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Review: Vosteed Raccoon Cub

By on June 28, 2024 in Bargain or Just Cheap?, EDC, Knives, Reviews

One of the more exciting new knives to be shown at this year’s Blade Show was the Vosteed Raccoon Cub. The design was instantly recognizable as a scaled-down Raccoon (the model that Vosteed may be most known for) but it was also clear that this knife was going to take on established designs in the fifth pocket or little-big-knife space.

Now that I have spent time with a review sample and pricing has been released, I can say it delivers. In fact, I’ll say that I think this is best-in-class.

Specs

Blade Length: 2.34″ | 59.50 mm

Overall Length: 5.57″ | 141.60 mm

Blade Width: 0.98″ | 25.00 mm

Blade Thickness: 0.098″ | 2.50 mm

Blade Material: 14C28N

Blade Grind: Flat

Blade Style: Drop Point

Hardness: HRC 60±2

Handle Length: 3.23″ | 82.10 mm

Handle Width: 1.00″ | 25.50 mm

Handle Thickness: 0.41″ | 10.50 mm

Handle Material: G10

Weight: 2.04 oz | 58.00 g

Opener: Thumb Stud | Front Flipper

Lock Type: Liner Lock

Pivot Assembly: Caged Ceramic Ball Bearing

Pocket Clip: Reversible | Stainless Steel

Carry Position: Tip-up

Knife Type: Manual Folding

Thumbstud Material: Aluminum

Designer: Yue

Observations from Use

I am a big fan of this type of knife. I usually carry a fixed blade knife so it is nice to have a compact folding knife that is small enough not to be burdensome but large enough to be useful. This little-big-knife or fifth pocket knife segment is growing and competitive. That is good for me because I am fully on board.

The Raccoon Cub has exactly the sort of ergonomics you want in a knife like this. It has a large, useable finger choil in the blade to allow a full and comfortable four-finger grip if you choke up while also remaining very compact when it is folded. It is a well-established formula that is well executed in this design.

The Raccoon Cub will inevitably draw comparisons to the Civivi Baby Banter – a knife that I own and that really stands out in this segment. The two knives are similar in many ways but differ in some key ways:

  • I prefer the blade shape of the Raccoon Cub with its more acute tip, something I find especially useful on a small knife.
  • The Racoon Cub also offers jumping on the spine out near that point to make it even easier to control for fine tasks.
  • The Raccoon Cub is VERY SLIGHTLY heavier but, for that weight, you get skeletonized and nested steel liners which is nice.
  • The Raccoon Cub’s handle is a little less cramped thanks to the taper at the butt and it is also easier to open thanks to better action and the addition of a front flipper.
  • The Raccoon Cub is a full $10-12 cheaper than the base Baby Banter options.

Speaking of the front flipper. I just want to mention that I normally don’t really care about them and rarely use them. However, in the case of the Raccoon Cub, it is so well executed, snappy, and easy to use that I find that it is actually useful instead of just fidgety. Some users with larger hands, may even prefer it.

The action on my review sample is extremely smooth with a very crispy detent. In fact, I can deploy the blade with just pressure from the pad of my middle finger. The detent holds rock steady until you apply enough pressure to overcome it and then the blade rockets open. It’s very satisfying.

Wrap Up

When this knife was shown at Blade Show, I recognized the potential. When I spent time with it, I fell in love. When it finally went up for sale and I saw the price, I became convinced that the Raccoon Cub is best-in-class.

This is now the best fifth pocket knife available. The value is great. The ergonomics are great. The cutting performance is great. It’s just a stellar knife.

The Raccoon Cub is initially only available Amazon: Vosteed Raccoon Cub at Amazon.com

It will be available direct from Vosteed at a later date: Vosteed.com

The Survival Knife in your Pocket – Cold Steel Pendleton Mini Hunter

By on November 7, 2022 in Bargain or Just Cheap?, EDC, Knives, Outdoor Gear, Preparedness, Reviews, Survival

I owned a Cold Steel Pendleton Mini Hunter years ago. I never really did much with the one I used to own because I didn’t have a sheath that made it very practical to carry but the knife itself was excellent. I thought of it as a paring knife on steroids which is to say it was an excellent utility knife that was quite stout.

Fast forward to earlier this year when I was looking for a knife with some basic requirements – stainless, large and stout enough to baton sticks of a reasonable diameter for fire making, small enough to EDC, and with a 90-degree spine. The idea was that, when coupled with a Swiss Army Knife (with saw) and a ferro rod/lighter, it would be the foundation of a sort of EDC-able survival kit. Surprisingly, this was difficult to find in a relatively affordable production knife which drove me back to the Pendleton Mini Hunter. It not only fits this niche but I found that it has become extremely affordable. I purchased one for just $35.

The knife itself is excellent. The flat ground AUS-10A blade is 3″ long and .130″ thick at the spine which is quite stout. It features a drop point blade shape that has a distal taper to the tip rendering a strong but useful point. The handle is molded rubber that allows a four-finger grip (though it is narrow) and is comfortable to use even when cold thanks to the lack of exposed tang. It has a small guard that is unobtrusive and the 90-degree spine throws sparks like a champ.

