My father's EDC items

[Grant Lamontagne]

I just returned from a two week visit with my father and I figured I'd share with all of you some of the EDC items I found littered around his house.

Some are good, some are not so good (a bit embarrassing honestly!) and many of them were gifts from me.  Those would be the good ones!   

He has more than this, but these were the easy items found scattered around the house.

I'll start with flashlights- Dad has been using this Bell and Howell (yes, the As Seen on TV guys) flashlight for most of his go to light needs lately- at least until I sent him the OLight OClip Pro, which he absolutely loves. 

He used to be a big fan of the Photon Proton I have him years ago but there was no sign of that one so it may have gotten lost, broken and/or discarded over the years.  That had to be one of my all time favorite lights and that's why I got one for him too.

The OClip Pro is my new favorite light and I am pretty sure it's his as well, as he mentioned several times how much he likes and uses it.  You will note that it has a lanyard on it so he can be sure he doesn't misplace it.

The next one is both a gift from me as well as one that is a bit embarrassing.  It's a cheap SAK copy, and I couldn't be bothered to open it up and see what model it may have most closely resembled. 

But, it has his name on it and it has my city on it, so it was a nice keepsake after he visited me last year.

I had a similar one (but with my name on it) that came apart the one time I tried to use it.  Apparently the peening isn't done well enough to resist the torque of turning a screw, so I hope Dad doesn't try to use it for anything else!

Def

[IMR4198]

    One of these days, I am going to have to get a decent flashlight.  I have to shake and piddle with my two every day (every night?) cheapies to get them to shine.  That is a nice lighthouse on the wooden scales.  Very pretty.  I'm sure Dad appreciated it.  Best wishes.  G
 

[BPRoberts]

They've got just about everything on them, I like to call them Swiss-Chumps! They are nice souvenirs, though, and I have used them successfully once or twice in a pinch. I have a drawer full of them.

Gary, you should take a look at the Rovyvon Auroras. Great little lights, can be cheap and basic or expensive and fancy. Or the Angel Eyes if you like replaceable batteries.

[IMR4198]

   I will definitely look up those two flashlights.  Of course, I never order anything.  Whatever I buy will have to be from Walmart or maybe Lowe's.  There is a Harbor Freight near me as well.  Best wishes.  G
 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Next up we have the OKnife U1 that I usually carry but he took a shine to it so I gave it to him.  I actually have another one at home, so I won't be going without.   

But that will be a funny story for later. 

It's okay though, as I may or may not have layered a political message into the handle, and so this one really isn't suitable for inclusion on the forum anymore.   

Next up is perhaps the most embarrassing knife of the bunch- it's a $5.99 Wal Mart Special with a loose lock and a pot metal blade.  It's quite terrible in pretty well every way, although I will admit that it doesn't look bad.

But it is.  Trust me.

I console myself with the fact that he leaves it in the utility room and only uses it to open the packaging on filters for his water system.  It can manage that much safely, and it's also smurfty enough that he likely won't accidentally cut into the foam filter cartridges!

Getting serious again is the Grohmann #1 Belt Knife I gave him years ago.  These were issued to Canadian Paratroopers and special forces for years, and is just a damned beautiful knife in its own right.  If I had to pick one knife for the rest of my life, this would be a strong contender- although I might also choose the slightly larger and heavier #4 if I'm being 100% honest.

Next up is an important one- possibly the most important one.  It's my Mom's Kershaw.  I'm not sure if it's a Scallion or a Leek (or maybe something else) as I'm not up on my Kershaw Onions as well as I probably should be.

I had sent a large package of stuff to my parents at one point and Mom grabbed this one out of it, claiming it was "too dangerous" for my father.

Fortunately she didn't injured herself either when the assisted blade flashed out the first time!

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

And then there is the Guppie from CRKT.

Dad had bought one for himself and one each for my brother and I, and was proud that he found something that he was certain I didn't have.

Then I sent him a link to my review and photos of me at SHOT with just about everyone at CRKT, including the designers, Tom Stokes and Launce Barber.

The next one I don't know much about.  I don't know where it came from, I don't think I sent it to him, or really anything else about it. 

If anyone knows anything about these knives and wants to share, I am all ears!

I'm going to deviate from my father's EDC stuff for a moment if I may, to show my brother's SwissCard.  I gave this to him probably pretty close to 20 years ago and he has had it in his wallet ever since.  It has almost been confiscated at multiple airports over the years, but fortunately he hasn't lost it for good.

More to come, but I have to pretend I give a damn about my job for a little while.... 

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Okay, it looks like I was closer to the end than I thought I was.  The last thing I have to share in this thread is actually one of my all time favorite Leatherman models, and one that apparently no one else liked- the h502 knife with a bunch of other stuff added.

I really like these and made a habit of buying them every time I saw them on sale, and I found them on clearance a lot.  I think I purchased at least one for $25 CDN, and was thrilled to find it!

Dad has a lot more EDC stuff kicking around, but I didn't manage to spot it.  I know he usually has a Gerber Clutch in the center console and a CRKT Folding Razel in the glove compartment of his truck, and I also know that he has a Victorinox Spirit, Leatherman Vista, SOG PowerPlay and an old USA made Schrade Tough Tool kicking around somewhere.

Mom also had a small folding, partially serrated Gerber Bear Grylls knife that is usually lying around somewhere, but I wanted to keep it sporting and only  get photos of things I saw in the wild so to speak.   

Def

[Farmer X]

Pretty neat to see all the gear your family carries! And your Mom's Kershaw sure looks like a Chive, which is a fairly small knife. A Chive also has the dubious distinction of being the only knife I lost while carrying it.

[AzteCypher]

Pretty cool collection.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Pretty neat to see all the gear your family carries! And your Mom's Kershaw sure looks like a Chive, which is a fairly small knife. A Chive also has the dubious distinction of being the only knife I lost while carrying it.

That sounds about right.  I love the Kershaw era Onion designs.  The Baby Boa was probably my all time favorite but I sold it a while ago.

One of these days I'll have to get a replacement.

Def

[pfrsantos]

Great selection, well done!

I think the Kershaw is a Scallion, I have one and I think that's the only model with the holes near the spine.

[Grant Lamontagne]

It's very small, whichever model it is.  I really like it and I've had several myself over the years.

In many ways it is the perfect folder IMHO.  It is light, very pocketable, slim, comfortable in the hand and without a lot of extra crap- it's very utilitarian.

Def