REVIEW – I’ve had the chance to review a couple of folding knives from Vosteed and have been impressed so when they offered me the chance to review their new Vosteed Minibarbar cleaver, I couldn’t say no. Let’s see if the Vosteed Minibarbar cleaver is a workhorse or a wimp.
What is it?
The Vosteed Minibarbar is an outdoor-oriented cleaver-style knife with a 6” blade, full tang construction, and a built-in bottle opener.
Note: This knife was designed by Yue and Johnny of Vosteed, but it is being sold on their new site Flamurs.com
What’s in the box?
- Vosteed Minibarbar in Damascus steel
- Leather sheath with belt clip
- Info sheet
Hardware specs
- Blade Designer: Yue Dong
- Blade Material: Damascus/7Cr17MoV
- Handle Material: G10, Frag pattern
- Blade Shape: Cleaver
- Blade Construction: Full tang
- Finish: Damascus, satin, stonewashed
- Hardness: HRC
- Overall Length: 10.92” or 275.53mm
- Blade Length: 6” or 150.45mm
- Blade Width: 3.12” or 79.43mm
- Blade Thickness: 0.157” or 4mm
- Handle Length: 4.92” or 125.08mm
- Handle Width: 1.17” or 29.78mm
- Weight: 12.06 oz or 341.9g
Design and features
The Vosteed Minibarbar is a well-thought-out cleaver. The 6” blade is a very usable size without being too cumbersome and is easy to pack. It has a very nice heft to it which makes chopping and cutting easier by just letting the weight of the knife do the work. The Damascus steel had a nice pattern to it but you can get the Minibarbar with a satin or stonewashed blade.
The handle was comfortable in the hand and the G10 scales have a more aggressive frag pattern that felt very secure in the hand even when wet.
The included sheath is made from thick leather and feels very nice. The buttons snap crisply and the belt loop is big enough for a 1.5″ wide belt.
Performance
The Vosteed Minibarbar cuts, chops, dices, and slices with aplomb. It is well-balanced and has excellent knuckle clearance when mincing garlic in a rocking motion. Dicing large onions was just as easy and I actually preferred the extra height and width of the blade to allow some extra palm pressure on the top of the blade. I then used it to julienne some bell peppers and it felt just as nimble as my normal chef’s or Santoku-style kitchen knives.
The handle was extremely comfortable and I really appreciated the extra knuckle clearance.
One thing my other knives don’t have is a bottle opener in the handle which came in handy while grilling since a cold beverage is almost a must when grilling. You can also use the bottle opener ring to hang it from a hook or tree branch if need be which can come in handy when camping.
What I like
- Great balance, heft, and comfortable in the hand
- Very reasonable price
What I’d change
- I would prefer the top of the blade to be flat for pushing food off cutting boards like the sold-out Vosteed Morgan meat cleaver but that’s a minor gripe on an otherwise superb knife
Final thoughts
I had been wanting to try a cleaver in the kitchen for some time now and the Vosteed Minibarbar is my go-to knife for all kitchen use now. When I go camping (if it ever warms up in Washington) I will definitely be taking this with me for camp cooking. Well done Vosteed!
Vosteed fans can get a 50% off discount code for the Minibarbar on Flamurs.com by joining the Vosteed Knife Group on Facebook to claim the 50% off coupon.
Price: $159 for Damascus or $139 for 7Cr.
Where to buy: Flamur.com
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Vosteed.
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Nice knife, but who needs a bottle opener these days? Heck, I have a brass bottle opener in my kitchen drawer that hasn’t seen the light of day for 30+ years!