Everyday Commentary is a very informative review site about EDC gear. EDC, or everyday carry, entails all the sorts of tools, products, and supplies you might carry around to use on a daily basis. This includes knives, multi-tools, flashlights, and can go way beyond that.

I started subscribing to Everyday Commentary’s RSS feed a couple of months ago, and I really enjoy Tony’s EDC reviews. They’re very detailed, very helpful, well written, and very lean with no BS. He tells it to you straight.

So when Tony asked if he could interview me for the site, I jumped at the chance. I don’t often like talking about myself, but I love talking about gear!

ToolGuyd Interview via Everyday Commentary

You should definitely check out the interview and the rest of what Everyday Commentary has to offer. You’ll find out what I carry and use on a regular basis, which gear I’m pining for, and some of my tool and gear preferences.

(We’ve also got quite a few EDC-related tool and knife reviews here on ToolGuyd, and recently launched EDC Guyd as a net for some of the more off-topic coverage and product discussions.)

Mora knives are made in Sweden, and although extremely inexpensive, they are reasonably well made. These knives feature few embellishments and won’t win any beauty or innovation contests. But they’re strong, durable, they hold an edge, and are easily sharpened and honed.

Fixed-blade knives are no substitutes for replaceable-blade utility knives, but they have their uses and do come in handy. Mora knives can also be used for outdoors or survival cutting and slicing tasks, but they won’t hold up to batoning.

We picked up a couple of Mora knives to try out, and thus far our favorite is the Mora Companion knife. The Companion knife offers a very nice balance between versatility, handle comfort, and price.

Buy now (via Amazon)
Other Mora Knife Styles (via Amazon)

Any other Mora knife fans out there? If so, which one(s) would you recommend?

Skinth is a new “skinny sheath storage solution” designed to holder smaller multi-tools and several accessories. Too often, multi-tools are bundled with bulky and unsightly sheaths that cannot accommodate any accessories or other gear. Sure, there are plenty of aftermarket sheaths available (e.g. Maxpedition single sheath), but Skinth sheaths look quite a bit more versatile.

And in case you’re wondering, Skinth also makes smartphone cases of a similar compact style.

The Skinth OG is made from 1000D Cordura nylon, and is sized for a medium-sized 4″ multi-tool. Interior dimensions are 1.75″ wide x 3/4″ deep x 3″ long. There is also an extended Skinth Plus that can hold a 4.5″-5″ tool with its 3.5″-long compartment.

Skinth OG with optional side closure pockets

The Skinth can also hold Leatherman bit cards in a separate pocket, and side pockets can be used to hold slender flashlights or pens. A front Velcroed flap keeps your tools secure, but the side pockets on the OG and Plus models are left open.

Pricing is $35 + $6 shipping. Worth noting, Skinths are designed and handmade in Canada!

Skinth OG and Skinth Plus Sheaths

ESEE knives has quietly announced their new Candiru fixed-blade knife. The Candiru is smaller than the hugely popular Izula neck knife, and also features a slightly different blade and handle profile.

(There will also be a new ESEE Laser Strike, and new love-it or hate-it “venom green” color scheme.)

Although some are calling the Candiru a neck knife, it looks more like a boot knife or compact utility and survival knife. The ESEE Candiru knife also comes with a low-profile Cordura sheath that will definitely improve its carryability. That’s the one issue I have with my Izula – it’s a bit too large and indiscreet for every-day-carrying (EDC) in an urban or office environment.

Photo by Jeff Randall

Photos by Jeff Randall

Official specs are not yet available, but it looks like the Candiru blade may be under two inches in length. The Candiru knife will be priced at about $45-50, sheath included. Optional Micarta and G10 bolt-on handles will also be available at launch, for about $17. There won’t be an official Kydex sheath, but an injection-molded plastic sheath option looks to be in the works.

In case you’re not familiar with this style of skeletonized knife, handle scales are optional. Many users prefer to wrap the handles with inexpensive paracord for improved grip and a personalized look.

Like ESEE’s other knives, the Candiru is made in the USA. And if you’re wondering what Candiru means, it’s the name of the parasitic “vampire fish” native to the Amazon River that is known for allegedly swimming up and invading human urethras.

Release Date: ~March 2012

CRKT’s keychain sharpener is designed for on-the-go sharpening and knife-edge touch-ups, not unlike the Smith’s Pocket Pal sharpener we discussed a couple of weeks ago. The field sharpener features carbide blades in a V-configuration, a flathead screwdriver, small cord/strap cutter, and a bottle opener.

It’s interesting that CRKT added additional features to the tool, but the secondary functions might not give enough reason to carry the keychain sharpener on  daily basis. The tool’s handle is composed of glass-filled nylon and 2CR13 steel.

More Info (via CRKT)

MSRP is $17.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to use ordinary screwdriver bits with your favorite Leatherman multi-tool? Well, you can! Not only does the bit driver extender allow for improved fastener access, it can hold Leatherman’s special flattened bits and standard 1/4″ hex screwdriver bits.

