Spyderco Urban Lightweight

The Spyderco Urban Lightweight is an exemplary addition to the world of everyday carry (EDC) knives, bringing together functionality, ergonomics, and portability in a compact package. Here’s a detailed review: Design and Build The Urban Lightweight features a minimalist yet highly functional design. Its blade is crafted from N690Co steel, known for its excellent edge retention, corrosion resistance, and ease of sharpening. The blade's leaf shape provides versatility for various cutting tasks, from precise slicing to more robust jobs. The non-locking slip joint mechanism is robust, offering a secure and reliable feel while adhering to legal restrictions in many regions where locking knives are prohibited. Handle and Ergonomics The handle is made from fiberglass-reinforced nylon (FRN), a material that ensures a lightweight yet durable grip. The textured pattern on the FRN enhances grip security, making the knife comfortable to hold even in wet conditions. Despite its compact size, the Urban Lightweight provides a solid grip, accommodating different hand sizes comfortably. Portability One of the standout features of the Urban Lightweight is its portability. Weighing just around 1.95 ounces, it lives up to its "Lightweight" moniker, making it an unobtrusive addition to your pocket. The reversible wire clip adds to its versatility, allowing for tip-up carry on either side, enhancing accessibility and convenience. Performance In terms of performance, the Spyderco Urban Lightweight excels in everyday tasks. The sharpness out of the box is impressive, and the blade maintains its edge well under regular use. The slip joint mechanism, while non-locking, provides a positive stop at the half-open position, offering additional safety during use. Versatility and Legal Compliance A significant advantage of the Urban Lightweight is its non-locking blade, making it legal in many jurisdictions where locking knives are restricted. This feature makes it an ideal choice for travelers and those living in areas with stringent knife laws. Value for Money Priced reasonably considering the quality of materials and craftsmanship, the Urban Lightweight offers great value. It combines Spyderco’s renowned build quality with practical features that cater to both enthusiasts and casual users alike. Conclusion The Spyderco Urban Lightweight is a stellar EDC knife that blends practicality, compliance with legal restrictions, and exceptional build quality. Its lightweight nature, combined with a durable and versatile blade, makes it a reliable companion for everyday tasks. Whether you are an avid knife collector or someone looking for a dependable EDC tool, the Urban Lightweight is a highly recommended choice.

First Spyderco for me but unlikely to be the last. UK legal. One handed opening. Great walk and talk. Great feel in the hand and a half stop for some additional safety. The scales do feel a touch on the budget side of things but other plus points massively outweigh that. Think this will be a solid workhorse of a knife.

Great knife, just disappears in the pocket, strong back spring with easy one handed opening. The FRN takes a bit of getting used too if you're a fan of G10, but other than that it’s an absolute belter.

Does not bite user

I wanted a discreet everyday carry that was small enough to put on a jeans pocket without consuming the whole pocket, but at the same time retaining a blade large enough for most general purposes. The Urban certainly ticks these boxes. It has a solid one-handed action and a secure open detent. It feels very safe. There appears to be some variability in build quality, looking at the reviews, but the example I received was perfect. Backspring well aligned, blade nicely centred, no raggy finish anywhere. The scales do feel a tad plasticity at the price (£80.00), but they seem to be strong and functional. Sharp out of the box with a tidy symmetrical grind. My only real gripe is the price. £20 cheaper and it would be perfect.

Used HH before. Will do in the future.

Best pocket knife I've ever owned. I own two locking Whitbys 2.5 and ~3.5 as well as Whitby Sprint for my key chain. Then I used to carry a Lansky World Legal. All of which are good knives, cheap and cheerful do what they say they do. The 2.5 I've had that best part of 7 years and would still use it when I'm not out and about - I live in the city. But this Spyderco is a completely different thing. If you're coming from a cheap bit of steal to this knife you'll be impressed. I'm still waiting for the ukpk and the Manix 2 to be in stock. HH service is 5 stars they also live up to their rep.

Wanted a spyderco urban for years. Either talk myself out of it or get something else instead. Finally pulled the trigger and now wonder why I hadn't sooner. Usually wait to review so can get a good measure of an item, but I've used the nuts off it yesterday and today. And its a knife I've not stopped being excited about. Deep leaf blade is my favourite. Grippy thumb ramp and choil. Great ergos choking up to blade with said thumb ramp and choil, and choking up even further holding blade with ring finger anchored firmly in choil. Nice and light with tension on blade open, which some may find too stiff. Its perfect for me. Hate light back springs. Back tension bar is thick and full length unlike ukpk. Fairly well centred and no blade play. Spent the past 2 days working with bamboo, making arrow shafts, cutting cordage, and many other cutting chores with it. N690 is okay but I'm still searching for that perfect steel. To me, after many stroppings and about 4 or 5 sharpenings, it seems similar to vg10. Hand on heart, if you're toying with the idea just order one. Not been this made up with a slip joint in a long time. Another sprint run again with a different steel would be good. Anyway, will continue to use the crap out of it and see how it goes.

This knife is well designed and crafted, like all Spyderco products and it is certainly a lightweight unit. Although its small size makes it very handy, I find it just a bit too small for my liking. The size, too, coupled with a fairly stiff notch joint, makes one-handed opening a bit more difficult than I'd like. On both fronts, I far prefer my UK Penknife, with which I'll be sticking for the foreseeable.