Hall of Fame 2023
As one of the annual April update pieces, I really love writing the Hall of Fame lists. It gives me a chance to scroll through the ridiculously huge review archive on the site (unsubtle flex) and think about where things were, where they are, and where they are headed. It also helps my analytical brain think through why stuff stays useful. Any time I get to think about good design, I am happy.
Here are the past two classes of the Hall of Fame (2021 and 2022). As with the real Hall of Fame in baseball, after the first two years, the number of inductees is slowing down. This year I am only comfortable admitting two items. This year’s entries parallel the Hall of Fame election of 1948 when a group was elected. This poem is widely credited with cementing these three men as a unit worthy of election:
These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon[a] bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double[b] –
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
—Baseball’s Sad Lexicon by Franklin Pierce Adams
Before we get to them, I want to mention three pieces of kit that aren’t on the list, as they are emblematic of my thinking about what is great and what isn’t.
First, at the beginning of this projection I had the Benchmade Mini Grip 555-1 on the list. I was sure it was going to get in. As I wrote the first list, it fell short. Then when I wrote the second list, it again just missed. It is a truly fantastic knife that packs a ton of blade into a comparatively tiny handle. Its a truly superior EDC. But something happened that I didn’t expect. It got surpassed. Of course, if the Hall of Fame was about historical importance, I would include it because of its lock, but this isn’t a historian’s EDC (and if it were the Buck 110 would be on the list as would be the Kershaw Random Task), but a list of superior tools that have consistently been the best in the world for a long time and are still relevant today. The problem is that even in the Benchmade line up, the Mini Grip has been surpassed. It was a pre-Bugout design and because of that there is an irreducible amount of blade play in the lock. You can fidget and get it pretty tight, but the tolerances on pre-Bugout Axis locks were not good. So, in many ways, the Bugout is the new Mini Grip. But even the Bugout has been surpassed. I would take a Hogue Deka in Magnacut over the Bugout or Mini Bugout every day of the week and twice on Sunday. So, in the end, the classic design that is the Mini Grip is good but not the best at what it does anymore. Alas, it almost made the cut twice and now will never be in the running again. The Mini Grip is the Kenny Lofton of the EDC Hall of Fame. Innovation in the gear world is stunning and this is but one example.
I also had the Lamy 2000 on my original list and it too was almost inducted in 2022. It is, of course, one of the classic fountain pens of the last 50 years. Its timelessly elegant design is a real eye catcher. The sleek, perpetually futuristic lines make it a notably famous example of tremendous complexity hiding behind and in service to wonderful simplicity. If you have ever seen inside the cap of the pen, you will immediately understand. But I keep forgetting that about 10% of people that get a Lamy 2000 end up with an atrocious nib. I was so worried about it that I bought one with a custom ground nib at the outset. The result is, of course, such a brilliant writer that I do silly things like hand address all of the Christmas cards for fun. But if you can’t buy that version of the pen, why induct it into the Hall of Fame?
The BOSS 35 was also on both lists. It will almost certainly get in next year. The only thing that is holding it back is that it is not old enough. I still want to marinate on it a bit more, but it is virtually a shoo-in. To that end, I think it is probably safe to put a waiting period on all future inductees. I think some number of years of relevance is a fair requirement and the BOSS 35 isn’t quite there yet.
Here are the two inductees this year, a pair I almost always carry together (hence the Tinker to Evers to Chance reference):
Muyshondt Aeon Mk. 3 (review)
Its not the brightest light out there, but, given its size, beam pattern, and beam quality, its still bright enough to get jobs done. There are three reasons this light is in the Hall of Fame: 1) size; 2) UI; and 3) runtime. The Aeon Mk. 3 is among the smallest clickies ever made, easily disappearing in a coin pocket. Its also very easy to use. No pro-level Starcraft player inputs required here. There are no hidden modes (which seem to be more “trap modes” than “hidden modes”). Just a few clicks gets you anything you want. Finally there is the runtime. Admittedly with a slate of torches to review and eight or so lights in the collection, this does not get used everyday, but even then it seems like the Aeon Mk. 3 runs longer than the parasitic drain for other lights. This is a jewel-like light that produces virtual sun rays, in a tiny package. They are still readily available, so if you have the cash, I’d try one out.
Readily available alternative: 47s Mini Mk. III
Gareth Bull Small Shamwari (review)
Oh man, I know some folks positively hate front flippers, but if you don’t this is the one that started the trend, so far as I can tell. The story is a great one. I reviewed the original Shamwari, an excellent knife in its own right, but I offered a few salient tweaks. About a year after the review Gareth contacted me and told me the knife was ready. Puzzled, I took the bait and he sent me a few pictures of the new version of the knife, this very knife. I bought it and have been delighted everyday since it has arrived. It is, in my mind, the perfect knife—size, appearance, design, materials, its all there. I have carried this knife so frequently that over the years it has gone from blasted to stonewashed. Its beautiful hand rubbed finish and mirror polished crowned spine is so nice and the clip is super cool. Gareth still drops a few of these in different sizes and blade shapes every now and then, and he did a few runs of a production version, but this is the original. If you like front flippers your welcome. If you think they are the soup de jure, I don’t know what to say but…I’m sorry?
Readily Available Alternative: Urban EDC Supply Baby Barlow 2.0
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