Archive | Reviews

The Vosteed Raccoon burst onto the EDC scene with a button lock and really came into its own with the addition of a crossbar lock option. Now, with Vosteed’s Top Liner Lock, I think they have achieved greatness.

Specs

For full specs, be sure to visit Vosteed.com.

Blade Length:3.25″ | 82.60 mm

Overall Length:7.60″ | 193.10 mm

Blade Width:1.07″ | 27.20 mm

Blade Thickness:0.118″ | 3.00 mm

Blade Material:14C28N

Blade Grind:Flat

Hardness:HRC 59±1

Handle Length:4.36″ | 110.80 mm

Weight:3.00 oz | 85.30 g

Lock Type:Top Liner Lock

Pivot Assembly:Caged Ceramic Ball Bearing

Pocket Clip:Reversible | Stainless Steel

Observations from Use

I have written on these pages before about the Raccoon and about Vosteed’s execution of the Top Liner Lock. I like both a lot. So, I was very excited when Vosteed provided a review sample of this knife.

One of the best things about this new version of the Raccoon is… well, it’s still a Raccoon. The Raccoon has elbowed its way onto my shortlist of easily recommendable EDC knives (and the shortlist of what I actually carry when I not reviewing another knife). It has a sort of Goldilocks combination of style, size, blade shape, ease of carry, performance, and price that stands out. It just does everything well and it does it at a great price.

Vosteed’s Top Liner Lock is similar to the Spyderco Compression Lock where a liner engages the tang of the blade on the spine side. That liner is sandwiched between the tang and a large pin, meaning that to fail, the steel liner would have to break. It’s a very strong lock but that’s not all.

It also provides an excellent detent much like any other liner-based lock. This means that the knife feels crisp and flicks easily. They couple that crisp action with their real innovation for this style of lock – the addition of a button that is linked to the liner. Now you have a lock that has an action that is as crisp as a well-tuned liner lock, as easy to use as a button lock, and as strong as a compression lock. It is one of the best all-around locks on the market in my opinion.

Wrap Up

Vosteed added their best lock to one of their best knives and it has paid off in spades. This is the best version of a knife that was already excellent. It has all the best of attributes of a proven design with an easy-to-use, but still bull-strong lock. This knife is EASY to recommend.

Raccoon Top Liner Lock on Amazon.com

I am big fan of the Vosteed Acorn. It is one of their most affordable but also most ergonomic knives. I also happen to be a big fan of little knives so I have been itching to try the Mini Acorn.

Specs

Blade Length:2.46″ | 62.60 mm

Overall Length:6.01″ | 152.70 mm

Blade Width:1.16″ | 29.50 mm

Blade Thickness:0.118″ | 3.00 mm

Blade Material:14C28N

Handle Length:3.55″ | 90.1 mm

Handle Width:1.20″ | 30.5 mm

Handle Thickness:0.472″ | 12.00 mm

Weight: 2.72 oz | 77.00 g

The above consists of just the most relevant specs. Visit Vosteed.com to see the full specs.

Observations from Use

The Vosteed Acorn Mini is not mini in the same sense that something like the Raccoon Mini is. It is a smaller version of the Acorn but not necessarily a very small knife. It will fit the 5th pocket of most jeans but this design favors hand-filling ergonomics over small size… And ergonomics is something it has in spades.

The handles that Vosteed designed for the Acorn series are contoured, hand-filling, and they offer a variety of ways to grip the knife when coupled with the generous choil. This is a smaller knife that can do full-size work. Using these knives reminds me a lot of knives like the Spyderco Shaman or Manix where the overall size and shape of the handle and choil combo are so perfectly dialed, but the Acorn series costs a lot less.

Like the larger Acorn, the Mini Acorn is a great cutter. Vosteed went with a no-nonsense, all-around blade shape with a tall flat grind and thin edge geometry that slices well. My particular review sample also came with a surprisingly well-polished edge that was very refined from the factory. I am used to Vosteed knives being sharp, but this was a little extra.

