I have recently fallen into another rabbit hole (aka interest/hobby) and the result has been lots of reading and new websites. A lot of them have a “start here” article that I have found invaluable. EDC is a many-varied beast with lots of different gear and terms and so, as a way for folks to get going, I am going to write a “Start Here” article, just in time for the holidays (if you want to get a few gifts as part of a new hobby). The idea is to layout what comprises an EDC and some good starting options. The focus will be on good stuff that is not insanely expensive. This is aimed a two kinds of people—those that want a good EDC kit and are going to buy stuff and then never interact with the gear world again and those people that are new the gear world but plan on staying. The emphasis here will be on value. After a breakdown of what you need and specific recommendations I will outline content sources that will help you on your gear hunt—good retailers, reviewers, and other resources.

The Kit

EDC stands for “everyday carry.” The idea is to carry a few extra tools to make navigating the world easier and help you prepare for regular surprises and real emergencies. My goal has always been to carry as little as possible so that I am covered for what could happen, but not look like a soldier or a hobo. To that end I place high value on compact stuff that performs as well as full sized stuff.

The first thing to realize is that EVERYONE has an EDC even if they don’t call it that. Your grandpa had an EDC—probably a wallet, keys, and maybe a folding knife. Your sister has an EDC—a purse, wallet, keys, and a phone. The idea with focusing on carry items is that you can greatly expand your capabilities by adding a few other items to this set of things. I am assuming everyone carries the following: watch, phone, wallet, and keys. My recommendations are for items that can work with these four things to greatly expand your capabilities. Generally, you want some kind of cutting tool, a writing implement, and, for me, a flashlight.

For me, every piece of kit must pass the “EDC Test.” This test ensures that everything in your carry is pulling its own weight and doesn’t kill your wallet. Here is how it works.

Carry + Cost < Utility

If something is large, heavy, or expensive it needs to be very, very useful. If it is not, then it fails the EDC formula and you shouldn’t carry it. It doesn’t mean you’re barred from buying big or expensive items, it just means that they need to be REALLY good.

In terms of priority I have listed the items in order of most important to least important, though, frankly, the pen and light are about equally important, and one could trump the other based on your life and job. The cutting tool, that’s the one that really is a game changer. Carrying a knife is like owning a truck—all of a sudden you can do all kind of things you didn’t even think about doing without it.

The Cutting Tool

There are small minority of people in the EDC community that like multitools as their cutting tool. I see the logic in that if you have a job that requires you to use tools. As a step saver, multitools are amazing. But for most people the extra weight and complication is not worth it. A knife usually suffices.

For folks that do work outdoors or engage in dirty or hard use tasks, there are small EDC fixed blades. They are more difficult to carry discretely and they do tend to be larger than a good compact folder, so among knives, I prefer a folder for EDC purposes. I like small folders for two reasons: 1) they are less likely to cause legal entanglements (see here for AKTI’s summary of state knife laws); and 2) they are more likely to be carried because carrying them isn’t a pain or inconvenience. Ideally, I like a folder that can fit in the coin pocket or fifth pocket on a pair of jeans.

In terms of locks, there are myriad of options. Locks are not strictly necessary, but I do prefer locking knives to non-locking knives. If legal restrictions preclude a lock there are a lot of good options, including knives that look like your grandpa’s pocket knife, called traditional knives. If possible though, a good lock is a nice feature to have. I prefer intuitive, simple locks—lock backs, framelocks, and liner locks. Lock strength does not matter for most people and most uses, as almost all of them are sufficiently strong. I also like locks that do not require your fingers to pass into the path of the blade as the knife closes. The sliding bar lock, originally a patented design called the Benchmade Axis lock, is also very good. CRKT has another very good lock called the Deadbolt lock. It is both intuitive and doesn’t put your fingers in the blade path. It also happens to be very strong.

I like a lot of steels and like with locks, most steels are fine for most people. S35VN is a very common steel and it is quite good. I also like CPM154, which is less common. Anything better than S35VN will be fine for almost everyone, especially when used in a folder.

