Spyderco Resilience in S35VN: Kinda (but not Really) like a Military Model
Published: 2 years ago
These are NOT Delica/Endura/Police models made cheaper. They're a bit closer to the Military model. I mention this as unlike those, these do not possess nested liners. Believe it or not, this REALLY impacts their comfort.
The front and back finger notches are less exaggerated than a Military, but it keeps the belly of the handle, which I do find uncomfortable in a hammer grip.
The FRN on these are more aggressive than their Japanese-made siblings, and that's made abundantly clear at the lip of the scales. This I knew when purchasing it, and my intention is to replace the scales with something else. It's proving to be a little difficult to find some, but they're out there.
It's running on phosphor bronze washers, which is a step up from Byrd knives, but... it feels like it may as well be on Teflon or plastic washers anyway. It's not a gritty action, but very stiff, even if the pivot is too loose. Lubrication hasn't helped it at all, neither has polishing the washers.
It's pocket clip is basically that of the Military's, which is also close, but not identical to my Captain, which is the only Spyderco clip I've broken. They're not as robust, due to the ring in the center.
Now that I have negatives done with, let's get to good stuff. It's big. Real big. I rarely have knives that give me extra real estate at the back of the handle. Because of that, I could imagine using this thing comfortably in thick gloves (but the hole is perhaps too small for deployment).
The "hump" of the blade is minimized in this design which I think many will prefer, as it looks a little less like a dead bird.
The S35VN blade is ground decently thin, and the angle was already set at 15 degrees, so I didn't have to reprofile it to put my own edge on there. That saved me a bunch of time, but it was too easy to do. I know it's supposed to be easier to work with than S30V, but I'm still a bit skeptical on it's performance 'til I put it through it's paces.
Overall, if you're looking for a cheap Spyderco with good blade steel, this or the smaller variants aren't a bad choice. IF, like me, you were assuming this is like a cheap version of the Military, it's going to disappoint you.
Specs:
4.2" CPM-S35VN blade with 3 mm stock thickness
4.4 oz / 124.5 gram weight
0.48" handle thickness (FRN)
Liner Lock
Phosphor Bronze Washers
The front and back finger notches are less exaggerated than a Military, but it keeps the belly of the handle, which I do find uncomfortable in a hammer grip.
The FRN on these are more aggressive than their Japanese-made siblings, and that's made abundantly clear at the lip of the scales. This I knew when purchasing it, and my intention is to replace the scales with something else. It's proving to be a little difficult to find some, but they're out there.
It's running on phosphor bronze washers, which is a step up from Byrd knives, but... it feels like it may as well be on Teflon or plastic washers anyway. It's not a gritty action, but very stiff, even if the pivot is too loose. Lubrication hasn't helped it at all, neither has polishing the washers.
It's pocket clip is basically that of the Military's, which is also close, but not identical to my Captain, which is the only Spyderco clip I've broken. They're not as robust, due to the ring in the center.
Now that I have negatives done with, let's get to good stuff. It's big. Real big. I rarely have knives that give me extra real estate at the back of the handle. Because of that, I could imagine using this thing comfortably in thick gloves (but the hole is perhaps too small for deployment).
The "hump" of the blade is minimized in this design which I think many will prefer, as it looks a little less like a dead bird.
The S35VN blade is ground decently thin, and the angle was already set at 15 degrees, so I didn't have to reprofile it to put my own edge on there. That saved me a bunch of time, but it was too easy to do. I know it's supposed to be easier to work with than S30V, but I'm still a bit skeptical on it's performance 'til I put it through it's paces.
Overall, if you're looking for a cheap Spyderco with good blade steel, this or the smaller variants aren't a bad choice. IF, like me, you were assuming this is like a cheap version of the Military, it's going to disappoint you.
Specs:
4.2" CPM-S35VN blade with 3 mm stock thickness
4.4 oz / 124.5 gram weight
0.48" handle thickness (FRN)
Liner Lock
Phosphor Bronze Washers