Victorinox Voyageur

I had to take a second to show off my new favorite Swiss Army Knife. This is an 84mm 2 layer Voyageur model. Well, it’s a custom job, but it looks just like the original. At one time, this was an older cadet model that has been modified to include the scissors instead of the can opener and file.

This is one of my favorite tool combinations on a swiss army knife. Unfortunately this one was discontinued quite a while ago. The closest thing to this tool set would be the 91mm compact model with Cellidor scales, or the 84mm cadet that doesn’t include scissors.

This model has the ribbed alox scales. They look great, but I think I like the current alox scales a bit better. The original Voyageur came in silver and red scales. The only problem I may have with this knife is just being afraid to actually use it!

GMF1-P

This is the GMF1-P from GiantMouse Knives. This is my only real fixed “EDC” blade. I bought this knife for two reasons:

1. It’s extremely compact, even for a fixed blade.
2. It’s from GiantMouse.

The version pictured above is the PVD coated version. The blade is made from N690, and weighs 1.9oz (it’s really light).

This knife, like all knives from GM, is designed by Jesper Voxnaes and Jens Ansø. I do sometimes wonder if I should change the name of this blog from “Lone Star EDC” to “Everyone Look At My Vox & Victorinox Collection”..

The blade is a good “everyday carry” length at 2.6”. The only real complaint I could see someone having would be about the handle length. The handle is 2.8”, and doesn’t provide the most solid grip. This is to be expected from such a compact fixed blade, but I would be afraid that for someone with larger hands, the grip might not feel substantial enough.

That being said, I would definitely recommend this knife for anyone like me who doesn’t have much experience with smaller fixed blades and might be looking to try one out. Plus, at the time of writing this, the production on these knives is unlimited. Most knives from GiantMouse are quite limited, so go grab one while you can!

GM3

This is the GM3 by GiantMouse Knives. A bit more sleek and streamlined than the rest of my collection, but the design is beautiful nonetheless.

This “gentleman’s” folding knife is the most recent design from GiantMouse Knives. I go into a bit more detail about GiantMouse in a previous post of my GM1, so feel free to check that out if you’re interested (or just go to their website). 

I was able to grab the GM3 new from the website before they sold out. I learned my lesson by missing out on the GM1 when they were released. I sold a few knives from my collection to fund the GM3, but I’d say it was well worth it.

The blade is Bohler M390, and measures a bit over 3.25”. The handles are a stonewashed titanium, and the backspacer, clip and pivot ring are all anodized titanium. It is a liner lock, which I’m not a huge fan of, but it works well for the GM3. The knife weighs in at 3.2oz, quite a bit less than the 5.4oz GM1.

The action of the flipper opening is smooth, but it might be a bit tough to flip at first. Mine still requires a pretty good amount of pressure to open, which may be a good thing depending on how you look at it. A unique detail of the GM3 is the nail-nick on the blade (not visible in my picture, it’s on the opposite side). I never use it, but I do feel like it gives the knife a bit of extra character and style.

Overall, I really like the GM3, and I’m very happy I was able to add it to my collection. I always look forward to seeing the newest designs from Jesper and Jens.

11/21/2017

This trio of gear features a copper edition Preon P1 from Foursevens, a Victorinox Pioneer, and The Strand knife by Quiet Carry.

The Preon P1 in copper was a sale item I recently purchased from Foursevens. I’m generally not a fan of clicking buttons on a smaller flashlight, but the price was too good to pass this one up. I’ve surprisingly really enjoyed carrying the P1. I would still rather not have the button, but it’s definitely a nice little light. It runs on 1 AAA battery and has a max output of 100 lumens. The default configuration is high (100 lumens) and low (5 lumens). I’m accustomed to the high, medium, low configuration for most of my lights, but so far I’ve been fine with just high and low. There are, however, 5 different configurations to choose from on the P1.

The Pioneer is, well, the Pioneer. A classic knife with one of the best tool configurations available in my opinion. This one is black with the red shield. If you buy one knife out of all the knives I feature on this site, it should be a Pioneer.

The Strand by Quiet Carry is new to my collection. My first impression is that it’s extremely lightweight and exceptionally streamlined. The blade is made from D2 steel (my first D2 knife actually), and the scales are made from grade 5 titanium. This frame lock features phosphor bronze washers (a step up from teflon for sure) and has an ambidextrous thumb stud for easy opening. I would consider this to be in the “gentleman’s knife” category, and would recommend it to anyone looking for an easy to carry knife with a sleek design.

Boker F3II Makeover

I recently got my Boker F3II back from a major overhaul, and I love how it turned out.

The titanium scales have been anodized a dark maroon/purple color (it’s so hard to capture it on camera) and finished with a stone-wash. The backspacer and clip were  anodized blue from the factory, but both have been sandblasted to remove the color and stone-washed.

The blade has been acid etched and stone-washed to give it a darker finish (it was a clean satin finish before). The blade was then sharpened to a mirror polished edge, and this thing is SHARP.

