Q4 2025 Carry
If 2026 doesn’t sound like the future, you must be very young. The end of 2025 was a blast—I got some of the best stuff I got all year in Q4. The weather was pretty yucky—I have had 7 snowblower-needed driveway clearings. My average is around 30, but 7 by the end of December is WAY ahead of schedule. Like by a factor of 5 or 6. That said, my carry was virtually untouched by the weather. I did do a lot of projects around the house, so there is a bit more “tool” to it than normal. All of the captions read left to right.
Nitecore TINI 3 and Golden Designwerx Nugget
It is impossible to follow every new brand out there and Golden Designwerx is one that snuck through until now. A lot of their knives strike me as busy and in need of an editor a la EMP Knives. But the Nugget, which also happens to be their most reasonably sized blade, is spare in its design. They are made by Bestech and have that Bestech feel to them (which is a compliment), but the Nugget, when closed, is one of the most hideous knives I have ever seen. It reminds of the Elephant Man in David Lynch’s movie. Open and cutting, the knife is a marvel, with a great blade shape, think blade stock, and a edge that is below your fingers. It is a great all around knife. But this is one ugly duckling when closed. How much that impacts the knife—well, I haven’t decided yet, hence no review. The Nitecore TINI3 is the first “smart light” that I have had that I really like. A review of it is coming soon. Will we have a non-tube light eek its way into the upper echelon of EDC blades? Just maybe…
Surefire Titan Plus and Spyderco Dragonfly 2 in ZDP-189
This is the LIGHT AND SABER pair that build the site. I love both of these items and while I don’t carry them regularly, when I do I reminded not just of how good they are, but the fact that they are infinitely better now than when I first got them. I swapped out the clip and had the lanyard hole ground off the Surefire. I then had the scales swapped out on the DFII. But that’s not all. As they have grown older they have worn in until the action on the knife and the twist on the light are buttery smooth, almost as if they have no resistance at all. Its a wonderful thing to have gear long enough that its wear makes it better. They have both aged nicely and, if for no other reason than sentiment, these two are not likely to leave the collection.
oLight Turbo Baton and Victorinox Compact
Is this a smart light? Not really—four LED pips on each side of the e-switch do give you some info, but not a lot. Still, the size, the throw, and the info system do make this oLight a break from the oLight norm—which is usually a bunch of garbage. This is good stuff and I am happy I went back in the pool one more time. Of course the Victorinox Compact with the PDW scales is a mainstay of my carry and has been for more than a year now. I feel so prepare and capable with this set. I have no reason to need much else.
47 Mini Turbo Mk. 3, Knipex Cobra XS Pliers in a Swiss Mods Sheath v.2, and Spyderco Dragonfly 2 in 20CV
This is a fun and comprehensive tool kit—the 47s Mini Turbo Mk 3 does a lot for very little in terms of pocket space. Even now it is a premium size to performance light. And, of course, the DFII is great. This was a DLT sprint run with Zome handles. I hate them, but the weight of FRN is too small to ignore. Not much else going on here, so on to the next picture
How could I forget the SwissMods Knipex Sheath 2.0? This little piece of kit is absolutely brilliant and has helped kick my Skeletool out of regular rotation as an around-the-house multitool. Designed by Todd Parker, the SwissMods Sheath includes a micro matching driver, ten double sided bits (four of which can be stored on the sheath at any one time) and a needle. The Knipex Cobra’s are separate, as are: 1) the Victorinox scale tools (tweezers and toothpick); 2) the Vic pen; 3) the scissors from the Swisscard; and 4) a Tec Accessories pocket clip. Sourcing all of this stuff is pretty difficult as the scissors are almost impossible to find outside of the Swiss card. Parker had a few full sets available, but most were the version I bought that included just the bits. All are sold out now, but they are 3D printed and he is making more. You can find the video on the v2 Sheath here and the video for the v1 sheath here. Where to start? Here is the video for version 1. Here is the video for version 2. You can find the purchase link here (when they are in stock).
