Top 10 Most Wanted
We are all on the hunt for that one thing that will make our EDC perfect. I am also on the hunt for interesting stuff to review. To that end, here is some stuff I'd like to get my hands on, if for no other reason than to tell you it is great or it is garbage. It is also quite fun to see what other people want and like in terms of gear.
If you have one of these and want to part with it, feel free to contact me at:
anthonysculimbrene at comcast dot net (in the usual format)
1. Spyderco Jess Horn Lightweight in ZDP-189
No, no, not THAT Jess Horn, this one:
Through Spyderco's own brand of voodoo and magic, they made a blade with the same steel as the DFII but added an extra inch in length for only a half an ounce. This is very much like an Al Mar with a thumb hole and my favorite steel. That is a lot of things I like in one blade and the reason why this is my #1. I handled an AUS-8/Micarta one recently and it is quite nice, but the ZDP-189 and the FRN handle are so cool and light (yes, I actually LIKE FRN).
2. Mac's Custom XML EDC (Aluminum preferred)
One of the best values in the custom light world, a Mac Custom, is something I desperately want to review. This is a great light and the output is truly insane. The one thing that has stayed my hand after many visits to Mac's site is the really way too bright low. I want a single digit low. It does take an unusual battery, but that is okay, I have a charger that can handle just about anything.
3. Pilot Vanishing Point Black Carbonesque/Rhodium
Dowdy's VP convinced that this is one of the best pens out there for a reasonable (semi-reasonable) price. I love the Stealth Fight Matte Black, but the Carbonesque version would go so well with the DF2 Nishijin CF that I couldn't pass it up. This is my next purchase, almost for sure, even with the $140 price tag.
Image Courtesy of Goulet Pens.
The design is genius, with a capless fountain pen, an amazingly smooth nib even in fine, and a pocket clip that works well and HELPS with grip.
4. Surefire Titan T1A, gen 2 (90 lumens emitter)
5. Parker 51
The Lamy Safari has persuaded me that fountain pens are the way to go and so I am now on the lookout for the Platonic Ideal of Fountain Pens, the Parker 51. There are more expensive fountain pens and more refined ones, but none have the history or lineage of the Parker 51 (though MB fans might claim the Meisterstuck does). It is a hooded fountain pen and I really love the looks:
6. Victorianox Midnight Manager
Not everything on the list is a high end, high dollar item. Some of these things are inexpensive, I just haven't got around to getting them. The Victorinox Midnight Manager just might be the perfect TSA legal EDC item. The light is not great, the pen is too small, but it does have everything you reasonably need in a package weighing roughly an ounce. Not too shabby. I probably don't need this in trade, buying it will be pretty easy.
7. Buck Mayo TNT
Mayos are so hard to get. I think I could save up for one, but they just don't come on the market that often, especially in a configuration I want, and I don't think Aaron would give me his, so this might be it for a while. The Buck Mayo TNT has always intrigued me. I handled one about two years ago, a close out for $90 at a knife store and I wish I would have bought it. I didn't and I have regretted it ever since.
8. Southard Downing:
So many customs are just prohibitively large, that they are automatically off my radar. I can drool over them, but few make me reach for my wallet. The Downing doesn't just make me reach for my wallet, it makes me calculate how much plasma I can sell before I compromise my health. I love the size, the deployment method, and the slight negative angle to the blade. This is officially my Grail blade:
9. Kershaw Tilt (yes, it has its own fan site, the sign of a truly great knife):
Okay, so I do like SOME big knives. I wrote a little love letter to the Tilt awhile ago and since then, the little part of my wanter that is obsessed with the Tilt has only grown.
10. Lummi Raw Al:
I am not giving this product any link love because of Rob's reputation and my experience with him. He is slightly more despised than a Barbary Pirate, but boy is this a cool looking and awesome performing light.
This is a list of stuff I am interested in, broken down by category:
Lights
Olight S10 Baton Ti
HDS Rotary R1S (flat tail cap)
Spy005 with updated emitter
Knives
William Henry E6-9 (koa wood inlay) EDC
AG Russell Acies2
AG Russell Skorpion Small
Spyderco Gayle Bradley Air
Spyderco Southard
Spyderco Forester
Zero Tolerance ZT 556
Emerson Micro Commander
If you have one of these and want to part with it, feel free to contact me at:
anthonysculimbrene at comcast dot net (in the usual format)
1. Spyderco Jess Horn Lightweight in ZDP-189
No, no, not THAT Jess Horn, this one:
Through Spyderco's own brand of voodoo and magic, they made a blade with the same steel as the DFII but added an extra inch in length for only a half an ounce. This is very much like an Al Mar with a thumb hole and my favorite steel. That is a lot of things I like in one blade and the reason why this is my #1. I handled an AUS-8/Micarta one recently and it is quite nice, but the ZDP-189 and the FRN handle are so cool and light (yes, I actually LIKE FRN).
