To many people around the world,” Swiss” is a mark of quality. This label has come to be associated with excellence, precision, high-quality, and luxury. Some of the things that come to mind include chocolates, banks, knives and, of course, watches.

If you know your watches, you’re aware that the Swiss make excellent timepieces. Their reputation for producing many of the world’s finest watches has made them a strong contender for the title of the best watchmakers in the world, though many fans of Japanese watches will argue otherwise. But however strong the competition from the east, the Swiss have consistently proven that their rich history, high-precision workmanship, and overall sophistication have cemented their place as the unsurpassed masters in watchmaking.

Here are the 18 best swiss watches for men.

As recently as 2017, Bestech was a fledgling knife maker that had just released its first designs. But the most recent addition to its line looks as mature as it gets. The Bestech Sledgehammer adapts a Japanese tanto blade for a distinctive EDC folder.

Bestech released the knife about 3 weeks ago, among a recent flurry of new designs that have the industry abuzz. But with any upstart knife maker, there’s the same question: is it a POS?

I took a deep dive into the internet to find out. I may have come out mildly more deranged than before, but I learned a lot about Bestech’s credentials along the way. Spoiler alert (or not): Bestech is ready to surprise you.

Why Japanese Tanto?

The main advantage of any tanto blade is its durable point. More steel near the point means less breakage. This is especially important for any puncturing activities, which was a big part of how Samurai used the original tanto (or “short sword” in Japanese).

Bestech’s take on the Japanese tanto has a steep angle at the final grind. The shape should make it ideal for chopping or slicing, almost like a cleaver. And, of course, the point should be rock-solid. Breaking that much steel (especially tough D2) would take some work.

Bestech Sledgehammer Specs

The Sledgehammer is right on the lower end of a mid-sized pocket knife at 7.2 inches overall length, with a 3-inch blade. The flat scales help keep it narrow in your pocket, and a 3-inch blade is plenty for most EDC tasks. The handle measures about 3.25 inches from the choil to the butt, which could feel on the small side for users with thicker hands.

D2 steel has been used for knives since its inception around WWII, and for good reason. Edge retention and toughness are its strong suits. Bestech makes a few Sledgehammer variants with coated blades to limit corrosion, which can be common in D2.

Finally: Is It a POS? Bestech’s Credentials

From my view, the answer looks like a confident “no.” It’s still very early to say for sure, as the Sledgehammer hit the market in mid-May. But the D2 chosen by Bestech has lived up to its reputation for holding an edge in early testing around the internet.

My curmudgeon side remains a little skeptical of construction consistency — Bestech is only 4 years old. But interestingly, its parent company has a lot of experience in the trenches of knife making. Yangjiang Outdoor Winner Industries, which owns Bestech, has built knives for over a decade. Reportedly, Yangjiang has spent part of that time operating as an original equipment manufacturer for SOG and Gerber.

At the end of the day, the only place Bestech looks to be cutting costs is on its website design. The Sledgehammer MSRPs at a we’re-serious $65. And its warranty and list of authorized dealers both look legit.

If you’re feeling adventurous, go to the source and order one of the world’s newest EDC pocket knives, the Bestech Sledgehammer.

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If you’ve never seen an angrier-looking little knife, you’re not alone. The CRKT Provoke Compact’s mechanism is highly unique in the category. And the Compact knife design downsizes from the first generation of Provoke karambits without sacrificing much functionality.

If you want an EDC knife optimized for self-defense that sends a message, give the Provoke Compact a close look.

Provoke Compact Knife Operation

Obviously, the Provoke Compact knife is no ordinary folder. But how does it work?

To deploy the Provoke Compact’s blade, the action applies kinematics: the geometry of motion. CRKT has trademarked the term, but science is freely available. The study of how forces act on objects in a system inspires the Provoke series.

In practice, the user applies downward pressure on the closed knife’s upper crossbar with their thumb. That pressure sets a chain reaction in motion, making the blade “lunge” forward. From our first looks, the action looks fast and authoritative. The biggest advantage may be that the user never has to reposition their hand on the handle; gripping the compact knife and deploying the blade requires the same hand position.

A safety ring at the butt helps the user locate the knife easily, and adds grip security in a pinch.

Sized Down: Compact Specs

Folded, the CRKT Provoke Compact knife is just 4.5 inches long. Equipped with an innovative thumb-pressure-activated pocket clip that CRKT calls a “world’s first,” the compact knife should carry quite discreetly. The blade is a self-defense-optimized 2.26 inches long.

