My take on what the Vosteed NIP-L should have been

[Bronco]

I’d recently seen where Vosteed introduced their NIP-L model folder. On paper, there was a lot for me to like - Elmax steel, a sick hollow ground blade that was thin behind the edge, beautiful blue acid washed titanium scales, and Vosteed’s excellent execution of the button top liner lock.

The only thing that held me back initially was the overall blade profile which struck me as perhaps just a bit too cleaver like for a 3.1” blade. For reference, here’s a look at a factory NIP-L:






With the price being as relatively attractive as it was, I began kicking around the idea of using the folder as the base for a little mod work. It seemed that a little snip off the top of the blade might make it a more attractive prospect.

In the end, I’m fairly tickled with the outcome. The real bonus has been in just how much better the folder feels when in the pocket. I think you can see from the photos how that might be the case.

 

[SharpBits]

Well done and an hugh improvement over the original.

 

[Bronco]

Well done and an hugh improvement over the original.

Thank you, sir.

 

[XtianAus]

That looks so much better

 

[Wowbagger]

I love my pile of Vosteed Nightshades (some stock most modded) .
But sometimes I think ((especially in the last several years)) that the Chinese . . . er I mean off shore companies enjoy messing with us and the English language .
I mean NIP-L ? ? ? Sounds like nipple .
I once bought a power tool and the brand name was : Gazechimp .
The last year or so I have seen """Brand Names""" that don't mean anything and would be unpronounable over the phone ; just a jumble of random letterrs ! ! !
Here is one that is pronouncable but . . ." Fun Hang " .
I mean really ! ?
It's a sport vehicle .

(I was desperate when I bought the Gazechimp . There was no similar tool available at the time . Long story short the tool went "pop" in the first months of careful indoor work at my job . A couple years later De Walt came out with a similar product that I have used for about three years now , every work day , and if anyone even gets near it I growl at them . That is how important the power tool is to me and my job )

How can they keep a straight face at product shows ?

 

[Bronco]

I love my pile of Vosteed Nightshades (some stock most modded) .
But sometimes I think ((especially in the last several years)) that the Chinese . . . er I mean off shore companies enjoy messing with us and the English language .
I mean NIP-L ? ? ? Sounds like nipple .
I once bought a power tool and the brand name was : Gazechimp .
The last year or so I have seen """Brand Names""" that don't mean anything and would be unpronounable over the phone ; just a jumble of random letterrs ! ! !
Here is one that is pronouncable but . . ." Fun Hang " .
I mean really ! ?
It's a sport vehicle .

(I was desperate when I bought the Gazechimp . There was no similar tool available at the time . Long story short the tool went "pop" in the first months of careful indoor work at my job . A couple years later De Walt came out with a similar product that I have used for about three years now , every work day , and if anyone even gets near it I growl at them . That is how important the power tool is to me and my job )

How can they keep a straight face at product shows ?

I feel your pain about the offshore sourced power tools. It reminds me of those borderline disposable “Chicago Electric” power tools they used to sell at Harbor Freight.

FWIW, this mod was done with nothing more than a little 12V Milwaukee angle grinder, a 20 year old Bosch 4x24 belt sander and a cup of ice water. I say that only to encourage those who might have thought about trying their hand at something similar, but think you need to have a workshop full of lathes and milling machines to do so.