2. Mac's Custom XML EDC (Aluminum preferred)
One of the best values in the custom light world, a Mac Custom, is something I desperately want to review. This is a great light and the output is truly insane. The one thing that has stayed my hand after many visits to Mac's site is the really way too bright low. I want a single digit low. It does take an unusual battery, but that is okay, I have a charger that can handle just about anything.
3. Pilot Vanishing Point Black Carbonesque/Rhodium
Dowdy's VP convinced that this is one of the best pens out there for a reasonable (semi-reasonable) price. I love the Stealth Fight Matte Black, but the Carbonesque version would go so well with the DF2 Nishijin CF that I couldn't pass it up. This is my next purchase, almost for sure, even with the $140 price tag.
Image Courtesy of Goulet Pens.
The design is genius, with a capless fountain pen, an amazingly smooth nib even in fine, and a pocket clip that works well and HELPS with grip.
4. Surefire Titan T1A, gen 2 (90 lumens emitter)
This sucker is really expensive on a per lumen basis, but haven't you always wanted to try it out? It looks so sleek and simple, a graceful light in a line up of bruisers. And while Surefire has claimed it was making some less "tacticool" lights, like the Aegis and Isis, those lights seem to be nothing other than more Surefire vaporware. The dead simple UI and the fact that every Surefire I have ever had punches above its weight makes me really, really want this light.
5. Parker 51
The Lamy Safari has persuaded me that fountain pens are the way to go and so I am now on the lookout for the Platonic Ideal of Fountain Pens, the Parker 51. There are more expensive fountain pens and more refined ones, but none have the history or lineage of the Parker 51 (though MB fans might claim the Meisterstuck does). It is a hooded fountain pen and I really love the looks:
6. Victorianox Midnight Manager
Not everything on the list is a high end, high dollar item. Some of these things are inexpensive, I just haven't got around to getting them. The Victorinox Midnight Manager just might be the perfect TSA legal EDC item. The light is not great, the pen is too small, but it does have everything you reasonably need in a package weighing roughly an ounce. Not too shabby. I probably don't need this in trade, buying it will be pretty easy.
7. Buck Mayo TNT
Mayos are so hard to get. I think I could save up for one, but they just don't come on the market that often, especially in a configuration I want, and I don't think Aaron would give me his, so this might be it for a while. The Buck Mayo TNT has always intrigued me. I handled one about two years ago, a close out for $90 at a knife store and I wish I would have bought it. I didn't and I have regretted it ever since.
8. Southard Downing:
So many customs are just prohibitively large, that they are automatically off my radar. I can drool over them, but few make me reach for my wallet. The Downing doesn't just make me reach for my wallet, it makes me calculate how much plasma I can sell before I compromise my health. I love the size, the deployment method, and the slight negative angle to the blade. This is officially my Grail blade:
Picture courtesy of Brad's site.
9. Kershaw Tilt (yes, it has its own fan site, the sign of a truly great knife):
Okay, so I do like SOME big knives. I wrote a little love letter to the Tilt awhile ago and since then, the little part of my wanter that is obsessed with the Tilt has only grown.
10. Lummi Raw Al:
I am not giving this product any link love because of Rob's reputation and my experience with him. He is slightly more despised than a Barbary Pirate, but boy is this a cool looking and awesome performing light.
This is a list of stuff I am interested in, broken down by category:
Lights
Olight S10 Baton Ti
HDS Rotary R1S (flat tail cap)
Spy005 with updated emitter
Knives
William Henry E6-9 (koa wood inlay) EDC
AG Russell Acies2
AG Russell Skorpion Small
Spyderco Gayle Bradley Air
Spyderco Southard
Spyderco Forester
Zero Tolerance ZT 556
Emerson Micro Commander
Lone Wolf Paul Executive
Ray Laconico Mini Jasmine
Other
Saddleback Leather ID Wallet