Vosteed Mink Review: Great Ergonomics, Excellent Sheath

Vosteed really nailed the packaging. It's as big as it needs to be, not too big, and it really couldn't be any smaller. It's very nice packaging, and the Mink comes with an incredible sheath. You also get a cloth and a card.

Overall length comes in at 7.13 inches, with a 3.33-inch blade and 0.118-inch blade thickness. The steel is Nitro-V, and that's a big, big thing for me. There are some pretty good budget fixed blades, but most use D2. This has a flat grind, a 3.82-inch handle and a handle thickness of 0.460 inch.

The milled Micarta is pretty nice. I've got to say the frag pattern works really well with this design in black and green. It's really, really nice.

Total weight with the sheath is 5.12 ounces. I wouldn't say it's very, very light, but it's a light knife and very nice to carry. Yue Dong designed it, and I really like this first fixed-blade offering from him.

Everything is done right with that sheath. It's such a good sheath.

The Vosteed Thunderbird is considerably longer than the Mink. If you're looking to get into a folding knife, like that nice midsize knife and want to check out Vosteed, the Thunderbird is the one I would recommend.

The Mink is not a really big knife. For an EDC fixed blade, you don't want it to be. You don't want it super small either, but this is such a good size for an everyday-carry fixed blade, at least for me. I love this size.

The Nightshade is another Vosteed I think is radically underrated. It's phenomenal and still one of my personal favorites from Vosteed. Beside that and the CIVIVI Conspirator, the Mink is not a big knife.

When it comes to a fixed blade, ergos are everything. These are some of the best I've felt in terms of the knife becoming one with my hand, probably one of the best I've ever handled. I put this up there with the Chris Reeve Backpacker in terms of ergos. The jimping on the spine is incredible, right where I want it, and there's some really nice jimping farther forward.

This is easily, easily the best budget fixed blade I've ever come across. Granted, I'm not a fixed-blade nut, but it gets me a little more turned on to EDC fixed blades. I really love this blade shape and design. The blade-to-handle ratio is truly phenomenal. It looks great and feels just as good.

It's a super slicey blade, at 0.015 inch behind the edge, with a nice slicey tip. This could be a great hunting fixed blade or a great EDC fixed blade. It fits, it works, and it's awesome.

There are two options: black Micarta with a stonewashed blade, or a blackwashed blade with green Micarta. In this case, I honestly think I like the black blade more, which is not something I say a lot. I love how it works with the green Micarta. Making a frag pattern this clean in Micarta is saying something. The amount of grip between the jimping and the milling is the chef's kiss.

The sheath is fantastic. It has a really, really nice clip attachment for a belt, and I can adjust it to fit certain ways and angles. Retention is very, very nice. The knife pops right in with no wiggling whatsoever. It's snug, and it pops out very easily.

It's a really, really, really good sheath. The clip is nice and durable, too. When it snaps in, there's very little rattling or wiggling. Usually with a budget knife this good, the sheath is going to be complete garbage. That's not the case here. It's the complete package: excellent sheath, phenomenal knife.

What Vosteed is putting together, from fixed blades to premiums to budgets, is a really, really beautiful thing. I love this fixed blade. Very few fixed blades have me talking like this. It's really, really good, and I will definitely be carrying it.

The Vosteed Mink is fantastic. I highly, highly recommend it, and this sheath as well.