Q1 2025 Carries
We had 6” of snow in mid April, but other than that the weather wasn’t too bad. As a result my carry options weren’t too weather limited. I also tried out a few EDC fixed blade options thanks to Ulti-Clip set ups.
L to R: Dawson Machinecraft Hoku Clicky, Mont Blanc Meisterstuck 146, and Wells Blade Works nameless folder
The light and the pen are pretty familiar. The knife, while having been reviewed before, is something that was not in my regular carry. It developed some up and down blade play, which is basically unfixable by a user in a linerlock. I sent it back to Walter and he fixed it quickly. The service was the best I have ever received in the knife business. The knife returned dead perfect and it has been in my pocket quite a bit. It is a great blade and it is a true custom—I picked out the steel, the opening method, the size, the blade shape, and the handle materials. To call the knife warm and comfortable is an understatement. This is one of those worn-in items that, like with a good pair of dress shoes and a baseball mitt, is better than something brand new.
L to R: Monterey Bay Tusk, Tactile Knives Mini Side Click, and Prometheus Lights Ti Beta v3
The font of good tidings I have for the Al Mars of old is limitless. Even now, I am looking for one of the micarta versions. Well, maybe not now. The Tusk sates that desire like no other knife, even the resurrected models. This is a slim, slicing, minimal blade that weighs hardly anything and yet it sports a titanium handle and S90V steel all for a cool Benjamin. This is so much of what I like in one place, it is hard to put into words. It also has a visual kinship with one of my favorite torches the Ti Beta. Here they are together with the Slim Side Click for what I think it is one of the best looking EDCs possible. Clean, stripey, and great.
L to R: Prometheus Lights Ti Beta v3, Northwoods Knives Indian River Jack (2020), Scout Leatherworks Pocket Protector
Do you have one of those places where, no matter how short your visit, you always leave feeling like you have been on vacation? I have two of those places. One is an ice cream stand near me called Rota Springs. The other is Treehouse Brewery in Charlton, Mass. This is basically beer heaven. Behind the brewery there is a hill with probably a hundred or so Adirondack chairs on it (I could write an essay on the perfection that is the Adirondack chair…what a masterpiece of good design). From there you can see the whole place. Music from the pavillion wafts up to you. And you can sip some truly outstanding beverages. Each time I go I think about doing a Get Together there for Gear Geeks in Massachusetts. Let me know if that would be something you’d do. Drop me an email at everydaycommentary at gmail dot com (in the usual format). I’d like to do it so there is no cost to anyone but me, but the rooms are pretty pricey. Anyway, this is the carry I had on me that day and nothing fits the slow-it-down vibe quite as well as an Indian River Jack in a Scout Leatherworks Pocket Protector. This is, of course, a knife that needs a re-issue. BADLY.
L to R: Malkoff x Kosun VME, Chris Reeve Small Sebenza 31, Grand Seiko SBGA211 “Snowflake”
Nothing in this photo is short of amazing. Each item could be your last of its particular product class, last you four decades, and still be serviceable at the end of that time period. If you want to put your EDC decisions on “Expensive, but Easy” the light and the knife are no brainers. I love the elegance of the Snowflake but I can see other people liking a Rolex. You know, just in case you want to either confirm your status as a bro or a Snowbird. All great, no questions asked.
L to R: Zebralight SC65, Bridgeport Knife Co. 395 v2
I often consider downsizing my collection and I regularly purge review samples. One that has stuck around through many such cycles is the Bridgeport. I am not exactly sure why. Of course it is a great knife, as the score indicates, but it is better than a Sebenza? Better than the N2? Better than the Bel Air? How about: no, no, and yes. I think that is the best I could do to summarize its quality. But then there is this small point—its great to carry and use. I know that collectors should be above such pedestrian concerns, but we aren’t. This is a good user and a very good design.
L to R: Spyderco Subway Bowie, Reylight Mini Pineapple v3
If you like the Kyle Ver Steeg Imp and never got one, this is the production knife that I find to be closest in design, purpose, and feel to that knife. That knife is a truly superb little fixed blade, one of my very favorites, so a comp to that is high praise. The LC200N means I am not worried if I leave this outside over a wet weekend. Even the sheath is great, something that is hard to achieve in a production knife.
L to R: Millit Knives Torrent v3, Dawson Machinecraft Hoku Clicky
This knife was hard to get. They just don’t make a lot of them and when they do make a few they go fast. This is my second Torrent and it is absolutely glorious. The S90v blade is a bit more my speed than something like the Damasteel version I had before. Its a great knife in every way. But here is the crazy part—its an excellent value too. When is the last time a high end knife was a good value? I have handled quite a few of the new “it” knives and while I think the Roosie has a better flipping action to it, I am not convinced it is a better knife or a more impressive feat of machining. But it is at least twice as much. The Torrent reminds me of those post-Espirit Lotuses—world class without the insane price tag. If you can snag one, do so. This is the very definition of a post-hype sleeper in the Gear World. Oh and the flashlight is one of the best in the world and not too expensive either.
