December 2025 Tool Box Challenge

[fullbreakfast]

Day 26

Mini challenge - Green and Red



Green Pelikan fountain pen (which has green ink inside it) and a red Uniball gel pen.

[nate j]

I read once that in the 1940s Remington made a statement that a pocketknife had a useful life of around 6 months.  There must have been a lot more people then like my old Uncle Rob.

I’m not sure such a short lifespan is necessarily indicative of gross abuse.

It seems likely to me that frequent heavy use, which today might fall on replaceable blade utility knives (or specialized tools such as wire strippers), largely fell on pocket knives in the 1940s.

With carbon steel blades, they would have taken a keen edge but required regular sharpening.

I believe it was LC who shared a story of fixed blade knives being worn out in less than a year on his grandparents’ farm?

[WECSOG]

Day 26
Mini Challenge
Option 1 and Option 2

Surprisingly useful: I usually don't use a utility knife very much, although I do keep a few of them handy. I use a regular knife, either fixed or folding, for most cutting chores. However, I found myself using this red utility knife more than usual this month. Partially because I had more packages to open, and partially because I was thinking more about which tool to use for a given task.

The green battery is one of my salvaged 18650 lithium-ion cells from scrapped power tool batteries, that I use to power flashlights and other stuff. I've been leaning heavily on flashlights this month, both as a theme and because it gets dark early in December. As a result, my salvaged cells have been getting quite a bit of use.

Not very useful: I only used the red mini-screwdriver once, as far as I can remember. I thought it would be a really useful tool. But I ended up using a bit clamped in my Visegrips or my homemade keyring driver (neither pictured because they're not red or green) and pretty much forgot about this one.

I got this green pouch from the GAW box when I had it. I thought it would be really useful because it not only carries a tool, but awlso has individual pockets for driver bits. However I didn't use it at all this month because it is slightly too short for the tool I wanted to carry in it.

[Farmer X]

A sizing tool for a jeweler to measuring customers ring fingers.

That's something I didn't expect to see!

Green Engineer PZ-58 pliers.

I think I might have to scare up a set. They seem incredibly handy!

I actually carried the Camillus stock knife a day.

Nice job on the new handle covers!

Mini Challenge

What is the item at left? Looks like it might be a mini-screwdriver.

Day 26

Red and green mini-challenge

Since my carry and use hasn't changed, I'll do the red and green with Opinel No. 4s. I awlso managed to set the Rubik's Cube so it was only showing red and green.

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[fullbreakfast]

Day 26 Mini Challenge

Green Engineer PZ-58 pliers. For how unique the tool is, it is surprisingly useful. In addition to regular things like gripping and cutting, it can also grab things inline, like a Leatherman knurled screw. I like that feature a lot, and have used it many times for stubborn screws, tiny imperial Allen screws for which I had no driver, mangled screws on used tools, even broken screws, where the head had broken off.

Ah, the Neji-Saurus!  Mine will be seen on day 29 if things go according to plan.  Very handy thing to have, particularly if you have to take something apart that has a bunch of cammed out screws.

[LoopCutter]

Day 26 + Mini Challenge (s)

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Red Multi ended screw driver part of the pouch kit.

The GREEN pipe wrench part of the tool bag.

And a GREEN Wouban pocket light, part of the pouch kit.
And then a Green CQC-5 g10 knife.

This picture does include two items I expected to use more frequently. The Lineman scissors and the mini WorkPro pliers.

And my most used a CASE ‘75 STOCKMAN. I have two favorites a Mediterranean Blue SS and a AMBER bone CS

[nate j]

Day 26

Mini-Challenge

Corona Razortooth Folding Saw - I expected I would get more use out of this than I have, not necessarily during the challenge, but in general.

Knipex Cobra and Plier Wrenches - I get fair amount of use out of these, especially the Plier Wrenches, which have pretty much replaced all other wrenches except pipe wrenches for me.

Case Seahorse Whitter - It’s a brilliant design for whittling, but not ideal as a general utility pocket knife, so I don’t carry it much.

Wurrkos TD04 - Decent flashlight for the price, and one of my around the house lights

Case Barlow - Should carry it more

SOG DIverge XR - I don’t love it, but it was a freebie

Cold Steel Slock Master - I got it for an inexpensive camp knife, and it is solid in that role.  Curious if the rubberized handle will age well or poorly.

CRKT Minimalist Katana - I liked the idea of this one, but haven’t really carried it.

Benchmade Anonimus - A quality blade, but hasn’t made it into any kind of regular carry.

Case 47 pattern Stockman - This one has red G10 slabs.  47 pattern may be the best all around stockman Case makes.  Slabs on this one have oddly square corners though.

Bic lighter - Used frequently, most recently for candles for Christmas dinner last night.  I buy the five-packs so can’t be too picky about the color, but happened to have a red one in pocket.

Remington Bullet Knife - Solid quality, but not carried much due to being bulky & heavy

Victorinox Companion X Alox - Carried and used a lot during this challenge, but probably won’t see much carry otherwise, as models that have a few more tools are more practical for me.

