Featherweight 10-Inch Folder: Spyderco Resilience Lightweight CPM S35VN Review

The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up a Spyderco Resilience Lightweight is how big it is. This is a massive folding knife — close to 10 inches long when fully open. Despite its eyebrow-raising size, this lightweight model with CPM S35VN steel weighs next to nothing.

To be honest, when I initially got the Spyderco Resilience Lightweight, I thought it was way too big to work as an everyday carry knife. Even closed, the knife is more than 5 inches long.

Fully open, the blade rivals some bigger fixed-blade knives. For comparison, the Resilience is only less than half an inch (0.4 inches) smaller than the new Benchmade Anonimus, a fixed bushcraft blade.

In short: While this is the largest folding knife Spyderco offers, add in the lightweight handle with the colorful injection-molded FRN handle scales and it weighs a mere 4.4 ounces — and feels like you are carrying nothing at all.

This is the big appeal of the Resilience — a massive knife that is awesome for people with bigger hands and is relatively easy to carry anywhere.

Spyderco Resilience Lightweight Review

Using the Resilience as an EDC

I’ve been using the Resilience as my everyday carry (EDC) knife now for a couple of months. I’ve enjoyed the reality of having a massive knife in my pocket if needed, yet finding it lighter than some smaller knives that I have carried.

One of the main advantages of the larger knife is how comfortably it fits in your palm. If you have big hands, then the Resilience’s textured deep blue FRN handle will appeal to you.

Opening the knife takes a little getting used to with Spyderco’s signature hole in the blade, but once you get a sense of the ergonomics of the blade, it is easy to deploy.

Before going any further, we’d be remiss not to mention knife carry laws — which in some locales make it illegal to carry a knife with a blade over 3.5-4 inches in length either open or concealed carry. Some states (like Wyoming and California) don’t have restrictions on blade length, though. Consider where you’ll be using a knife of this size and avoid running afoul of the law.

The American-made CPM S35VN steel used on the folding knife is one of the biggest attractions of this blade. The stainless steel is an advanced durable material that is tough, corrosive resistant, easier to sharpen, and holds an edge. It should stand up to most day-to-day cutting tasks you might encounter.

Solid Steel, Lightweight Handle

Out of the box, the blade is very sharp and cuts through paper with ease. The Resilience comes with a liner lock and a full-flat grind.

In terms of standard cutting tasks outdoors, the Resilience can handle everything from paracord to sticks with ease. The handle and pear-shaped blade rotate nicely when cutting on a surface such as a cutting board or stump.

The knife can easily cut branches and sharpen sticks as well. Thanks to the solid grip, the knife provides great leverage when slicing or cutting.

Spyderco offers the blade in PlainEdge as well as CombinationEdge or serrated. It offers a four-position carry clip depending on if you prefer the tip up or tip down in your pocket.

While I’ve found the Resilience Lightweight easy to carry overall and a nice fit in my pocket, the carry clip flares out a bit and has a tendency to catch on things if you are not careful. It also has a lanyard hole if you would like to add one.

Compared to the reliable Spyderco Paramilitary 2 knife, the Resilience Lightweight is more than an inch longer when fully open and about an ounce heavier.

Overall, for the size of this knife, it’s actually easy and comfortable to carry day-to-day, as well as deploy when needed.

Price & Conclusion

The Resilience is a large yet lightweight folding knife that is easy to carry and can cut through almost anything. And though its blade length doesn’t make it suitable for EDC carry in many states, it’s still a great knife.

The Resilience is made in China and is part of Spyderco’s Value Folders collection. The Resilience Lightweight sells for $168, which is a fair price for what you get with this knife — a quality blade and a very lightweight handle. It won’t break the bank but is still at a price point that may give some people pause.

If that’s the case for you, consider the less expensive version of the Resilience, which has a G-10 handle and 8Cr13MoV steel weighing in at 5.1 ounces. The G-10 version sells for $94, and if you are not concerned about weight or the steel quality as much, then this is a solid, less expensive option.

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