EDC

The EDC Song by fxhummel1

Editor’s Note: Sorry for the lack of updates recently, but I hope everyone had a restful weekend… Here’s a sort of tongue-in-cheek EDC parody/cover of your favorite Alanis Morissette single.

Supplemental video review: please excuse my voice/lack of video skills! Please subscribe to everydaycarryTV for further video updates.

If you’ve been following the blog, you probably know by now that I’m still a college student. Over the past few years I’ve collected different pens to fulfill my needs for different classes and different EDC situations. I’ve found that there is no better place to find all sorts of unique, high quality pens than JetPens.com. As a loyal customer to the site, I was thrilled to hear that the folks over at JetPens are fans of my site as well! JetPens marketing associate, Brad Dowdy, more commonly known as the man behind the The Pen Addict (an excellent resource for pen reviews, I might add) reached out to me and we came up with a few products to review for you. I specifically asked for items that I felt would work well as EDC items, and Brad included a few of his own picks as well. The following reviews will focus more towards the pen in the context of everyday carry, with less emphasis on writing performance, technical specifications and other pen nerdery. I would like to take this time to kindly thank Brad and JetPens for supplying these units for review. I do not work for JetPens, nor do I have any other affiliation with them.

Zebra PenPod Mini [$3.85]:

I’ve mentioned this particular pen in previous posts about keychain pens. As you can tell by the picture, it’s definitely small enough for keychain carry. I threw it on my keyring and carried it for a few weeks, and it held up fine. The included hardware is sturdy enough for ring retention. In fact, I’d worry more about the anchor point breaking off, not the ring. This is because the pen housing is made entirely of plastic. As a result, the pen is inherently less durable but it cuts down on weight, which seems to help reduce noise and clacking while it rides on your keychain. The pen writes like a standard Zebra ballpoint pen, making its average performance adequate as a backup pen or for jotting quick notes. My biggest disappointment about this pen, however, is opening, using, and closing this pen. 

A notched, plastic shaft resting in the cap secures the pen closed by locking two nubs on the barrel of the pen (also made of plastic) into the notches with a simple push, then twist. I have some reservations about this locking mechanism just because the small, plastic locking nubs appear fragile. The lock should be sufficient for general EDC but for those who need a backup pen they can rely on, it might be best to look elsewhere. To disengage the lock, you need to push the pen inwards, twist to unlock, and a spring inside the pen itself will push the pen out of its cap. This sounds convenient but in practice I found it to be problematic. I have small hands and I wouldn’t consider them clumsy by any means, but on several instances, if I was not using two hands or not paying too much attention to retrieving the pen, the spring would basically launch the pen out of the cap and onto the pavement. The spring in the barrel also means if you don’t choke up on the pen when writing (there barrel becomes thinner, and it lacks a grip there), the spring compresses and messes up your strokes. Trying to put the pen back into the cap single handedly and not looking while it’s attached to your belt loop is even more of a hassle, as you’re working against the spring and gravity. I might be exaggerating how complicated the process is, but it’s just not for me and not what I look for in an EDC pen.

Overall, this pen is decent for the price and would make for a decent backup pen. It’s not my favorite of the keychain pen offerings out there, but it is also perhaps the most affordable of them all.

Pilot Birdy Stainless Steel Mini Ballpoint [$6.75]:

The Birdy Mini, while not a keychain pen, remains an excellent option for minimalist carry. It boasts many features that I feel make it a strong candidate for everyday carry use. Firstly, its size is nearly perfect: it’s small enough to carry slimly in your pocket, discreetly in your bag, or in some wallets, even, without being so small that it becomes awkward to handle. The entire pen appears to be stainless steel, which provides some confidence in its durability while giving it a sleek aesthetic that could look great in any carry. Because of the overall size, despite being made of stainless steel, the pen is lightweight but not cheap feeling.

