Trending Gear: March 2021

The Garmin Instinct Tactical isn’t your usual smartwatch. Rather than a simple sphere or square of glass and steel, this tactical-inspired watch is built tough to U.S. military standard 810G for thermal, shock, and water resistance rated up to 100 meters. But the Instinct isn’t just a tough watch. It’s a fully featured smartwatch that includes vibrating alarms, stopwatch, connectivity to smartphones, built-in navigation sensors, multiple global navigation satellite systems like GPS, GLONASS and Galileo, and smart notifications. It also comes with fitness-oriented features like a heart-rate monitor, sleep tracking and pre-loaded activity profiles such as running, biking, swimming, hiking, and more. And true to its Tactical name, the Instinct includes stealth mode, jumpmaster mode, waypoint projection, dual-position GPS formatting and preloaded tactical activities.

If you’re looking for an EDC knife with premium performance, premium materials, and a versatile design, the WE Knife Co. SNECX Mini Buster is a strong option for your next EDC knife. It’s designed by knifemaker Snecx Tan, and features a utilitarian blade shape that folds into a compact ergonomic handle. The blade falls on the larger side at 3.5“, and it’s made out of premium CPM-20CV steel, giving it excellent edge retention and cutting performance. This blade features a sheepsfoot shape, which is great for precise cutting, slicing, and even chopping tasks. Finally, a black stonewash finish gives it additional corrosion resistance on top of a stealthy blacked-out appearance. Titanium handles also feature a bronze anodized finish, giving it small highlights that make it pop. Both the frame and the deep carry clip are made from titanium as well.

This crowd-favorite EDC light is able to reach its 180 lumens maximum output from its Philips LUXEON TX emitter and hold it for 20 minutes, all on easy-to-replace batteries. A large rubberized tail switch lets you switch between its two modes: a 5-lumen Low for sweeping scans and when you don’t want to blind yourself or your companions, and the aforementioned 180-lumen High for when you need a burst of illumination. The forward-clicky switch also allows for momentary engagement of either mode, which easy for your thumb to do while holding the light in an overhand grip. Helix-styled body knurling on its lightweight, IPX8-rated aluminum body offers a distinct style and an enhanced grip, while the lanyard-ready, two-way pocket clip gives you multiple carry options. At 3.5" long and 1.45 ounces, the Olight i3T EOS integrates easily with your EDC kit, clipped to your pocket or pack, or as part of your keychain setup.

The Prometheus Beta QRv2 is one of our favorite EDC lights, and not just among its AAA peers. Very few lights are able to put together a collection of features that appeal and can be useful to both flashlight enthusiasts and regular EDCers alike. From its high-CRI Nichia 219B LED with plenty of lumens for everyday tasks to its availability in exotic materials, it's a collectible light by itself. But add excellent build quality, a dead-simple interface, and an innovative quick-release system and you've got yourself a perfect light for everyday carry.

You might think that a light small enough to fit on your keychain can only be good for use as a toy, but Nitecore’s TIP SE fits 700 lumens out the front max from its dual OSRAM P8 white light LED modules. This newest update to their keychain light line integrates USB-C recharging for your convenience, letting you carry and use the same cable that you use to top your phones and other devices off to keep your light going when you need it. And since it’s made out of hard anodized aluminum allow that’s wearproof and waterproof up to an IP54 rating, it’ll stand up to everyday hard use when attached to your keys via the rear loop.

Amidst a sea of innovative and aggressive designs, the simple and unassuming CRKT Pilar continues to trend on our charts as a small, yet functional EDC knife. The distinct, minimalist design comes from knife designer Jesper Voxnaes, and it bears some of the features and qualities of his more expensive work. The thumbhole cutout deploys the 2.4" sheepsfoot satin-finished blade. The 8Cr13MoV blade steel is a common choice at this price point, but its ability to hold a decent edge and sharpen easily can be appreciated in a daily beater knife. The tough framelock design helps the Pilar fit in that role. It offers good ergonomics thanks to the blade’s integrated forward finger choil and the aggressive cutout on the handle, providing comfort and confidence during use. Finally, a robust stainless steel pocket clip mounts on the framelock side of the handles, offering tip-up or tip-down carry.

Victorinox's Alox line gives you the robustness of their 3.6” multi-tools while drastically reducing their weight thanks to embossed aluminum scales with anodic oxidation. What you lose in handle-based tools like tweezers and toothpicks, you gain in sleekness that make them ideal for everyday carry. Among the Alox Swiss Army Knives, the Pioneer X is unique thanks to its pair of scissors, adding much-needed utility when a blade isn't the perfect tool for the job. With 8 other tools it's a perfect pocketable multi-tool to add to any EDC.

The 602 Tengu Tool was developed as a partnership between Benchmade and designer Jared Oeser who brings his talents to both this and the 601 Tengu Flipper knife. The Tengu Tool carries the design language of its bigger brother, including the tanto blade profile and the stark, dual-colored G10 handles. But the blade is where the Tool sets itself apart: pulling it out of its included leather carry sleeve in its closed position, you’re greeted by a bottle opening tool tipped with a pry/scraper. Pushing on this tang like a front flipper deploys the 1.14“ tanto blade. Since this is a friction folder there’s no detent to get in the way of opening and closing, so it’s a smooth transition to access either tool. And since this is a premium tool designed for work on either end, Crucible CPM-20CV steel was chosen for its top tier toughness and edge retention. When you’re done with work, the Tengu’s blade folds back into its textured G10 handles, ready to slip back into its sleeve until the next job.

As the smaller sibling to the massively popular Bugout, the Mini Bugout is one of the most sought-after and talked about everyday carry knives released in the past few years, now available in arguably its most desirable colorway: a full blackout treatment. And with its mix of great ergonomics, solid performance, and ultra light weight, it’s likely to see a place in even more pockets in the year ahead. Its standout feature is the premium 2.75" CPM-S30V stainless steel blade, held in place with Benchmade’s signature AXIS lock and deployed via the traditional thumbstud mechanism. The CF-Elite handles offer the user plenty of grip during even hard use, but it also complements the barely-there weight quality of the knife itself, which weighs in at a meager 1.5 ounces in total. And with its reversible tip-up deep carry pocket clip, it’s not just small and lightweight: it disappears into your pockets when you’re through.

The Hunstman is one of Victorinox’s most popular Swiss Army Knives (and also the most popular item for March) and for a good reason: a rich feature makes it practical for both outdoor adventures and for EDC. You have access to a 3.6" long Sandvik stainless steel knife, perfect for everyday cutting tasks. It also comes with a wood saw, which allows you to cut through branches, ropes, and small pieces of wood when you go hiking or camping. The addition of a pair of scissors allows you to do more delicate and precise cuts if needed. But the practicality doesn’t stop there—you get 12 other functions to help you out. It features two different screwdrivers, a can opener, a bottle opener, a smaller blade, Victorinox’s signature toothpick and tweezers and even a corkscrew to open up a nice bottle of wine during a picnic, just to name a few.