When looking for a EDC pry bar there are many things to consider. How do you want to carry it, what size do you need and of what material. Pry tools come in just about every shape and size and it makes searching somewhat daunting.

If you're looking for something in the heavy-duty category, look no further than the Dual Pry by 394 Components. 394 Components is in its infancy right now: barely been around a year. The owner is a Mechanical Engineer by trade with a background in automation and product design and development. As such he tends to be constantly designing "things" in his head and typically drifts towards tools and being a hands-on person. His ethos for design is to not simply copy what is out there, but to create new and different designs and variations - as shown with the Dual Pry.

SOG Specialty Knives and Tools over the years has made an assortment of multitools for different trades and recreations. One area they dabbled in is fishing multitools. The now discontinued Blacktip was very popular with users and was a collaboration with West Marine. The Blacktip was based off the PowerAssist tool and included a fish scaler, a sharpening groove and some standard tools.

Years later SOG has decided to try their hand at another fishing tool. This time around it's not based off a current model, but a completely new design. The SOG Aegis MT takes its name from their popular folding knife and the similarity ends there.

Leatherman has been the dominant force in the multitool industry and never seems to stop innovating. Year after year they wow us with these shiny new creations, and we anticipate these releases. I do feel over the last serval years, we have seen a slowdown in new products and more of a rehash of what they already produce.

When the Curl was announced, I thought alright here we go, let's see what they've been working on. Instead of being wowed, I feel like Leatherman just took two models and put them together and called it a new creation. So, is it a new amazing tool? Or just a cash grab for the folks in Portland? Let's take a look.

Pry bars have been an increasing standard in the EDC community for over a decade. This length of time combined with every manufacturer hopping on the bandwagon has created a plethora of prys to choose from.

On my hunt for amazing and useful pocket tools I came across TEC Accessories. TEC develops and makes their own products and create products for everyday tasks while focusing on value. Today I'm taking a look at Ti-Pry standard and keychain edition.

Vosteed Knives is a fairly new company that has been around since 2021. The company was founded on the principle of making great products with their collaborators and users. They have had several successful releases since their inception, and today we are checking out their Grind model.

When it comes to a great EDC knife, I look at a few different factors. I look at blade style to see how utilitarian it is for basic everyday tasks. How easy is it to sharpen when the need arises? Is the handle comfortable, and is it the right size for my hand? What locking mechanism does it have, is it ambidextrous, and can it be disengaged if one hand is occupied? And finally, I look at the pocket clip. I love a knife that carries well and doesn't take a lot of fuss to remove and replace in my pocket. When it comes to the Grind, it hits oh so many sweet spots; let's take a look.

Ever since Gerber introduced it's first multitool design in 1991 they never seem to have a limit to their creativity. Gerber's trademark sliding plier head is what defines their multitools. That landmark design showed that Gerber was full of ingenuity and they hadn't stopped since.

The Dual-Force is Gerber's latest multitool and it breaks the mold in so many ways. Gerber took a lot of the design cues from the Center Drive and modified them for Dual-Force. These simple yet radical design changes have showed Gerber is ready to show the others how it is done.

The everyday carry scene is huge and covers a variety of products that people feel are essential to covering what they need on a day to day basis. One item that I see quite a lot of is flashlights. Personally I have never carried a flashlight before on a daily basis, nor had I ever seen the reason to add one to my carry. The times I've needed one were rare and should the occasion arise I had one in a pinch by using my smartphone. The amount of edc pics I've seen that incorporate flashlights was so immense that I decided to see what all the fuss was about. How often would I use one and what situations would occur that I may need one over my aforementioned smartphone.

One of the lights I chose for testing is the Fenix LD15R. Right angle flashlights are unique and are becoming quite popular. Compared to traditional flashlights where the lens and body are parallel to each other; a right angle has a head that's positioned 90 degrees to the body. These style of lights are good because they incorporate some abilities and features you don't see on the standard lights.

 

In an ever changing world companies like Leatherman are forced to innovate and diversify in order to stay competitive. Leatherman CEO Ben Rivera took the company in a new direction back in 2015 and released the Leatherman Tread multitool. The Tread was a tool born out of necessity for Ben on a trip to a theme park and his current tool was not allowed in the park. The Tread has gotten a lot of press in the last couple years; some positive and some negative. One fact that remains is that it's still a hot seller for the historic tool company.

Most folks think of multitools as plier based tools that have an assortment of functions. In fact the company Leatherman has become synonymous with the word multitool; similar to how Kleenex is being used to define tissues. Leatherman had a big inspiration back in 2015 and released a multitool which was very different than the standard modeling. Current CEO Ben Rivera had a run in with the security at Disneyland and told him he couldn't bring in his Wave multitool. This got the gears turning and this helped develop a new type of multitool; wearable.

Most of the multitools we see on the market are from the big three; Leatherman, SOG and Gerber. There are other companies that produce tools as well but are not what I consider key players. Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) is one of those companies and they seem to wow us with innovative designs but never stay in the limelight long enough. CRKT produces a lot of in house designs but I consider them more of a publisher. They collaborate with a lot of knife designers and as a result they able to give us innovative designs at affordable prices.