The Drop: Vosteed Mini Nightshade Knife
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The Drop: Vosteed Nightshade Knife
It's a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.
Hot on the heels of the Shilin Cutter-inspired Nightshade, the Vosteed Mini Nightshade takes the same traditional design, sized down to a much more EDC-friendly form factor. The Mini features a 2.6” leaf-shaped blade with a flat grind and stonewashed finish, in two versions cut from S35VN or 14c28n steel to suit your material preferences and budget, with carbon fiber, G-10, and Micarta options. The design retains the same, albeit smaller scale, pronounced curved belly, with a downward-sloping tip that allows for better angles and leverage.
The blade opens with a satisfying and smooth action, courtesy of its thumb studs and ceramic ball bearings pivot assembly that facilitates one-handed operation. Even with its smaller size it’s easily and satisfyingly flickable, and on our sample unit the detent is perfectly tuned for a quick deployment. Within the handle lies the popular and ambidextrous Crossbar Lock that ensures safety when using the blade.
The smaller handle can still accommodate a full-handed grip thanks to a curve where your pinky can rest on the tail, with a backspacer providing extra support even with the thinner handle materials. The reversible stainless steel pocket clip of course is the natural pairing with the Crossbar Lock to ensure full usability for both left- and right-handed users.
What we like: It’s the original unique Nightshade in a friendlier size for daily use and most locales. We appreciate the switch to the Crossbar Lock to make the knife more accessible for users (especially us lefties on the team—Ed.). We also like that it comes with two steel versions in various styles and price points.
What to watch out for: Much like the original Nightshade, the Mini retains the distinct downward-curving tip design of the traditional Shilin Cutter knife, which might take some getting used to if you’re using the knife for the first time. There is also a chance that the Mini might be a little too small for those with much larger hands, in which case the original Nightshade might be a better fit.
Final verdict: Unique utility in a compact package.
He has lived through many personal and professional lives, spending nearly a decade in the workforce management industry, a minor career in gaming, and has lent a hand with entrepreneurial efforts back home in the Philippines. He has also been an active participant and helped build a number of significant social communities online, both for EDC and his other hobbies.
Mikey has been at the cusp of gaming, technology, and the internet since the ‘90s and continues to lend his experience, expertise, and authority to all his pursuits. When not online, in a game, or watching movies, you'll find him in the gym, speedrunning his next hobby, or talking at length about EDC with anyone willing to listen.
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