I’ve posted a few pictures here of the F3II in the past if you’d like to go back and see a “before” of what it used to look like. I love the larger F3, but this smaller version is just so much easier to carry. I think the changes really make this knife stand out, and give a nice custom feel to it.  

10/19/2017

This shot features the GM1 from Giant Mouse Knives, a Victorinox Cadet inside of a leather slip by Hitch & Timber, and a handkerchief from American Handkerchief.

I did a full post a while back on the GM1. I won’t go into too much detail here, but you can read the previous post if you’d like to know more about this knife. The GM1 was a bit of a challenge for me to find, but I’m extremely happy that I found one. It’s an absolute workhorse of a knife, and pretty easy on the eyes as well..

The Victorinox Cadet pictured above is the 2015 limited edition blue color. It’s in a leather cadet carrier by Hitch & Timber. If I don’t have a pocket clip attached to my swiss army knife that i’m carrying, it’s in this leather sleeve.

I have two handkerchiefs from American Handkerchief. They’re simple, made from quality material, and just the right thickness. This one is “The Original” in navy.

10/6/2017

I really like the simplicity of this shot. Just 3 solid items, nothing fancy.

Here’s what we’ve got –

Odino by Viper Knives – Designed by Jesper Voxnaes. I’ve featured this knife several times before. This is one of my all time favorites. Great knife for a great price.

Nomex Handkerchief by Recycled Firefighter – I have several items from Jake at Recycled Firefighter. He makes awesome products designed to last from recycled materials. This handkerchief is made from Nomex/Kevlar woven fabric and it’s super soft. It’s a bit on the larger side measuring 11”x11”, but  I really love this thing.

Leather Bifold Wallet by Saddleback Leather – This is just a great wallet made from high quality materials that you would expect from Saddleback.

CRKT Batum

I just got the CRKT Batum (large version) and this thing is a TANK. I had the compact Batum, and liked it so much I thought I’d get the big brother. The Batum and Batum compact are designed by Jesper Voxnaes.

My first impression of the Batum was “man, this thing is heavy”. Like pull your shorts down heavy (if you’re not wearing a belt, of course).  Because of the weight, the action on this knife is much smoother out of the box than you would find on most CRKT knives.

The blade is made from 8Cr13MoV and measures just over 3”. It weighs in at 7oz. To give you a comparison, the Boker F3 only weighs 6.55oz. The handle is made from stainless steel and black G-10.

The handkerchief pictured is from Hitch & Timber, though I believe they are sold out and I’m not sure when they will have more.

The bottle opener/pocket tool is the Culprit by Koch Tools. Justin makes awesome tools and knives in very limited runs, so they tend to be quite elusive. You can check out his work on his website in the link above.

As always, thanks for looking!

9/1/2017

Nothing new in this shot, but a great combo nonetheless.

Here’s what we have –

The Hitch & Timber card caddy with the Cadet by Victorinox and a copper aaa flashlight by Maratac. There are plenty of times where this is the only thing I carry. I have people asking me all the time about this wallet when they see it, but this is definitely not your typical wallet..

CRKT Pilar, designed by Jesper Voxnaes. The scales on this Pilar have been acid etched and darkened to give it more of a contrast. I’ve featured this knife in a previous post, but I don’t think the blade was out. This shot gives you a much better view to see just how much of a difference the acid wash made.   

Handkerchief by American Handkerchief. This is a nice, clean, classic handkerchief that has a good feel and great size to it. The one pictured above is the “Original”. They do offer many different colors and patterns for those of you that like a little more flare.

GM1

I haven’t posted in a bit, but I had to show off my newest edition.. This is the GM1 by GiantMouse Knives.

GiantMouse knives are designed by Danish knife makers Jesper Voxnaes and Jens Ansø, and are limited to 400 pieces per model. 300 are a “standard version”, while the other 100 are a special version of the same design. You can read more about their backstory on their website in the link above.

I have been kicking myself since the day the GM1 sold out, because I had multiple opportunities to purchase one online from the GiantMouse website. For whatever reason (being too cheap, I imagine) I passed on getting one of these incredible knives. I’ve been on the hunt ever since. Normally, by the time I found one for sale, it was long gone. I just happened to be talking to someone who had been thinking about selling his, and he made me a great deal for this one.

Fortunately, this GM1 was in almost perfect condition, so it was like getting a new one from GiantMouse themselves. Here is a bit more about the knife –

The blade is 3.3” long and made from N609 steel. The handle is titanium with blue anodized titanium clip, backspacer and pivot ring. It has a ball bearing pivot and the action is perfectly smooth. It has a pretty solid feel to it, weighing about 5.4oz.

GiantMouse has some awesome designs, but I can tell the GM1 is going to be a favorite of mine for a long time. If you are interested in the GM2 or GM3, they are both still available on their site at the time of this post.