The Writing Implement

Let me get this out of the way—an EDC pen and a good pen overall are very different things. If you want a good pen, go read the Pen Addict. He also has good info about EDC pens, but he has a broader focus than just EDC writing implements. The problem is that the rough and tumble world of daily pocket carry destroys quite a few fine writing tools. Pretty much all fountain pens and needle tip pens are out. Woodcase pencils are out. Most mechanical pencils, with their non-retracable pipe, are out. In the end, EDC writing tools are basically either roller ball or ballpoint pens. They aren’t as fun to write with or as customizable as fountain pens, but they get the job done AND can handle the stress. I like pocket pen sized pens like the Fisher Space pen or (exception to the rule) the Kaweco Sport. As a note taker, a checklist maker, or just something to sign receipts so you don’t have to use the Covid-19 coated “chained pen,” your EDC should include a writing tool.

The pen bodies are important, but the pen refills are equally important and get ZERO coverage in the EDC community. There are two reasons for this—first, most people stick with the refill the pen comes with, and second, those that don’t quickly converged on a single refill that stands above all others—the Schmidt EasyFlow 9000. This refill, which is a “Parker style” refill, is the best refill for an EDC pen, full stop. Others are good too, but nothing is as broadly useful and reliable as this one. Also, be aware, there is only one correct color for an EDC pen—blue. All else is heresy.

The Light Source

Flashlights are least useful of the three items because most people function most of the time in daylight. But flashlight technology has improved significantly since the days of the old Energizer plastic tube days. Lights are smaller, brighter, and run longer than ever before. As result, starting about 15 years ago, modern flashlights started passing the “EDC Test.” While most people are active during the day, they are also active in the dark as well and so carrying a small, powerful flashlight makes sense. It also helps find things under couches and tables and there is always the “light scan” trick (which is helpful to find broken glass, a missing bolt, and…in one case for me, the diamond out of my wife’s engagement ring).

Generally, I carry a light that runs either 1xAAA or 1xCR123a. A 1xAAA light is a nod to convenience, as AAA batteries are available anywhere batteries are sold. Conversely CR123a batteries are comparatively rare but very power dense. Lots of lights now have built in charging which is a quite help and makes battery choice less important. While you can find good lights that do not allow for battery changing, I still prefer torches with standard battery formats. I especially like lights that can take high performance rechargeable batteries AND normal alkaline primary cells. This gives you flexibility AND it makes the light useful in an emergency when power may be scarce, but spare alkalines are not. Having lived through three winter storms without power for more than two days, I can tell you that these “dual fuel” lights are the best.

There are three specs in lights you need to pay attention to: runtime, color rendering, and lumens. They are listed in order of importance from most to least important. Runtime is how long the light will provide illumination when starting with a fully charged battery. Color rendering is how accurate to sunlight the light is—that is, do reds look red, blues look blue, and whites look white etc. Lumens is how bright the light is. Lumens are perceived by the eye and brain logarithmically so a 400 lumen light is not twice as bright as a 200 lumen light. Unless you have specific needs, pretty much every light is bright enough these days and so you should place almost no value in output. You can do a lot with a mere 100 lumens. You can’t do much with 5 minutes of runtime, even if it was 10,000 lumens.

Stuff to Ignore

Of course, you should buy what suits your needs and tastes, but my experience has showed me that certain commonly carried items are not worth their weight or money. Once you have a basic kit, you can circle back to this stuff and try it out, but if you are in the “these tools help me” mode and not the “I collect pocket frosting” mode, you will never find an excuse to buy or carry this stuff.

Pry Tool: Coming about because of the old adage—never pry with your knife—the number and kind of pry tools has multiplied endlessly. They are expensive, heavy, and generally useless. They rarely, if ever, pass the EDC formula. Pry bars work on leverage and most of these are too small and too flat to have the necessary leverage needed to be useful. One exception is the very cheap and very well designed Gerber Shard. If you want a pry tool, get one that does a few things, has no moving parts, and has a canted design for leverage. The Shard fits the bill on each account. If the Shard is too small, one tool that fits the bill here that has been overlooked by the EDC community is a “Japanese Cat’s Paw”—a mini pry bar hammer combination. They are 200% more useful than the large pry bars out there and probably 1/10 the cost.

