The Lil’ LionSpy traces its history to the original LionSpy™, a heavy-duty folding knife that marked a groundbreaking collaboration between Spyderco and Italy’s LionSteel. It proudly retains all the distinguishing features of its bigger brother, but in a smaller, more pocket-friendly format.

The blade of the Lil’ LionSpy is ground from premium Elmax steel—a third-generation powdered metallurgy steel from Austria’s Böhler-Uddeholm. Known for its high carbon and chromium contents and extra-fine grain structure, Elmax provides extreme edge holding and corrosion resistance. The blade is purposely thick for strength, but features a high flat grind and a pronounced “belly” for superior cutting performance.

The Lil’ LionSpy’s two-piece handle construction consists of a black G-10 scale and a titanium scale that serves as the basis of the knife’s stout Reeve Integral Lock (R.I.L.) mechanism. Both scales are CNC machined with a series of textured grooves to ensure a positive grip and are joined by an open-backed design that reduces weight and simplifies cleaning. A compact pocket clip attached to the titanium scale supports right-side, tip-up orientation for convenient carry and easy access.

To ensure superior lock reliability, the Lil’ LionSpy’s advanced R.I.L. mechanism features a hardened steel insert and LionSteel’s patented RotoBlock device. This titanium disk serves as an overtravel stop for the lock bar. When the blade is opened, turning the RotoBlock clockwise wedges the lock bar in place, preventing unintentional release of the lock and providing outstanding stability during hard-use cutting chores. Rotating the RotoBlock counterclockwise frees the lock bar and allows it to be operated to close the knife.