Everyday Carry

Trending Gear: November 2018

Authored by:
Bernard Capulong
Trending Gear: November 2018

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Every day, readers like you proudly share photos of their everyday carry on the site.

Not only is looking through their pockets this way super interesting, but it's also a great way to find really cool gear you never even knew existed (yet somehow, suddenly need…).

When you hover over an item you like and click on it in these photos, you're also letting other EDCers know you find that gear interesting. Each click gets recorded to create a data-driven ranking of the most popular gear, which you can find in our Gear section of the site found in the top menu bar.

Gear with the most views and clicks climbs its way to the top of this feed and lets the EDC community know what's trending right this second.

Over the past month of November, it you were most interested in slim knives, pen-shaped tools, unique wristwatches, and more…


The Most Popular Gear from November


10. Benchmade 940 Osbourne

Last month's 10th most popular item is a knife that's no stranger to EDC loadouts. And well-deserved too, since it's a top-class, heavy duty knife with all the right features to tackle nearly every cutting task. The Benchmade 940 has it all—a sizable CPM S30V blade in a reverse tanto shape that gives it plenty of belly for long slices, with the durability it needs for tougher cuts. This blade locks into place with Benchmade's signature Axis lock, giving it ambidextrous locking performance. Finally, a contoured aluminum handle gives it a comfortable grip without weighing down the knife. It's a solid pick for EDC that will more than prove its mettle for any situation.

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9. SureFire 2211 Luminox Wrist Light

From an everyday watch to paracord and even wearable tools, your wrists are great space to eke out some extra functionality. So why not a flashlight, too? Last month's 9th entry, the SureFire 2211, makes the most of that extra room and shares the spot with a rugged watch, giving you a timekeeping and illumination combo that's no slouch for either function. After all, that's a Luminox watch the 2211 comes with, known for its duty-ready performance that's cut its teeth in the field. And SureFire has made a name for itself making some of the most reliable flashlights in the business. The light that comes on the 2211 comes with 3 levels up to 300 lumens, in a unique form factor that can light up an area while leaving your hands completely free to work.

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8. Citizen BM8180-03E

Blending both Field and Flieger style watches into one package, the Citizen BM8180-03 achieves a distinct military look and comes in at last month's 7th most popular item. Sporting a mineral glass crystal and stainless steel case for durability, the watch can stand up to daily wear. Better yet, its Eco-Drive charging feature makes for low maintenance upkeep as you won’t have to change its battery. For extra utility, the timepiece is waterproof to 100M — meaning you can shower and swim without taking the watch off. The day-date display, large luminous hands, and hour/minute indices are easy to read at a glance.

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7. Olight i3T

Thanks to the progression of flashlight tech, bigger and better performance is starting to come from even the smallest platforms. Olight have been ushering in a new generation of functional EDC lights in recent years, with the I3T EOS bucking the trend of what we've come to expect from an compact light. It's got style, power, functionality, and a rare appearance AAA light feature—a tailswitch—that makes it a compelling light for any EDC. It's been a standout pick in many loadouts since its release, with later iterations even offered in more exotic materials like copper, and it's last month's 6th most-clicked piece of gear.

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6. Midori Brass Bullet Pencil Holder

Bullet pencil holders offer a great way to extend the functionality and usability of pencils, letting you maintain a grip as you sharpen down the wood and lead. But that doesn't mean it should all function with no form. Midori's pencil holder comes in an exotic brass construction, giving you both durability and a bit of extra weight to keep your writing stable and balanced. An included clip adds some EDC capability to your pencil as well, letting you carry with ease.

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5. The James Brand Elko

Good things can come in small packages, and our #5 most popular item proves it. The Elko is the James Brand's take on the classic keychain knife. It sports the James Brand's signature sleek utilitarian styling, with smooth anodized aluminum scales and clean angles throughout. The Sandvik 12C27 steel blade measures in at just under 1.75", and deploys as a two-hand open slip joint using the elongated nail nick. To round out its functionality, the keychain attachment point doubles as a screwdriver/pry/scrape tool.

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4. United by Blue Peaks Zip Case

By now it shouldn't come as a surprise to see a gear organizer pouch of some sort in our monthly round-ups. This Peaks Zip Case comes from a lesser known brand, United by Blue. They focus on sustainability in their outdoors gear and apparel, which is why the Peaks Zip Case is made from 100% recycled polyester. It's designed as a travel companion or wristlet, complete with veg-tan leather zipper pulls, a nylon grab handle, and finished with DWR to keep your essentials safe from the rain. 

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3. Kizer Feist

Last month's third most popular item is this sleek minimalist gent's knife designed by Justin Lundquist for Kizer. It's especially compact thanks to its slim and straight sculpted titanium handle, which houses its 2.8" S35VN blade. Unlike other gent's knives that tend to require a two-hand open, the Feist actually deploys via a unique front flipper tab. It all locks up into the frame, and rides especially easily in the pocket thanks to its matching titanium clip. If you're looking for a discreet and elegant knife with premium materials, the Feist is a unique offering.

