Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 Knife Review

The Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife uses a button to release the lock for very smooth action. Orange G10 scales and a black-coated blade round out this knife!

Official Specs

Here’s a link to the Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife.

Versions

A bunch of versions of the Vosteed Raccoon Top liner lock knife have been made. Not all of the versions are currently available, but the one seen on this page is.

The variations include different scale colors, different scale materials (G10, Micarta), different blade colors, and even a blade shape option (Bowie, Drop Point, and modified Sheepsfoot (seen here)). Suffice it to say, if you’re into this knife, there’s almost certainly a colorway you’ll like!

Price

This version of the Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife sells for $69 and is available now.

Package and Manual

There is no manual.

What’s Included

Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife
Cleaning cloth
Carry pouch
Vosteed sticker
Warranty card, etc.

Look

Nearly two years ago, I reviewed a Vosteed Raccoon – the full-size version. It looks like that version has been removed from the Vosteed website. Today’s version of the Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife does have a few design changes, but generally, these seem like very similar knives.

There’s a blade shape change, at least. They call this a “Modified Sheepsfoot” blade. The scales on this version are G10 (but Micarta is still available, too).

Either way, this is a nice looking knife. Obviously the black and orange colorway is fantastic!

Open / Close / Lock

A thumbstud is used to open the Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife.

Vosteed made the Raccoon ambidextrous; there’s a thumbstud on both sides of the blade.

The thumbstud is very accessible thanks to some cutout areas in the scales.

The lock release, however, is only on one side.

The blade is practically a “drop shut” smoothness. It’s very good! Below you can see that with the button depressed and the knife held nearly horizontal (i.e., not a lot of weight pulling the blade closed), the blade still willingly tucks itself away in the scales (closed).

Build and Feel

This version of Raccoon TLL uses G10 scales. I’ve had Micarta before, and they’re great. Orange G10 is great, too! The build quality is great, and note that the G10 is finished to a high-grip surface.

The blade is perfectly centered.

The pivot, as Vosteed says, is a “Caged Ceramic Ball Bearing.” Action is very willing. There’s no blade play at all.

There’s a bit of jimping on the spine.

Only one side has a TORX bolt in the pivot. The other side is blank.

Inside the orange G10 are skeletonized metal liners.

The Vosteed Raccoon Top liner lock knife is a nice-looking knife! And if you’re saying, “Hey, that’s too big!” Well, don’t forget about the Raccoon Cub!

The Raccoon has minimal branding (which is great), and what’s there is subtle.

Size

Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife on a two dollar bill compared to Civivi Elementum in orange

Above you can see the Vosteed Raccoon knife with the Civivi Elementum in orange G10. I use that knife so much!

Here’s the knife in hand:

Below you can see the Vosteed Raccoon 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!

In the photo above, you may note that the SRM (standard reference material) flashlight for comparison has changed! I used a TorchLAB BOSS 35 for ages. Now, what you can see as the 18350 SRM is the Hanko Machine Works Trident. While I have not reviewed or tested the Gunner Grip version seen here, I have tested a Hanko Machine Works Trident Total Tesseract in brass. I love the Trident, and it’s a striking contrast next to the inexpensive Convoy S2+, which also makes a great standard reference material.

Steel / Cut / Oats

Vosteed states the Raccoon blade steel as “14C28N.”

Here are some details on that steel:

https://www.materials.sandvik/en/products/strip-steel/strip-products/knife-steel/sandvik-knife-steels/sandvik-14c28n/

The blade coating has a bit of a sheen. That mostly wipes off, as the blade comes from the factory quite oiled.

This “modified Sheepsfoot” blade is great. I am not sure why the drain channel (?) is built into the top of the blade, but it’s still a nice blade shape.

Retention

The pocket clip used on the Raccoon is similar to other Vosteed knives I’ve seen (like the Nightshade). The pocket clip is a nice, deep carry clip. The clip is held in place by two “over/under” TORX screws (around T6, I think).

It’s reversible, too, but allows only tip-up carry.

Vosteed even includes a blank for the side where the clip isn’t. Note that spacious lanyard hole, too!

You can see below that the pocket clip has a nice shoulder and a fairly accessible “mouth,” so using the pocket clip is easy. This is another improvement over the original – more of an opening between the clip and scales.

Also, note the matching orange backspacer!

Finally, there’s an included nylon zippered pouch. This is standard for Vosteed!

Summary and Conclusion

The Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife is a nice knife, made even better with this updated blade shape and orange G10. The button lock on this ceramic ball-bearing knife works great for actuating the top liner lock. The Vosteed Raccoon TLL Orange G10 knife is just a nice, fun, and reasonably priced knife!

Notes

This knife was provided by Vosteed for review. I was not paid to write this review.
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