Showcase #251: Marketer from Seattle, WA

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

For this week's community showcase, we caught up with Jason (@wabisabiedc) from Seattle, WA. Jason is a marketing analyst for an online golf equipment retailer who has a passion for photography, hiking, cycling, and trying out new eateries. Read on to find out all about Jason's spectacular EDC!

Featured Tools:

• Knife: Great Eastern Cutlery #77 
  This is the jewel of my modest traditional knife collection. The single spear point blade with long pull is a classic design. The deep red sawcut bone is beautifully done and aesthetically balanced by a large stamped bolster. It's unobtrusive in a coin pocket. Most importantly it handles my daily cutting tasks that include opening packaging and food prep. I own a couple of modern knives but for the most part, I carry traditional slipjoints.
  
  
• Light: Lumintop Tool AAA (Reylight Custom)
  I prefer flashlights that have the Nichia 219 emitter or at a minimum, a neutral white tint. I really like the rosy tint and clean beam pattern produced by this particular flashlight. Illuminated objects look natural and scenes just looks more warm and inviting. The Reylight Custom starts with the Low setting (compared to Medium on the standard Lumintop Tool), which I prefer since that’s usually enough light for getting around the house, illuminating keyholes, etc. The click button is soft and easy to press. It also takes AAA batteries that you can find almost everywhere.

• Watch: Hamilton Khaki Field Automatic 
  My style leans towards casual yet classic, and I wear this with a Bulang & Sons Lumberjack Leather Strap. I picked up this watch because I think it’s a very versatile piece. I can wear it with almost anything, from jeans and a t-shirt to business casual. It’s decently priced and shares a reliable ETA movement with other notable and much more expensive watches. Because it’s part of Hamilton’s khaki field collection, it has military undertones that I appreciate.
  
  
• Pen: Karas Kustoms Retrakt 
  I never need to write down more than a few words at a time. I prefer a click pen because when I do need to jot something down, it's usually on the fly and I might have something in my other hand. I chose the brass Retrakt because it has a nice weight to it, a smooth click mechanism, and it takes Pilot G2/Juice refills.
  
  
• Phone: Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  I don't consider myself to be an Apple fanboy even though I did upgrade from the 3GS to the 4S, then to the 6, and finally the 7 Plus. It's pretty cliche to say at this point but it just works. I grew up building and tweaking PCs but now I just don't have it in me to spend the time customizing my tech. I view my phone as just another tool. If it works it works, leaving me time to focus on other tasks.
  
  
• Hank: The Hill-Side Selvedge Chambray
  I'm one of the unfortunate who deals with seasonal allergies. Whenever my nose acts up, I need something to wipe away the snot. Also, I really don't like to use those bathroom hand dryers so it’s nice to have when paper towels aren’t an option.
  
  
• Lip Balm: Burt's Bees
  Lip balm is an essential accessory for me in the fall and winter months. The Burt's Bees Original is not too waxy, doesn't leave my lips glossy (like Carmex e.g.), and that cool tingly sensation just feels nice on my chapped lips.

Background:

I’m fairly new to the EDC scene. In 2010, I bought my first flashlight, a Streamlight MicroStream.  Outside of my wallet, keys, and phone, it was the only gear I carried for about a year. I found myself wanting a knife to cut things open like mail and packaging so, out of necessity, I purchased a Spyderco Persistence. It was a decent knife that wasn’t too expensive, and I wasn’t afraid to beat it up.

Fast forward to the middle of 2013. I joined the NRA and received a free pocket knife that looked like a mini Buck 110 knockoff. It had a loose blade when closed and side to side blade play when opened. At the time, I hardly considered carrying a traditional pocket knife but threw it into my two knife rotation anyway. One thing I noticed while using that knife was that people paid me no mind. It was definitely more office friendly.  I started to appreciate the classic design and it had me wanting a traditional pocket knife with better build quality.

And that was it. That cheap freebie knife was the catalyst that led me down this path of gear acquisition. Knives led to flashlights, which branched out to pens, leather goods, and miscellaneous gear. There's still a lot of gear that catches my eye but I think I'm at a point where I can pause and just make use of what I'm very fortunate to have.

Favorite EDC Tool:

My favorite EDC tool has got to be my GEC #77.  If you’ve read my featured tool description for that knife, it’s obvious, I really admire it.