The Compact is about half an inch shorter overall than the original Provoke. However, it doesn’t sacrifice much in terms of blade: the original Provoke’s blade is only 0.2 inches longer. By those metrics, the Compact basically looks like an optimized redesign.

The knife’s handle is 6061 CNC-milled aluminum. The blade is stonewashed D2, known for positive wear resistance at a bargain price.

Carry and Purchasing

The CRKT Provoke Compact is best thought of as a self-defense knife. The downturned shape limits the utility in a lot of situations, though it would work great for package opening, or in many cases where you’d use a razor knife. The action should definitely impress your friends, and make a different kind of impression on any enemies.

CRKT launches the new Provoke Compact at MSRP $150.

Purchase

Damascus steel! Carbon fiber! Named after an adorable doggo! What more could you want from a pocket knife? If it’s heft and performance, the Civivi Bullmastiff has you covered. The impossible-to-ignore Damascus/carbon fiber iteration (newest in the line) guarantees your EDC kit will stand out. And the Mini version, with a capable but compact 3-inch blade, just hit a deep price drop.

Civivi Mini Bullmastiff Pocket Knives As Art

Damascus steel, though more common than it used to be, is something of a holy grail in the blade world. Its storied reputation is over a millennium old, based on an ancient technique for folding steel during forging. These days, much of the Damascus legend exists in the sands of time, and the alloy’s characteristics have become secondary to its artistic value.

Civivi puts it overtly on display with the Mini Bullmastiff’s 3-inch cleaver-shaped blade. The tall blade gives the owner or admirer plenty of room to get lost in the Damascus pattern. A deep channel adds an aesthetic touch.

The blade’s aqueous pattern contrasts sharply against the Bullmastiff’s gridded handle. The 4.2-inch G10 handle is overlaid with a layer of twill-patterned carbon fiber.

The Mini Bullmastiff Pocket Knife as EDC Functionality

Anyone can see that the Civivi Bullmastiff looks badass, but does its bite match its bark? All signs point to yes.

Though it doesn’t sound like much, the 3-inch blade promises to impress with its sheer heft. The knife is 7.17 inches long when it’s open, and weighs in at a robust 3.46 ounces. Because of the clever shape and lightweight G10 handle, the knife should feel naturally heavier toward the blade. The 4.2-inch handle should accommodate most users’ hands very comfortably. A relatively deep choil helps secure the grip.

A cleaver is an unusual choice for an EDC blade, but it makes sense in a lot of applications. For opening packages, I often grip my knife blade near the edge between my thumb and forefinger (pro tip: it’s a depth gauge). The Bullmastiff’s blade facilitates this with plenty of room in the vertical. I know it’s painful to damage something beautiful, but if the chips are down, a wider blade is better for prying or bottle opening. And if you ever find yourself chopping food, say at a campsite, a cleaver is clearly the tool for the job.

A Deal on Damascus Steel

From what we’ve seen, we’re impressed with the Civivi Mini Bullmastiff’s fast, loud action and unignorable appearance. Find out for yourself at Civivi’s website, where the Mini Bullmastiff is currently down from MSRP $100 to $75.

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History of Swiss Army Knife

The Victorinox Swiss Army Knife may be the world’s most successful knife. Trying to quantify its popularity, I found myself rifling through countless Google searches. And invariably, every knife list with criteria like “best,” “iconic,” “classic,” “top,” etc., included a Swiss Army Knife.

Why?

The pocketable knife’s well-established history is a major contributor to its success. It might not have been the first multitool, but it popularized the now-ubiquitous category as early as 1891. Every Swiss male, under the country’s mandatory military service requirement, has carried one. Eventually, the Swiss Army Knife arrived at worldwide popularity.

And for good reason — I use my keychain Victorinox knife legitimately 3 times as much as any other knife in my kit.

Victorinox leverages a long tradition of experience and quality to produce such a useful tool. Here’s how it all went down.

Bringing a Knife to a Gun Fight: Origins

The iconic knife was invented because of a gun. In 1890, the M1889 was the Swiss Army’s standard-issue rifle. It was a behemoth, and its maintenance required the use of a screwdriver, so the military decided to purchase a standard-issue folding knife that included one.

It had to purchase its first order of 15,000 knives from Wester & Co. in Germany because no Swiss manufacturer had operations yet big enough to handle it. That knife, the Modell 1890, had oak handle scales and four (familiar) tools: a blade, an awl, a can opener, and a screwdriver. It wasn’t the world’s first multitool — that distinction belongs to a surprisingly recognizable five-tool rig made in the 3rd century BCE by an unknown Roman — but it would soon be its most popular.

