My Perrin Bracelet

A Perrin Bracelet- a custom, handmade bracelet by Fred Perrin. Mr. Perrin is a former French Army Commando, a master in martial arts, and is highly renowned for his self defense skills and weapons. Here's a titanium bracelet, hand forged by him. Given his background, this bracelet's not just a piece of jewelry. 

Quick Update: Timex has a Labor Day Sale!!!

Just in case anyone needs a watch, it's 20% off. Coupon code is LABORDAY13. announcement here I like Timex watches, they're durable and cheap. Just prefer my auto a little more.

Being followed while driving?

I might be just paranoid, but this happened to me today. So I was driving around, and came upon this intersection where I intended to make a right turn. In front of me was a red van. It wasn't moving. There was an empty road, and the van wasn't turning right. I checked around the signs- none of them indicated a right turn was illegal. So I gave a gentle beep to remind the van to move. It waited around another 5 seconds, and then started to go. I moved up, stopped, checked, and made my own turn. So all was good. The van was in the lane to my right. It soon switched lanes and got behind me. I didn't really notice at first.

Then, I made a left turn. I was on the way to a friend's house, so this turn was into a somewhat secluded neighborhood (I didn't see another car on the street.) In my rearview mirror, I noticed a car turn in. The red color caught my eye, and I remembered the red van (I'd been wondering why the van had not moved.) Coincidence right? Then I made a right. The van made a right. I made another right, onto my friend's street. The van followed that right. Finally, I made one more right. The van followed me. One left, three rights. Coincidence? Maybe, but now we were right back towards the street I'd originally made a left to. I went onto that original street, went towards a busier intersection, and then waited just before a large group of cars came. I made my right and left the van behind.

I know I might just sound paranoid, but it struck me as odd that the van would be behind me for so many turns. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe not. Either way, I wasn't going to stop and lead them to my friends house, nor stop the car in general. It's best to keep moving I think. They can't do anything while I'm in the car moving. I locked the doors as soon as I realized the van had stayed behind me for the two turns. Had I not been able to get rid of it, I would have made many more turns- enough to definitely confirm it was following me, and called 991. Maybe this post isn't really within the realm of EDC, but the purpose of an EDC is to be prepared for the everyday problems in life. To me, that includes personal security. No point in playing the hero and getting out to confront the guy.

I'd rather assume the worst in these cases. Maybe he wasn't following me. Well in that case, my little "escape" maneuver would not have affected anyone but a little bit of my gas. This is also why I do not pick up hitchhikers (you know the driver becomes responsible for any illegal things the passenger is carrying?) and will not be alone with a stranger to help them- except in the cases of an immediate danger. I know it sounds selfish, but I've had bad experiences, which have taught me that other people are not always very kind.

National Knife Day!

Yup, August 24th is a cut above the rest, because it has the edge of being national knife day! (I'm lame, get my point?) [Yes, that was 3 "puns"]

Anyways, enjoy the day! Spyderco.com has a giveaway on their site, so go check that out! Other than that, here's my collection.

Quick Descriptions. So the ones underneath the leatherman and the fixed blade are made by me, and you can check them out here: KnifeMaking

Other than that, starting from the top left and going down: 

Gerber POS. JK it's not actually called the POS, but that thing's liner lock failed. I still keep it for sentimental purposes though. It was one of my first real knives.

Swiss Army Knife: My first knife!

Leatherman: Another one of my early knives. Works pretty well for what it is. 

Spyderco Endura: My first "high-end" knife. Started the knife/edc addiction. 

Spyderco Dragonfly: Won from a forum contest. Small and great EDC.

Spyderco Mini Persian: One of a kind. I believe it's the only one like this. Mother of Pearl and Jet handles.

Spyderco S: Great knife, one of my grails. Looks pretty sick with all those holes. 

Spyderco Ladybug: Used to be my keychain knife. Then something called Zero Tolerance got in the way.

Spyderco Merlin: Just got it, but I love the hawkbill and serrations. Waved for draw speed. 

Here are some words from the late James Mattis (on why he carries): 

My good reason to carry a knife is that God gave me rather weak teeth and rudimentary claws in an evolutionary trade-off. The hairy-armed person who figured out how to put an edge on a suitable rock made it possible for us to be recognizably human in the first place. I wear a wristwatch whether or not I have an appointment to keep, and I carry a pen and/or pencil because I am a literate person whether or not I have a specific writing task ahead of me, and I carry a knife because I am a human and not an ape.
A knife comes in handy for all sorts of random tasks that involve separating matter. Like cutting a string, or making a sandwich, or opening a package. It can also come in handy in an emergency, which need not involve a human assailant, and emergencies are by their nature unforeseen, so one should carry a knife all the time.
And in a perfect world where nobody needed a weapon, I'd probably carry a slightly larger knife, because it wouldn't scare people. ~James Mattis

Yup, have a nice day and stay sharp! 

Patches!