Kosen VME and Spyderco Sage 6 in S90V
What the best readily available stuff right now? Probably these two items. The VME is the perfect EDC flashlight and will likely be for years to come and the Sage 6 in S90V is the apotheosis of all Spyderco design insights reduced to a single knife.
Rovy Von A28 and Spyderco Sage 6 in S90V
It’s probably time to do some exploration of lights with secondary emitters. The Lumintop Tool v3 opened my eyes to the possibilities of the secondary LEDs and the RovyVon, which is not the newest light, is a good example of how to use these LEDs to improve a light’s functionality. With both red and area white LEDs, the Rovy Von fixes the tail standing problems that a lot of lights have. With charging ports and the like not every light can do a ceiling bounce and the secondary white light makes that easy.
Prometheus Light Ti Beta QR v3 and Case Knives Crossroads Barlow
How good is the Case Crossroad Barlow? I have carried it over both my AG Russell/Canal Street Cutlery Boy’s Knife and my Northwoods Knives Indian River Jack. Its got some great fit and finish, its going to sleep nicely in your coin pocket, and it has enough of the rugged touches to make you feel like its still one of those pocket worn classics from yesteryear. I love the combo here as it is just incredibly light, but still incredibly capable.
CJRB Mini Pyrite and Sofrin SC13
Imagine if you wanted to make a budget version of the 47 Mini Turbo Mk. 3 and the DFII, what would it look like. There are lot of concessions here—the emitter is yucky, the blade steel is hardly ZDP-189 or even 20CV, but the idea is the same. If you want a pocketable, budget friendly pair to get you started on the way to EDC bliss, this is a good starter kit. The action on the Mini Pyrite is pretty addicting.
Anso Aros and Frelux Synergy LT 3
Is the Aros the most Everyday Commentary knife of all time? Yep. Its compact, design-first approach to knives is wonderful. The fancy touches are not just good, but useful. And the action is beautiful. The Frelux is probably one of the most Everyday Commentary lights, too. Easy, intuitive UI, and some really great construction. This is one of my favorite pairs and it its not just theoretically nice, its great in daily use. Don’t let people tell you that folks don’t carry their good stuff. We do and this set is proof. As is another pair later on this list.
Victorinox Refined Onefold, Tactile Turn Mini Sidekick, FourSevens Mini Turbo Mk. 3
This is a really photogenic set up, but I am not sold on the Onefold just yet. I carried it for a while and I had some strong feelings that it was truly superior. Then a few weeks later, I was like: “Why is this so dumb?” Now, I am not sure. And so I am going to set it aside for a while and come back to it. I know the knife is fundamentally good, I am just not sure how good and by strong bipolar reaction makes me think I should come back to this knife.
Ozark Trail Tanto and Lumintop Tool AA v3
One knife I am sure of, is this knife, the Ozark Trail Tanto. Yikes! It is good. REALLY good. Like killing the entire industry good. Civivi was one of the first bargain brands and it was a revolution for the knife industry. This knife is two or three times a better value than the best Civivi. One is a fluke, two is a threat, three could be the end of the knife business as we know it. This knife is excellent. Truly and without reservation.
Triple Aught Design/Hinderer Compact Dauntless and Torchlab/Oveready BOSS 35
There are few things in the entire Gear World that scratch the itch like this pair of glorious tools. The look and feel of these is just second to none—brilliant design, clean lines, and impeccable function. Both the Dauntless and the BOSS went out on top—they were among the best gear in the product niches the entire time they were in production. Good luck finding them, but if you do, know that this is about as cool as gear gets.
Prometheus Lights Ti Beta QR v3, Bridgeport Knife Co. 395 v2, and Grand Seiko SBGA211 “Snowflake”
They are all clean and beautiful. The gear valet has worked well. And the worry stone is only getting smoother and smoother over the days, weeks, months, and hopefully years. I am not sure why I like the 395 so much, but I do. Invariably it finds its way into my pocket even when I have other stuff I “need” to carry for review purposes. It is just a great all around design and now that Bridgeport has gone away, I am concerned that the knife will increase in value making carrying it less fun. I don’t think I am going to sell it, so wear and tear be damned. Its great.
Amazon Links