In 1891, one year after its inception, the knife (or multitool) had caught the eye of Karl Elsner. Elsner ran a company that made surgical equipment. By the end of the year, he’d taken over manufacturing of the Modell 1890. Elsner and his company soon made a key innovation: they installed a spring in the knife’s handle to secure the folding tools. Using only one spring, tools could now be mounted on both sides of the handle.

Elsner patented the updated knife in 1897, and the Swiss Army Knife as we know it was born.

Brand Competition & the Influence of Stainless Steel

Elsner soon had competition for manufacturing the Modell 1890. In 1893, the Swiss Army also contracted Paul Boéchat & Cie, which later became Wenger, to build the design. For a while, things were a little confusing. Wenger made “the Genuine Swiss Army Knife,” while Elsner made “the Original Swiss Army Knife.” And both brands used the cross and shield emblem.

Two key events in the early 1900s helped determine the ongoing signature of the Swiss Army Knife. First was the advent of stainless steel, and the second was the death of Karl Elsner’s mother. In 1909, Elsner renamed his company Victoria in his late mother’s honor. In 1921, the company became “Victorinox” when it added “inox” — the abbreviated form of the French word for stainless steel — to its name.

Today, Victorinox makes every Swiss Army Knife, an achievement the company claimed with its acquisition of Wenger in 2005. The decades-long competition sparked innovation, and each company eventually made pretty far-out designs, like the 7-pound, 87-tool Wenger 16999 Swiss Army Knife Giant. When Victorinox consolidated the catalog, it retired some of those rare birds.

Schweizer Offiziersmesser

The name “Swiss Army Knife” is, in a way, a misnomer committed by globetrotting Americans. As the knife gained worldwide popularity, it was bound to happen (as is so often the case). In Germany, the knife is called the “Schweizer Offiziersmesser,” or, more simply, the “Sackmesser.” WWII American soldiers struggled to pronounce either term (surprise surprise), so they applied the simpler, depictive “Swiss Army Knife.”

Thus assuming its final form in branding, the knife was poised to become the global classic it is today.

And since every Swiss soldier already had the knife in his pocket, it had a broad user base built-in. The Swiss military is actually fairly extensive owing to its conscripted service requirement. Every male must serve a minimum 260-day term (or opt-out and choose 390 days of civil service). Each soldier has also had the option not to carry a gun. But they all get a Schweizer Offiziersmesser, which is not considered a weapon.

Why Swiss Army?

No matter what you call it, you can find a use for a Schweizer Offiziersmesser. I keep a Victorinox MiniChamp Alox on my keyring and easily deploy it once a day, if not more (and I don’t even have to disassemble a 19th-century firearm regularly).

The Swiss Army Knife may not feature the designer steel or futuristic features other pocket knives do, but it does have a proven track record that won’t quit.

UltraGuard’s aptly-named Capsule UV sanitizing tool is a miniature EDC powerhouse for multi-surface sanitation. The diminutive, pill-shaped tool comprises a UV light sanitizer that works in 10 seconds and a stylus for buttons and screens.

Smartphone sanitizers are now the norm in an awkward new reality that has humans sanitizing nearly everything we touch. The UltraGuard Capsule represents sustainability in the form of reducing waste from wipes and single-use plastic hand sanitizer bottles.

UltraGuard UV Smartphone Sanitizer Basics

About half as tall as a Bic lighter, the Capsule delivers 180 uses between charges (30 min. for full charge). A proprietary UV-C LED light chamber deploys light at the ideal 260-nm to 280-nm wavelength for dissolving nucleic acid and proteins. (Read: do not point it at yourself, others, pets, etc.: UV light is harmful!). The Capsule is certified by prominent worldwide research labs SGS and CE.

UltraGuard points out that users can carry its portable sanitizer anywhere to readily clean usual germ suspects like earbuds, personal hygiene items, etc. Users can also clean surfaces like keyboards and toilet seats by using the Capsule in “wand” mode. UltraGuard recommends 10 seconds for a full clean.

Remove the stylus or “no-contact tool” to reveal the UV-C light. In an ingenious touch, the stylus seats into the light socket, which sanitizes between uses. All in all, the device looks like one of the best smartphone sanitizers out there.

Method Analysis

The Capsule looks very effective at what it’s designed to do, and its certifying bodies are the world’s foremost test labs. However, should we sanitize the world (just because we can)? There is general scientific consensus that COVID-19 does not primarily spread through surfaces, which is corroborated by the CDC.