I've been looking for patches to put on my backpack. So I dug around, and found this one. Maybe a little too violent for school? Oh well. I was considering buying some very conservative(politically speaking), but given the atmosphere at school.... anyways, here's my patch:

Leatherman Style PS

Just got a new multitool for my keychain! Okay, I'll be honest. It's my first multi tool.... so not very EDC-like huh? So I looked for this one for awhile, but finally found it at REI. I was trying to avoid one with a knife, because I already carry a better knife anyways, and I wanted to have one I can carry to school and airports and wherever else that doesn't allow knives. Comes with a bottle opener/carabiner, a pair of tweezers (peeking out near the carabiner), a nail file/flathead screw driver, a pair of scissors, pliers, and a wire cutter.

I love the feelings of the springs in the scissors and the pliers. Nice and crisp, not weak, but yet easy to manipulate. There is a bit of play between the two.. jaws of the pliers, but not enough to affect usage. It cost me $21, not including tax. 

Cordura Pocket FAK!

So this is supposed to be a pocket organizer/FAK. Holds a flashlight (specificially Zebralight), and a pen. A little tight for my TWSBI, but it fits.

I am definitely not a great seamstress. It is adequate and sturdy though.

More on the contents and construction after the jump: 

Kydex Wave!

I waved my Spyderco Merlin! Opens up faster than any other knife system, and easily done to a Spyderco! 

I used a spare piece of Kydex for the wave. In case you don't know what a wave is:

Spyderco Merlin!

So this was the second part of my trade. A spyderco merlin. My first hawkbill knife. The handle is really comfy! Hmm. Not much to say, it's my first serrated Spyderco too. I'll have to use it and see how it goes. Interesting how there's no Spyderco logo. I thought the blade looked weird until I foudn that out.

Not so sure I like the clip.... 

Spyderco C109 S! (HOLEY COW!)

So I traded for two knives! (Next one will be up tomorrow.) (I sent the Air away.) First off... one I'm stupidly excited about. The Spyderco S. Not the most popular knife, but ever since I saw it two years ago (when I began this knife EDC stuff), I wanted it.

Pretty cool, isn't it? More after the jump: 

Beanies!

My #1 favorite piece of clothing. Well, maybe not. But a beanie packs small and light, yet offers a lot of warmth for its size. Often overlooked too! Here's mine:

Yeah, I have no idea how I managed to end up with the same color scheme on both.  The Philmont one is really nice and cushy. At least 1/4" thick. Probably more. But it's a little too bulky for me, so I just end up wearing the Spyderco beanie. Funny thing is, I can wear it around school and no one has a clue. Just a pretty spider on a beanie right? 

It's really thin, but keeps me pretty warm. It's nice to have something over my head and especially ears. My ears get cold really easily. But sometimes, if it's cold and I'm wearing short sleeves, I can just pop on a beanie and it gets better! To the point that I don't need a jacket. So yup. Look into one. It's small enough that I usually just keep the Spyderco one in the pocket of my jacket. 

Oakley Sunglasses

My pair of Oakley half jackets. I've had these for at least three years already. Notice that the lettering at the bridge has been worn off. Still, I think they were worth every bit that I paid for them. ($120) 

Knifemaking Status Update

So. This knife was supposed to be finished by now. However, during the summer, I was playing volleyball and managed to fall in a fire pit. Second and third degree burns all over my left hand. So I can't really use my hand, and my knifemaking is dead. Shame too. The latest one is awesomeness.

Zebralight SC52cw

My EDC light! Small as heck, yet plenty bright!

Buy Eneloops! (AKA the best rechargeable AA batteries.) Or Duraloops! (Duracell Eneloops.)

Why? Because they're pretty!

Okay I'm not sure if it's just me but they look really nice and clean. But more importantly is that thy are pretty much the best rechargeable AA battery. They have low drain (up to 3 years with 75% capacity), and work well under heavy loads. Normal alkaline batteries are what? $1 each? An eneloop is around $2.50 (MUCH cheaper for me from costco. More on that later.) And it's rechargeable for 1500 times. It's a no brainer. Saves money, batteries, garbage waste, and it's better than an alkaline anyways. What's more, these are extremely reliable. Alkaline batteries sometimes leak or fail. Eneloops are very consistent from battery to battery, and can hold a charge for a long time, without leakage or failure. That's what makes them such a big deal.

FAK that!

Just in case anyone's wondering what I carry in my FAK (First Aid Kit). It's supposed to be a daily EDC. Sometimes, I carry a bigger one, but this is my pocket FAK. It's no good if it's in your backpack at home right?

How to Make a Mighty Wallet!

A Mighty Wallet is a wallet made of Tyvek. It's amazingly thin, due to Tyvek being literally as thin as paper. However, the interlocking plastic fibers provide strength, tear-resistance, and water resistance. As a bonus, the entire wallet can also be recycled. (But remove the cash first!) Not bad right? Here's a link to the Original Mighty Wallet: https://www.dynomighty.com/mighty-wallet/ Check out the price. $15 for a Tyvek wallet. That's crazy mark-up. So I just made my own. I believe the only difference is that I only have 1 cash pocket. I've never owned a mighty wallet though, so I can be off. So this isn't an exact copy, but it's similar enough. Thin tyvek wallet.

Here's the wallet. 7 bills, 7 cards, and one challenge coin.