Leatherman’s larger multi-tools, such as the Skeletool, Charge, Surge, and Wave models, feature bit adapters designed for Leatherman’s proprietary thin-profile screwdriver bits. Bit kits are available, and while they’re actually quite well made, standard hex bits are easier to come by and cheaper to replace.

The bit driver extension is 3.25″ long and fits a number of other Leatherman tools and knives. Here’s a complete list of the tools you can use this with. It is available with a silver or black oxide finish.

Buy Now(via Amazon)

If the ~$10 or so seems a bit high, you can probably grind down the sides of any spare bit holder you have laying around.

You probably have a bottle opener at home, one in your multi-tool, and maybe even a one on your keychain. But can your bottle opener tear the cap off your beer like an animal? The Yeti Tarpon Beverage Entry Tool features a twist-off wrench, church key opener, and a can tab pryer.

The Yeti BET is made from forged stainless steel and is priced at $6.99 plus $0.50 shipping.

Buy Now(via Yeti)

Due to its size, the Yeti bottle opener is probably better suited for stashing in a cooler than your pocket.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Casio G-Shock watches, and if not, you have probably at least seen them in person or in movies. These watches are claimed to be nearly indestructible and are often considered to be the toughest and most resilient watches on the market.

G-Shock watches are shock-resistant, waterproof, and there’s an almost dizzying variety of  features. Prices range from $40 to you spent how much?! on a digital watch.

A lot of people consider G-Shocks to be the best sports and EDC watches available at affordable prices, but are they as well suited for jobsite use as well? What are your thoughts?

Browse or Buy Now via Amazon
More Info via G-Shock

I bought my first G-Shock almost 12 years ago, but misplaced it when its battery died maybe 4-5 years later. I’m set to purchase a Mudman in a couple of days, but if anyone can suggest something better for the $$, I’m all ears!

New Becker Knives (USA-Made)

• Becker Machax
• Becker BK15 Short Trailing Point Knife
• Becker BK16 Short Drop Point Knife
• Becker BK 17 Short Clip Point Knife

The Machax measures 14-11/16″ overall with a 9-3/8″ blade, and looks to be quite appropriately named. It is roughly shaped like a machete, but with a handy axe-like-profile at the tip of the blade. MSRP is $135.67, although street pricing is expected to be considerably less.

The short knives, which might sometimes be described as tweener knives, are slightly scaled-down versions of larger Becker knifes. The BK15 resembles the BK5 Magnum Camp Knife, the BK16 the BK2 Companion Knife, and the BK17 the BK7 Combat Utility Knife. These new short versions look to save on size and weight, making them even more appealing for outdoors utility and tactical carrying.

Each Becker Short knife features a 1095 Cro-Van steel blade and is bundled with a MOLLE compatible sheath and extra set of brown Zytel handle scales. ETA is April 1st, 2012, and MSRP is $107.49. Again, expect for street pricing to be substantially lower.

I for one am a bit excited about the Becker BK16 Short drop-point knife. I purchased a BK2 Becker Companion knife a couple of weeks ago, and while I am greatly impressed with its quality, it’s a bit too much for my needs.

New Ka-Bar Zombie Knives

• Zombie Chop Stick Machete
• Zombie Mule Folder

The new Zombie Chop Stick Machete is 14-5/8″ overall with a 8″ blade, and comes with a black nylon sheath and extra set of handle scales. It should be available now, with an MSRP of $79.41.

The Mule folder is a carryover from the Ka-Bar line and is now offered with the Zombie-green handle. Straight and serrated edge versions will be available March 1st, 2012, and MSRP is $69.96.

Ka-Bar Combat Kukri

The USA-made Kukri is 13-3/8″ overall and has an 8-1/2″ blade. ETA is April 1st, 2012, and MSRP is $113.36.

Additional Ka-Bar and Zombie additions and upgrades are planned for 2012. Thus far upgrades of the Ka-Bar K2 folding knives have also been announced.

Expect to see these knives via your favorite Becker and Ka-Bar dealers.

Ka-Bar and Becker Knives via Amazon

Cardstick stickers are 3-inches long and can turn an ordinary credit card into a small ruler. They’re waterproof, weatherproof, durable and made from very thin vinyl material so that they don’t affect card readers. Each sticker has both inch and centimeter markings.

A set of 3 rulers in clear, yellow and white, are available for about $3.50.

Buy Now(via Amazon)

Do you know what would be even easier? Printed or etched measurement cards, which probably already exist in the form of a home improvement center gift card or similar. Still, these stickers attach to any card already in your wallet, avoiding the need to slip an extra card in there.

The CRKT Tool 9200 is a new compact multi-tool for everyday carrying (EDC). While it lacks pliers and scissors, the Tool has a fairly strong feature set that makes it a nice almost minimalist tool. Designed by knifemakers Ed Van and Tom Stokes, the CRKT Tool has a clean and stylish appearance and is probably better described as a bonus-featured pocket knife than a multi-tool.

