- Joined
- Oct 5, 2006
- Messages
- 3,124
Spyderco Resilience Review
Introduction
I received a Spyderco Resilience as part of a pass around here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...saround-Spyderco-Resilience-G-10-Handle-C142G. It's a big knife. In the entire Spyderco line of folding knives, only the Catcherman has a longer blade.
The MSRP on the Resilience is $74.95 and our favorite online retailers sell it for about $45. Like the three other entries in the Spyderco “Value Folder” line, the Ambitious, the Persistence, and the Tenacious, the Resilience is made in China from 8Cr13MoV steel. Originally, the only made-in-China Spyderco knives were released under the Byrd brand with a “comet” shaped opening hole, rather than the round Spyderhole. Most Byrds offer Spyderco style designs built with lesser materials. The new “Value Folder” series, however, is harder to differentiate from Spyderco’s USA, Japan, and Taiwan produced offerings.
Blade
The Resilience, like the other Value Folders, features a flat ground blade made from 8Cr13MoV steel. My non-metallurgist conclusion is that it is the equivalent of AUS 8 or maybe AUS 6. It doesn’t seem to hold an edge like VG-10 or S30V, but does seem a bit easier to sharpen. Unlike many Spyderco knives, there is no choil on the blade, giving the Resilience a cutting edge of 4.25” -- .25” longer than a Spyderco Military.
In fact, in handling the Resilience, I felt that the closest comparison to a familiar Spyderco knife would be with the Military. In addition to the similar blade length, the handles are similar (5.5” Military vs. 5.25” Resilience) and both use a Walker liner lock.
The blade shapes, however, are different and some might say the Resilience is an improvement over the Military as a sharpened pry bar. One of the timeless debates on BladeForums is Endura vs. Military. The Military is the better slicer, the Endura the thicker-tipped more utilitarian blade. The Resilience now provides the length of a Military with a wider blade and wider tip, like a larger Manix 2 XL. The thumb ramp of the Military, however, is more ergonomic than the one on the Resilence. It is a bit short for a wide-bladed knife with a wide handle and the jimping is relatively coarse.
Handle
The Resilience comes with a black G10 fiberglass handle. Not all G10 is alike and the Resilience version is a little smoother and less textured than some variations. The G10 is secured to skeletonized polished steel liners using Torx screws and the unpainted steel clip can be adjusted for tip-up / tip-down or right-side / left-side carry. As with most Spyderco knives it carries well on the clip. Just enough of the knife sticks out of the pocket to get a good grip when pulling it out. A lanyard hole is provided.
The steel Walker liner lock on the Resilience seems secure enough. I couldn’t detect any wiggle or blade play. It looks almost identical to the lock on the Military, though the Military has a thinner, nested lockl. Another difference between the Resilience and the Military is its weight. The Military weighs just 4.2 oz., a full 1.2 oz. less than the Resilience at 5.4 oz.
Conclusions
I carried the Resilience Christmas week. It opens smoothy on brass phosphor washers like its more expensive cousins. As expected, it cut everything it needed to and even turned a few screws with the tip -- something I wouldn’t do with a Military. It was a touch heavy in the pocket and a little too big for delicate tasks, but again, I would have expected that. Like most Spyderco knives, it performed like I thought it would. The Resilience is a solid, well built knife at a great price. As an enthusiast, however, I’ve not that interested in owning one. I prefer to buy USA made goods when I can, even if I have to pay more. I’m also willing to pay more for the little differences found in the Spydercos made in Golden Colorado, Earth vs. those made in China.
Thanks to Sal Glesser and the folks at Spyderco, plus BladeForums and JH. for putting the pass-around together and letting me handle the knife.
Introduction
I received a Spyderco Resilience as part of a pass around here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...saround-Spyderco-Resilience-G-10-Handle-C142G. It's a big knife. In the entire Spyderco line of folding knives, only the Catcherman has a longer blade.
The MSRP on the Resilience is $74.95 and our favorite online retailers sell it for about $45. Like the three other entries in the Spyderco “Value Folder” line, the Ambitious, the Persistence, and the Tenacious, the Resilience is made in China from 8Cr13MoV steel. Originally, the only made-in-China Spyderco knives were released under the Byrd brand with a “comet” shaped opening hole, rather than the round Spyderhole. Most Byrds offer Spyderco style designs built with lesser materials. The new “Value Folder” series, however, is harder to differentiate from Spyderco’s USA, Japan, and Taiwan produced offerings.
Blade
The Resilience, like the other Value Folders, features a flat ground blade made from 8Cr13MoV steel. My non-metallurgist conclusion is that it is the equivalent of AUS 8 or maybe AUS 6. It doesn’t seem to hold an edge like VG-10 or S30V, but does seem a bit easier to sharpen. Unlike many Spyderco knives, there is no choil on the blade, giving the Resilience a cutting edge of 4.25” -- .25” longer than a Spyderco Military.
In fact, in handling the Resilience, I felt that the closest comparison to a familiar Spyderco knife would be with the Military. In addition to the similar blade length, the handles are similar (5.5” Military vs. 5.25” Resilience) and both use a Walker liner lock.
The blade shapes, however, are different and some might say the Resilience is an improvement over the Military as a sharpened pry bar. One of the timeless debates on BladeForums is Endura vs. Military. The Military is the better slicer, the Endura the thicker-tipped more utilitarian blade. The Resilience now provides the length of a Military with a wider blade and wider tip, like a larger Manix 2 XL. The thumb ramp of the Military, however, is more ergonomic than the one on the Resilence. It is a bit short for a wide-bladed knife with a wide handle and the jimping is relatively coarse.
Handle
The Resilience comes with a black G10 fiberglass handle. Not all G10 is alike and the Resilience version is a little smoother and less textured than some variations. The G10 is secured to skeletonized polished steel liners using Torx screws and the unpainted steel clip can be adjusted for tip-up / tip-down or right-side / left-side carry. As with most Spyderco knives it carries well on the clip. Just enough of the knife sticks out of the pocket to get a good grip when pulling it out. A lanyard hole is provided.
The steel Walker liner lock on the Resilience seems secure enough. I couldn’t detect any wiggle or blade play. It looks almost identical to the lock on the Military, though the Military has a thinner, nested lockl. Another difference between the Resilience and the Military is its weight. The Military weighs just 4.2 oz., a full 1.2 oz. less than the Resilience at 5.4 oz.
Conclusions
I carried the Resilience Christmas week. It opens smoothy on brass phosphor washers like its more expensive cousins. As expected, it cut everything it needed to and even turned a few screws with the tip -- something I wouldn’t do with a Military. It was a touch heavy in the pocket and a little too big for delicate tasks, but again, I would have expected that. Like most Spyderco knives, it performed like I thought it would. The Resilience is a solid, well built knife at a great price. As an enthusiast, however, I’ve not that interested in owning one. I prefer to buy USA made goods when I can, even if I have to pay more. I’m also willing to pay more for the little differences found in the Spydercos made in Golden Colorado, Earth vs. those made in China.
Thanks to Sal Glesser and the folks at Spyderco, plus BladeForums and JH. for putting the pass-around together and letting me handle the knife.
Last edited:
