Vosteed Raccoon — 3.25 inch drop point blade in Sandvik 14C28N

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Vosteed Raccoon · Drop Point
3.25″ blade · 3.44 oz · ~1.1″ tall

Length and spine thickness drawn to true scale from published specs. Outline traced from the maker's side-profile photo.

Vosteed

Vosteed Raccoon

Name: Vosteed Raccoon
Brand: Vosteed
Availability: Discontinued

EDC FolderFolding

DiscontinuedVosteed no longer makes this knife in this configuration. Its current replacement is Vosteed Raccoon 2.0 Crossbar.

The Vosteed Raccoon is a 3.25" drop point folder in Sandvik 14C28N, flat ground. The handle is G-10, secured by a crossbar lock. Its Crossbar lock is rare here — only 2 folders in the catalogue use one.

Blade: 3.25″
Weight: 3.44 oz
Steel: Sandvik 14C28N
Price band: Mid

Best for

Everyday carry and general utility

We don’t have a verified retailer link for this knife yet. We only link products we have confirmed resolve to the right item — here’s why.

Specifications

Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against vosteed.com.

Blade length: 3.25″
Blade shape: Drop Point
Grind: Flat
Steel: Sandvik 14C28N
Overall length: 7.6″
Weight: 3.44 oz
Lock: Crossbar
Deployment: Manual
Handle material: G-10
Country of origin: China

Why a drop point

The default hunting and EDC shape, and the safest general answer. The spine curves down to the tip in a convex line, which keeps the point low and strong and leaves plenty of belly for skinning. It is hard to make a drop point bad at anything.

Every drop point here →

About Sandvik 14C28N

Developed with Kershaw. Tough, rust-resistant, and about as easy to sharpen as a good steel gets — the reason it dominates the value tier.

Edge retention

2/5

Toughness

4/5

Corrosion resistance

4/5

Ease of sharpening

5/5

1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All Sandvik 14C28N knives

What owners say

Drawn from 847 owner discussions of the Vosteed Raccoon since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.

What owners like

Spare omega springs come in the box, which reviewers point out because few other makers include them; reviewers also got a pouch, a cleaning cloth and a velcro patch with the knife.
The factory edge is unusually keen: one reviewer called it the sharpest factory edge they had seen after it shaved paper smoothly, another found it disgustingly sharp out of the box, and one owner who had it fall blade-first into a palm confirms it is razor sharp out of the box.
Left-handers get real support: the inset clip switches to left-hand carry, a filler piece covers the empty clip pocket, and one lefty reviewer found it easier to open in the left hand than the right.
Centering and lockup were good on the reviewed samples: zero blade play and a centered blade straight out of the box on two, and the one that arrived with a trace of side play was cured with a Torx turn that held.
Caged ceramic bearings give it a drop-shut close and, unusually for a bar lock, a real detent; one reviewer found the detent strong enough that a light thumb push fires the blade, and another could spidey-flick it despite the thumb studs.
The crossbar feels secure in use: one owner's spine-whack test did not close it, and another doing house and garden work called it super stable with a muted sound when it locks.
The 14C28N blade held up to hard use for one owner, who cut rope, banana stalks, heavy tarp and coconuts on an island excursion during two weeks of testing and still had a bit of working edge, and who now prefers it to their CJRB Pyrite.
Large hands get along with it: one reviewer said it fits their XL glove hands perfectly, two others report no hot spots, and one owner finds the rounder, wider handle stable for real work.
Some owners prefer it to pricier crossbar knives: one would rather carry their crossbar Raccoon than a Benchmade 940, another prefers it to the Bugout, and a third kept it as a backup carry after moving to a modded PM2.

What owners flag

The blade can swing into your palm when closing: one owner cut a palm working the crossbar one-handed and 3D printed a longer butt insert, and another measured only about 3 mm of tip clearance from the scales.
Closing has a bounce: three reviewers say the blade tends to bounce back open at the end of the swing, and one owner of both versions says the crossbar pops out if you mistime the close where the button lock simply snaps shut.
Lock tension out of the box can be heavy: one carbon fiber Raccoon owner needed thumb and forefinger to pull the bar and had sore fingers after two hours of break-in, one reviewer found it a little stiff at first before it smoothed out, and another found the action slightly stiff out of the box.
Tested hardness came in low on one crossbar blade at 57.6 HRC, against 59.2 for a button-lock Raccoon in the same batch of tests and a listed 60 plus or minus 2.
Finish marks show: one owner found the white G-10 scales prone to staining, and another's 14C28N blade picked up small black spots after coconut juice dried on it.
Some buyers are not won over: one sold theirs on soon after buying, one rated its fit and finish below a QSP Penguin, one found the blade shape did not suit them, and one judged a 14C28N Ozark Trail crossbar better after handling both.
The action is inconsistent between samples: one owner found the blade swinging loosely with no crisp snap even after fitting aftermarket bearings and washers, one reviewer wished for a stronger detent and a higher clip for deeper carry, and an owner of both versions finds the crossbar's detent a little softer than the button lock's.
Vosteed is winding the crossbar version down, and parts are scarce: one owner was told by Vosteed it is reducing crossbar Raccoon production and has ended the all-black one, and another could not find a replacement clip for a friend's knife.

Around $60 bought a 3.25 in 14C28N crossbar folder that two owners prefer to the Benchmade Bugout and 940, and several of the early reports came from review samples Vosteed sent out. People carry it as an everyday folder for packages, boxes, the house and garden, and one owner credits the all-black crossbar version with pulling them back into knives.

Caged ceramic bearings, a real detent and a drop-shut close are what reviewers notice first, along with a very sharp factory edge and spare omega springs in the box. The complaints are about closing it: the blade bounces at the end of the swing for three reviewers, the tip clears the scales by only about 3 mm, and one owner cut a palm working the lock one-handed. Out-of-box lock tension ranges from slightly stiff to sore-finger heavy, and one crossbar blade tested at 57.6 HRC.

Kershaw Iridium and Civivi Vision FG are the knives one buyer weighed it against, and owners split among the three, while Vosteed's own button-lock and top liner lock Raccoons now compete with it too. Vosteed is winding the crossbar version down, and one owner expects the remaining ones to turn up at retailers or on the used market.

Crossbar or button-lock Raccoon?

One owner of both prefers the crossbar but says it sounds clunkier, has a slightly softer detent and pops out on a mistimed close, while the button lock snaps shut and has the better choil. A hardness tester measured the button version at 59.2 HRC and the crossbar at 57.6. Against the top liner lock version, one owner says the crossbar removes the worry of accidentally disengaging the lock in some whittling grips.

Is the crossbar Raccoon being discontinued?

One owner says Vosteed is cutting back crossbar Raccoon production, has stopped the all-black version, and had only one left at its China warehouse, which that owner bought. Another owner says there are still quite a few of the old crossbar variant left.

Does the blade really swing into your palm?

It can. One owner cut a palm working the crossbar one-handed and printed a longer insert for the butt of the handle, and another measured only about 3 mm of tip clearance from the scales and says to watch the tip when closing, especially with large hands.

Did early Raccoons have lock problems?

One owner says their first-run Raccoon has lockface issues, and another remembers hearing of a possible lock defect without knowing whether it was fixed. Of two early review samples, one had zero play and the other a trace of side play cured by tightening the pivot.

Raccoon, Kershaw Iridium or Civivi Vision FG?

Opinions split. One owner of both the Raccoon and the Vision carries the Raccoon more, another who owns all the contenders would pick the Raccoon for its lock and ergonomics, and one who was let down by the Iridium's small bearing washers and D2 would take the Raccoon. One Iridium owner ranks the Iridium and the Vision ahead of it.

Is it a good way to get a Bugout-style crossbar for less?

Two owners say yes: one prefers their crossbar Raccoon to the Bugout and likes not worrying about losing a cheaper knife, and another would rather carry it than a Benchmade 940. One reviewer paid around $60, and one owner got theirs on sale for $40.