Tony over at Everydaycommentary.com poses the question.

I think there will be a number of reasons and they will vary slightly from maker to maker, but I’ll throw a few guesses out there:

Personal Interest – A production knife is made by machines that don’t worry about getting bored.  Creative custom knife makers want to stay interested in the work that they do.  Maybe they want to change up their work while still keeping with the overall design they like.

Market – Makers will make what people are buying and what will make them money. Whether or not people want to admit it, money is a huge motivator. When you know people collect and buy art knives, it’s easy to head in that direction. It’s a safer route than completely new designs.

Any other ideas?

Drang proposes the question

Personally, I think that “EDC” point-of-view is a slightly more practical way to approach gear selection.  The term is less specific than “tactical” in most people’s minds and I see that as a positive.  When selecting gear, you need to set out with an open mind, searching for the gear that meets your needs.  You shouldn’t be attempting to fit someone else’s gear(the local SWAT team, etc) into your lifestyle.

You can’t control what marketing “gurus” decide to slap on their products, but I hope that they don’t ruin the the idea of EDC: personalized, practical, useful gear

I just read a light review from Tony over at EverydayCommentary.com where he mentioned the importance of good color rendition in his light:

It is awfully helpful at night, allowing me to distinguish between diapers while changing my son (he needs special, “extra pee” nighttime diapers and they are a different color scheme, both of which use variations of red).

This is the perfect example of how everyone’s use cases and needs in EDC gear are different. You don’t need the latest, coolest gear. You need the gear that fits your needs.

Marshall Hoots of GoingGear talks to Ron from Surefire about a new technology that allows users to activate a light using programmable motion like a unique flick or shake of the wrist.  It uses a combination accelerometer/gyroscope to pick up on the movements for programming and activation.  This sounds like a seriously awesome idea!

I recently received a set of reground Spyderco knives from Tom Krein.  The Delica is a ZDP-189 blade and started out as a full-flat ground blade.  I then had Tom regrind it to an even thinner full-flat grind.  My first question before all of this was what is the difference between a factory FFG and Tom Krein’s aftermarket FFG?  Tom grinds the blades so that the thickness directly behind the sharpened area is about a quarter of the thickness of the factory blade.

According to Tom:

Most of the FFG’s from spyderco are still between .020″-.030″ just behind the sharpened area. I take them down to around .008″ plus or minus .003″. It does make a difference.

Here are a few pics:

Jason of Dark Sucks/ Promethius Lights posted photos back in October of the second light that he made.  The light is interesting enough on it’s own, but what caught my eye was the custom charging station he built to go along with it.  Although I assume it is still possible, he didn’t feel like removing the batteries for charging.  He came up with this contraption to do the trick:

The black sleeve is Delrin and the base is 304 Stainless.  Inside the base, there are 2 neodymium magnets that float up to make contact for charging or drop down flush in the base otherwise.  There are 2 fixed matching magnets in the light itself that mate with the 2 floating magnets during charging.  The center post is negative and the outside post is positive. This is to make sure that you cannot accidentally reverse the polarity.  You can just stick it in the stand and rotate till the outside magnet rises and clicks into place.  According to Jason, “It’s audible and tactile.”  In my opinion, it’s ingenious.

Check out more of his work at: http://darksucks.blogspot.com/ or http://darksucks.com/store%20homeT.html

Here is the original CPF Thread

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:06 — 14.7MB)

In this short interview, we discuss the ITS Tactical trauma kit.  Bryan is also introducing a new, slimmed down version specifically for EDC:

http://www.itstactical.com/medcom/medical/new-its-tactical-edc-trauma-kit-sneak-peek/

It weighs 5 oz and can easily fit in a back pocket:

The EDC Trauma Kit contains (1) Combat Gauze LE, (1) SWAT-T Tourniquet / Pressure Bandage and (1) Pair of OD Nitrile Gloves. The kit is also vacuum sealed and completely latex-free. Another added benefit of the EDC Trauma Kit is that it’s able to be carried on a plane without any trouble from TSA.

Before the push button/ clicky tailcap modification that Zodiac Engineering did on my 4Sevens Preon 1, I was searching for a better clicky tailcap mechanism for a AAA light.  I was frustrated by the OEM clicky tailcap on the 4Sevens Preon 1, but I read on some forums that it was possible to remove the glued-on Streamlight Microstream head and use it’s body with the 4Sevens Preon head(with a much better interface).  I received my Streamlight Microstream about a week ago and immediately started carrying it to get a feel for the push button.  I have to say that I’m not impressed.  My biggest complaint is how difficult the button is to depress.  On my light, it starts out with the same required pressure as the 4Sevens Preon, but as you reach the bottom where the switch will click, it requires more and more pressure.

