Vosteed Parallel Review: Thin Carry, Small Handle

The numbers explain much of the appeal. The Parallel is just over seven inches long when open, with a 2.9-inch blade and a handle only 0.279 inches thick. The blade stock is also thin at 0.079 inches. This is a compact knife even before you turn it edge-on.

My version pairs satin 154CM with gray titanium scales and green aluminum accents. It has a crossbar lock, thumb studs and a reversible tip-up clip. It was $129 when I reviewed it, with three versions to choose from: this raw gray/satin one, an all-black one and a black-handle/satin-blade one.

Beside the Vosteed Acorn and Corgi, the Parallel looks familiar in overall size, but the handle thickness changes how it feels. The Acorn is the one I would point to if someone wanted a fuller, hand-filling grip rather than the thinnest possible carry. I liked its ergonomics a lot.

The CJRB Pyrite Bowie is a little longer. The Civivi Elementum is the closest length comparison I had on the table: the Elementum and Parallel are almost the same length, while the Elementum has a noticeably thicker handle. Similar length does not mean similar grip.

The obvious comparison in my mind was the Benchmade Narrows. In my opinion, the Parallel beat it in several of the things I cared about, starting with price. At $129 for titanium and 154CM, I thought the Parallel was fairly priced. It was not the deal of the century, but I was happy with that price in a way I was not with the Narrows.

The reverse-tanto blade has a flat grind and very little stock to push through a cut. I measured my sample at about 0.013 inches behind the edge. Compared with the thicker stock on the Acorn, that geometry was a big part of what made the Parallel feel so slicey to me.

I love the reverse-tanto shape, and the thin edge is one of the best I had come across in this price range. The blade and handle look right together, too. This is an incredibly appealing little EDC blade to me.

The titanium scales are simple and attractive, with green aluminum thumb studs and a matching backspacer adding a little color. Turn the knife over and the wire clip keeps that understated look. The slim handle is the main attraction here, and the light 2.29-ounce weight fits that purpose.

For something this thin, the handle feels good. It does not hug my hand like the Acorn. I prefer to get my hand forward on it. Further back, my last finger starts to run out of room at the end of the handle.

I would have liked a larger version with roughly a 3.25-inch blade and more handle to go with it. The small Parallel still feels well put together, and I like the way it looks.

Carry is where it really won me over. During those first few days at the office, it felt barely noticeable in my pocket. The deep-carry wire clip leaves very little knife exposed and suits the discreet character of the design. Our best EDC knives guide covers a broader range of handle sizes and carry styles.

Most of the time, the action was extremely good. I could open it with the thumb stud and close it using the crossbar lock without much effort. The thin handle does feel different from the thicker knives I am used to, though, and that matters when placing my hand.

There had been a couple of occasions when the blade seemed to catch during opening, and it happened again while I was discussing it in the video. It then came straight out on the next attempt. My suspicion was that I was pushing too straight up on the stud, or possibly interfering with the lock, rather than pushing outward along the blade’s opening arc.

Pushing outward along the blade’s opening arc worked much better. A handle this thin takes some getting used to when most of my knives feel different, but it still opens easily once I make that adjustment. The pocket carry is excellent.

The Parallel was a fantastic little office knife for me. I preferred its look and wire clip to the Narrows, and the price was much easier to accept. The Narrows’ larger size was the part I still wanted. In the other things that mattered to me, I preferred the Parallel.

If the attraction is a thin titanium folder that takes up very little pocket space, I would put the Parallel on the shortlist. I would still like a longer handle, and I would spend a little time getting comfortable with the thumb-stud motion. Even with those qualifications, my early impression was strongly favorable.