LionSteel Shuffler - This is one of my desk knives, and gets used pretty regularly.  F&F and W&T are excellent.  Not carried much, though, because the texturing of the green G10 handle is a bit too aggressive, and the shoulder where the swedge begins tends to get hung up when making through cuts.

Case Marilla - I’ve tended to carry my black one with 20CV blade over this red one with S35VN, but I’ve posted my thoughts on the Marilla earlier in this thread.

[cody6268]

Day 23:

Misplaced my good Hakko flush cutters, so I got stuck using the Kleins. The Kleins aren't as sharp and don't feel great in the hand, yet are more than 3 times as expensive. I don't get it.

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[cody6268]

Day 24:

My Christmas carry was the Gits-Knife refillable razor knife from the '50s.

It takes a single-edge razor blade without the metal tab on the top. I finally found some at Lowe's by Olfa marked as "glass scraper" blades. They are INSANELY sharp and a good fit for these old box cutters that take razor blades (they were marketed as a way to use blades no longer sharp enough to shave with back in the day--I think most razor manufacturers had a version).

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[cody6268]

Day 25:

Finally built a Dummy 13. This one is the Type F (female) version--printed at 200%, making her roughly 12" tall. I'd previously done a regular version, and the parts were minuscule and just kept snapping on me (at 6" inch--but it may have been an even smaller remix).

Red and green--almost. I'm still torn on whether to call this color yellow or green.  The frame is red PETG, while the "armor" is "Bright Yellow". In my eye, it's basically lime green.

Definitely making a few more. Not too hard to assemble at 12", and there's tons of parts for Dummy 13s.

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[ReamerPunch]

Day 27

The World's Sharpest Knife.

[ReamerPunch]

Day 24:

My Christmas carry was the Gits-Knife refillable razor knife from the '50s.

It takes a single-edge razor blade without the metal tab on the top. I finally found some at Lowe's by Olfa marked as "glass scraper" blades. They are INSANELY sharp and a good fit for these old box cutters that take razor blades (they were marketed as a way to use blades no longer sharp enough to shave with back in the day--I think most razor manufacturers had a version).

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I've never seen one of those! Cool!

[AzteCypher]

Day 25

Apologies for not posting sooner.  Was having fun with the family and we stayed up late watching a movie. 

My stubby got full use opening up battery compartments today.




My Opinel got to open my new Lego set and my scissors helped cut open the small packages.

[AzteCypher]

Day 26

I like my assortment of red and green.  I wonder, has anyone done a red and green only challenge during the month of December?

[IMR4198]

Day 27

   I'm down to the Buck trapper and an occasional Opinel carry.  I like the little Buck a lot.  I compared the length to a 84mm SAK or maybe it was a 91?  I forget.  I might keep carrying it once the challenge is over.  Or switch back and forth with an Opi. 
   Probably a couple more days of unseasonably warm weather, then back in the ice bucket.  I dreamed one of the guys on the EDC podcast was a werewolf and ate some gal.  If you have seen the guys on the videos, a werewolf isn't much of a stretch.  Yes, I did watch a goofy werewolf movie before I cashed in last night. 
   The yellow thing in the photo is a stubby screwdriver.  No name brand, but an interesting shape.  The thing that looks like a Buck is a Buck.  Best wishes.  G
 
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[fullbreakfast]

Day 26 (late)

Mini-challenge, Hero and Zero



I have a very capable screw driving set up here but l did not use it much, except for taking 30-odd screws out of an old cupboard the other day. That was enjoyable, and showed the kit was as handy as I thought it would be. So why did it not get used more? Two reasons. First, it added a lot of weight to my EDC pouch, so I put it in a separate pouch to be carried in a different pocket. I usually forgot to carry it. Second, I did a lot of screwdriving jobs this month, but they were mostly the kind where I wanted my proper tool bag (building and taking apart furniture, putting up shelves). So I used the big boy screwdrivers kept therein.

The little pry bar came in useful a lot more than expected. This is the first time I have carried a pry tool other than the SAK opener layer for many years.  I found that I used it for most of the prying I would have done with a SAK, but also for several things I would not have used my SAK for - because they required a lot of leverage that might have damaged a SAK, needed the curvature of the pry bar, or just were dirty jobs. I have washed soil out of a lot of SAKs over the years, but I prefer to avoid it if possible.

I’m thinking of adding the pry bar to my regular carry.

[fullbreakfast]

Day 27

I built Smashrador, with its 119 plastic pieces.



It nearly killed me, but I did it.



The pry bar helped when I made mistakes and had to prise apart bits I had snapped together.

[IMR4198]

    What are the things that look like cabbages?  Best wishes.  G
 

[fullbreakfast]

    What are the things that look like cabbages?  Best wishes.  G
 

They are projectiles to be hurled using a kind of trebuchet (not in picture).  They are green because they belong to the Jungle World, one of the warring nations of Eldrador. But they do resemble cabbages!

Perhaps they are in fact cabbages. A giant cabbage striking with sufficient force could be an effective weapon.

[Farmer X]

Case Seahorse Whitter - It’s a brilliant design for whittling, but not ideal as a general utility pocket knife, so I don’t carry it much.

Duly noted. That observation, coupled with your strong sense of objectivity, make me glad I have yet to buy a Seahorse Whittler.