In use, it really does feel like the most useful paring knife if your kitchen but 10X as durable. It may not sound like it initially, but that is supposed to be high praise. It can cut your apple for lunch, trim a thread, dress your deer, or start a fire in challenging conditions which is pretty impressive for a knife that costs $35, weighs 2 ounces, and is exceedingly easy to carry… as long as you spend a bit more money on sheaths.

When it comes to sheaths, there are a ton of options. I can only speak to the two I’ve tried. The first is a KSF (Knives Ship Free) Pocono Pocket Sheath. This leather pouch sits gracefully in your front or back pocket and has room to carry a ferro rod (which I do) in addition to the knife.

The sheath second option, a kydex sheath from RK Kydex, is probably the better option considering the versatility, availability, and affordability. I set mine up with a single snap loop which makes it easy to carry on my belt, as a neck knife, or in the pocket. I had this sheath in days, the quality is excellent, and I only paid $28 for it which is very affordable compared to most of the market. I highly recommend these sheaths.

The combination of the Cold Steel Pendleton Mini Hunter and the RK Custom Kydex Sheath was perfect for fleshing out my pocket survival knife idea. It is on my belt as I type this. I think this knife would make a great addition to anyone’s kit or a great gift.

Links to the products above:

Cold Steel Pendleton Mini Hunter AUS10A

Cold Steel Pendelton Mini Hunter 3V (upgraded steel)

KSF Pocono Pocket Sheath

RK Custom Kydex Sheath

The above URLs may be affiliate links.

Bargain or Just Cheap? – CRKT Pilar

By on November 4, 2021 in Bargain or Just Cheap?, EDC, Knives, Reviews

Welcome to Bargain or Just Cheap? This series will review budget friendly knives for a variety of uses in a short format. All of the knives will cost less than $50 (in most cases, much less) and will be purchased out of my own pocket. I’ll buy them, carry them, and use them in an attempt to determine if the knife is a bargain or just cheap.

I carry a fixed blade knife every day and there are times when unsheathing it just to trim a loose string or cut open a box feels more than a little conspicuous. So, I typically also carry some kind of small folding knife as a companian. The Jesper Voxnaes designed CRKT Pilar is excellent in this role.

CRKT Pilar is shown with an aftermarket micarta scale

Jesper Voxnaes has a real knack for designing small knives that still manage to fill the hand – “little big knives”, so to speak. The Pilar is both large enough to get a four-fingered grip and small enough to fit easily in the coin pocket of your jeans. This is thanks to a generous finger choil that helps complete the grip when the knife is opened.

The 2.4″ blade lends itself perfectly to utility cuts and offers excellent control of the surprisingly useable tip. The tall flat grind leaves plenty of meat behind the edge while still offering reasonable slicing performance. The 8Cr13MoV steel on my example sharpens easily but can’t compete with some of the more premium steels offered on some models but I like it for how inexpensive it is.

The Pilar offers right-side tip-up or tip-down clip positions. The clip is relatively low profile. It also doesn’t get in the way much when the knife is being used.

If the Pilar has a glaring flaw, it’s weight. The regular, plain-jane Pilar comes with stainless steel scales on both the show and the frame-lock side of the knife. This compact, svelte, sleek little knife is surprisingly a bit of a porker at 4.2 ounces! That said, I like the knife so much I invested in a micarta scale for mine which greatly reduced the weight.

That micarta scale brings up another great thing about the Pilar. It is so darn popular that it is available in several special versions with different materials and there is a ton of aftermarket support. The basic Pilar can be a cheap canvas that you can customize to your heart’s content.

Finally, I want to mention that I think this makes a good first folding knife. In fact, that is exactly what I bought for my oldest daughter. The frame lock is secure and easy to operate. It is compact enough for kid pockets. The choil offers a safe, tactile, and secure grip. It also doesn’t break the bank so you don’t sweat it when your kid leaves it in the woods, never to be seen again.

Bargain or Just Cheap?

This one is definitely a bargain. It is an ergonomic wonder, a design that oozes style, and a functional EDC knife. It is small enough to be inconspicuous and large enough to do real work. At less than $40 shipped, it’s a bargain all day long.

I am using Amazon as the price baseline for this series. All knives were purchased by me from Amazon: CRKT Pilar

For those who want a slightly larger option, I also own and like the Pilar II though not quite as much as the original.

Our goal is to represent knives for a variety of uses from EDC, to outdoor, to tactical knives. Do you have a favorite affordable knife? Let us know about it in the comments!

The above article contains affiliate links.

Bargain or Just Cheap? – ABKT Elite Scavenger

By on July 16, 2020 in Bargain or Just Cheap?, Reviews

Welcome to Bargain or Just Cheap? This series will review budget friendly knives for a variety of uses in a short format. All of the knives will cost less than $50 (in most cases, much less) and will be purchased out of my own pocket. I’ll buy them, carry them, and use them in an attempt to determine if the knife is a bargain or just cheap.