Razor Blade Holder: If you are ever thinking this is a good option, you have passed well beyond the realm of user into the realm of collector. Most people carry these to spare their main blade from use. At that point, you have lost the thread that unites EDC thinking. You carry things to USE them, not to carry them.

Fidget Device: Just no. These are silly, expensive, and take up space in your pockets. Whether it is an $8 model or a $200 design, all of these are stupid and wastes of money.

Lanyard Beads: You know what serves as the best lanyard bead? A knot made of the lanyard itself. Not only is it just as effective, it also teaches you a new knot and knot-making skills. Plus it is free. Actual lanyard beads add bulk and usually cost a lot. These are just an extravagant bit of pocket frosting.

Knucks: Even worse than lanyard beads, this don’t even help you retrieve your knife. These are just mystifyingly bad use of money.

The Recs

The Cutting Tool

TRM Neutron 2: Simply put—you will not find a nicer, bling-free knife in the world. At around $180 for the contoured handle version, this knife is as nice as you need without gauche stuff like MokuTi. It cuts like a demon, carries like a feather, and handles like a dream. If they were more readily available, this would be an easy recommendation. I’d similarly like to recommend a Dragonfly, but they aren’t being made in steels I like right now outside of exclusives which vanish off the market almost as fast as the Neutron 2.

Benchmade 945: This is the best Benchmade ever and a stunningly good knife in every way. It is a bit pricey for the steel, but the handle, the blade, the deployment, and the lock up are all top shelf. Plus, it looks very good.

SOG Terminus XR LTE: New for 2021, this knife is a remarkable blade with a sliding bar lock and great flipping action. With its use of carbon fiber in structural elements, this knife is as light and stiff as you will find. Its also the cheapest knife on this list.

Leatherman Skeletool CX: If you insist on a multitool for EDC, pair down the implements to the bare essentials. The Skeletool does that, but still gives you pliers. This is a great multitool.

The Writing Implement

Spoke Roady: Sure, its expensive compared to other pocket pens like the Kaweco Sport and the Fisher Space Pen, but the build quality and amazing design easily makes up for the price difference. No single pen has come close to the pocket time that the Spoke Roady has received since I bought it. Also, its made by Spoke Designs, a company, owned, in part, by Friend of the Blog Brad Dowdy. Parker style compatible, making the Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 the right choice.

Tactile Turn Side Clicky: Again with the machine pen genre, the Tactile Turn Side Clicky, this is a full sized pen (or thereabouts) and it could be used as a splitting wedge its so tough. The grip on this pen, like all TT stuff, is superior. Also Parker compatible.

Rotring 600 Ball Point: Both recs here are pretty expensive but they are worth it. This pen is a budget friendly find with a nice brass body and a smooth clicking knock. For $30 you won’t do better. Again, Parker compatible.

The Light Source

Four Sevens Mini Turbo Mk. III: With a good emitter, a good reflector, and a decent pocket clip. Its the size of your thumb. It actually can throw a bit. AND, its well under $100. If you want one light to do everything, this is it. It does run on CR123a batteries and you can get rechargeable cells through Four Sevens.

Surefire Titan Plus: This light is a bit old. Its no longer the brightest 1xAAA and it is still pretty expensive. But for a 1xAAA this is a nice combination. It runs on 1xAAA and it too can take rechargeable cells.

Nitecore TIP SE: Part of a generation of internal battery lights. In exchange for not being able to swap out dead cells, you get a smaller form factor, better weight, better size to brightness, and easy charging. If you are an urban dweller that has regular access to a computer, this should be near the top of the list. Its UI is dead simple.

The Resources

Unlike with a lot of other interests, there are still not that many dedicated and professional EDC sites out there. That said some of us amateurs are really passionate. Here are a few places I regularly go for insights and information.

General Interest

Knives

Flashlights

Pens