The Tactical Knife for EDC

When looking for an Every Day Carry (EDC) knife, there are a number of items to consider. The most important items for me are usefulness and durability. Usefulness will depend on the projects or adventures you expect to encounter. For me, with my focus on DIY/shop projects or outdoor living/adventures, I was looking for something a bit larger than a traditional pocket knife and very durable.  Durability is also affected by the blade steel and I have a couple of favorites based on testing: M390, CTS-XHP, CPM 3V are just a few that I like. Another important feature is the ability to open the knife with one hand – my projects and adventures often have me keeping one hand tied up. One other very important item for me is if the product is made in the USA or not. While there are some very skilled knife makers outside of the US, I prefer to support the US economy as much as I can.

Calavera Cutlery is an incredible custom knife making company. It is operated by Jeremy Robertson out of San Diego, CA. Jeremy currently offers three different models of folders: 1. The manual El Patron, 2. The El Patron Flipper, and 3. The Model 4. All these knives are very well built and very durable. The typical steel for the El Patron flipper is 3V, although Jeremy offers a few different types of steels for his knives. The Model  4 uses CTS-XHP, which is a steel I’ve been very impressed with. CPM 3V steel holds an edge. While Jeremy’s knives do not fall into the traditional folder category (See Canal Street Cutlery for traditional patterns) - they are a framelock design, they are a great knife for every day carry, at least here in Arkansas. If you live in a state with a length law, these might fall just over the typical length for legal carrying.

Calavera Cutlery El Patron Flipper in CPM 3V Steel

Here are the specifications of the El Patron flipper: The El Patron flipper has a handle made of 2 slabs of 5/32 inches thick 6AL-4v titanium, which can be either smooth or milled. As mentioned, the blade is CPM 3V with a hardness on the Rockwell scale of 60 and 3.75 inches long. The blade has a convex grind. The knife is 8-1/2 inches OAL when open and 4-3/4 inches closed. This knife uses a framelock design and falls in the tactical knife category. The clip is set up for tip up carry. (Note: The Lanyard is by Will).

 Jeremy’s craftsmanship is outstanding and he stands behind his products. There are repeated stories on knife forums about Jeremy fixing used knives for people. If there is production problem with the knife, Jeremy will make it right.

My El Patron is an incredible slicer. I’ve used my knife for cutting food, including meats, fruits, and vegetables; for opening a few letters and boxes just to check the sharpness; and for cutting paracord. As I'm an active person, I carry my knife so that I’m prepared for whatever adventure or project I face. The El Patron flipper has always been up to the challenge. These adventures include hunting, fishing, canoeing, sailing, rock climbing, a day at the range, and day-to-day hiking and urban use. Projects include installing laminate floor, electrical work, working in the wood shop building furniture, etc. So far I haven’t needed to sharpen my El Patron and I can still easily shave with it. This is the one knife I always want with me. With the mechanism for being able to open this with one hand (it is not automatic, assisted, or a gravity knife), this would be great tool for any first responder or soldier to have. Certainly I can see this being a great tool for cutting a seat belt after an accident.

The El Patron is also a solidly built knife. I have no blade play and when the blade locks into position you can feel that the blade will not move until you unlock it. The lockup is early (the lock bar moves into place on the blade at about 25% - see picture below) when the knife is new. This shows that the knife can take a lot of wear before that mechanism fails.

The negative side on the El Patron is price. The only way I was able to afford this was selling a number of knives ($50/knife average and about 12 knives) I wasn’t using to fund this once in a lifetime purchase. As I have 200+ knives this wasn’t a huge deal, but took some time to find buyers. I have to admit, I found the perfect knife though and I’m hooked on them. Once this one wears out (maybe in 25 years) I’ll be looking for another one to take its place.

-Matt

Pens for Every Day

Pens are an important part of every day carry. Whether having one available for the checkbook or if you carry a Leuchtturm or Moleskine (see Best EDC Notebook ) with you, pens are always useful. Outside of tactical pens, the most popular EDC Pen is probably the Pilot G-2. Another pen that I've found I enjoy carrying is the TUL Needle Point Retractable pen. I prefer the extra fine point in the G-2 and the fine point in the TUL. As I'm trying to decide which I prefer, I thought a comparison of the two pens make for a good topic of discussion.

Pictured are the Pilot G-2 of the left and the TUL retractable needle point on the right.

 Both pens are gel. Both are retractable points. Both have clips. The TUL pen has a metal clip and metal tip of pen, while the G-2 has a plastic clip and plastic tip of pen. Both pens have a rubber grip for holding the pen while writing, however the G-2's grip is contoured. This contour makes the G-2 much more comfortable to hold. The spring for the G-2 is a bit stronger than the spring the TUL.The TUL is a bit longer than the G-2...a shorter pen is generally easier to carry in a pocket. If carrying in a backpack or briefcase, the difference in length is probably inconsequential. The Pilot G-2 seems to be a bit stronger overall than the TUL, which the plastic shaft of the pen being more durable than the TUL. The Pilot G-2 Both pens write well and the G-2 Extra Fine Point is comparable to the TUL Fine Needle Point. The Pilot G-2 seems write a bit smoother than the TUL.

The pens have a similar per unit cost. A four pack of the TUL is about $4.69 ($1.1725 per pen) and a box of 12 of the Pilot G-2 (Extra Fine Point) are currently $12.99 ($1.0825 per pen) on Amazon. With a little searching, the Pilot G-2 can be found for less that $1 per pen.

If the Pilot G-2 had a metal clip and tip, I would strongly prefer the Pilot G-2. As it is, I'll probably continue to use the Pilot due to cost and comfort for writing, however at this point I can't the Pilot G-2 is much better than the TUL. The TUL is fancier than the Pilot G-2 and is probably suited more for business environments.

-Matt