanced grip security. The handle’s four-position pocket clip also features a broad mounting base for increased strength and durability.

Like its predecessors, the Native 5 Lightweight is an extremely versatile design platform that quickly inspired multiple variations featuring different blade steels, handle colors, finishes, and coatings. Its linerless handle construction even made it the perfect basis for Salt® Series models crafted with ultra-corrosion-resistant materials.

The Lil’ Native​

Over the years, the various generations of the Native have attracted legions of devoted users worldwide and earned it coveted status as one of Spyderco’s most iconic models. Its popularity also prompted interest in both larger and smaller expressions of the same design concept. For users with larger hands and those tackling the most challenging cutting chores, the Native platform was scaled up to yield the Native Chief™ and the Shaman®. In a fascinating new chapter in its evolution, it was also redesigned to yield the smaller Lil’ Native.

While the first Native and its generational successors were all designed by Sal Glesser, the Lil’ Native, somewhat metaphorically, was created by his son, Eric. Rather than simply shortening or downsizing the original, Eric totally reimagined the design to faithfully retain all its salient features, but in a compact form suitable for all hand sizes. The Lil’ Native’s refined ergonomics take full advantage of the knife’s 50/50 index-finger choil to allow a full, four-fingered grip while keeping the overall envelope of the knife exceptionally compact and pocket friendly. Its blade is also purposely sized to be just shy of 2.5 inches, making it legally compliant even in cities with restrictive blade-length laws—like Boston and Chicago. Despite that fact, the leverage its ergonomic design provides allows it to cut with the authority of a much larger knife.

In addition to its smaller size, the Lil’ Native platform also offers a choice of three different lock options: a back lock, our signature Compression Lock®, and a SLIPIT model with a notched-joint non-locking mechanism. All three feature peel-ply-textured G-10 handle scales and full-flat-ground, leaf-shaped blades crafted from CPM® S30V® stainless steel. Some versions also add options like Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) blade coatings, black hardware, a choice of edge configurations, and the option of a straight-edged Wharncliffe-style blade.

Like its bigger brother, the Lil’ Native G-10 platform has been a popular canvas for limited-edition variations, including Sprint Run® and Exclusive versions showcasing distinctive combinations of blade steels, finishes, and handle materials. And, like the Native 5, it also prompted demand for a more economical version with a lightweight, injection-molded handle. The response to that calling is the Lil’ Native Lightweight.

The Lil’ Native Lightweight​

The eagerly anticipated Lil’ Native Lightweight takes the proven design features of the G-10-handled Lil’ Native Back Lock and expresses them with a lightweight, linerless, injection-molded FRN handle. This reduces the knife’s overall weight by an impressive 35 percent and adds the enhanced grip security of our signature Bi-Directional Texture pattern. The handle is also home to the knife’s precision-machined back lock mechanism, which locks the blade securely in place during use.

The blade of the Lil’ Native Lightweight is crafted from Carpenter® Technology’s CTS® BD1N stainless steel, which provides an excellent balance of edge retention, corrosion resistance, toughness, and ease of sharpening. Full-flat ground for exceptional edge geometry, the blade proudly includes a fully accessible Trademark Round Hole™ for easy one-handed opening with either hand. Standard versions of the Lil’ Native Lightweight feature a tumbled blade finish and brightly finished handle hardware. For users concerned with light discipline or those who simply prefer the aesthetics of an all-black knife, the knife will also be available with a non-reflective Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) blade coating and a matching black-coated lock bar, clip, and hardware. Both finish options will be available in PlainEdge™ and fully serrated SpyderEdge™ configurations.

In the closed position, the Lil’ Native Lightweight is perfectly sized for convenient carry—even in the shallow pockets of ladies’ pants. To keep it secure, yet instantly accessible, it includes a deep-pocket wire clip. The clip’s minimalist design allows the pants material to show through, making the knife even more discreet. It is also reversible for left- or right-side tip-up carry, complementing the knife’s other symmetrical design features to make every aspect of its carry, deployment, and operation completely ambidextrous.

The Lil’ Native Lightweight is an amazingly capable cutting tool that reflects the long, proud history of its evolution and two generations of designer expertise. It truly sets a new standard in compact cutting performance and is sure to be the subject of even more variations in the future.