Welcome to the Urban EDC Showcase! Each week, we feature one member of the EDC community and the gear they rely on every day. Want to be featured? Submit your gear photo.
You know that Raphael (@7redi) is a dedicated gear geek when he takes time out during his final exams for medical school to share his daily carry with us. Hailing from central Switzerland, Raphael uses a Victorinox (no surprises there) for years before being introduced to the concept of EDC. In his free time, he reviews knives and gear on his Youtube channel as a means of giving back to the community. Read on for Raphael’s meticulously researched and wonderfully diverse carry!
Featured Tools:
- Knife 01: CRK Small Sebenza 21 Insingo
The Chris Reeve Knives small Sebenza 21 Insingo with Micarta inlays was my grail knife for years and years, but I never could convince myself to pull the trigger and pony up the money for it. But because I have the best girlfriend in the world, she got it for me about a year ago and I was absolutely ecstatic! Just an amazing gift and so generous of her!
The is also the perfect EDC knife for my uses, great slicer with the Insingo blade shape and of course Micarta inlays are my top pic because it's my favorite handle material when done right. The quality and fit and finish on these CRK knives are just impressive all around and the size on this small Sebenza 21 is just perfect for my small to medium hands. This one will never leave my collection for multiple reasons as you can imagine.
- Knife 02: Fox Knives TUR
Of course, I only carry one of these 3 knives at a time but these are some of my absolute favorites at the moment. The Fox TUR here could very well be my most adored new production knife that was released in 2017. All around a great design by Jesper Voxneas with premium materials and very well made by Fox in Italy. All that for a quite reasonable price and with a carbon fiber quality that is absolutely stunning. Also, the bronze anodized backspacer and milled titanium clip give it some extra character.
- Knife 03: Alexander Cheburkov Tukan
The Alexander Cheburkov Tukan with Micarta inlays and M390 steel marks an evolution in my collection because it's my first custom / semi-custom knife that I ever purchased.
It's from an upcoming maker out of Russia with a unique design language and amazing quality. This was the model that really impressed me the first time I saw it. I then had the opportunity to handle a bunch of Mr. Cheburkov’s work and I was blown away by the action, fit and finish and attention to detail. So, I decided on Böhler M390 steel and 3 green Micarta inlays on a bronze anodized titanium frame.
Interestingly enough, at that time this was the only Cheburkov Tukan that was made in that particular way, with only 3 inserts (I did not want the one below the clip) and with micarta as the inlay material. Because of its pocketable size and its great milled clip, this one is a joy to carry.
- Keychain Knife: Kershaw Reverb
This is a relatively new addition to my EDC and replaced my CRKT Jettison that lived on my keys for over a year. It's a nice compact package that still gives you a lot of capabilities and me a full 4 finger grip in contrast to the CRKT Jettison. I also really like the looks and for the price, this was a no brainer. One of the best keychain knives on the market right now as far as I'm concerned.
- SAK: Victorinox Cadet Alox
This is for me the quintessential EDC multitool. I always carry a Cadet with me and I also have a small collection Alox Cadets in different colors. They are just great because they are easy to carry, handy and looks really classy as well. Unfortunately, I lost my 2012 limited edition all silver Cadet a couple of months ago, so this is the EDC Cadet for now.
- Flashlight: MecArmy SGN3
I toyed around with quite a bunch of keychain flashlights, because they really suit my lighting needs the best and are very EDC friendly, but this SGN3 is really amazing with all its features (USB charging, multiple modes, red light, black light, max. 160 Lumens etc.) and the compact form factor. I also really like that the flashlight is attached to the keychain ring with an integrated loop which makes it very sturdy.
- Watch: Omega Speedmaster Day-Date
This was and is my dream watch and I have had it now for 7 years. It was the biggest gift that I ever got. I got it for my 18th birthday from my parents. This watch is just perfection. I love how it looks and how it functions and all the information that the dial offers in comparison to other automatic mechanical watches is amazing! I am actually thinking of getting a blue or black Speedmaster Day-Date for a more understated EDC watch and retire this one for more formal or festive carry. And since I am Swiss, I am very proud that such a beautiful and well-made product is from Switzerland!