But sanitizing surfaces can be harmful, even outside the context of COVID-19. Household cleaners can release high amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sometimes as aerosols. As well, there’s the potential to kill beneficial microbes along with harmful ones. And single-use plastic packaging and wipes introduce considerable waste.

The UltraGuard Capsule mitigates the VOC problem, as well as the concerning waste issue.

Choices, Crowdfunding Status, Purchasing

Get the UltraGuard Capsule UV smartphone sanitizer in “glacier” white, “onyx” black, or “misty rose” pink. As of this writing, the project was 8x funded on Kickstarter with 12 days to go. Rewarded pledges were extremely limited and started at $29.

Sources:

1. Still Disinfecting Surfaces? It Might Not Be Worth It – NPR
2. Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Facility – CDC
3. Coronavirus is Airborne So Stop Disinfecting Everything: Expert – CBC

Purchase

ForeverPen: Everlasting Everyday Carry

Out of Manchester, UK comes something of epically bite-sized proportions: a 0.99-inch-long inkless writing implement. If titanium everyday carry pens are your kind of kink, welcome, my friend, to the ForeverPen fore.  Let’s unpack its most unordinary feature: it doesn’t use ink.

First: How?

World’s Tiniest — the creator behind the inkless pen — modernized “a centuries-old drawing technique called silverpoint.” The result is an exceptionally durable, hard-wearing silver tip that leaves behind a sort of solid silver ink, much to the same effect as its ballpoint or gel-ink counterparts. But the crucial ways in which solid ink outperforms liquid ink are well worth noting:

• Permanently adheres to any solid receiving surface (paper, card, plastic, wood, etc.)
• Works independently of gravitational pull (write upside-down or in zero-gravity arenas without failure)
• Provides full functionality “practically forever” (no need to refill nor replace)
• Demarcations resist smudging and endure all types of weather
• Offers versatile applications (use it as a parcel opener, a pry tool, or to get that unidentified funk out from under your nail)

Second: Why?

The World’s Tiniest team developed the ForeverPen’s inkless design for one primary reason (sustainability) and a few secondary ones (convenience, durability, fail proofing, uniqueness).

Discarded pens and cartridges are non-biodegradable and highly toxic — think of them as plastic straws on steroids. Not only do their hollow, straw-like constructions pose the same threat to wildlife and waterways as single-use straws, plastic pens also seep chemically caustic ink into the environment. The ecological damage from one pen may be trivial, but the collateral damage created by the annual tossing of ≈1.6 billion pens (the US alone) isn’t so erasable.

Thoughtful yet rudimentary, the pen’s architecture is meant to mitigate material waste on all fronts — from development and production to transit emissions, then through the entirety of its useful life (which, we’re told, should be at least as long as your useful life).

Its miniature size means it requires minimal raw materials. The writing tip is tempered silver. The body (only one-third the length of a fresh Crayola) features one of three metals: titanium, copper, or brass. A sizable passthrough at the pen’s crown accommodates most keyrings, zippers and further reduces the ForeverPen’s footprint.

The absence of ink further minimizes the material impact required to sustain the pen’s usefulness. And the materials comprising each ForeverPen are naturally occurring, ecologically compatible, and enduring.

Third: Buy.

Pledges for the ForeverPen start at £24 ($34 USD) for a single package. All orders are eligible to ship anywhere in the world, with the first round of deliveries slated for August 2021. Specifically, backers can choose between the following finishes:

• Grade 5 Titanium
• High Purity Copper
• Naval Grade Brass

At the time of writing, the ForeverPen Kickstarter campaign has enjoyed a bit more than 9,000 pledges totaling $442,000 in funding. It’s an amount that far outstrips the creators’ $3,500 pledge goal by a giddy $437,000.

If that strikes you as too much cash for something so petite, remember that not always is it the bigger tool that gets the job done, but the most adept.

Sources:

Infographic: Pens and Pencils by the Numbers – Earth911

Plastic Pen Pollution: Find Out the Right Way to Write – Sustainable Living

What I Plan To Do About My Disposable Pen Peeve – We Hate to Waste

For those of us drawn to handwriting, there aren’t many options that allow us to both enjoy the format and seamlessly get our written ideas into the cloud. Fortunately, technology is leaving few stones unturned, including the analog ones. The Wipebook Pro + by Wipebook is a 20-page notebook with a classic notebook-style form, the functionality of a whiteboard, and a form factor compatible with the Wipebook Scan app. Just jot, scan with your mobile device, upload, wipe, and start again.