Yes, the extra pressure makes it less likely to be turned on in your pocket, but when you are frequently using the light, it makes life miserable for the user.  I’ll continue carrying it for a little longer to see if it grows on me, but as of right now, I’m ready to head back to the 4Sevens Preon 1 with the push button/ clicky tailcap modified by Zodiac Engineering.

Here are some photos comparing the 2 lights:

Harlan Whitman designed the Instinct Tomahawk as an evolution of the many generations of tactical tomahawks that came before.  He grew up in Missouri with an artistic Mother and a mechanical Father. He has a degree in industrial design, but claims that he “tries to forget” most of what he was taught.  According to Harlan, “As with my art and products, everything takes a lifetime of experience to develop. That’s what you pay for when you buy handmade.  It was designed to chop and look sexy doing it.”

He drew everything on paper full size, then cut it out of foam core or plywood to play with and modified it as necessary.  He kept working on the shape until people would say, “This feels like it will chop for me.”  After a few people handled the prototypes, he continued to modify it and eventually moved to real steel.  He says that he personally prefers the feel of the 1/4″ thick model.

Instinct Tomahawk Dimensions:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:39 — 18.2MB)

Steve Nichols of Fischer Space Pens comes on the show to discuss their performance writing tools for Everyday Carry.

I just finished watching a Mythbusters show involving a lot of the Line-X spray on bedliner.  They sprayed it on vehicles, clothing, and walls and had dogs bite it and c4 explosions try to break through it.  I was impressed with it’s resilience.  A few minutes later, I happened to glance at the scratched and scraped bezel of my EDC flashlight and a thought popped into my head.  What if you could use spray-on bed-liner to protect the edges of your light?

Anyone try this yet?

I have seen that several inquiries about “titanium tomahawks” have led to this site, but unfortunately, I had no information to offer these people.  After doing a bit of research myself, I came across a tomahawk that did have a Titanium shaft combined with a steel head.  It is made by Jesper Voxnaes in Denmark.  You can see more of his work at voxknives.com

According to Jesper:

It has become somewhat of a tradition that Jena Anso and I make a couple of Axes for a show each year.  This year, like last year, we made them for the Bladeshow coming up in June.
We start out with the excact same materials and then design our axes..and yes, we are far apart when it comes to designing axes.
I ended up with a TomaHawk type design. This year it´s a smaller lighter axe with a hollow v-grind.
The Materials are; shaft in .278″ titanium, Head in N690BO steel, also in .278″ (7mm) stock. Slabs in Green Canvas Micarta…..
Well, hope you like it, we had a blast building these..
Took the cutter to the Harbour for some pictures….

Here are some of his excellent photos for you to drool over:

Let’s look at definitions of the two words:

Crenelation: A crenelation (from Latin crena, “notch”) is a series of indentations or loopholes around the top of a castle, battlement, or wall—with each indentation being a crenelle (or crenel).

Here are a few crude examples of different types of crenelation:

Bezel: A bezel is a retaining outer rim

Here is a crenelated watch bezel:

When we combine the two terms and apply them to lights or flashlights, we come up with some pretty cool crenelated bezels:

These are often referred to as strike bezels for obvious reasons.  Later, we’ll address the uses for and practicality of crenelated bezels.

For now, just marvel at the aesthetically pleasing engineering work!

I saw this awesome warning recently few days ago:

This flashlight poses a risk of personal injury and property damage if not handled and operated with great caution. This light is not a toy and should not be used by or entrusted to anyone other than a knowledgeable and cautious individual. Heat: The very high current from the battery and to the LED generates a great deal of heat very quickly, and the relatively low mass in this very small flashlight prevents heat dissipation at a rate that would permit extended operation of the light at a high output level. When driven to its output capacity, heat reaches a level making the light too hot to hold within minutes or less. Either the light should be turned off or Peak™s proprietary QTC system should be used to reduce the output before this happens. If left unattended, build-up of heat could reach the point of ignition of nearby flammable objects. This light should never be operated at high output unless in the hand of an alert operator prepared to quickly reduce current and output. Batteries: All batteries are affected by heat and current draw, and if either becomes too great, a battery can be damaged. At a minimum, battery life can be significantly reduced. At worst, failure could be explosive. BATTERY FAILURE CAN OCCUR DURING USE, OR DURING ANY SUBSEQUENT RECHARGING OR USE. A protected battery is no guarantee against this. Regularly check batteries after use for signs of excessive heat. Always closely monitor the recharging process and follow safe practice procedures: use a quality charger; charge in a safe location, check status frequently; terminate the charge timely; inspect and test the battery after charging. IMR (LiMn) batteries are believed to safely handle currents much greater than any other battery chemistry and are therefore the preferred battery for this light. Other Li-Ion 10440 batteries are not designed for high current applications and when used in this light can be driven to the very limits of their design. Only new batteries of good quality should be used in this light. Battery voltage should also be checked regularly. At the first sing of reduced capacity or other problem the battery should be retired. Under no circumstances should this light be operated before the user has studied the important materials readily available on the subject. We suggest that users follow the advice and instruction posted throughout the CPF Forum and in the CPF Marketplace by respected dealers.

