Everyday Carry

Obtainium: Affordable Titanium Essentials

Authored by:
Mikey Bautista
Reviewed by:
Bernard Capulong
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
14+ Years Reviewing EDC Products
Obtainium: Affordable Titanium Essentials
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In the first two parts of the Carry Smarter: Titanium series, I talked about how Titanium's useful properties are able to benefit the gear in your EDC, as well as showcase its unique luster on beautiful products.

Given how useful titanium can be and how abundant it is in the Earth's crust, you'd think Ti tools would be more common, if not at least less expensive. However, extracting titanium from naturally occuring alloys is not an easy process. Plus, its strength makes it costly and difficult to machine.

Luckily, there are some manufacturers that manage to put forth capable titanium gear at an accessible price point. What this means is that owning Titanium is a privilege for everyone, from the simplest one-piece multitool to the highest-tolerance custom knives. To conclude our Carry Smarter: Titanium series, we recommend some of our favorite products that not only use Ti to great effect but also won't break the bank. Add any of our sub-$200 picks to your EDC and enjoy the benefits of this truly obtainable material.

Kershaw Dimension

Kershaw is well-recognized for their affordable knives, but few realize they've dabbled with Titanium beyond coating their knives' handles. The Dimension sports a capable 8Cr13MoV steel deployed with Kershaw's SpeedSafe assisted flipper opening, a tri-point deep pocket clip, and of course, Titanium handles with deeply-machined grooves for better grip. In place of a liner or framelock, the Dimension employs a push-button lock for ease of use with opening and closing. If you've been wondering what the fuss is about with the feel of Ti knife handles, the Kershaw Dimension is a great place to start.

BUY ($48)

Spyderco Techno

The Spyderco Techno is one tank of a knife. This Marcin Slysz design is beefy, rugged, and designed from the ground up to be a workhorse. With a thick, fully-flat ground 2.55" CTS-XHP steel blade and solid Titanium handles with a Reeve integrated liner lock, the Techno definitely puts Ti's qualities to good use, allowing the knife to be light enough for EDC but strong enough for every task.

BUY ($177)

Fenix E99Ti Flashlight

This limited edition light from Fenix takes the best qualities from their portable E series line and wraps them up in a sleek Titanium housing. The E99Ti features twisty activation with three brightness levels at a maximum of 100 lumens, while its body is lightweight and knurled for excellent carry and handling off a keychain. If there's one piece of gear that would help you "get" just how nice Titanium is to handle, it's carrying and using a full Titanium light such as this.

BUY ($47)

ThruNite T10T Flashlight

A single-AA cell, pocket-friendly light is rather common. A light with a choice of cool or neutral white tint with 0.15 lumen firefly mode, rear clicky and can tailstand is rare. All those features sealed in a stylish, indestructible Titanium body is exceptional. ThruNite being able to deliver solidly on each of those features in the T10T and keeping the price below $50? That pushes this light from being a passing recommendation on this list into being a must-own in any flashlight collection.

BUY ($42)

Seiko SGG731 Titanium Dress Watch

Seiko is no stranger to providing fantastic value in their watches, and many of their models have become EDC classics. It comes to no surprise that they're able to offer a completely Titanium timepiece with plenty of desirable features. The SGG731 presents a classic day/date dress watch design, with a 38 mm Ti case and bracelet. It's water-resistant up to 100 meters, sealed up with scratch-resistant Sapphire glass. The best part is this Titanium/Sapphire combination, a premium feature on higher-end watches, won't cost an arm and a leg: this is a lot of watch for under $150.

BUY ($147)

Boker Plus Vox Access Tool

We're big fans of one-piece multitools, and appreciate how they are able to use Titanium's strength in heavy applications but still be light enough to disappear on a keychain. The problem is, many of these tools are either exclusive or made of heavier steel to save on manufacturing costs, as Titanium is more difficult to process being a harder metal. It is, then, a pleasure to see German-based Boker Plus produce the Vox Access Tool, which packs some uncommon but welcome tools in its form factor. Its carabiner-style gate makes split ring carry easy, and also doubles as a bottle opener. It has a thick bottom edge suitable for prying and pulling tasks, with side jimping for improved grip. Its main feature is the carbide glass-breaker point on its rear, protected by o-rings. Best of all, at under 4" and weighing under an ounce, the Vox Access Tool is invisible in your carry until called into action.