Wipebook Pro + Specifics

The Wipebook Pro + features 10 grid-lined pages, 10 ruled pages — each measuring 8.5 by 10 inches. A handsome, understated faux leather cover keeps it neat while protecting those words, scribbles, and sketches of yours. Really, it looks like it would make for an exquisite everyday carry notebook.

In tow with the Wipebook Pro + is one black dry erase marker “to get you started.” It stows handily in the Wipebook’s integrated marker holster. Oh! And of course, feel free to use any dry-erase pen you like; the pages’ whiteboard-like coating is no different than that found on the surfaces of larger classroom predecessors.

Wipebook Scan App

The partner app integrates with a litany of popular software. Save your work (allegedly without a hitch) through the app to Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive.

Availability

Analog. Tirelessly reusable. Connected. And at an MSRP of only $45, it seems like an experiential bargain that’s rather difficult to outdo. Click the link below to find out more and queue one up for yourself, you old-school hipster, you.

I’m not going to put it any better than Viski’s caption writer did, so I’m not going to try: “Slip something to sip into a refined stainless steel case, with room for a choice 54-gauge cigar alongside the half-flask.” As tasty as that sentence is, the Viski Harrison Stainless Steel Cigar Holder and Flask can make your hip flask EDC game even tastier. Its trim double-barrel design keeps your preferred poison and a “cigar” of your choice together at all times for quick hits of the good stuff in style.

I checked out the details before getting (discreetly) schnockered.

Flask Design Notes

Although it looks like a specialty Bond weapon designed by Agent Q, the Viski Harrison is actually a Chinese product made with polished steel. It’s a unique idea for its utility. Why I never owned a flask with an integral blunt — er, cigar holder is beyond me.

The design and function speak for themselves: it’s simply a side-by-side arrangement for on-the-go smoke and drink. It does look distinctly possible to dribble or leak some spirits into your smokey treat’s chamber, so as always, we recommend conscientious behavior even when you’re loaded.

Size Matters

The Viski Harrison Flask and Cigar Holder is 8.25 inches long, so make sure you’ve got an able pocket; the backseat of your skinny jeans is not gonna do it, and you’ll be busted by bar staff before you can ask that intriguing stranger “it’s kinda crowded in here — wanna step outside for a second?”

No capacity information is available. You can fit a helluva “cigar” in it, that’s for sure, but I doubt it holds all that much booze. It’s advertised as a “half-flask” which doesn’t really mean anything. Then again, who cares? You’re a smuggler, not a scorekeeper.

Pocketed: Viski Harrison Purchase Info

The Viski Harrison Stainless Steel Cigar Holder and Flask is available on Wayfair for $26 MSRP. As of this writing, it was on sale for $17, which would save you exactly enough coin to buy a 50mL bottle of Hennessy. Just sayin’.

The James Brand builds its Wayland knife on the foundation of American heritage itself. Based on the original Barlow pocket knife, which “Presidents Washington and Lincoln never left home without” (according to James), its sheepsfoot blade and classic styling make it a sure bet for EDC success.

We took a closer look.

History: The Most American Pocket Knife

Among knife history circles, it’s fairly common knowledge that Barlow knives were America’s first EDC pocket knives. One source declares, “the Barlow knife has been a classic part of America’s EDC since before people thought the Constitution would work.”

It’s a bold claim, but The James Brand Wayland does take after a deeply traditional design. Its sheepsfoot blade was originally intended for, yes, trimming sheeps’ hooves. Its long bolsters improve its handling across a broad range of hand sizes, and its rosewood handle scales invoke old-fashioned class.

Specs and Function

The James Brand Wayland Knife really shines as an EDC knife because of its sheepsfoot blade. The gently curved edge and rounded spine are ideal for slicing (like a kitchen knife), and the combination helps limit accidental punctures or stabs.

The CNC-machined nail nick helps users flip the knife open easily. A slip joint helps to keep the knife open via spring pressure but bypasses a true locking mechanism. Since you won’t be stabbing anything with it anyway, the slip joint makes the Wayland that much easier to use one-handed. 6.9 inches long when the 3-inch blade is open, the knife is big enough for sustained, comfortable use — and light enough, at 2.8 oz., that it shouldn’t swing around inside a pocket.

Purchasing Choices for the James Brand Wayland Knife

You can pick up The James Brand’s classically-styled Wayland knife on the company’s website for $200 MSRP. It’s available in the traditional rosewood-and-stainless finish, as well as in black composite variants.

Purchase