Two of the more impressive features are that it somehow manages to fit on a pocket clip (!) and a clicky top (!!!). These two features combined make for such an easily accessible and convenient user experience. I can reach for it at the top of my pocket, unclip it, click the top and I’m ready to write. No fumbling with pop or screw off caps require both hands to remove, and even then, are at risk of dropping or misplacing… no magnets, no twisting at the tip, no pushing and turning — just a quick and convincing click! and you’re in business. I would say the pen is slightly more comfortable to write with than most keychain pens, but its small barrel still leaves something to be desired. It writes decently, which should be sufficient for jotting something down or signing something, but it isn’t as smooth and as satisfying to use for longer sessions compared to say, my Sharbo X or something. The pen refill appears to be standard sized to me, which is impressive considering how the pen’s barrel is mid-size at the largest. I was very impressed with this pen and at around seven dollars I think it’s a worthwhile investment.

Uni-ball Power Tank Smart Series High Grade [$16.50]:

This pen was one of Brad’s picks, and with good reason. I hadn’t heard about this pen before, especially within EDC circles, but I’m glad that Brad included one for me to try. The Power Tank can most appropriately be compared to your favorite “space pen,” as it features a pressurized ink cartridge. Not all of us are interested in writing in extreme conditions (zero grav, subzero temps, raining, upside down, etc) but it does inspire some confidence about the pen working when you want it to without surprises. I think this is pretty valuable for EDC and your overall writing experience. After EDCing it for a bit, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed having it in my pocket. My initial impression was that it would just be like any other pen (some of you may still think this) but it carries slimly for being a full-sized pen, and it isn’t encumbering or straining in any way.

The pocket clip isn’t spectacular but it feels very solid and it’s shaped with a gentle curve so as to not rip your pocket up. The clicky feels nice to activate, and its relatively long button seems to prevent accidental activation in pocket. The only problem I’ve had with it being in my pocket is that somehow the tip unscrewed from the barrel just a bit, but it was nothing to worry about. The barrel has very fine ribbing, giving it a good grip throughout. There’s no dedicated cushion or grip but it’s sufficiently comfortable to hold. If I’m not mistaken, the barrel is made of some kind of metal. You can see some wear on the finish from when I fell up a flight of stairs (don’t even ask) with it next to my knife in pocket, but it did not dent or break anywhere on the pen. The pen writes surprisingly smooth for a ballpoint (this is most likely due to the pressurized cartridge) and I enjoy using it for long sessions. Strangely enough, even though it isn’t particularly small or fancy, I like to carry it and often reach for it over my other pens if I’m going out. It’s just extremely convenient, simple, and reliable for quick notes or signatures, as opposed to say, one of my fountain pens or something. At about sixteen dollars I’m not sure how it compares to other similarly priced offerings from Fisher or Zebra, but I’m satisfied with the Power Tank’s performance.

Rotring 600 Mechanical Drafting Pencil [$33.00]:

Finally, we’ll take a look at not a pen, but a mechanical pencil by Rotring. If you’re familiar at all with Rotring you’d know that they put out some high quality products, and that quality is reflected in the price. Some people dismiss the mere notion of a pencil with a $30 price tag, but the Rotring 600 feels like it could be worth even more than that. When I handled the 600 I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of its design and the flawlessness of its construction. It appeals to me in the way that it feels like a product of good engineering and design to produce more good engineering and design, if that makes any sense. 

The pencil boasts many features that I would look for in a good flashlight, actually: a tight, but not overly aggressive knurled grip, a hexagonal body for its anti-roll function and stable fit in hand, a strong removable clip, and a click top with convincing actuation. It writes perfectly fine and has plenty of technical and design features. I am not surprised that this pencil is so highly esteemed. However, despite all of these qualities, I cannot recommend this pencil for EDC, at least, in your pants pocket. The one glaring deficiency in this pencil is that the shaft is not retractable and thus could be prone to bending or breaking (which would render it essentially useless as a drafting pencil). With a $33 pricetag, you’d be safer keeping this pencil in your bag or at your desk. It’s a shame because it’s definitely durable enough to handle being carried everywhere but at the tip. If you think this pencil is for you but want to pocket EDC it, look into the Rotring 800, which actually features a retractable tip. The Rotring 800, however, comes at a much more premium price and has some gold accents that I would rather do without.