BUY ($28)

BIGiDESIGNS Ti-POST RAW

We love pens and writing around here (have you seen our Carry Smarter writing series?), so it's only fitting that we featured one on this list. The Ti-POST RAW from Big Idea Designs (reviewed here) is a solid TA5 Titanium jotter and stylus, as well as an inexpensive entry into the world of machined pens. With its focus on clean aesthetic, balance, and versatility (compatible with over 35 refills!), the Ti-POST RAW performs its tasks with the strength befitting of its Titanium shell. You don't have to spend a fortune for a great EDC pen with an enviable fit and finish and quality to last generations.

BUY ($75)

Thank you for reading this series on the benefits of Titanium. With these articles, we hope we've given you enough ideas to make use of both its beauty and beastly potential. Do you have a favorite piece of affordable Titanium gear that you'd like to recommend? How has Titanium helped your EDC? What's the next "grail" Titanium piece of gear you're looking to pick up? Let us know in the comments below!

Mikey Bautista

Director of Everyday Carry Operations


About the Author
Mikey Bautista is an everyday carry (EDC) expert who has been working with the EverydayCarry.com team for nearly a decade, starting with an interest in EDC as a hobby and ending up as a writer for the site in 2014. Through the years, he’s led the site in editorial content and writing about products across every category, from knives to bags to flashlights and everything in between, as well as discovering, bringing exposure, and building bridges with many brands in the industry. Today, he is the site's Director of Everyday Carry Operations, leading the editorial team and managing day-to-day operations.

He has lived through many personal and professional lives, spending nearly a decade in the workforce management industry, a minor career in gaming, and has lent a hand with entrepreneurial efforts back home in the Philippines. He has also been an active participant and helped build a number of significant social communities online, both for EDC and his other hobbies.

Mikey has been at the cusp of gaming, technology, and the internet since the ‘90s and continues to lend his experience, expertise, and authority to all his pursuits. When not online, in a game, or watching movies, you'll find him in the gym, speedrunning his next hobby, or talking at length about EDC with anyone willing to listen.

Bernard Capulong

Founder and Editor-in-Chief


About the Reviewer
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 (17 total)

Denis Hauser ·
Endzeitgeil! :)
LumenZilla ·
I own Fenix E99 Ti and love it.
I wish it's more "sand blasted look" than it's now, too shinny.
Great series!
Mikey Bautista ·
Glad you like it, Mike!
Josh Taylor ·
Ohhh, the Ti-POST is compatible with Pilot Juice refills? Another pen I need, for more of that .38mm blue-black goodness. The next titanium grail is a GTC Airborne (someday) (hopefully).
Mikey Bautista ·
I came across the GTC Airborne while researching for this series. It looks pretty amazing, but so is its price. :P
Mel R. ·
I almost commented after the last installment that "while I love titanium, my favorite EDC material is unobtainium." Well played, Mikey!
Mikey Bautista ·
Glad you like it Mel! Yeah, we had fun with the titles. :)
localizer ·
I have both Ti2 TechLiner and the BigDesign pens and considering their price point is about the same I feel Ti2 TechLiner is a much higher quality product that does actually feel like TI, the BD pen actually feels more like steel. Also Ti2 TechLiner is US produced and BG is from China.
Bernard Capulong ·
Good points. I have both and agree with you for the most part. The pricing with Ti2 does vary depending on the finish. The POST Raw is still affordable, and we wanted to expose more makers for readers to discover through this guide. Don't worry, I will review the TechLiner very soon as I think it's a great product and deserves its own mention. Thanks for the comment.
localizer ·
Yeah, I did not mean to bash the BD even though I prefer Ti2. BD actually has a very strong selling point in the refills compatibility department. Also the magnets in the Ti2 are pretty strong and they get stuck to metal items all over the place, lol. Also you need to be careful not to place it close to your mechanical watches etc. That said the Ti2 does feel great in the hand and that unique magnetic cap is rather addicting :)
Chris Szaroleta ·
This series is rocking my world...........
Mikey Bautista ·
Tell me about it, Chris. I already have the T10T in my cart and waiting to pull the trigger, haha.
Chris Szaroleta ·
Do iiiiiiiiiiiit! ;-)
Trygve Koren ·
A Ti spork is just $15
Efrain Suarez II ·
Site brother?