Those poor, poor tools... (Mr. Whippy's walking wounded)

[Mr. Whippy]

Microbe and enki have started threads with their EDC thoughts, suggestions, plans and what not.  I have been looking for an angle for me.  Most of my users live tough "pioneer" lives and so I thought I'd go about showing and talking about my hard working EDC.

First off today will be my Blue Vic Farmer and mini Maglite Pro +.



These two are with me nearly all the time on the farm. The Maglite isn't the brightest 2XAA but it is tough and can be easily turned on with one hand.  In addition, it is easy to find and affordable, so when I'm laying in the mud, looking for a hydraulic fluid leak, I don't worry when it falls out of my mouth and into the mud.

The Farmer?  That SAK takes all the abuse I can hand it.  I use the can opener regualarly.  The blade is used every day.  I choose to be my "clean" knife, meaning I don't use it in the dirt or stall floors.  If I'm opening food for the horses, cutting things in the garden or opening new packaging, this is the knife I use.  For dirty cutting, the Leatherman ALX gets the call.

The saw is used at least weekly.  It is an amazing piece of engineering that does everything I ask of it.

The latest tasks?  I used the blade to trim up some screw holes before running the power hand planer over a drawer that needed a tiny bit of shaving down.  I used the large flat driver/bottle opener to swap the red dot sight over to a slug gun scope.

[David]

I like that pic Mr W!

[Mr. Whippy]

For comparison, here's the Blue Farmer from several years ago...

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Nothing like seeing tools earning there keep mate

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[enki_ck]

Nice combo. But holding an AAx2 MAG in your mouth while doing stuff isn't the easiest of tasks. Maybe you need to add a proper headlamp to your farm carry. No Petzls or Zebralights around?




Also I need to update my thread.

[lowtech]

...and they tend to taste like smurf when you use them around the shop...
Ask me how i know.
I tried the Nite Ize lite bite, but if you carry it in your pocket it is a lint and dirt collector of even more disgusting taste.
I cannot let go of my Mini-Mag, too.

[Mr. Whippy]

Nice combo. But holding an AAx2 MAG in your mouth while doing stuff isn't the easiest of tasks. Maybe you need to add a proper headlamp to your farm carry. No Petzls or Zebralights around?




Also I need to update my thread.

I have both, but I only use the headlamp for anticipated jobs.  I don't carry one as EDC. (Maybe I should... )  Zebralight>Petzl btw.

[enki_ck]

Nice combo. But holding an AAx2 MAG in your mouth while doing stuff isn't the easiest of tasks. Maybe you need to add a proper headlamp to your farm carry. No Petzls or Zebralights around?




Also I need to update my thread.

I have both, but I only use the headlamp for anticipated jobs.  I don't carry one as EDC. (Maybe I should... )  Zebralight>Petzl btw.

I gifted my Petzl to my father. I now carry a ZL H51. It's been in my jacket pocket of the last month or so. Mostly clipping it to the shirt or pocket and using it as an angled flashlight is enough but I still carry the strap in my bag.

[jzmtl]

Reading the title, I thought your angle grinder disc blew up again. 

[Aloha]

great looking well worn gear.  I too have a soft spot for maglites, ve been carrying a xl50 since getting it.

[ironraven]

I do love the look of colored Alox when it's worn. There was a thread a while ago about why colored Alox- this is why. An undyed Alox wears nicely, it has that same rugged bad-aft handsomeness of Clint Eastwood, circa 1975, but colored, well, that's more Clint circa now.

I tried the Nite Ize lite bite, but if you carry it in your pocket it is a lint and dirt collector of even more disgusting taste.

Absolutely. I tried one, hated it. A wrap of five or six (or ten) layers of duct tape tastes better, works better, and hey, you're never without at least some duct tape.

[Cupboard]

heatshrink or rubber tubing works too and doesn't go as manky.

