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Sweet new releases from Victorinox, Urban EDC, Dango and more highlight this month's top picks.
When it comes to EDC releases, it's often kind of a crapshoot as to whether a month will be loaded to the gills with solid brand-new gear or if its a comparative flop. This month, August 2022, happens to fall into the former category, with plenty of impressive drops from a wide variety of brands across numerous everyday carry categories.
With a bevy of new knives — both folding and fixed-blade — alongside pocket notebooks, a novel take on the keychain carabiner, a special-edition Swiss Army Knife and so much more, we've found that we're wanting for very little. And if you happen to be needing an EDC refresh yourself, this month is sure to please.
Another surprisingly sleek, urban folder from the folks at Gerber, the liner-locking Pledge features a detail we're not sure we've ever seen before: a reversible thumb stud. This allows the knife to function beautifully for left- and right-handers alike without having to worry about the sometimes annoying bulge of an ambidextrous thumb stud (which usually juts on both sides of the blade). The result is an EDC knife that's deceptively slim and, therefore, perfect for tight pockets.
Skeletonized for weight saving without sacrificing sturdiness, Gerber's new Dibs is a compact, corrosion-resistant, PVD-coated, 440A steel fixed blade that's perfect for everyday carry (unlike so many of its cumbersome siblings). And while its 2.5-inch blade is small, it's also still quite functional, even through hard use. If that doesn't fill you with confidence, perhaps the limited lifetime warranty will.
As you might guess, this multi-tool is perfect for outdoor snacking occasions. Toward that end it packs a cheese knife, a corkscrew, a bottle opener and more. Classing up the whole operation are pearwood scales and a large, Baldur-patterned Damasteel blade with a hardness grade of 60 HRC. This collector's edition item is limited to 6,000 sequentially numbered pieces worldwide.
Urban EDC recruited renowned custom knife maker Jared Price to design his first-ever production knife, and it's a beauty. Highlights include smooth one-handed deployment, a sturdy frame lock and a 2.6-inch M390 steel blade primed to tackle all manner of common tasks at home or in the field. Choose either Micarta or titanium scales — both keep the total weight under 3 ounces.
Is there any real, practical reason for your daily letter opener/box cutter/apple slicer to be a butterfly knife? Not exactly. But it is immensely satisfying to deploy, and the latest version of Kershaw's Lucha is an ounce lighter thanks to titanium handles with carbon fiber overlays. The spear-point single-edge CPM 20CV steel blade is optimized for corrosion resistance and edge retention, too.
Featuring the brand's signature industrial-inspired design cues, Dango's tough-as-nails, lightweight aluminum Carabiner & Shackle is the perfect traditional keychain alternative for anyone who doesn't want a lump of keys and keychain accessories mussing up their pockets. The Shackle can also be detached for more compact carrying, while still keeping your keys in order. Oh yeah, and it was made right here in the USA.
Just about every pocket notebook put out by Aaron Draplin's Field Notes brand is exceptional, but the limited-edition Quarterly Editions are certainly stand-outs. This quarter's offering, the Great Lakes Edition, is no exception. With covers inspired by each of America's Great Lakes and a bunch of historical, geographical and even biological info inside the back cover, these notebooks have the bonus of being educational on top of their usefulness.