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2. MecArmy SDG1

Remember fidget spinners? You may have written them off as less-than-useful toys, but with the right application they can be fully functional. One prime example is MecArmy's SDG1. As EDCers we tend to rely on our multi-tool's screwdrivers, but for those of you who tinker often with technical projects, this high-quality dedicated driver might be right up your alley. MecArmy's SDG1 is built from titanium alloy with a generously textured grip section on the body and an anodized top on a bearing. The top serves three purposes: its tritium inserts help you locate the tool in a dark bag or pocket, it lets you grip the screwdriver and turn your fingers without readjusting for easier driving, and can be spun for fun in your downtime. Even better, the SDG1 comes with an accompanying bit set to handle all sorts of projects.

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1. SOG Baton Q3

This month's title of most popular gear goes to SOG's Baton Q3 multi-tool. At first glance, it resembles something closer to a marker than it does your traditional pliers-based multi-tool. But after a quick tug, the "baton" handle splits to transform into a more familiar pliers-based tool, packed with 13 total functions. It covers your bases with your usual full-sized multi-tool offerings like blades, openers, and drivers, all while riding light and compact in its 6.6" long, 6 oz form factor. If you're looking for all-around functionality that looks sleek and won't weigh you down, the Q3 just might do the trick.

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For more trending gear, check out our past round-ups from the archive.

Bernard Capulong

Founder and Editor-in-Chief


About the Author
Bernard Capulong is an everyday carry (EDC) gear expert, entrepreneur, all-around nerd, and the founder and editor-in-chief of EverydayCarry.com—the largest online community for EDC gear enthusiasts. Since founding Everyday Carry in 2009, he’s built over a decade of experience in the industry, reviewing and highlighting brands and products, including pocket knives, flashlights, wallets, watches, bags, pens, and much more.

Bernard is known for bringing everyday carry out of obscurity and into the mainstream, having been published or featured in various publications such as GQ, TIME Magazine, The New York Times, VICE, HYPEBEAST, Outside, and many others. He has also played a part in curating, designing, and developing digital and physical products, resulting in successful crowdfunding projects or limited edition collaboration products with established softgoods brands. He stays on the pulse of the EDC industry by attending trade shows, participating in online interest communities, and actively engaging with fellow gear enthusiasts on social media.

In addition to being the editor-in-chief and main social media personality for EverydayCarry.com, Bernard is an avid gearhead and collector in general. His personal collections span technical bags, fountain pens, digital cameras, retro gaming hardware, personal hi-fi audio gear, and mechanical wristwatches, to name a few. Bernard Capulong is a prominent figure and trusted authority in the everyday carry industry with a career dedicated to helping people discover this hobby and stay prepared with quality gear.

Discussion (1 total)

NUNQUAM NON PARATUS ·
Regarding the SureFire 2211 Luminox... Save your money.

I know nothing about a wrist mounted light, so my comment is solely based on the addition of the Luminox watch that is included. You can buy a similar wrist light with the generic SureFire watch for about $400 less than this version. So you are essentially buying a $400 Luminox to go with your wrist light. Is it worth it? In my personal experience-- HECK NO. Here is why.

I used to own a Luminox 3951. It looked very tactical. It was not. Yes, the tritium lume is very neat and I liked that aspect a lot. But the mineral crystal shattered twice during normal use (not while I was in the field). The only outfit that is certified to work on your Luminox is Saltzman's Watches of RI. They are expensive and rude (READ: Luminox customer service is expensive and rude)--whole other story for a different day though... Also Luminox's signature watches have very bright markings, which is hardly tactical unless you are under the sea. My version (The "Navy SEAL" edition) only had a 200M WR rating. This means it is good for little more than 10M of actual diving depth-- as opposed to the ISO 6425 rating for true diving purposes. So despite it's livery it is not even great for diving. That being said, I am talking about my 3951 model-- This Surefire 2211 model doesn't even list a WR rating, and I can't seem to find that info anywhere. The website only details it as having a gasket that gives it some (unspecified) degree of water resistance. Also, note where the watch crown is placed... How are you supposed to manipulate that thing on your wrist?

So in conclusion, what you have here is a dive watch that you cant use to dive, protruding greatly from a large wrist platform that puts it's fragile crystal very much at risk, while being marketed as LEO gear-- folks who are constantly bumping their arms and wrists into things and seldom find themselves under the wave tops. This is far into the "tacticool" category, but far from being actually "tactical".

I'd also like to point out that it appears Luminox makes a whole lot of money by associating themselves with military use. They brand their watches to appear more military (e.g. Navy SEAL and Special Ops editions), and heavily market based on this fact. Right on their website they have a list of military branches and LEO agencies that have Luminox watch users among them, appearing to be somehow affiliated-- When in fact they are not. They are not a government supplier as evidenced by the fact that none of their products have an NSN. And yet despite all their fortune capitalizing on the military, it doesn't appear that they give back much (if anything) to that community. I don't see anywhere listed where they make charitable contributions of any kind to any veteran organization. Seems pretty feckless if you ask me...