[Mr. Whippy]

Here's my usual office carry.  The Mammoth tusk Executive is really a well built tool. The scales show virtually no wear after more than a year pocket time.

[enki_ck]

Interesting backdrop too.

[jerseydevil]

Interesting backdrop too.

  I noticed that too.  Pathologists...... 

[jzmtl]

Yeah, who wouldn't want some esophagus in formalin. 

No fancy pen? I thought with all the fancy tools you'd have a pen to go with.

[pfrsantos]

Yeah, who wouldn't want some esophagus in formalin. 

No fancy pen? I thought with all the fancy tools you'd have a pen to go with.

[Mr. Whippy]

I suppose for organizational purposes,  I should post my feral Raker Ring Tool here..

[Mr. Whippy]

With my new EDC (BO Vic Spirit), I have to carry a separate OHO knife for farm work.  The first knife I'm going with is a CRKT Folding Razel.  This model has been discontinued (PE), which is a shame.  Although a little bulky, this is a serious work tool:







Here it is for a beauty shot:

[microbe]

Nice opening combo Mr Whippy! Heck, I have to admit it, I still have a 2AA black Minimag lying in my drawer. It has seen years of pocket wear in the pre LED era. They where the best pocket lights available once. Those things are though as nails.

[Cupboard]

Those things are though as nails.

You've obviously never had one fall to bits on you
I killed my first one after about 18 months of use 3-4 days a week in a theatre whilst I was at school. No horrific abuse, it wasn't used as a hammer or anything.

[Mr. Whippy]

Those things are though as nails.

You've obviously never had one fall to bits on you
I killed my first one after about 18 months of use 3-4 days a week in a theatre whilst I was at school. No horrific abuse, it wasn't used as a hammer or anything.

Mine is...

[Mr. Whippy]

 

Another of the walking wounded.





I'll get this one back together though...

[microbe]

Those things are though as nails.

You've obviously never had one fall to bits on you
I killed my first one after about 18 months of use 3-4 days a week in a theatre whilst I was at school. No horrific abuse, it wasn't used as a hammer or anything.

Mine is...

I dug trough the old stuff in the drawer and lo and behold: an 2 AA Minimag appeared. I put some batteries in it, and it worked!

Very yellowish light, and even with new batteries no match for my single AAA Led Lenser P3, on a 6 month old battery. But what would you have expected, the Minimag is from the eighties?

[Cupboard]

Maybe I was just unlucky 

The plastic ring that turns the light off split all the way round which meant that it wouldn't turn on reliably and if you took the batteries out the switch assembly would fall out.

[microbe]

Maybe I was just unlucky 

The plastic ring that turns the light off split all the way round which meant that it wouldn't turn on reliably and if you took the batteries out the switch assembly would fall out.

Things break. What I remember was the incandescent bulbs did bust a lot in my Maglite's. There was a good reason they put a spare bulb in the end cap.

[Magic Bus]

I could never get those bulbs to last long either.

[Mr. Whippy]

I could never get those bulbs to last long either.

My Maglites have all been converted to LED.  My EDC is actually the mini Maglite Pro +.  It's a great light. I literally use it as a hammer at times and it has never let me down.

[Mr. Whippy]

Well, I've come to the conclusion that for cold weather EDC, the Leatherman Charge > Victorinox Spirit.

It's mostly due to the OHO tools.  I don't have to pull off gloves to use it for most tools including the bit drivers.  Plus, the pocket clip means I don't have to pull off gloves to get the tool out of my pocket either.

Once the weather gets better, I'll give it another go.  I do like the smaller profile of the Spirit.  It's build quality is much finer (I don't know if I'd say "better" because the Leatherman functions just fine, but is clearly more industrial in its feel). And I love the chisel/square edged tool.

The Spirit scissors could use a rework however.

[Mr. Whippy]

Almost forgot to post these pictures here.  Definitely count as poor, poor tool.

My beloved Charge ALX.  Hard wire cutters just not hard enough.