The Kleins aren't as sharp and don't feel great in the hand, yet are more than 3 times as expensive. I don't get it.

Maybe it has something to do with Klein being a more recognizable (to me, anyway) name. That's the only explanation I can come up with.

I wonder, has anyone done a red and green only challenge during the month of December?

Not that I'm aware of. Maybe we should!

The yellow thing in the photo is a stubby screwdriver.  No name brand, but an interesting shape.

I don't recall having seen such a shape on a screwdriver. Is that a good or a bad design?

I built Smashrador, with its 119 plastic pieces.

How long did that take?

Day 27

Nate's excellent mini-challenge stipulated bonus points for homemeade tools. My one homemade (actually shop-made) tool is neither red nor green, and I haven't used in in nearly a decade and a half, so it wouldn't have qualified. But I thought it may be of interest. It's a go/no-go gauge used to check if a solid-shank rivet is properly bucked, and it's made from sheet aluminum.

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I also remembered to put the P-38 to use.

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The reduced leverage is offset by how smoothly it cuts. I put it on an even keel with the P-51 that's in the kitchen.

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[IMR4198]

Farmer X:
I don't recall having seen such a shape on a screwdriver. Is that a good or a bad design?

    It is okay for using and has one unexpected benefit.  It won't roll away.  It sits on its bottom very well and if it gets tipped over it rolls in a circle.  I don't remember seeing another like it.  Best wishes.  G
 

[fullbreakfast]

How long did that take?

About four hours!

It would have been quicker, but my son who I was building it for (who is six) couldn’t wait for me to start and had got into the box and the packets inside it. Quite a bit of time was spent searching for parts that had been dropped in various rooms of the house.

[WECSOG]

Day 27

I was working on a project of building in an additional support under a shed I built. So I had my little 6 inch cordless chainsaw to cut a 4x4 to the needed length, and while I had the saw out I cut a few pieces of stove wood from some downed, small trees. The support consists of a 4x4 set in a couple of stacked cement blocks with rebar driven into the ground beneath. I needed to mix some concrete to pour in the blocks, and was using a small bucket so a shovel would be too big to mix it. So I used the saw to cut a mixing tool from a green stick. The stick had several little branchlings growing out of it, and I was thinking about going in the house and getting either a tomahawk or fixed blade knife. But since the branchlings were so small and there were only a few of them, I decided to just use my Douk-Douk which was in my pocket. It did the job just fine.

[LoopCutter]

Day 27

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My pocket carry so far this quiet Saturday!

I had hoped to visit my grandson, his birthday, but COVID has been confirmed at the house.   So off limits to me.

Actually COVID has taken hold three of the four kids household in the past week.  So you awl take care.

[nate j]

Great job by awl with the 12/26 mini challenge!

[Humayd A R Mahomedy]

Day 15
I was "out of the office" for a few days,and I have more catching up to do.

My First decent light was the 4D Maglight,got it in 92 probably,and a fiend gifted me the Solitaire a fey years after.
I plan on upgrading the 4D to LED [I've been planning on doing that for years] 
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Day 16
In 95 I got the Minimag,and the Rausch "Aviator". Derek wasn't make sheaths then,so i had the local sheathmaker [who used to make sheaths for Chris Reeve] make me a sheath for the Rausch and Minimag. I EDC'd this combo for a few years.
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Day 17
The Surefire E2EHA was my first Surefire,got that in maybe 03.
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[nate j]

I’m thinking of adding the pry bar to my regular carry.

If you’re getting one for regular carry outside this challenge, something like a PWII, Griffin, etc. might be a good option. Still plenty capable at prying, but with some additional useful functions.

My PWII is going back in my wallet as soon as this challenge is over.

[Humayd A R Mahomedy]

Day 18
I eventually entered the LED era with the Surefire L2 Lumamax,probably 05 or 06,rock solid light that's been with me ever since [I'll upgrade to the current similar model at some point].
I bush-mechanicked a Titanium clip when the replacement broke [ the original broke,Surefire sent me a replacement,that broke too,in normal everyday use].
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Day 19
I've been carrying this pin since it's been needed to change  cell phone sim cards,and I needed to install a sim on my wife's phone/
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[nate j]

Duly noted. That observation, coupled with your strong sense of objectivity, make me glad I have yet to buy a Seahorse Whittler.

Part of my reason for saying this is that I strongly prefer a pocket knife have at least one “main” blade that is about as long as can reasonably be fit into the handle.

If someone were looking for a Case knife for general pocket carry and use, I’d probably recommend looking at the Stockman.  Case makes such a wide range of sizes and patterns, from the diminutive 2 5/8” small Stockman (disappears in any pocket, and blades are short enough to meet even the most draconian blade length restrictions) up to the 4 1/4” large Stockman (big enough to do some real work).  And with three different blades, one has options to pick the best one for the task at hand, keep “clean” vs. “dirty” blades, etc.

[AzteCypher]

Day 27

Broke out the Pepperwool Merino MM for today.  It's a pretty knife but I don't like to carry it in my blue jeans for fear of the indigo dye rubbing off on the white scales.