Spyderco byte September / October - Featured Product SHAMAN® Lightweight
SHAMAN® Lightweight C229PBK
Tech Specs- Closed Length: 4.70 in / 119 mm
- Overall Length: 8.25 in / 210 mm
- Blade Length: 3.58 in / 91 mm
- Edge Length: 3.08 in / 78 mm
- Blade Thickness: 0.145 in / 3.7 mm
- Weight: 4.8 oz / 134 g
- Blade Steel: CTS BD1N
- Edge Type: PlainEdge™ or SpyderEdge™
- Blade Grind: Full-Flat
- Handle Material: FRN
- Lock Mechanism: Compression Lock®
- Carry Option: 4-Position
- MSRP: $230.00
- Origin: USA
The new Shaman Lightweight faithfully delivers the same stout design and unfailing reliability as its G-10-handled counterpart, but in a more affordable and slightly leaner package. More importantly, it continues to reflect the proud history that led to the development of its progenitor.
Native® 5 with the original Shaman model.
Shaman Roots
The Shaman’s hand-filling, no-nonsense design had its beginnings with Spyderco’s groundbreaking Native® model. Originally released in 1997, the Native weathered a number of early challenges to emerge as an affordable, extremely ergonomic, lightweight folder. It was also instrumental in introducing Spyderco’s reversible “barrel-bolt” pocket clip, which was a revolutionary feature for its time. Although stainless steel and carbon fiber versions of the Native were briefly produced in Japan, the Lightweight model distinguished itself as a flagship of Spyderco’s USA-made product line, delivering American craftsmanship and quality at a budget-friendly price.
Lil' Native®, Native 5 and Native Chief™, all lightweight variations.
Over the years, the Native has steadily evolved and spawned a diverse family of variations, including several versions specifically geared toward the needs of military, law enforcement, and tactical users. With countless thousands of Natives still in use around the globe, we get a tremendous amount of feedback from their owners. That feedback has not only fueled the evolution of the design to its current fifth-generation form but has also inspired derivative models like the Native Chief™ and the Lil’ Native®. One of the most common requests we received—especially from outdoors enthusiasts and duty-bound end users—was for a larger, even more capable expression of the same basic design. Our response to that calling was the Shaman.
Approximately 20 percent larger than the Native, the Shaman offers more handle real estate for users with larger hands and over a half an inch more blade length. Its design, however, maintains the same refined ergonomics, proven performance qualities, and streamlined “humpless” profile of the Native, while adding a few important differences.
In its original form, the Shaman’s blade is crafted from 0.145-inch-thick (3.7mm) CPM® S30V® particle metallurgy stainless steel. Its very high flat grind balances structural strength, low-friction edge geometry, and an acute, utilitarian point to offer a blade that will eagerly tackle the toughest cutting chores. The blade includes a signature Trademark Round Hole™ that proudly announces the knife’s Spyderco pedigree and is fully accessible to support swift, one-handed opening with either hand. It also features a textured index-finger choil and thumb ramp that allow a forward-positioned grip for enhanced control during precise cutting tasks. In its standard configuration, the Shaman’s blade is available with a choice of a PlainEdge™ or fully serrated SpyderEdge™ cutting edge and features a handsome, low-maintenance stonewashed finish. For tactical applications where light discipline is a concern, all-black versions with a non-reflective Diamond Like Carbon (DLC) coating and black-coated hardware are available—also in a choice of edge styles.
In 2024, we added another version of the Shaman to the Spyderco product line showcasing our own proprietary blade steel—CPM SPY27®. Offering an excellent balance of toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance, this particle metallurgy stainless steel can only be found on Spyderco products. To further highlight its uniqueness, knives featuring this exclusive steel also have distinctive cobalt blue or mineral blue handles.
While the Shaman’s profile and overall ergonomics are faithful to the spirit of the Native, its handle construction and lock mechanism are distinctly different. The handle’s smooth-finished scales are machined from solid G-10 and carefully radiused to ensure a comfortable, secure grip. Their internal surfaces are also relieved to house nested, skeletonized stainless steel liners. Together with a partial stainless steel backspacer, the liners provide excellent structural strength and form the foundation of the knife’s Compression Lock® mechanism. A Spyderco innovation, this high-strength lock is located in the spine of the handle where it contacts the web of the thumb during normal use and is well protected from accidental release. Its location also allows the blade to be closed safely and easily with one hand without placing your fingers in the path of the edge. To keep the knife poised for immediate access, the handle includes a stonewashed four-position pocket clip that is easily configured for left- or right-side, tip-up or tip-down carry.
Since its introduction, the Shaman has earned a devoted following of users worldwide. Its reputation as a reliable, heavy-duty cutting tool has also made it a popular platform for limited-edition Sprint Run® and Exclusive expressions, showcasing unique combinations of high-performance blade steels, handle materials, colors, coatings, and other distinctive features. Its popularity has also inspired a calling for a more affordable, lightweight version of the design. First introduced in Reveal 18, the response to that demand is the Shaman Lightweight.
The Shaman Lightweight
The Shaman Lightweight proudly maintains all the proven features and benefits of the standard Shaman, but delivers them with injection-molded handle scales, a different blade steel, and a more affordable price point. Everything else “under the hood” is exactly the same.
Close up showing the texture of the Shaman G-10 and lightweight scales.
The defining characteristic of the knife is its handle, which features scales injection molded from tough fiberglass-reinforced nylon (FRN). As explained in other issues of the byte, this material and the injection-molding process are what define the knife as a “lightweight” model. In the Shaman’s case, they reduce the overall weight by more than nine percent. While this is not a dramatic difference, it is significant. Perhaps more important, however, is the fact that the injection-molding process allows the scales to have a “pebbled” texture that offers even greater grip security than smooth G-10 scales.
Another key difference is the blade steel. The Shaman Lightweight’s blade is crafted from Carpenter® Technology CTS® BD1N particle metallurgy stainless steel. This fine-grained, nitrogen-enriched steel offers high corrosion resistance and excellent edge-holding ability. It is also comparatively easy to sharpen. Available in both PlainEdge and SpyderEdge configurations, the full-flat-ground blade boasts a handsome tumbled finish and a fully accessible Trademark Round Hole.
True to its G-10-handled counterparts, the Shaman Lightweight features nested, skeletonized stainless steel liners, a partial stainless steel backspacer, a stout Compression Lock mechanism, and a broad-based four-position pocket clip that supports all carry positions. Best of all, it delivers all this at a price that is about 36 percent less than its brethren.
The latest chapter in the Shaman saga, the Shaman Lightweight is sure to set a new standard in lightweight, affordable, heavy-duty folding knives.