L to R: Protech Malibu, Exceed Design Co Rampant, Pilot Vanishing Point
There is a lot here. I like but don’t love the Malibu. The Vanishing Point is a classic and one of my favorite fountain pens despite the huge design penalty of having a terribly small ink reservoir. But it is the Rampant that really stands out here. Is this the future of flashlights? Is this the future of gear in general? If I can pick nearly everything on my $22 Convoy S2+ why not on a USA made light? I am guessing that the price is going to go up and probably a hefty amount because, well, tariffs, but even if with a 20% bump this is a world class light. As an aside, this is a great example of how tariffs fundamentally do not work. The Convoy S2+ which is sold directly to people in the US but is made in China is not subject to tariffs. But the Rampant, which is made in the US but has parts from overseas like the battery and the emitter, will, in theory, be impacted by tariffs. Let’s all remember—tariffs are a tax on US companies, nothing more, nothing less.
L to R: Leatherman Skeletool CX, Reylight Mini Pineapple v3, ESR Geowallet Boost
I am not a “colorways” kind of guy. I generally try to find the least decorative version of a knife or a light. I don’t want MokuTi or the like. I actively avoid fancy materials. Heck, I don’t even key Golden versions of cards in Hearthstone. But, if I am lacking a tool and it is out in a new color, I am happy to oblige. And here, the Skeletool looks as cool as it ever has. With its swoops and cuts and holes, the tool is already an interesting piece, but with a sweet new colorway (or colorways actually), this is as an easy purchase. For the record, I lost mine when we moved. It was the only think that got lost in the move, though the shroud on my dust collector was broken too. Overall though it was a pretty good move. And because sometimes I go crazy, here are my tips on moving.
L to R: Civivi Yonder, 47s Mini Turbo v3, Tactile Turn Mini Side Click, Beats Fit Pro Wireless Earbuds
This is my attempt at a bit more traditional “pocket dump” picture with more than just a knife and a light. Call it a pocket dump or knolling, its almost its own genre of photos now. I have always loved the old Craftsman catalogs with images of the socket wrenches laid out beautifully. They are almost hypnotizing in their orderliness. The Yonder is, to borrow a term from data driven sports analysis, a perfect replacement level knife. That is, if you had to you could find its equal for the same price just about anywhere. Kizer makes a few knives this good. Civivi makes other knives this good. QSP, Miguron, CJRB, Bestech, and a half dozen other overseas brand knives make something for $45-65 that is this good. But that isn’t to say the knife is bad. Its perfectly fine. Its just not uncommon to find knives this good on the market anymore. They are a dime a dozen. I like the blade stock and the look of the Yonder more than say the Kizer Nice Guy, but the Nice Guy is at least as good. We are in serious fungibility territory here. They are all essentially all the same. BTW, if you don’t have ANC earbuds and you mow a lawn or run your missing out. These are great, work well with Apple products (because Beats is owned by Apple and has the auto start feature), and aren’t terrible expensive. They aren’t studio monitors, but then again, I think most wireless in-ear earbuds kinda stink. Quick note: the Mk. 3 is now $115. It used to be $70. That’s a huge increase and impacts how I think of the light. And the reason for the increase is…wait for it…tariffs.
L to R: Zebralight SC65, Tom Krein TK-3 Whitetail, and Ulti-Clip 2.2 Slim
Can you EDC a fixed blade? Yes. You could also EDC a toaster if you were really motivated. The question is whether an EDC fixed blade is a good idea. I can say with certainty that something like the Subway Bowie above is a no-brainer. Its great, just like the Ver Steeg Imp was before it. But when you get into larger knives, like the ones Taylor Martin is advocating as EDC blades, I am not sold. I have review of the Bradford Guardian coming where I will get into this more, but as of the writing of this post, I am not sure.
But, let’s say they are a good choice, then you are going to have a hard time finding a better knife than the Krein TK-3 Whitetail. With its perfect handle and classic drop point blade, the TK-3 is crazy nice. It is a great size, fits in the hand well, and is ground to a gamma knife-likfe edge. The Ulti-clip makes this whole thing is possible as an EDC fixed blade. It is a striking, brilliant, and simple design. It seems so obvious that like Post It Notes, its a head slapper how no one made this device in the past. I am a HUGE Ulti-clip fan.
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