Showcase #222: Cardiac ICU Nurse from Springfield, Illinois

Welcome to the Urban EDC Showcase! Each week, we feature a member of the EDC community and the gear they rely on every day. Want to be featured? Submit your gear photo.

A dedicated father of a 6-year-old twins, Casey (@yasec.edc) works as a Cardiac ICU nurse. From playing the crane game at the State Fair to win cheap knives to owning his current custom blade in the form of the Grimsmo Norseman, Casey’s love affair with blades and pocket tools runs deep. Read on to learn all about Casey’s carefully curated carry and his “pryblem” which involves about a dozen different pry bars.

What's in your carry?

• Pry Bar: LynchNW All Access Pass 1.5 with Zerofeud Nuke bead
  Casey is a great independent maker and a really nice guy to interact with. I’ve had nothing but great experiences with him and his gear! I carry a pry bar daily and own 3 different AAPs (one in each size). I admit they’re mostly pocket jewelry, but I do use them. I always carry a pocket pry to save my nicer knives from being used inappropriately!
  
  
• Wallet: DasOffeneMeer Custom Nimitz style Topsider
  I bought a Gundeck wallet from DOM awhile back, and absolutely loved it! I later contacted him to see if I could get something special made. He made it super easy on and did an amazing job. The buttero leather has patina’d beautifully!
  
  
• Pen: Grimsmo Saga
  This pen is crazy! I had signed up for the lottery hoping to get called, but never got sent a link. Had a buddy get one and he sent it my way! The action on this pen is so unique, and the build quality lives up to the Grimsmo Knives standards! I got lucky with the plain Jane version, but I do have plans on getting some customization done on my Norseman and then getting this done to match! #FullGrimsmo!
  
  
• Hank: MightyHanks Mighty Mini
  I’ve always been a fan of Norse mythology and MightyHanks are done really well! So I grabbed this Mighty Mini with Norse script when I saw it! I use this mostly to clean my camera and glasses. No nose blowing! I’ve used my hanks to clean up my kids’ mess on occasion as well!
  
  
• Knife: Chaves Knives 229 Ultramar Redencion (customized)
  This knife is definitely one of my favorites! It’s the Reate-produced production version, I have not been lucky enough to pick up the custom 228 version yet! It took quite a while to work in, but once I got it going it has amazing action! Flicks open easily and drops shut! I had @EDCgearhouse do the bronze splatter anodization and it turned out perfect! Anything I want to be customized goes his way, great customer service and answers all my questions!
  
  
• Flashlight: Rovyvon Aurora A4Tix
  This light (both this upgraded version and the OG, I recently upgraded to this version) are the only flashlights I’ve ever used that stay in my pocket. They’re super small and pocketable, without being too small and lost in the pocket. Love the UI and low setting on the upgraded version!

What's your story?

I live in Springfield, Illinois. I work as a Cardiac ICU nurse. I’ve been working in Cardiac ICU for almost 5 years, and I’ve been an RN (registered nurse) for 10 years now.

I’m a 34-year-old father of 2! I have 6-year-old twins (a boy and a girl). They started kindergarten this year and it’s crazy how fast time has gone since they were born! I've been married 10 years this December to an amazing woman who lets me have my hobbies!

I got into EDC while looking for a smaller front pocket wallet. Boy, did I not realize what I had got myself into! I had always carried a pocket knife, but it was never anything fancy.

My first knives as a kid were SAKs/Leathermans and I was always playing a crane game at the state fair to pick up cheap knives. I carried a Buck Vantage early on, then started to get into Kershaws.

From there I got a Benchmade and got into Spyderco's. Spyderco would have to be my favorite production maker. I’ve really fallen for a couple of their sprints. The Rex45 and rosewood Shaman and the K390 PM2.

With that said, I don't collect knives. If they don’t get pocket time I move them on to get funds for something new! That mindset has let me try a lot of new things/products. My only custom knife currently is the Grimsmo Norseman, love that knife!

I’ve tried to move my gear purchases into small makers. I love UrbanCarvers magnetic quick releases for my keys. He’s a great dude and makes a great product! I used to use the Keysmart version, but his products are like a tank in comparison.

I used Crabby wallets and Trayvax before getting the DOMs. If I’m not carrying Mightyhanks I have several from Ace of Hanks and Atlas Creation. Both amazing makers and people.

I have two pens from TactileTurn, one in Ti and one in Copper. The copper pen is my work pen. All my beads come from smaller makers. Armstrong Metalworks and Zerofeud are my favorite!

I also have a bit of a "pryblem"! I have about a dozen different pry bars from small makers. From custom knife makers like freeman knives and Brian brown knives to the ones from LNW and CJG Designs, I love carrying pry bars!

The one thing that’s kept me in EDC is the community! It’s full of amazing people and creators. The Discord’s of Taylor Martin from Best Damn EDC and Nick Shabazz are amazing communities! And those two put out amazing content!

The IG community is awesome! And r/edc, r/knifeclub , and r/knife_swap on Reddit are a blast as well! The secondary market for EDC stuff is awesome!

My only other hobby is pretty new. I’ve gotten into hobby-grade RC cars. An equally expensive hobby! Between work and my kids I don’t have time for much else.

Favorite EDC Tool?

My favorite piece of gear in this pic is definitely my Grimsmo Saga pen! The level of attention to detail and build quality is off the charts! So fun to click too!

What's On Your Gear Radar?

My next piece of gear is hopefully either a Grimsmo Rask, a TRM Atom, or a WE made Shamwari! UrbanCarvers is making an updated magnetic quick release which I’ve preordered as well!