Q2 2024 Carry
This spring I was testing gear for the 1+Done article. I had written an older version of the article, but the idea came up when one of my friends asked me what pocket knife I would like to get for Father’s Day. I gave them the “enthusiast gift warning” which goes something like this: “Well, any knife I don’t already have would be fun to get, but I have so many that I generally don’t ask for them as gifts.” This is a nice way of saying: “Listen, your a civilian, you couldn’t possibly get me a knife I haven’t heard of and already made a judgment about whether I would want it or not.” To that end there are a slew of knives in the carry that are a bit different than my normal carry—older stuff I have already reviewed and stuck around in the collection or new stuff that is not aimed at being the most gonzo bleeding high end stuff possible.
Well, you can’t get much nicer of a season than spring 2024. It was positively great, with both rainy days and warm days. There were a lot of projects we tackled and only one spilled over into summer. A lot of them needed or were aided by carrying a knife, so I had a lot of chances to carry cool stuff. Here is a summary of it.
L to R: Millit Knives Torrent v3, Lamy 2000 with custom stub nib grind from The Nib Smith, and the Prometheus Lights Ti Beta QR v3
Okay, so this is pretty gonzo bleeding edge. The Torrent is a knife I have always liked, reminding me a Sebenza that was made by a machinist that liked to both doodle and show off. Interestingly, a few of these have become available on IG. There are a million little details here that I like and its complex texture pairs nicely with the similarly complex appearance of the new Beta QR. This such a compact and useful light that it show up a few more times. Finally, I want to send a thanks to the reader that sent me one of his SPARE 2000s after mine exploded during an impromptu basketball game. I did the nib swap myself after some crude attempts at surgery.
L to R: Flytanium Arcade and Malkoff MDC
There is a lot of good stuff found in the Arcade. I’d love to see something a little narrower, but it wasn’t terrible in the pocket because the knife is pretty darn thin. The knife is so fidget friendly, its often hard to put it down. The MDC returned from the grave and it is a great, high end, hard use flashlight with a simple UI. There are three really great hard use torches—this light, the HDS Rotary, and the Fraz Labs Nugget. Of those three, this is the best to carry.
L to R: Gareth Bull custom Small Shamwari and the Beta Ti
I decided to carry the Small Shamwari because it gave me a good perspective on the idea EDC knife for the 1+Done series. Even now, all these years later, the Small Sham is still perfect. The simple shape and compact size, along with the stunning clip, make it a great benchmark to compare to. Its hard to compare other knives to the Small Shamwari because the Sham was a knife that essentially produced to my exact specs. Naturally it is going to be something I really, really like. This knife paired with the Beta Ti makes for a great pairing, thought I still prefer the original torch I paired with the Sham, the Muyshondt Aeon Mk. 3.
L to R: Lander 1 in M390 (Urban EDC Supply Exclusive) and 47s Mini Mk. 3 in Aluminum
I really like aluminum lights—they are lighter and cheaper than titanium, but so few enthusiast grade makers release their best stuff in aluminum. Oddly, aluminum conducts electricity better than titanium, but not to a degree that impacts performance (copper, technically, is better than both). That said, I have two aluminum Minis and they are both excellent lights. I carry the titanium one more often, but every once in a while I get an itch for aluminum. The Lander 1 in M390 is an exceptional knife—a dead simple, wonderful design that just does everything exceptionally well.
L to R: Modded Surefire Titan Plus and Vosteed Mini Labrador
There are a few knives that I really like that feel small but aren’t really. The Mini Labrador, like the new D2 Al Mar and the CRKT Mini CEO, has that small knife feel even though they have a longer blade length than something like the DF2. In the end, I think this “feel” issue has to do with DF2’s truly superior handle. It gives you a full sized handle in a small knife package. The Mini Labrador might be the best of this current generation of overseas entry level knives. Its not better than the Civivi Lumi, but it is better than just about anything in this price range. It is a titanium framelock flipper with 14C28N. Look for the Light and Saber pair for 2024 coming soon (in August).
L to R: Tactile Turn Small Side Clicky, TRM N2, and Reylight Mini Pineapple
Dollar for dollar and ounce for ounce, this is my choice for the best trio of EDC tools. Nothing here is anything less than truly superior. I love the fact that they are simple items with relatively humble materials and straightforward machining. They all just work exceptionally well. Plus, I can’t fail to mention, these things all look good and feel great in the hand.
T to B: Malkoff MDC, Prometheus Design Werx Scales on Victorinox Compact
In many ways the Malkoff MDC is the Platonic ideal of a high end flashlight. It is tough, precise, simple to use, and painstakingly well made. If you had one light to go the rest of your days, it be hard to choose something over the Malkoff. I thought this would be a fun carry to see if the weight made a difference. This is about as much weight as I will normally carry and it wasn’t awful. It was noticeable and if I had outdoor chores to do, it would have been terrible, but, for an errand day on a Saturday, it was fine.
L to R: 47 Mini v3 in Aluminum, Vosteed Chipmunk
While not as prolific as WE/Civivi/Sencut, Vosteed is also dropping quite a few knives in 2024 and one of the least heralded is one of my favorites—the Vosteed Chipmunk. The entry level knife space is so hard to track with new knives being released all the time and prices creeping up slowly, so take this next statement with a grain of salt—this is one of the better 14C28N folders out there. The scales are fully sculpted, the clip is a nice, if OTS affair. The blade shape is good and intriguing. And the size is pretty remarkable. You can do much worse than the Chipmunk.
L to R: Small Sebenza 31 in S45VN, Reylight Mini Pineapple v3
I really enjoy using my knives in food prep. It is a good test of their abilities and when you are finished you get to eat instead of clean up a mess. Interestingly enough, over the years I have come to really appreciate just how good the Sebenza is by pressing it into service as a kitchen knife. It is really good in this role. And yes, it slices, instead of popping open, an apple.
L to R: Reylight Mini Pineapple v3, Giant Mouse Riv Linerlock in Magnacut
I love the Riv. Its size and shape are just right, feeling like a high end Dragonfly. The original knife was good but it had enough things I didn’t like that I was always looking for a new version. First, I am not a fan of framelocks. They are, in many ways, just a worse liner lock. Second, I like micarta but the version used on the this knife got pretty grimey after a while. Third, while Elmax is a good steel, it falls into that S35VN range where its fine, but not as good as it could be. So when they dropped a Jade G10 linerlock version with Magnacut, I jumped on it. Its not as well made as my original Riv, but its not that far off and it ticks more boxes.
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