Last year at the
Blade Show, I noticed the Corgi Trek at Vosteed Knife. I was struck by the size, shape, and
interesting opening mechanism.
Vosteed Corgi
First, a little
about Vosteed Knife. Vosteed was started
in 2021 by Johnny and Yue Dong. The
plant is located in China. They work
with several international designers like Geoff Blauvelt and Ray Laconico, to name
a few. The mission statement declares,
“Honesty is a core business value.” I
have always found the best knife companies have simple, understandable
statements about fundamental values.
Yue Dong is the
in-house designer responsible for the Teck Lock on Corgi knives.
I like Vosteed
Knife. I spent more than a bit of money
at their booth at 2024 Blade.
This Corgi has a
sheepsfoot blade with a high shoulder grind and reverse tanto point. The complex angles where the tanto meets the
spine give the blade an eye-candy look.
The sub-three-inch
blade is made from 14C28N steel hardened to a RHc of 60. This steel has been a favorite compared to S30V,
VG-10, and AEB-L, all quality knife steels.
Let's briefly look at the chemistry.
14C28N steel can vary depending on the manufacturer, but it generally
contains:
14% Chromium:
Provides corrosion resistance and hardness,
0.6% Carbon:
Increases hardness and wear resistance,
0.3% Nitrogen:
Improves hardness and corrosion resistance,
0.3% Manganese:
Improves hardenability and wear resistance,
and trace
amounts of Silicon, Phosphorus, and Sulfur.
The last three improve machinability.
14C28N steel has
excellent edge retention and improved hardness due to the nitrogen content. More than one reviewer thinks it's a great
choice for tasks that require a sharp edge, like cutting and slicing.
The levels of
chromium provide good resistance to rust resistance and other forms of
corrosion. I have a knife that I
accidentally ‘patinaed’ by slicing lemons.
Don’t laugh, it could happen to you.
 |
| the reversible clip |
The blade is
housed in a reinforced frame with a blue-gray micarta handle. The knife comes with a deep carry clip for
right-side, tip-up carry. The clip is
reversible. You can't help but notice
the depression that takes the clips has a metal plug filling it. It gives the knife a look of
completeness. It's something you don't
see on many higher-end knives.
 |
| Opening flippers |
The knife opener
is called “front and back flippers."
The flippers have a bit of gimping for friction, and you open the knife
by pressing down on the ear. The blade
glides open on caged ceramic ball bearings.
This is high-tech stuff.
 |
| A little pressure on the opening tab and the Corgi flies open |
Ceramic ball
bearings have high hardness and elastic modulus. No, that's not techno-babble; it means the
bearings resist deformation under load and have increased wear and corrosion
resistance. They can run
lubricant-free. If you must rinse the
knife out and can't re-oil it, the bearings have your back.
There is a
downside. Ceramic bearings are sensitive
to thermal shock and have lower load capacities. These aren't really problems for knives.
Time for a true
confession. I don't sell knives from my
blog, and I don't own this Corgi. I know
it feels good in my hand, but I’m not about to use someone else's knife in
cutting tests. On the Vosteed website, I
noticed that their current stock was low.
What will the proposed trade tariffs affect? I don't know.
If you're
looking for one, I'd act sooner than later.
