Yue Dong

Hey everyone, Yue here. I am the in-house engineer at Vosteed.

I am always fascinated by knives. When I was a small child, I often saw my father (who was a wildlife biologist at the time) making and sharpening his knives. He told me that knife is the most dependable tool when he was alone in the wild. When I was around ten years old, my aunt gifted me her heirloom Shilin Cutter, and I was instantly captivated by the beauty of it.

Fast forward, to when I was doing my dissertation at the University of Oklahoma, I spent a lot of time studying human dietary transition and associated history of tools. My research has deepened my interest in knife making. In some sense, even prior to the earliest hunter and gatherer period, knives (including bi-facial hand tools) have become the ultimate tool that propels human evolution. Knives not only allow us to defend ourselves in the wild, but they also make it much easier and more sufficient for our ancestors to extract fat (crucial for brain development) and calories from different sources. Since I had access to both 3D modeling software and the mechanic shop on campus, I started to design and prototype my own knives.

In terms of knife designs, I am a big fan of combining functionality with fidgetablity. I view knives as the ultimate physical touch point between us and the surrounding world, and I often find myself playing with my knives even subconsciously. One of my main focuses is developing new locking mechanisms and making knives more fun to play with. My recent works include the Vosteed Thunderbird, Valkyrie, and Corgi models; which all have different opening methods, and my Trek Lock system.

Besides working on my own stuff, I enjoy chatting with my friends about knives, sports, food, and pets. I sincerely feel that the most amazing thing about the whole EDC journey is the friendship that I am blessed with. When I am not working in the workshop, I enjoy watching anime, hanging out with my cats, and having random snack adventures with my friends.

Yue Dong

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