The Elite Scavenger or Desert Scavenger from ABKT is a knife that seems to have a lot of potential. Unfortunately, while the market is currently full of truly great Chinese made knives, this one seems to fall short of its potential.

The Elite Scavenger does have some really nice features on paper and some of them are fairly well executed. For instance, the blade features a tall flat grind and is fairly thin behind the cutting edge. It didn’t come particularly sharp but that was easily fixed and the D2 steel seems to hold an edge well enough. It is actually a very good blade design with great size, good geometry, and good cutting performance.

The steel components have a blackwash finish that looks good and seems to be well applied. The liner lock seems to well-executed, locking up early and secure. The flipper tab is comfortable and well shaped – easy to use without seeming overly large and lacking in sharp corners… Which is a little ironic considering…

The Elite Scavenger also has some features that are not so well executed. It has a lot of sharp edges most of which can be found on the G-10 handle scales. The corners of the G-10 handle slabs are all sharp but the corners that also happen to have the checkered texture on them are particularly saw-like. There are also plenty of other sharp machined edges around screws and such.

Speaking of the G-10 handle slabs, the G-10 used on this knife feels plasticy in a way that is hard to explain. I’ve had FRN handles that feel less plasticy.

The ball bearing pivot does allow the knife to deploy somewhat easily but it feels gritty, like the bearings are rolling across worn sandpaper. This could be because of the blackwash finish. I would say that it actually deploys a bit too easily due to a very light detent which makes the deployment feel less snappy than it could have.

Finally, the pocket clip is just not up to snuff. It is undersized and the end doesn’t turn up quite enough to allow easy clearance for the edge of your pocket. That fact, coupled with the very sharp texture, makes this knife difficult to get in and out of your pocket.

Bargain or Just Cheap?

Everything I listed above could likely be tuned with some sandpaper, metal polish, and some TLC… but why spend the time? There are other well-designed, ready to carry, D2 flippers in this same price range. It feels like the designers of this knife tried to throw in as many features as they could without bothering to consider what makes those features desirable or functional. I think this one is Just Cheap.

I use Amazon as the price baseline for this series. All knives were purchased by me from Amazon: ABKT Elite Scavenger

Our goal is to represent knives for a variety of uses from EDC, to outdoor, to tactical knives. Do you have a favorite affordable knife? Let us know about it in the comments!

The above article contains affiliate links.

Bargain or Just Cheap? – Steel Will Cutjack C22M

By on June 8, 2020 in Bargain or Just Cheap?, EDC, Knives, Reviews

Welcome to Bargain or Just Cheap? This series will review budget friendly knives for a variety of uses in a short format. All of the knives will cost less than $50 (in most cases, much less) and will be purchased out of my own pocket. I’ll buy them, carry them, and use them in an attempt to determine if the knife is a bargain or just cheap.

I have already reviewed the Steel Will Modus in a past installment of Bargain or Just Cheap?. That knife is one that started to change what I expected from an affordable Chinese knife. As good as the Modus is in terms of a stylish EDC knife, the Cutjack is better. If the Modus is a great knife, the Cutjack is verging on “classic” status.

Steel Will offers the Cutjack in two sizes – the 3″ bladed C22M and the 3.5″ bladed C22. Like the Modus, they also offer it in a more upscale model with upgraded materials and blade steel. This review will be confined to the more budget oriented C22 and C22M models both of which features excellent textured FRN scales and a D2 steel blade.

The blade is a flat ground, drop point design with a flipper tab that acts as a guard and a large choil meant for chocking up. That large choil is a big part of the magic of this knife because it is actually very comfortable to use. The handle design works very well with the choil which means that the knife can feel very compact when folded but offer a handle that feels very roomy when opened. Couple that small-in-pocket-but-big-in-hand design with a very slicey blade grind, pocket-friendly scales, and a 3 ounce weight… You are approaching EDC perfection.

Steel Will’s liner locks are excellent in my experience. They lock up fully but early enough that you will get years and years of use out of them. They also do great work with flippers on phosphor bronze washers. The detent also seems to be perfectly tuned for great flipping action without the need for bearings. The action on these knives also punches well above their weight class. It locks up strong and flips well.

I think the cheaper and smaller C22M is the pick of the litter unless you need the extra size of the C22. The C22M, being smaller, really optimizes the advantages of this design.

Bargain or Just Cheap?

The Steel Will Cutjack is an incredible knife. It is a bargain at $60, let alone the $38ish you’ll actually pay. The Cutjack is lightweight, deploys smoother than many flippers costing significantly more, and offers a lot of cutting performance in a compact package.

I am using Amazon as the price baseline for this series. All knives were purchased by me from Amazon: Steel Will Cutjack Series

Our goal is to represent knives for a variety of uses from EDC, to outdoor, to tactical knives. Do you have a favorite affordable knife? Let us know about it in the comments!

The above article contains affiliate links.

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