June 2016 Carry

June is one of my favorite months of the year, as it is my eldest son's birth month and the first month of summer.  This year was a big change.  After working as a public defender for more than a decade I went into private practice.  Switching jobs meant a total redo of what I carry.  I wanted to be more discrete and to that end, I carried by Quantum prototype, the Steve Ku 40DD.

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I was also pretty infatuated with the Benchmade Mini Griptillian in G10.

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Benchmade 555-1 G10

Benchmade has really lost a lot of momentum among knife knuts, while its brand recognition among the mainstream is as high as it gets.  It's a weird place to be.  For a lot of folks, even the G10 refreshes aren't enough, but for the mainstream folks, they might seem like an overpriced version of an already good enough knife.  For me, I am quite happy with the update.  I have always loved the look and performance of the sheepsfoot Mini Grip, so coupling that with an excellent American made steel like 20CV is a very good thing.

Another knife I carried a lot was the DPx Gear HEST Urban.

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Edison Pearlette in Indigo Flake, DPx Gear HEST Urban Sterile Edition, Muyshondt Aeon Mk. III in Al
 
A full review is in the works, but let me say that this is a very good knife with a very bad clip.  The whole package, sans clip, puts me in the mindset of a Strider PT--a phenomenal reduced size version of a good knife.  In fact, much like the PT, I think the reduction in size actually improves the overall feel of the design.  This is an excellent blade in hand, it opens like a very good custom, and the lock up is rock solid.  All of this just underscores how bad the clip is.  On a knife with other flaws, perhaps isn't so noticeable.  First, there is the problem that it is too tight.  When I got it, was significantly out of shape, about an 1/8" from the handle at the touch point.  I bent it back into shape and now it is all but impossible to use.  It is hard to get on and nearly impossible to get off.  I'll go more into in the review, but suffice to say, this clip is one of the worst I have ever used.  

A few old classics managed to sneak in there.

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Benchmade 555-1 and McGizmo Haiku

The McGizmo Haiku may only have 138 lumens on high, but when the emitter is great and the reflector is the best ever made, you get so much use out of those lumens.  It feels significantly brighter than 138 lumens.  And to this day, this is one of my favorite shaped objects ever.  I still pick it up and feel thrilled to hold it.  What a wonderful design.  

My Edison Pearlette has been my pen of choice for a while now and with a more office centered job I am less worried that it will get destroyed.

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Muyshondt Aeon Mk. 3 Ti, Canal Street Cutlery Boys Knife in Gold G10, Edison Pearlette in Indigo Flake

It's a great pen and if you haven't tried a stub nib, buy a cheap one and see if you like it.  I probably will never go back to a regular nib.  It makes writing so fun, I find excuses to use the pen all of the time. 

Well, there you have it.  I have a big item coming for July, one I have waited for for about four years, so look for that.  I am also going into month four of the Busse wait.  No sheath, four month wait, for a $450 fixed blade...I am just saying.