The clip is the same shorter clip that Vosteed has been using on other smaller knives, and that is a good thing. In my experience, Vosteed has some of the best-designed clips. They are easy to use, have great retention, and aren’t a snag-hazard like some clips.

Not that looks are everything but I do want to point out that I think the Acorn series knives look great. Vosteed offers several handle treatments with various pops of color incorporated into the design that make these knives look great.

Nothing is perfect and so I should point out that my Mini Acorn came to me just a little bit gritty and with a less crisp detent than I have come to expect. I disassembled and cleaned it a bit. It has greatly improved but still isn’t quite as crisp as most of what I see from Vosteed. Understand that this is a high bar. This knife is still better tuned for front flipping than most others.

Wrap Up

Vosteed’s Acorn series goes hard on value. This new Mini version offers big style, big ergonomics, and big cutting performance at a mini size and price. If you need a sub 2.5″ folder for your specific locality but want something that fills the hand like a full-size knife, this is it.

The price on the Acorn series is already a very competitive value but watch out for sales when Vosteed really rolls out attractive pricing on these.

Check out the Vosteed Mini Acorn at Amazon.com

You’ve probably noticed that I have reviewed a lot of Vosteed knives over the last couple of years. I have been provided several for review, purchased several, and I have given them as gifts. I like them. So, when Vosteed asked me if I would consider writing a gift guide, I agreed.

I am not being paid for this but some of the links below may be affiliate links which means I receive a small commission from sales (there is no additional cost to you).

I intend to break this down into categories and highlight one knife per category. That knife will be what I consider to be the pick of the litter in Vosteed’s line and in some cases, the best in category regardless of brand. I should also point out that all of these are knives that I have owned personally.

Budget Pick – Acorn

The Vosteed Acorn retails at $49 but is frequently on sale for less. What I like about it as the budget pick is that it large enough and has the style to make an impression as a gift. It is also VERY ergonomic so the gift receiver is likely to immediately connect with it.

This is the kind of knife that will resonate with knife guys or knife newbs equally. It’s easy to carry, it performs, and looks like a million bucks while doing it.

Click to learn more about the Vosteed Acorn.

Fifth Pocket Pick – Raccoon Cub

The Raccoon Cub could very well be the Budget Pick as well as it is priced similarly to the Acorn. Not only is it the best “Fifth Pocket” knife on the market in my opinion, it’s also one of the most affordable.

The Raccoon Cub works as a gift because almost anyone can carry it regardless of their jurisdiction or work setting. It’s a small knife that feels big in the hand. It fits a wide variety of hand sizes despite its compact size thanks to some ergonomic design wizardry.

Click to learn more about the Vosteed Raccoon Cub.

Fixed Blade Pick – Mink

Vosteed doesn’t have a ton of fixed-blade options but the Mink, is another that is best in class in my opinion. It is small enough to carry but large enough to be useful for a variety of tasks. If the gift recipient wants to carry it for EDC, they can. If they need a new knife for the outdoors, they can use it for that too.

The Mink comes with a very high quality sheath that will ensure the gift recipient can use it right away.

Click to learn more about the Vosteed Mink.

The Easiest Pick – Raccoon

The Raccoon, the full size predecessor the previously mentioned Raccoon Mini, is the kind of knife that anyone can use and everyone will like. This is probably their best known knife for good reason. It is Vosteed’s do-all, EDC model. It ticks all the boxes – pocket friendly, stylish, all-around useful, and tons of variations that can tailored to the recipient.

The Raccoon is available with a number of different locks but I would choose either the crossbar lock (Vosteed does these very well) or the top liner lock which is currently my favorite lock.

If you want to give a knife but aren’t sure which one, the Raccoon is a solid choice.

Click to learn more about the Vosteed Raccoon.

