I have a Whale Shark dive on my resume… It was an experience I will never forget and to this day, I often wonder how such an amazing animal can exist and yet be neglected. It’s disgusting actually…
Oris recently released the Whale Shark – a limited edition dive watch with eyes on raising money to save the endangered species. It’s pretty rad too…
Slim wallets are everywhere these days… But one of the things I’ve never understood is why we don’t see more staggered layouts. This allows you to carry more cards with a slimmer profile… only sacrificing length in the process. To me, this Holden card wallet is far better designed than the typical stacked card setup.
Details here.
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:
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.
This damned thing looks unwieldily as all hell, but… you know… I have a thing for disposable blade EDC tools.
You can back the Kickstarter here.
A few years ago, I was exploring Instagram and found this guy that was into both photography and woodworking. Sharing the same passions, I smashed that follow button and didn’t think much more of it. But as Matthew’s posts began to infiltrate my scrolling sessions, I noticed a couple of things:
After a year or so of following along anonymously, I approached Matthew just to let him know how inspirational he was. I just couldn’t get over the fact that a young guy could suffer from such a devastating injury, pick his damn self up, and get on with it without much regard for limitations, excuses, or any of the other unavoidable obstacles in his path.
I mean… Matthew’s Instagram account so consistently pumps out images of incredible photography and beautifully detailed woodworking, that it’s really easy to forget he’s doing all of this shit confined to a wheelchair. Every now and then, he’ll post a image of a downed drill press (those things are hard to move by yourself when your not in a chair) or a an update after his latest surgery, to remind you… and you relive that little shock all over again:
“Oh shit. I forgot he’s in a chair. How the hell did he even do that?”
Anyway, I got obsessed with watching Matthew progress both in work and life. Over time, we’ve gotten to be internet buddies and last week, he mentioned something that agitated the hell out of me – He’s been living out of an ill-fitting and incredibly heavy chair since his stroke. And while he had lined up a lighter weight option with a custom fit, his insurance wasn’t willing to pony up.
I’ve called bullshit. A few of his other pals have as well…
And to correct this nonsense, we’ve set up a Gofundme page with the goal of raising enough money to get Matt the chair he needs. It launched this morning and we’ve already raised $7,235 of the $10,000 needed. All we need now is a small push to get over the top and I was hoping you guys would help me make that happen.
You can see the Gofundme page and contribute 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 love Magpul DAKA pouches. They are built like a brick shithouse, work well, and look great. However, they are expensive and because they are zipped, they are not 100% waterproof.
If you need something to stay absolutely dry when submerged, similar functionality otherwise, and a lower cost solution… well, check out these resealable Stasher silicone bags. While they might not look the business, there is no arguing their functionality.
Details here.
And if money is burning a hole in your pocket, but you still need something absolutely submergible, Nite Ize recently introduced their new RunOff Waterproof Pockets in a number of different sizes and colors. These things are priced similar to the DAKAs, but use a different kind of zip system that allows them to be completely waterproof.
I haven’t used or seen these, but initial reviews are really good.
Details here.