To some people, this warning makes the light in question even more attractive!  The light can be used as a fire-starter in a survival situation and keep you cold in winter.

I understand that these warnings are to limit liability and are a byproduct of our litigious society, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them!

Here’s where it came from…

I saw a photo of a modified Titanium tailcap on the Zodiac Engineering website back in November and e-mailed Ken about doing the modification for me.  I shipped him a Ti clicky tailcap directly from 4Sevens and 7 days from his receipt, it was out the door and on the way to me.  He was also kind enough to take some Work-in-progress photos for us all to drool over.  The white background photos are his.

I’ve been using it for several days now and I love it so far. The switch is completely recessed and it’s nice not having to worry about accidentally activating the light when I sit down.

The modification does widen the contact/resting surface and shorten the flashlight a little.  Both characteristics make the light more stable during tailstanding.

The pictures may make it look a little bulky, but the clicky tailcap actually only adds ~10% extra length(Preon 1).

• Regular static tailcap – 76mm
• With modified clicky tailcap – 83.5mm

The tailcap width is the exact same as the head(no extra width) and the extra weight is negligible(it’s Ti).

Obviously, every flashlight is a personal decision, but for me, the clicky tailcap is worth the small increase in size.

I can honestly say that I can’t notice a difference when carrying it, even when I’m trying.

In my opinion, it was totally worth the $16+shipping.  It made my favorite little light even better.

So what do you think?

Click on any of the images for a better view:

Somebody made it to our website after googling this phrase:

So, how much?

That’s a loaded question.

Let’s look at what decent quality EDC gear costs:

• Watch $50-1000
• Knife $50-500
• Flashlight $20-300
• Wallet $10-300
• Firearm $300-$2000
• Pen $1-100
• Phone $50-600
• MP3 Player $40-300

Please bear in mind that these are very rough numbers and these ranges are by no means exact.  Custom gear can be far more expensive than what I listed and deals can be found on quality gear below the prices I listed.  These numbers should give you an idea of what people spend on their EDC gear.  Also remember that not everybody carries all these pieces of gear and different people can choose to spend different amounts on different pieces of gear depending on their priorities.

When you consider how much people usually spend for EDC, you should also factor in the cost of the gear that people may not be currently carrying.  EDC enthusiasts probably have several examples of their favorite pieces of gear.  It may be the same knife in different colors or configurations.  It may be different watches for different occasions.  It could be different holsters that go with different clothing.

Another factor is the cost of gear that led them to their current gear.  It normally takes people some time to find the gear that they are comfortable with.  For some people, the process of gear evolution and upgrading never stops.  What did all the previous gear cost?  Some of that is sold, but if you are a sentimentalist or pack rat, you will never recoup those costs.

So, what do I spend on EDC?  I can’t say.  My wife reads this blog!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:53 — 39.5MB)

Massad Ayoob comes on the show to discuss selecting a handgun for everyday carry.  We also talk about the gear that goes with it.

I got an email from Ruger announcing their new Ruger SR-22 pistol.  Personally, I can’t speak highly enough of my own Ruger .22lr handgun and I can’t wait to check out this new offering.

Here are the specs from Ruger:

Brady of MonkeysEdge.com went behind the scenes to get some photos of Rick Hinderer knives being made.

Check them out here.

Here is a small sample of the goodness that comes from following the link above:

Be sure to check out the most recent episode of Discovery Channel’s Man, Woman, Wild and keep an eye out for some amazing knives from Sniper Bladeworks:

These knives are featured in Season 2, Episode 9 entitled “Bear’s Kitchen” set in Alaska.

Here are a few screenshots of the knives in use during the show:

Check out the Sniper Bladeworks website