The design of the Maker Knife is second to none. However, the build quality and delivery practices are… well… shit… As such, I’m always looking for an alternative for my utility knife EDC carry.

Recently, I stumbled upon the Exceed Designs Tirant and I think I’ve finally found something to replace my Maker Knife. It’s light, small, compact, and easily manipulated (open and close) with one hand.

It’s gonna take a few weeks of testing, but yeah… I’m loving this thing so far and will report back with my findings after more use.

Details.

If you grew up in Australia or New Zealand, you are already familiar with these. But if you didn’t and you have no idea what Tullen snips are, behold the most indestructible household snips the world has ever seen.

Typical usage for these is in the kitchen and initially, they were relegated to that duty alone. However, through the decades people have started to use these things everywhere from the kitchen to the garage.

Essentially, they are like heavy duty scissors or light duty tin snips… and you can misuse them for a lifetime without too many consequences. I guess the secret is in the relatively dull blades made out of steel that has been hardened through some wacky and innovative heat treating process.

I actually first saw these in a Formula-1 shop in France… And I’ve had a pair in my kitchen ever since. I’ve often wondered why you don’t see them very often in the states.

Get yours here.

One of my seven readers sent me another question last night. Behold:

“Ryan, I want to EDC a multitool, but I don’t want the weight of a Leatherman and would prefer something with a bit driver and without pliers. Any suggestions?”

My first suggestion would actually be a Leatherman Skeletool CX. I like these because the blade can be deployed one-handed. In fact, the Skeletool carries like a regular flipper that just happens to have a bit driver and a set of pliers attached to it. And it only weighs 142 grams.

That being said, if you really hate pliers and don’t mind having a blade that can’t be deployed single handedly, your best option is a classic – the Victorinox Cyber Tool S. The smallest Cyber Tool features:

1. A decent set of blades (one small and one large).
2. A bottle opener.
3. A can opener.
4. An awl.
5. A corkscrew.
6. A bit driver with bit storage.

And the bit driver on these is really better than anything from Leatherman. Using Leatherman bit drivers, you are often fighting the shape of the tool itself. Screwing or unscrewing with the Skeletool specifically is just flat out awkward because there’s not a good place to stow the other side of the tool when doing so. The Cyber Tool S is small enough that it makes a decent handle when performing the same task.

Also, the Cyber Tool is light – especially for a multitool. At only 95 grams or so, you don’t even notice the thing in your pocket… Which is good, because unless you go custom, there is no pocket clip with the Swiss Army offering.

So, conclusion… If you use the blade a lot, I would suggest you deal with the pliers in your pocket and get a Skeletool. However, if you are more in it for the bit driver, the Cyber Tool is a no brainer.

Get the Skeletool here.

Get the Cyber Tool here.

When it comes to pocketable multi-tools, most people think SAK or Leatherman. Both, obviously, are decent enough options… BUT, when it comes to an absolute “Buy It For Life” scenario, it’s very hard to beat the durability of the old Camillus Soldier Knife.

You can read the history of the thing here.

The blade steel isn’t special, the make isn’t particularly elegant, and you can forget one handed access to any of the tools. However, many millions of these were made through the years… and I’d bet a VERY large percentage of those are still as capable as they were when they came off the line.

I don’t know that anyone actually sells these any more, but you can find them all day long on eBay.

I’m a big fan of James Brand and their design work. Due to their prices, I always just sort of assumed their products were made in the USA. However, a user on garagejournal.com told me otherwise.

So… I investigated and yes, it appears as though most James Brand products are made in China. In my mind, there’s nothing wrong with that if your prices are inline with other products sourced from the same country.

With James Brand, however, that is not the case. Pictured above is the James Brand Elko knife (one of their most popular offerings) and the Whitby Sprint EDC knife.

It appears as though Whitby simply knocked off the James Brand design and had it reproduced in China – possibly even at the same factory. The price for the James Brand example is $85 while the price of the knock off is a little over $20. Both appear to use similar blade materials and some YouTubers claim that the Whitby actually has better fit and finish than the James Brand.

I don’t know how to feel about this. I love the design work that James Brand does and hate to see any kind of IP get so viscously and obviously stolen, but… at the same time, it’s really hard to justify the James Brand price strategy.

Depressing.

This new auto from Benchmade feels like a modern stiletto… and I love it!

Details.