Vosteed Thunderbird Trek Lock Knife Review
This Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife combines topo-patterned green satin G10 handles with an M390 steel blade and multiple deployment options. Read on!
Official Specs
Here’s a link to the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife.
Versions
There are a bunch of versions! G10 scales predominate, but titanium and carbon fiber scales are available too. The blade can be coated or uncoated (depending on which scales you go for).
Price
Most versions of the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife sell for $135. The titanium versions, though, sell for $199. Carbon fiber is right in the middle at $169.
Package and Manual
What’s Included
- Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife
- Cleaning cloth
- Zipper pouch
- Manual etc
- Thunderbird sticker
- Thunderbird patch
Look
I’m a big fan of topo patterns. Maps are one of my favorite things! The Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife offers many different colors in the topo look, but also titanium or carbon fiber, too (though neither of those use the topo pattern.)
I’d describe the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife look as “a bit aggressive” but then that’s how I feel about most tanto blades! This one also has very angular and fairly sharp lines, adding to that.
There’s minimal branding.
When open, the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife has a very good posture for use – the blade ends up in the right (or a great) position.
There’s no detent in the blade path. A bit more on that later.
The topo pattern on this green G10 is probably more subtle than on other colors. Take this photo from Vosteed, for example! The multi-color topo really pops!
Open / Close / Lock
Opening the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife is done by either using this thumb flipper tab or one of the ambidextrous thumb holes in the blade. You can even open it as a front flipper, too! Plenty of options…
Once open, this little Trek lock holds it open. There’s no liner lock or frame lock or anything like that – all the locking is done through this button.
To close the knife, you must press the button. Travel here is around 2mm or so – fairly deep!
When the button is pressed, the blade swings fairly freely. The action on the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife is smooth enough that if you press the button and flick the knife around, you can fling the blade out and lock it all in one motion. The same action is possible with most Axis lock knives – in fact, the Trek Lock is very much like an Axis except there’s no slide motion, it’s all press.
The action is very smooth, due in part to the caged ceramic ball bearings.
Build and Feel
The build quality is very good. G10 scales provide moderate but useful grip.
The pivot screw is only accessible on one side and can be adjusted with a TORX screw.
As stated above, you can “flipper” this knife with your thumb or index finger, and jimping is in the right spots for both.
The blade is very nicely centered.
Vosteed has used brass on the backspacer here. That’s a nice touch! Other models do not all use brass. Titanium, for example, appears to use titanium (and it’s also stated as titanium).
You can see it a bit above and mostly below, but the liners are stainless steel and provide a very rigid experience with the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife.
One design feature I don’t love about the Thunderbird is that the brass backspacer sits just a bit proud in the space. I think it’s designed this way (ie this isn’t an afterthought) and that’s fine – I just wish it sat flush. In use, this will never matter.
Another feature I’m surprised by is that when the knife is fully open, the thumb flipper tab sits just a bit higher than the G10 scales. That might be intentional and could protect the G10. You could say the same thing about that brass bit, too.
Size
Blade Length: 3.25″ | 82.55 mm
Overall Length: 7.73″ | 196.34 mm
Blade Width: 1.10″ | 27.9 mm
Blade Thickness: 0.118″ | 3.00 mm
Handle Length: 4.48″ | 113.79 mm
Handle Width: 1.17″ | 29.72 mm
Handle Thickness: 0.472″ | 12 mm
Weight: 3.34 oz | 94.70 g
Here’s the knife in hand:
Below you can see the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!
Also above is the knife beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!
Below is the Vosteed Thunderbird Trek lock knife with the Civivi Elementum. I still use that knife so much!
Steel / Cut / Oats
Vosteed has used S35VN steel on the Thunderbird.
