One of many extra thrilling new knives to be proven at this 12 months’s Blade Present was the Vosteed Raccoon Cub. The design was immediately recognizable as a scaled-down Raccoon (the mannequin that Vosteed could also be most identified for) but it surely was additionally clear that this knife was going to tackle established designs within the fifth pocket or little-big-knife house.
Now that I’ve hung out with a evaluation pattern and pricing has been launched, I can say it delivers. In reality, I’ll say that I feel that is best-in-class.
Specs
Blade Size: 2.34″ | 59.50 mm
Total Size: 5.57″ | 141.60 mm
Blade Width: 0.98″ | 25.00 mm
Blade Thickness: 0.098″ | 2.50 mm
Blade Materials: 14C28N
Blade Grind: Flat
Blade Fashion: Drop Level
Hardness: HRC 60±2
Deal with Size: 3.23″ | 82.10 mm
Deal with Width: 1.00″ | 25.50 mm
Deal with Thickness: 0.41″ | 10.50 mm
Deal with Materials: G10
Weight: 2.04 oz | 58.00 g
Opener: Thumb Stud | Entrance Flipper
Lock Kind: Liner Lock
Pivot Meeting: Caged Ceramic Ball Bearing
Pocket Clip: Reversible | Stainless Metal
Carry Place: Tip-up
Knife Kind: Guide Folding
Thumbstud Materials: Aluminum
Designer: Yue
Observations from Use
I’m an enormous fan of one of these knife. I often carry a set blade knife so it’s good to have a compact folding knife that’s sufficiently small to not be burdensome however giant sufficient to be helpful. This little-big-knife or fifth pocket knife phase is rising and aggressive. That’s good for me as a result of I’m totally on board.
The Raccoon Cub has precisely the kind of ergonomics you need in a knife like this. It has a big, useable finger choil within the blade to permit a full and comfy four-finger grip in the event you choke up whereas additionally remaining very compact when it’s folded. It’s a well-established system that’s effectively executed on this design.
The Raccoon Cub will inevitably draw comparisons to the Civivi Child Banter – a knife that I personal and that actually stands out on this phase. The 2 knives are comparable in some ways however differ in some key methods:
- I desire the blade form of the Raccoon Cub with its extra acute tip, one thing I discover particularly helpful on a small knife.
- The Racoon Cub additionally provides leaping on the backbone out close to that time to make it even simpler to regulate for tremendous duties.
- The Raccoon Cub is VERY SLIGHTLY heavier however, for that weight, you get skeletonized and nested metal liners which is good.
- The Raccoon Cub’s deal with is rather less cramped because of the taper on the butt and it is usually simpler to open thanks to raised motion and the addition of a entrance flipper.
- The Raccoon Cub is a full $10-12 cheaper than the bottom Child Banter choices.
Talking of the entrance flipper. I simply need to point out that I usually don’t actually care about them and barely use them. Nonetheless, within the case of the Raccoon Cub, it’s so effectively executed, snappy, and simple to make use of that I discover that it’s really helpful as a substitute of simply fidgety. Some customers with bigger palms, could even desire it.
The motion on my evaluation pattern is extraordinarily clean with a really crispy detent. In reality, I can deploy the blade with simply stress from the pad of my center finger. The detent holds rock regular till you apply sufficient stress to beat it after which the blade rockets open. It’s very satisfying.
Wrap Up
When this knife was proven at Blade Present, I acknowledged the potential. Once I hung out with it, I fell in love. When it lastly went up on the market and I noticed the value, I turned satisfied that the Raccoon Cub is best-in-class.
That is now one of the best fifth pocket knife out there. The worth is nice. The ergonomics are nice. The slicing efficiency is nice. It’s only a stellar knife.
The Raccoon Cub is initially solely out there Amazon: Vosteed Raccoon Cub at Amazon.com
Will probably be out there direct from Vosteed at a later date: Vosteed.com
