The app I used to write the blog recently changed. This looked like it went up on Saturday, but it didn’t. Sorry for the delay.

It has been a very good summer weather wise. With only a handful of days over 95 or under 75 and enough rain to keep things green but never flood you out, Summer 2026 has been nice. As a result, my carry has basically been completely unconstrained by clothing. There were a few yellow days thanks to Canadian wildfire smoke and I did tear a muscle in an important location, but those things didn’t distract too much from some really great memories and some nice gear.

The gear world is definitely experiencing some financial turbulence. With on again off again tariffs, terrible oil prices, and general inflation, everything is more expensive and a lot of companies, especially in the high end, have ceased to exist. It’s sad, as a lot of my favorite stuff is now OOP (out of production), but it does leave space for new folks to come in.

I have curated some photos to show an array of stuff. The number of photos has also drastically declined. Knife social media is also in a bad spot. Social media in general has become a flood of garbage posts either with AI visuals or AI text and all of it has almost no value. I can’t really get motivated to post stuff if everything is an AI made video of Mitch McConnell dancing in Thriller (its hilarious, but not motivating). There has also been an uptick in product shills, which, in some ways is worse than AI stuff—some human actually put effort into making straight garbage. Without much of a reason to post in IG there has been less of an incentive to take pics. Before I tried to post a pic a day on IG. Now, I am lucky if I post a pic a week. It is usually a Saturday morning post taken at the place we run to get coffee.

L to R: Spyderco Sage 6 in S90V, Grand Seiko SBGA211 “Snowflake”, and Kosen VME

First up is a set up carry pretty regularly. The Sage 6 in S90V has really dominated pocket time since I got it. Normally, when I get something in for review, I carry it a lot, do a bunch of things with it, and then write the review. Once the review is written I have to decide if I am going to put it in the permanent collection, usually bumping out another knife, or if it is going to be sold. About 90% of the time I stop carrying it regularly. But the Sage 6 was so good that didn’t happen. I have basically carried at the same rate as before. A few new knives have come in for review in the past two weeks that have slowed down the Sage 6’s pocket dominance, but there was a stretch where nothing else showed up. Pairing it with the Kosen VME makes for a visually coherent, similar sized carry that does everything you need very, very well.

L to R: Prometheus Lights Ti Beta v3, Anso of Denmark Aros

If I am going to be out and about on a hot day, it’s no fun to carry a pocket full of metal. Big knife carry drops precipitously and what counts as a “giant knife” for me is a PM2. This pair is just perfect for a date night in the summer or lounging on vacation with a view of the ocean. Even now, a year later, I can’t get over how awesome the Aros is. There are two pieces of kit that have struck me this way—persistent awe—the Aros and the McGizmo Haiku.

L to R: FourSevens Mini Turbo Mk 3 and the TRM Bulldog Rev B with Smokestack Coffee

The first of the coffee shots and this is a good one. There is a coffee roaster in town, Smokestacks, and their coffee isn’t just good, it’s really special. I usually get a medium roast and it’s just superb. It has a complex taste without being overly bitter. It holds its flavor well over time. And it provides just the right amount of punch in terms of caffeine. The kit here is also worth dwelling on for a minute. I really love the Rev B Bulldog. It is very, very hard to have something bad to say about this knife. I am not sure yet, but there is a chance I like it better than the N2. And denim micarta is great. Here is a quick video showing how I oil my micarta handles. I think denim micarta just might be my favorite handle material of all time.

L to R: Civivi Baby Banter 2 TG and Lumintop Tool AA v3

Going from a discussion of micarta handles to a knife with green scales and red liners feels very appropriate. This version of the Baby Banter is the best knife Ben has ever designed. I love, love, love my M390 Lander. It is probably a better knife in terms of specs, but nothing has the knife Knut appeal of this gem. From the Loveless-inspired color scheme on the handles to the scale tools, this scratches all the itches knife guys have. And unlike the other blade profiles, which looked a little like mid-90s jelly bean sedans, this one is attractive and crisp. This was my Entry Level light&saber pair for good reason—this entire kit comes in under $100 and is really, really capable. Love me some Lumintop.

One of the many signs of tough times in the gear world is the collapse of a number of brands that produced uniformly excellent gear. Overready went away last year with an email. Bridgeport Knife Company, which makes the above knife, the Bridgeport Knife 395 v2 simply disappeared into the ether. Their website no longer works and there is no stock anywhere I can find. Which is shame because the 395 v2 is truly excellent. If it were readily available, it would be one of the five best EDCs available. It is a shame that the 395 v2 is gone. It makes you wonder whether quality really matters when this jewel is gone but we are treated to a new gilled Mokuti behemoth that no one wants or needs.

This carry, or the Mini 47/Small Sebenza combo, is like sorbet. Sometimes I just need a palette cleanse. After I got the Kunwu Compadre (nice, but not for me), I needed a reset and nothing is as good a reset as this thoughtlessly brilliant pair. I really do think most people that like knives should own a Sebenza. Its just a great knife that you don’t fully appreciate until you have owned a bunch of different knives, including high end customs. You will quickly realize that only the very best knives made by hand are better, mechanically-speaking, than a Sebenza.

The Systematic Tools Cobra XS Sheath is a great foundation for your EDC. But it needs a blade and a torch. These two other tools really fill out the set. The Spyderco Clipitool with both the serrated and straight edge is a perfect complement as it does not add any duplicative tools. I still need the scissors for the sheath, but if you don’t like them the other Clipitool, the one with scissors, also does not add a duplicative tool. I think this set up is a great one for the Sheath and it is not too expensive, unlike Todd’s suggestion of adding a Mini Bugout in S90V. That IS a pricey upgrade.

As someone that has reviewed gear for a almost two decades now, I have seen and used a lot of stuff. Remembering what is great and, more importantly, why it is great, is difficult. The best stuff is sometimes so good that you just forget it exists. The Spyderco Chaparral is one of those pieces of kit. It is definitely one of the best folders out there for most people, but it is so common, so un-Mokuti-ed, that its brilliant cutting performance, in-hand feel, and carry is missed. Make no mistake, this is an elite performer even if it is no longer the IKC darling that it once was. Perhaps the new REX121 version will change that.

Hmmm….is the Buck Mini Range the best new Buck in a decade? Its truly outstanding and you can see all of the Buck know how reduced to a single knife that has all of the modern touches the IKC expects—the lock, the clip, and the handle. I didn’t like the Magnacut’s aluminum handles over the finely textured G10, but both would probably work well. 154CM is still pretty good steel, all things considered, and the price difference, especially on a knife this cheap, is significant. I am still not sold on built-in batteries, but the TINI3 is trying its hardest to persuade me.

Ahhh…no two pieces of kit go as well together in my head as these two—with their design first features and excellent ergonomics they feel like a pair that designed to be carried together. I also like the fact that they are pretty hard to find. You’d be hard pressed to give me a number I’d accept for either. Having them together is, for me, like the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever.

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