Dalton from United States, PA Public Profile

I've handled a handful of Caribbeans, and they've all been solid, really well-built knives, with my favorite steel on the market. The handle is comfortable, but big--it's for L or XL hands, and meant to still be usable with gloves on. My only consistent gripes with the Caribbean are, 1) Slight to moderate imperfect milling (mostly due to the fabric and slight inconsistencies of the G10), on nearly all examples, which is highlighted by the highly contradting colors and close-together lines...sometimes on inside the of scales, the color is blotchy yellow and black. And 2) both the lanyard tube and stop pin rattle considerably. And then there's the Sheepsfoot version. I like the shape of the sheepsfoot, and its edge, but the spine/blade sticks out super far when closed, and makes it a real wide knife. I think it's a bit much, and makes a wide knife (the leaf version) into "wow" wide. Fine for a work/boat knife? Sure. If they had moved the lanyard tube, they could have buried the blade more. That said, if corrosion resistance is important to you, and you want a folder, this is THE folding boat knife, fisherman knife, ocean knife, camping knife. Nice hardware and titanium clip. Lockbar starts out a bit stiff, as does the pivot, but they break in really nicely. Once you play it in and get the hang, the comp lock is fantastic. The detent now seems stronger compared to the original batch. Still Taichung light, but reasonable. Highly recommended knife.

I'm not an FRN guy, or even a lockback guy. But I have Spyderco's longer LC200N blades and I wanted a small one. It's the ideal take-anywhere steel that you can even swim with, leave wet and dirty, and not face consequences.

The Native 5 Salt fits really nicely in the hand, and fills it more than some other small Spydercos. It's a locked-in grip. I like that it doesn't have a hump to jam against your thumb. I don't mind that the thumb hole is slightly occluded, but it feels a little awkwardly placed, like lower than it should be (this is so your thumb clears the choil/guard of the scales during a slow roll).

It's of course extremely lightweight, with no liners and no washers. The blade runs against the FRN, and it's certainly not smooth like PB washers, or even teflon...and the bolster areas next to the plunge scrape the scales as it opens and closes, making a little nick in the FRN where the plunge edge is), which at least on H1 Salts ends up scratching the bolster. When closed, the blade wasn't centered and would "click" if you wiggled it toward centered.

FRN is what it is--tough nylon. It flexes more than G10, and to me can feel creaky. It's tough, but molded and more utility than beauty. There's also the love-or-hate extremely grippy pattern, which is a sharp-edged and a bit much for EDC, and a true pocket destroyer (even with the clip landing pad). The scales' inside edges were a bit hard-edged. Also, the gap between the lockbar and FRN was really crooked until I file

It's wide, but light. The handle is comfortable, substantial, hard-use, and big enough for using with gloves. If they ditched or moved the lanyard tube, they could've put a bigger blade in here--longer, wider, and/or with more belly (which I would've welcomed) but it's still a good length, and the leaf shape is useful. Distal taper and tip is sharp and thin on the leaf, which is great as long as it holds up. Time will tell. LC200N really is as awesome as everyone says. Nested LC200N liners, and a great, easy one-handed lock. When new, the lockbar feels harder to push than some other compression locks, but it breaks in. It's also not drop-shutty on day one, but breaks in perfectly after a couple weeks. I've handled lots of Spyderco Caribbeans, and all have had excellent grinds, centered blades, and that much-praised Taichung craftsmanship. The only exception is a cosmetic one: the pattern on the scales--while machined nicely--often has imperfections or variances due to slight inconsistencies in the G10 layers...some lines look a bit ragged (due to the cloth of the G10, and sometimes some are thicker or thinner than others. The high-contrast pattern and close lines makes any inconsistencies stand out. This is probably minor for most people, unless you're a bit obsessive. My only other complaint is a rattle in the lanyard tube and bigger rattle in the stop pin. The most rattly knife I've had...though also a super rugged folder, I hate rattles.

This is the smallest Vic SAK that has both the scissors and pliers. I just switched from a Cybertool M/34 to this. That one was bordering on too big/heavy for EDC (the bit driver is nice, but not the center tool, so it wobbles when turned. And the plastic bit holder works, but adds an ugly hunk of black plastic that could break.) I otherwise liked the tool set, and actually find the scissors and pliers most helpful...yes, they've been called "super tweezers," and that's why I like them. Great for tick removal, picking up trash or other things you don't want to touch...say, a dead rodent or stray pair of undies discard at the park. This version of the pliers is just slightly less wide (compared to the ones with the Cybertool M), which I welcome...that was a fat layer! FWIW, these pliers have a nail nick, unlike the wider ones. The ends meet perfectly. In fact, all the tools are of impressive quality, and perfect detail--they've clearly got this down. The only reason for the 4 stars is the plastic scales...a soft, scratch magnet kind that will melt if sprayed with iso alcohol, which is my go-to for cleaning blades. I'd much rather the scales be at least FRN, or something tougher and more impervious. I'd have gladly paid $10-20 more for FRN or G10, because the quality of these tools is worth good scales. I doubt I'll miss the corkscrew, will probably occasionally use the screwdriver...the only good thing about the corkscrew was the eyeglasses screwdriver insert.