Today's EDC - two new items

Some items have been on my want list for way too long, and for whatever reason, I never pulled the trigger on them - the Victorinox Alox Cadet Swiss Army Knife is certainly one of those.  Highly regarded, great price, good looking piece of kit - it appears to have a little bit of everything - plus, I am a SAK fan, and carried a Victorinox Compact for a long time, it is very much my favorite SAK for EDC, with hardly a useless tool (that silly multi purpose hook though...if it didn't have the file on it, it would be completely useless.) and my required two layers - I find any more than two layers is just too bulky for the pocket.  I received my Cadet a couple of weeks ago, and have carried it quite a few times - I very much like what everyone else likes - great classic SAK spear point blade, solid tool complement, lightweight, and thin, thin, thin. 

I always thought of the Vic Compact as a very thin, lightweight SAK - but against the Cadet it looks ginormous.  Feels bulkier in the pocket, too.  

The thing is, the tool complement of the Compact is pretty excellent - there is not a tool on there I haven't used many, many times - including the corkscrew (there are sometimes emergency wine opening requirements in my life) and the pen!  The little eyeglass/jewelers screwdriver that threads into the corkscrew? Genius! 

That said, it's let down a bit by its scissors - while sharp and fairly tight - the cheesy wire spring setup is horrendous - Wenger seems to make way better scissor springs - and these things can't even begin to touch the likes of the Leatherman Juice scissors - the reigning champ of small multitool scissors.  These Vic scissors have popped off of the spring more times than I can count in the years I have carried one of these.

But, how cool is the "hidden" feature of a stainless pin that slides securely underneath the corkscrew into the scales?  It's very damn cool.  That silly pin has come in handy!

The Cadet, on the other hand - very spartan - that thinness comes at a price - but the reality is, for daily use, what else do you really need in an office environment?  I think it is a pretty solid compromise of size versus functionality - especially for typical daily office use.  Plus it wins big marks in the looks department - very non threatening, but with the unique look of the Alox scales - plus they feel great in the hand.

I have a difficult relationship with AAA lights.  I love their overall size, weight, and portability, plus, modern versions of this light form factor tend to put out a surprising amount of light for its overall size.  That said - I lose them.  I lose them constantly.  I have lost two of my most favorite lights ever - the Fenix LD01 in "limited edition" stainless steel, and my Foursevens Preon 1, with a Preon 2 clickie.  I hoped they would show up eventually, so I waited....I searched, and I hoped....and I searched, and I waited....and I hoped against hope...and pulled out the credit card yet again.

(Confession: as I built the links into this article, I noticed the Preon 1 was on sale (30% off) in titanium no less (!) on the Foursevens site, and couldn't resist - so I ordered another one...its that optional clickie, the three modes, and the amazing pocket clip -  and now in titanium??? I just plain love that light!)

Somewhere in EDC Forums land, I saw a shot of a copper Maratac AAA light - and hey, wow, that is a cool looking light!  Turned out while they were supposed to be a limited edition run, there was a new model "Rev 2" available on the County Comm site - so I pulled the trigger eagerly - I just couldn't live without a AAA light, especially with my current minimalist carry approach - nothing meets those kind of requirements like a AAA light.  This light has two modes - a 1.8 lumen low, and a 125 lumen high - not quite the three mode UI of my previous AAA lights, but pretty much what I always need from a light like this - a pretty low low, or a douse the area with light high.  Interestingly, the "regular" Maratac AAA has three modes, 1.5 lumen, 18 lumen, and 80 lumen.

Today is the first day I have carried this light, and I plan to carry it a lot more as I find the AAA form factor to be a great combination for this kind of minimalist carry - although the EDC world appears to be smitten, at the moment, by the Veleno Designs Quantum DD, a very interesting minimalist light (Excellent review here by Tony of Every Day Commentary.)  But c'mon - I can't even keep track of a AAA light, let alone something this small...but its brushed stainless....and so small....and so cool....must...keep...wallet...in...pocket...

 I will give it a proper review after I carry it for a few weeks.  Couple of initial observations: nice beam, spill-y, good low, crappy pocket clip, nicely machined threads, not the most flawless knurling, super lightweight, very cool looking light - plus the copper should patina really nicely. 

I handed the Maratac light to my wife tonight who wanted to check it out ("Is that a new flashlight?" Yes, I sheepishly answered) - and she was surprised: "Wow, this thing weighs practically nothing!" - so I pulled out the turntable cartridge stylus downforce gauge, err... scale...and popped it on.

1.2 oz! Wow.  That is darn light for a...light.  Note, that is WITH battery (Energizer AAA lithium)  So, I decided to put the knife on the scale too, and found:

1.6 oz!  Again, wow! - Less than 3 ounces for a SAK and flashlight combination that is very very useful and great to carry.  For the heck of it, I thought I would compare to the beloved Vic Compact.

Pretty significant jump, relatively, albeit with quite a bit more utility.  But to be honest, at the risk of repeating myself, the Cadet is a very capable tool, and its super pocketability, combined with the weight makes it a new minimalist favorite in my book.  I hope to end my losing streak with AAA lights, and to that end I have gone in a strange direction -  I have decided to take a shotgun approach to this issue of losing AAA lights - I ordered an Olight i3 last week when they were having a killer Black Friday sale ($15.37!!) then the Maratac, then tonight another Preon.  I'll NEVER lose three!!!

This great Victorinox Alox knife, combined with a 1.2 ounce, great looking/unique copper finish 100 lumen light - that is a lot of utility in ones pocket - it is a good time to be in this hobby.  Go minimalism!