Closing Remarks:
I have had experience with plenty of pens, and more recently I’ve been EDCing fountain pens. Having this package sent to me really opened my eyes about the way we carry pens, and after thinking critically I finally recognize the value of pocket clips, clicky tops and pressurized cartridges. Out of all these pens, while I was impressed most with the Pilot Birdy and the Rotring 600, the most practical value for me has to go to the Uni-ball Power Tank. Hopefully the review has been helpful, especially with school just around the corner for some of us. Lastly I’d like to thank Brad and JetPens for making this review possible, Jonah for the T2i and to you, the reader, for motivating me to keep this blog going. Cheers and carry on!

submitted by george

aww snapp, edc going mainstream on HBO

Editor’s Note: “The jack knife hack is my invention.”  Well, to be fair I haven’t seen a multikey in a Victorinox host, most of them are done in Leatherman-esque multitools. Worth watching anyway…

SUNWAYLED M10R

Editor’s Note: Click and drag to rotate view. Looks good man. Maybe I should email SWL and ask if I can review one ^_________~

Murdered Out Sub via selectism submitted by mrip

ITS Tactical’s Knot of the Week

Editor’s Note: The guys at ITS Tactical show you how to wrap an EOD Breacher Bar.

Light Him Up

Editor’s Note: @thusspakezarathustra lol how’s this for self defense?

Zebra Sharbo X LT3 vs ST3

Editor’s Note: Listen to this nerd talk about very similar yet slightly different pens! I am not affiliated with JetPens, fyi.

MY EDC UPDATE. WATCH IT.

• Spyderco Leafstorm X RIT Dye
• Superior Titanium Money Clip
• Bifold Cardholder
• Victorinox Manager
• Leatherman Keyman
• 4sevens Quark Mini 123 XP-G R5
• The Hill-Side Handkerchief
• Seiko SRP027K1

Editor’s Note: I made a video demonstrating the layout and some features of my new backpack, the Tactical Tailor Urban Operator Pack. I also show what I carry in my bag to school. I’ll share my thoughts on the bag in the rest of this post…

The Urban Operator Pack is an entry level “tactical” daypack that adds some tactical features and utility to an otherwise standard urban backpack. These include MOLLE attachment straps on the wearer’s right hand side, velcro patches for morale badges and nametags, military grade Cordura construction, high visibility orange lining, and different ways of doing standard backpack features.

Aside from its large capacity and generally minimal styling (for a tactical bag, that is), the main thing that sold me on this bag was better organization and accessibility than my old bag. Pictured above, I have right-hand side access to my camera, multitool, knife/glassbreaker and extra flashlight. One thing I would change, however, would be to add a standard pocket behind the attachment system. I was actually surprised to see a normal seam instead of some sort of slot or pocket there.

The main admin panel has three layers of organization, which is nice. I was actually able to fit everything I wanted inside it neatly and efficiently, except for a few pens/pencils that ended up in the zippered compartment. I don’t know if this is a weakness of the bag, or just a sign that I have too many pens. While I feel the external compartments could use more organization, I realize the bag wasn’t designed for predominantly students to use. I would have added elastic loops, similar to those in pocket organizers for more places to store pens/pencils/tools.

Regardless, the layout is pretty well thoughtout and allows for an almost gear-slinger type accessibility of the MOLLE attachments points and the laptop compartment as well. The laptop sleeve fits up to 17” (I’m using a 13” MacBook but I still need to insert horizontally into the sleeve before rotating once it’s inside).

While it is convenient to access, I feel the padding is inadequate, at least, once the laptop is inside — you can feel it press against your back, which could get uncomfortable, quickly. Another huge complaint about this bag is the straps. They’re thinly padded and for some reason do not start flush with the top of the bag, which makes them put an awkward pressure on my shoulders. This could be because I am not built like an off-duty LEO or someone in the military, and that the bag wasn’t designed for 5’7” asian nerds to lug ochem texts around.

In summary, the bag remedies a lot of problems that my old bag had — mainly organization and accessibility. However, it brought new problems that I wasn’t expecting after switching from my old bag. The fit and comfort are adequate, but do not compare to my DQM straps and back panel padding. The relative: military styling, velcro patches, etc. and size might not be for everyone.

I paid about $100 shipped for the bag from TacticalTailor.com

EDIT: After writing this review I am strongly considering returning the bag for something more comfortable and just getting over the whole minimalist aesthetic thing for my back/shoulder’s sake.

Editor’s Note: Two is one and one is none.

Angelina Jolie, Conan O’Brien, and balisongs.

Editor’s Note: I will never be as cool as this kid.