A spring-assisted folding knife, including a one-piece knife blade having a proximal end and including a receiver on one side of its proximal end having a through bore; a blade insert made of a separate piece of material than the blade having a rear surface configured to be seated into the receiver, an opposite front surface, and a central bore extending between the rear surface and the front surface; and a coil spring received on the rear surface of the blade insert, the coil spring having a first end secured to the blade insert and an opposite second end secured to a fixed rigid surface of the knife.