CRKT Tool Features

• 2.25-inch liner-lock straight-edge knife blade
• saw-tooth blade
• multi-fit box wrench
• wire stripper
• Phillips and slotted screwdrivers
• bit driver with additional screwdriver bits
• bottle opener
• belt clip and sheath

From the looks of it, the bit driver probably fits over the Phillips or slotted screwdrivers and accepts standard 1/4″ hex bits. The bits store away in a black plastic sleeve, which pops into the back pocket of the included sheath.

The CRKT Tool weighs 5.1 ounces by itself, and is a very pocketable 4-inches long when closed. MSRP is $50. No release date has been announced, but we see that the Tool is coming soon.

More Info via CRKT

Gerber recently announced its new Groundbreaker multi-tool (31-001440), a robust model designed for electricians. The Groundbreaker features industrial-grade wire cutters, wire strippers, locking utility knife, locking drywall saw blade and driver with 6 interchangeable screwdriver bits. It comes with a heavy-duty belt sheath and 5 knife blades.

The Groundbreaker is about 9″ long when open and 2.85″ wide. It is mostly composed of 420J stainless steel, and appears to have a black oxide finish. Are you wondering where the utility knife, drywall saw and bit driver are? The Groundbreaker’s handles are detachable!

MSRP has not yet been announced, but according to preorder details, street price should be about $105. The same preorder pages mention that the Groundbreaker is made in China.

More Info via Gerber

Victorinox has just announced a new line of USB 3.0 SSD Swiss Army Knives. Their flash USB thumb drives have been on the market for some time now, and must have been selling well for Victorinox to take things a step further.

These new SSDs are USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and eSATA compatible. The new drives will be available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 1TB capacity sizes, with read speeds up to 220MB/s and write speeds up to 150MB/s.

Each SSD module features a bi-stable LCD graphic display, 96x48px monochrome, that displays drive contents and available capacity. The display remains on even when the SSD drive is unplugged from a computer.

The SSD modules will be bundled with two knife bodies – one features a blade, scissors, nail file and key ring, the other is bladeless. A Victorinox security and utility suite is pre-installed to the drives.

Price estimates are not yet available, but there are rumors of $450 for the smallest 64GB model and greater than $2000 for the 1TB model.

More Info via Victorinox (PDF)

Right now there are a couple of one-handed multi-tools on the market, such as the Gerber Diesel Multi-Plier, but they’re all kind of ho-hum. That’s soon to change - Leatherman has formally announced its new OHT one-hand-tool, and it looks totally bad-ass.

The Leatherman OHT will feature spring-loaded pliers that can be opened and closed with one hand, a feature many will find extremely appealing. Certain Leatherman sheaths allow you to carry the pliers in an open position, but I’ve always found this to be awkward.

It also looks like the One Hand Multi-Tool’s blades and tools are all accessible from the outside of the tool, another big plus. Many of Leatherman’s other multi-tools, such as the Sidekick, Wave and Charge already feature one-hand-opening for the primary knife blades and tools.

Leatherman OHT One Hand Tool Features:

• spring-action combination needlenose and regular pliers
• replaceable 154CM soft and hard-wire cutters (pliers)
• 420HC straight edge knife blade (2.37″)
• 420HC serrated knife blade
• aggressive-toothed wood saw
• strap cutter (v-notch)
• oxygen wrench
• can & bottle opener
• small, medium and large slotted screwdrivers
• Phillips screwdriver
• integrated lanyard attachment
• stainless steel body
• gloved-hand accessibility
• #8-32 cleaning rod attachment
• closed length of 4.5″ and 9.9oz weight
• MOLLE sheath

The OHT will be available in black and coyote tan/brown. Leatherman points out that these will have Cerakote finishes, not black oxide. The primary blades and tools feature liner-locks, and all tools are lockable for safety and ease of use.

One more thing – look at the handles of the tool. Do you see how there are imprints at all four corners? Those markings help you visually identify which tool is where so you can deploy the tool you need on the first try.

Leatherman OHT Release Date & Pricing

Early ETA is Aug/Sept 2012, and MSRP is currently set at $82.

Leatherman has teased us with photos of the new Rebar multi-tool for some time, but it looks like concrete specs and details are now available. The Rebar closely resembles the heavy duty Leatherman Super Tool 300 but is a bit smaller and closer to the Wave and Charge multi-tools in size.

The new Leatherman Rebar multi-tool features:

• stainless steel body or stainless with black oxide coating
• full-size combination pliers (needlenose + regular)
• electrical crimper
• removable and replaceable 154CM stainless steel soft and hard-wire cutter
• tool locking system
• 420HC straight edge knife blade
• 420HC serrated knfie blade
• bottle and can opener with v-notch wire stripper
• full-size Phillips screwdriver
• medium and large slotted screwdrivers
• wood-cutting saw
• wood and metal file
• awl with thread loop

Blade length is 2.75″, and the multi-tool closes to 4″ in length. Total weight is 6.7 oz.

Leatherman Rebar Release Date:

The Rebar will be available starting in mid-April 2012. An MSRP has not been announced yet, but we imagine the Rebar will be priced lower than its big-brother Super Tool 300, which sells at $55.