Vombat - Crossbar Lock (2.92" M390 Blade & Aluminum Handle) - A4103

I've been carrying the new Vosteed Vombat for several weeks now and really love the knife. It's got a nice weight to it. Feels good in the hands and deploys nicely. For reference I have medium size hands and prefer knife blades in the 2.9" - 3.2" range. I got the spear point over the bowie, but might have to pick up a bowie too... really couldn't decide. The scales are nice and not too agressive going into the pocket. I did adjust the omega spring to make it a little lighter. This was a VERY easy task with the way you can remove the scales without full disassembly. The only other change I made was to get rid of the little plastic bar in the wire clip... it looks nice and the idea is cool, but in practice it was a pain and got caught on my pocket when trying to slide it in. Blade came super sharp and I haven't had to sharpen it yet with my limit usage (opening some packages and cutting some rope). I know Vosteed has a crazy amount of knives but few actually click for me... up until now it was just the smaller Thunderbird that was in my rotation. This knife doesn't have that same fidget factor but has still made it into my rotation. Good job!

Vosteed has nailed their version of the Axis Lock and have produced a great little pocket knife!

Love it! Great little knife!

This knife is an amazingly good EDC. I find myself using it more than any other knife in my collection, since I have gotten it.

First, forget the scales and thumbstuds and clip plate customization for a minute. The knife, itself, from top to bottom, is perfect for my EDC needs and tastes. It's a small knife, let's just get that out of the way. BUT... it's not too small. I can get a full grip on the handle with about a 1/4" to spare in either direction. The blade not having a finger choil means that the entire blade length is usable, as well, so you can maximize the size that you do get. If you do need to use a pinch grip for more control, the handles are tapered in at the base of the blade to aid in that, like many bushcraft and kitchen knives I have seen, and it has ridiculously good jimping on the spine in the natural resting spots for your index finger when doing so, one spot toward the base of the spine and one spot towards the tip. And it's not an "ultra-lightweight" Bugout wannabe... this thing has heft. Not too much, but enough to feel like a tool. It's solid. And, it has jimping on the bottom of the handle for when you rest the base of the knife on your palm pad in order to one-handedly close the crossbar. For a knife of this size, I very much appreciate that. It doesn't slip. Period. After having a few knives this size with that lock, I immediately noticed how nice this was and began to wonder why it's taken so long to see this used in a knife design.

As for the action, this is probably the best feeling crossbar lock I have ever used. Smooth, strong spring tension, with a solid "chunk" sound when it opens. I did not expect that, at all. Vosteed put a new wrinkle in the lock design that is supposed to aid in the smoothness, as well as the long term endurance of the lock mechanism itself, so that may explain part of how good it feels, I am not sure. Basically they put a spherical section right in the middle of the crossbar that should aid in lock up and keep wear and tear to a minimum. Either way, this thing is phenomenally smooth. Not to mention that the Omega springs are easily adjustable... 3 positions to fine-tune the strength of the tension if you like it a little softer or stronger. I went full strength. Love it.

The blade... it's a no nonsense drop point, great grind geometry, and made of M390 with 61-ish HRC. Mine has the stonewash finish... and it looks and performs great. I stropped it up with my usual 6, 3, then 1 micron diamond strop progression, after getting it, and haven't had to touch it, since. The factory edge was perfect and very sharp, but after the strop session it's cutting freestanding paper towels with ease. Shaving hairs? pfff... they jump off my arm before this thing gets close. It's showing the edge retention that that steel is known for after pretty regular use, too, so I believe that they have a good Heat Treat for it. It's a good, versatile, known-good shape made with steel that performs well, that just delivers EDC prowess in waves.

THEN we get to the customization. I love the options, and can't wait for more scales. I went with the dark blue ones, initially, and used the gold thumb-studs that came with the scales, and left the clip plate "as-is." It looks damn good. Understated and classy.

All in all, it's a win all around.10/10

The Vombat from Vosteed is a great choice if you prefer a smaller EDC utility folder. It's slightly larger (1/4" overall longer and about 1/8" wider) and slightly heavier than the Mini Bugout from Benchmade. So, while a smaller EDC, it is beefier than others of it's same length and is a sharp, strong cutter that feels great in the hand. Also,the aluminum scales are a beautiful iridescent blue, definitely eye-catching!