Vosteed's Nymble has always been a knife about opening. The original, designed with John Rusk of EMP EDC, was built around front and back flippers plus a dual-milled oval that let the blade be snapped open from almost any grip. The new A4701 keeps that brief and changes the one thing that mattered most: the lock. Vosteed's in-house Vanchor Lock replaces the original mechanism, and the company says the internal structure was reworked around it without altering the feel that made the Nymble a favorite. The price is $329, the blade is a 3.25-inch Elmax tanto, and the handles are machined titanium.
What the Vanchor Lock Changes
The Vanchor Lock combines a pivot-centered release with a solid steel locking structure. In practice that means the release sits near the pivot rather than at the rear of the handle, so the thumb travels less and the grip does not have to break to close the knife. Vosteed describes the action as crisp, and the design intent is clear: a lock that can be operated without looking, from either hand, on a knife that already offers multiple opening routes.
The rest of the deployment suite is carried over intact. There is a front flipper on the spine side and a back flipper at the rear, plus the dual-milled oval that can be used as a thumb hole or a reverse-flick contact point. Four opening methods on one knife sounds like marketing, but on the Nymble it is the actual design thesis: the knife is meant to be fidgeted with, and each method engages a different part of the hand. Vosteed has added jimping to the lower back flipper and the backspacer for traction where the fingers land.
The Blade: A Tanto That Cuts
The 3.25-inch Elmax blade is ground as a compound: a hollow-ground main edge for slicing, with a flat-ground forward section that adds mass behind the tip. That is a more thoughtful interpretation of the American tanto than the usual hard-angled two-edge geometry, which tends to leave a long straight edge that does not slice well and a secondary edge that is rarely used. Here the hollow main edge does the cutting work and the flat section stiffens the point, which is exactly what a tanto should do on a working folder.
Elmax is a powder-metallurgy stainless from Uddeholm, valued for a balance of wear resistance, toughness and corrosion resistance that sits close to M390 in edge holding while being somewhat easier to sharpen. Vosteed does not publish a hardness figure for this run, but Elmax is typically run between 59 and 61 HRC in production knives, which is a sensible range for a blade this size.
Specifications
Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
Blade steel | Elmax (powder metallurgy stainless) |
Blade style | Tanto, compound grind |
Handle material | CNC-machined titanium, honeycomb texture |
Blade length | 3.25 in |
Overall length | Not disclosed |
Blade thickness | Not disclosed |
Weight | Not disclosed |
Lock type | Vanchor Lock |
Deployment | Front flipper, back flipper, dual-milled oval |
Designer | John Rusk, EMP EDC |
Price (MSRP) | $329 |
Status | Available on Vosteed's site |
Handle and Hardware
The titanium scales are the most refined part of the knife. Vosteed machines the honeycomb pattern and sculpted contours directly into the slabs, then routes the main fasteners away from the show side so the pattern reads uninterrupted. That sounds like a small thing until you compare it with knives where a row of black screws cuts across the finish. The lanyard opening has been enlarged to take thicker cord, and the pocket clip is a 3D-machined titanium piece rather than a stamped spring.
John Rusk's mark is laser-engraved on the Vanchor pivot cover, which is a nice bit of credit where credit is due: collaborations often bury the designer's name in the product copy and nowhere on the object. The honeycomb texture also does functional work, giving the fingers something to register against on a handle that is otherwise smooth titanium.
Positioning
At $329 the Nymble sits in the same bracket as titanium frame locks from WE Knife, Kansept and Bestech, and above most of Vosteed's own lineup. What it sells is not material novelty, since Elmax and titanium are both common at this price, but the deployment experience and the design pedigree. EMP EDC's Nymble has a following among people who care about action, and this version keeps the ergonomics while giving them a lock that is easier to operate one-handed.
The trade-off is documentation. Vosteed has not published overall length, weight or blade thickness for the A4701, which makes direct comparison with, say, a WE Cybernetic or a Kansept K9 difficult. Buyers who care about carry weight should ask before ordering, because a full titanium handle at this size usually lands between four and five ounces.
The Verdict
The Nymble A4701 is a considered update rather than a restyle: the lock is new, the blade grind is better than a conventional tanto, and the titanium work is a step above what Vosteed has shipped before. It is expensive for the brand, and the missing weight figure is an annoyance at $329, but for anyone who wants a fidget-friendly titanium folder with a designer's name actually on it, this is one of the more interesting releases of the season. Available now from Vosteed.