Vosteed’s Beautiful Art Deco-Inspired EDC Knife Has One of My Favorite Locks

Along with being gorgeous and well-built, it’s one of the most affordable full-sized cutting tools with this locking mechanism.

Vosteed Akita knife closeup with toy dog

By Sean Tirman

Published February 17, 2025

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A relative newcomer in the EDC knife space, Vosteed has been on a tear recently. It seems like the brand is dropping a new knife every couple of weeks — and they’ve all been pretty great.

The newly-dropped Vosteed Akita is another surprise release that continues that trend. Not only is this knife drop-dead gorgeous — especially the Art Deco-inspired configuration — but it’s also one of the most affordable options with one of my favorite locking mechanisms.

Four Vosteed Akita knives on black background — While I prefer the Art Deco-inspired handle, the Akita can also be had with more traditional, tactical scales.

Rugged or refined — your choice

As you can see in the image above, the Vosteed Akita comes in two different configurations, with two colorways each.

The Gray-Stain and Delft Blue-Black Stonewash ones (top right) are equipped with Art Deco-inspired scales with linear machining. However, the Green-Stonewash and Blue-Stonewash options (bottom left) are offered with tactical, textured scales, should you prefer something more traditional.

Apart from the handle scales and color arrangements, the knives are materially and mechanically identical, which is a pleasant surprise. That also means they’re all priced the same, so you don’t have to worry about shelling out more, regardless of your preference.

Their wide-bellied, clip-point blades are made from S35VN steel — a longtime fan favorite — while the handles are crafted from aluminum, giving them plenty of strength without weighing them down. These materials and Vosteed’s penchant for solid constructions should make for an exceptional EDC knife.

Vosteed Akita knife cutting rubber tube closeup — This knife’s wide-belly clip-point blade is ideal for all cutting tasks and is also discreet and compact.

Locked and loaded

My favorite thing about the Vosteed Akita, by a wide margin, is the locking mechanism. All four configurations come standard with the brand’s patented Vanchor Lock.

For the uninitiated, the Vanchor Lock seamlessly combines a reliable button lock — which is presently trending in the EDC world — with the knife’s pivot. This offers all the security you’d get from a typical button lock without the downsides of awkward, unattractive placement.

The Akita isn’t the most affordable Vanchor Lock knife […] but it might be the best-looking of the bunch.

There’s also another benefit to the Akita that’s a bit unusual when compared to other Vanchor Lock knives: it’s pretty cheap.

Earlier knives with this lock were in the over-$200 range. But now that the tech has been perfected, the brand is opening that range to more affordable knives.

The Akita isn’t the most affordable Vanchor Lock knife — the Corgi V, Shilin Cutter and Ankylo are all below this knife’s price point — but it might be the best-looking of the bunch.