The Most Impressive Pick – Psyop

When you absolutely, positively need to wow someone with a high-end Vosteed… Psyop is the answer. This knife is stylish and premium in a way that newbs and knife guys will recognize immediately. It’s a large impressive knife that snaps open in a refined way and slams shut with a satisfying “thunk”.

It isn’t inexpensive but it is a great value for the kinds of premium features being delivered – titanium scales and machined pocket clip, Elmax steel blade with a striking and useful shape, a design collaboration, and overall size and shape that impresses. It has gravity as a gift that nothing else on this list can quite keep up with.

Click to learn more about the Vosteed Psyop.

Wrap Up

Vosteed is already offering sales on their website and Amazon including their Black Friday deals. This is a great time to start checking prices for Christmas gifts.

The Vosteed Psyop is a design collaboration between Vosteed and Tuffknives. It sits at the premium end of the Vosteed lineup and, to me, is their flagship knife. Its a showcase of the kind of design, materials, and cache that Vosteed can bring at very competitive price.

Specs

Blade Length:3.32″ | 84.40 mm

Overall Length:8.01″ | 203.50mm

Blade Width:1.22″ | 31.00 mm

Blade Thickness:0.138″ | 3.50 mm

Blade Material:Elmax

Blade Grind:Flat

Blade Style:Drop Point

Blade Finish:Stonewash

Hardness:HRC 60±1

Handle Length:4.70″ | 119.40 mm

Handle Width:0.94″ | 24.00 mm

Handle Thickness:0.500″ | 12.70 mm

Handle Material:Titanium

Weight:4.66 oz | 132.00 g

Opener:Thumb Hole | Front Flipper

Lock Type:Top Liner Lock

Pivot Assembly:Caged Ceramic Ball Bearing

Pocket Clip:Non-reversible Titanium

Carry Position:Tip-up

Knife Type:Manual Folding

Backspacer Material:Titanium

Designer:Geoff Blauvelt (Tuffknives)

Observations from Use

If you are familiar with Tuffknives’ work, you can’t miss his influence here. There are also some distinctly Vosteed touches like the well-executed, multiple opening methods and large finger-choil. I think it’s a great-looking knife.

Vosteed’s Top Liner Lock is a great choice here. One, it’s more than strong enough to be a stout knife like this. Two, it has a small footprint that keeps it out of the way of the design. If you haven’t tried one of these locks yet, you need to. It has the crisp detent of something like a liner lock but the ease of use of a button lock. It’s my favorite knife lock right now.

The blade shape that Tuffknives designed for this offering is great. It plenty pointy thanks to a gradual drop at the spine and long swedge grind. The primary flat grind is very tall and renders the sweeping, curved edge very thin behind the secondary grind. Vosteed has a handle on cutting geometry and it shows here.

The titanium handles on the Psyop offer solid grip thanks to their machined checkering pattern. The finish Vosteed uses also has a subtle tacky feel. Speaking of the finish, my review sample has their new subtle purple color that looks amazing. It’s a subdued, almost bronze color that reminds me a little of the Russian plumb furniture found on AKMs.

I’m pretty impressed with the value proposition of this knife. If you are the type who will never spend more than $20 on a knife, skip ahead a bit. For everyone else, check the spec sheet including Ti scales, Elmax steel, and a very well-known design collaboration. It is a very competitively priced knife at $250 if you can find it in stock.

So who won’t like this knife? Well, it isn’t a very light or compact knife so if you wear slacks daily it may not be your first choice. If you don’t like large finger choils, you probably won’t like this.

Wrap Up

The Psyop is a flagship knife for Vosteed and, while it is not cheap, it is an excellent value. It’s comfortable to use, bull-strong, and dripping with premium features. If you are looking for the slimmest, lightest, most compact EDC… it ain’t this. If you are looking for a premium knife with some gravity, the Psyop has to be in contention.

Vosteed.com

Vosteed Store on Amazon.com