China Vs. China

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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.

Benchmade Auto Fact

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

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Personal Pocket Dump

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So I got a surprise yesterday – someone actually emailed and asked for a pocket dump. Hell, I didn’t know anyone actually read this crap! But, who am I to disappoint?

  1. iPhone 12 Mini. I’ve been carrying this for a month and I think I can already say it’s my favorite iPhone of all time. It’s small in the pocket and the camera is dope.
  2. Apple leather case with an Apple wallet attached using MagSafe. I got this setup when I got the phone and I’m undecided on the functionality of it all. The MagSafe actually works really well. The wallet is easy to attach and removes with appropriate effort, but the work flow of paying for something is awkward. You have to remove the wallet to access the cards, but when you do that you now have both hands occupied – one with the phone and one with the wallet. I do, however, love the space this setup occupies in my pocket.
  3. MakerKnife. This is the latest of their releases. It’s not made as well and the tolerances aren’t as tight as the originals, but the form and functionality of it is just too hard for me to resist. I’ve been carrying these for a couple of years now.
  4. Orbit Key Organizer. My key organizer of choice.
  5. Titanium Split Rings. Cuz every bit of weight saved, matters.
  6. Handgrey H4 Carabiner. I’d never pay $85 for a carabiner, but it was gifted to me and I absolutely love it. If I lost it, I just might buy one simply because it’s so convenient in use.

Black Diamond Litewire Carabiner

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You need a carabiner for your keys or bag. That just is what it is… But do you want one specific to that function or do you want one that will also hold some real weight in a pinch? If the latter, this is the carabiner you need. It’s cheap, light, and has an axis strength of something like 5,000 pounds.

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CRKT Septimo Multi-Tool

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This thing is getting good reviews… Interesting capabilities for sure.

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B-2 Dog Tag

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A really interesting concept for a concealed blade. Clumsy as hell, but cool in some way as well…

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Gerber Reserve Terracraft

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Bitchin fix blade from Gerber Reserve – the small run branch from Gerber that features American Made knives…

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The Cache River

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I probably feature James Brand stuff too often, but damn man… I really like this.

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