Everyday Carry

Trending Gear: February 2019

Authored by:
Bernard Capulong
Trending Gear: February 2019

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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.

This past February's top-ranking gear includes a wide variety of pocketknives, pens, tools, and some pocket-friendly fun to boot.


10. Benchmade Triage

Whatever the emergency, you can count on the Benchmade Triage to come to the rescue. It's Benchmade's specialized rescue knife with a built-in hook for cutting seatbelt webbing, an emergency glass breaker, and a blunted tip for added safety. A high-vis orange handle makes it easy to find in a go-bag, and a serrated combo edge on its 3.4” N680 steel blade offers extra versatility. Of course, it also features Benchmade's signature AXIS lock mechanism and made-in-the-USA quality.

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9. Kizer Begleiter

If you're looking for a reasonably priced, EDC-focused blade, the Kizer Begleiter should be on your short list. Its no-fuss design has plenty of features perfect for general EDC use: a slim and lightweight G10 handle, a capable 3.3” VG-10 drop point blade, thumb stud deployment,  and a stainless steel liner lock. Its slim handle carries well in the pocket, while a reversible tip-up clip makes it easy to retrieve.

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8. Gerber MP600 Multi-tool

The Gerber Multi-Plier 600 is another full-sized multi-tool that's made in the USA designed for day-to-day use at home or out on the battlefield for military personnel. It features 15 tools total in its stainless steel body, including pliers, one-hand open locking knife and tools, screwdrivers, bottle openers, and more. If you mainly use pliers on your multi-tool, you'll appreciate the one-handed deployment of the MP600's sliding pliers. It's a fresh and convenient take on the full-sized multi-tool, and always a strong contender for EDC.

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7. CRKT Snailor

This quirky, Jesper Voxnaes-designed tool might look like a snail, but it's anything but slow when it comes to its conveniences. A clip action on its keyring allows you to get to your keys in a flash. The Snailor's “mouth” pops caps open with ease, and its eye doubles as a lanyard hole. Last month's 7th most popular item is the drinking buddy you never knew you needed.

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6. Parker Jotter Pen

Parker’s Jotter ballpoint pen has been around for ages, and for good reason. It’s a quintessential click pen that just simply works. There are tons of variants available in metal, plastic, and a mix of the two. You’ll appreciate the classic looks, especially the iconic arrow-shaped clip. As far as affordable pens go, the Jotter is one of the best options out there with plenty of variants available under ten bucks.

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5. Rike Knife 1507s

Underneath the sleek and minimalist exterior of the Rike Knife 1507s is one beastly blade. Made from premium CPM S35VN steel with a hefty 3.75” clip point edge, the 1507s is every bit a high-performance EDC knife. Titanium handles house its flipper mechanism and its frame lock, while a milled pocket clip allows for deep-pocket carry. Last month's 5th most popular item certainly doesn't disappoint in both looks and features.

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4. Nintendo Gameboy Micro

While gaming might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the bases your EDC should cover, portable gaming is becoming a part of more and more EDCs with phone games and consoles like the Nintendo Switch. For a more nostalgic feel, you can get your retro gaming on with one of Nintendo's most EDC-friendly Gameboys. The Micro is an ultra-compact Gameboy Advance complete with a backlit screen, customizable faceplates and a rechargeable battery.

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3. Manker Elfin

It's easy to phone it in when designing a keychain knife. But even though their Elfin is only 2.3” long, Manker fitted it with the materials and features you'd come to expect from a knife twice its size. It features a rear flipper that deploys its 1.5” tanto blade into a locking liner. It boasts Bohler's M390 supersteel for excellent edge retention, while TC4 titanium makes up the handles. It's a little knife that's big on premium features, making it this month's third most popular item.

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2. Spyderco Para Military 2

When talking about all-time classic Spyderco knives (not to mention all-time great knives in general), it's hard to avoid talking about the Para Military 2. With solid features like a CPM S30V blade with trademark thumbhole and full-grip G10 handles paired with excellent balance, ergonomics and security thanks to its patented Compression Lock, there's a reason it's become an EDC staple, as well as last month's second most popular item.

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1. Nitecore NTP30 Tactical Pen

Nitecore is no stranger to the top of the trending gear rankings, but it's usually for their innovative EDC flashlights. With their NTP30 tactical pen, the flashlight company is showing they're no one trick pony. Designed with everyday carry in mind, the NTP30 boasts a TC4 titanium alloy construction throughout. It gives the pen the right mix of light weight at less than one ounce, durability, and corrosion resistance for daily use wherever you end up. But because not all pens should disappear into the pocket or hang off a keychain, especially if it doubles as a self defense tool, the NTP30 measures 5.6" in length. It's compact enough for easy pocket carry with its included titanium alloy clip, but long enough for a balanced and comfortable writing experience.

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To see what's been trending from previous months, check out our round-ups from the archives.

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 (13 total)

Goldthunder ·
Much love for #9,#8 and #2. All quality choices and 2/3 American made.
Lozoot ·
The gameboy micro wasn't a trending item even when it was released in 2005...
Goldthunder ·
It shouldn’t ever be a trending item....
Michael Mutant ·
Those Rike knives look great.
33ww ·
WTH "edc's" a gameboy?
Orwell ·
There are some nostalgic guys out there who like items, that makes fun, even when they not total necessary.
NUNQUAM NON PARATUS ·
If you click on the included Amazon link, you too could EDC a gameboy micro. For the small price of only $450 (!!!)
33ww ·
Yeah, I'll get right on that :)
Charles ·
I like the Manker Elfin, but just can’t see paying $85 for such a small knife.
2 more comments