- Spinner: Black Hills Precisions
The Isotope fidget spinner is not really a useful tool but a fun thing to have around. This is a great spinner, made in the US and I love the copper coating. It’s my favorite out of the few spinners that I have because it's not too large and quite lightweight for EDC.
- Wallet: Das Offene Meer Leather Co. Gundeck
This is also a newer addition to my EDC system. I have had it now for a couple of months and I really love it! It's the best minimalist wallet that I have seen so far. Before I used a Trayvax Axis metal wallet and a Mujjo Leather iPhone wallet case. Now I got this gorgeous handmade leather wallet that is crafted out of one single piece of leather by an active navy sailor in his off time. Michael Bluth offers an amazing product both in design and quality and that for a really amazing price in my opinion.
- Pen: Böker Plus .50 cal Micarta Bolt-action
This is a cool pen design, I really like the bolt-action mechanism and the small form factor. Unfortunately, the clip broke and I am getting a bit tired of the look of the Micarta on this pen, so I will probably get a Fisher Space Pen Bullet in brass with a clip to replace it in the near future.
- Pocket Tool: Maserin Crocodile 905/FF
This is the newest addition to my EDC setup. It is a stainless steel pry bar by the Italian knife company Maserin out of Maniago. I liked the size and finish of this tool as well as the paracord wrap which makes it very comfortable in use and gives it a unique look. The price is also right on this tool so I thought I would try it out. I am curious if it will be worth carrying this in addition to the cadet or if it just will be redundant. We will see.
- Keychain: Southern Grind Knives Key Fob
I got this as a goodie together with my Southern Grind Bad Monkey folder a while back and I really like the look of it and the quality of the leather as well as the laser engraved bad monkey logo. So this is on my keys since I have the Bad Monkey folder, which by itself is a great knife!
Background:
My name is Raphael or 7redi on Youtube and Instagram. I am 25 years old and a medical student and soon-to-be doctor from central Switzerland who is in the middle of his final exams at the moment.
In my free time, I like to produce videos for my Youtube channel which focusses on reviewing and testing EDC knives and gear as well as outdoor fixed blades. I also like to go out into the outdoors for camping or hiking. Other than that, I enjoy researching knives and gear on the internet, spending time with friends and family, traveling and playing tennis.
I first got into the EDC community through my brother who was watching a ton of 'nutnfancy' videos on guns and knives. Before that, I had a couple of Victorinox knives for backpacking use but I was never very interested in knives and gear.
This all was at least 5 years ago and then I got my first “real” knife (which I massively overpaid) and it was a Kershaw Chill. I loved that thing because it was so different from the Victorinox which was about the only pocket knife that I knew until then. It had the cool flipper mechanism and a clip which all was new for me at the time.
From that point on I got deeper into the EDC gear community. Which led to my own Youtube channel because I wanted to give back to the community, especially to the European, Swiss knife and gear enthusiasts.
Favorite EDC Tool:
It's really hard to choose a favorite item out of these things. I am torn between the Omega, the Sebenza, and the Gundeck wallet.
But in the end, I think that my Omega Speedmaster Day-Date is my favorite EDC item. It's an amazing piece of functional art, has sentimental value and I carried it pretty much every day for 7 years now. I feel naked when I don’t have it on my wrist. I also have never looked at any other watch since I have this one. It's really the one and only for me, so it's certainly my favorite EDC piece all things considered.
Next On Your Gear Radar:
I recently acquired a couple of things that I had on my radar like the Grayman DUA and the Hogue Knives X1 Micro, so I don’t really have something that I want to get immediately.
But later on, I certainly want to get another knife from Alexander Cheburkov, probably his small Strisch model with bone inlays, bronzed titanium frame, and a laminated D2 steel.
A brass Fisher Space Pen bullet is also in my near future. Other than that, I’ll see what’s going to be released later this year.
