CoffeeStudyTalk

Portability, Weight and a good pair of Scissors.  These are the three (3) factors in determining which Swiss Army Knife is ideal for Urban EDC and after trying and owning several models I've reached the conclusion the Climber is the ideal model for me.  Other contenders would be: Compact (no awl, no second blade) Super Tinker (Phillips head instead of corkscrew) Pioneer X (no bottom side tools and awl instead of second blade). Specifications Large Blade Small Blade Can Opener Bottle Opener Scissors Awl/Reamer Corkscrew Tweezers Toothpick Go Big? But the Saw... You can easily get all the tools you want by upgrading to most 4+ layer models like the Huntsman, Explorer, etc, but then weight and portability become an issue and I've pocket carried on separate occasions the Huntsman or Climber and I could feel the difference of an extra half ounce of weight in the Huntsman.  Also, while I have used the wood saw, I don't think that is of value in a typical Urban setting (although

I've decided to restart my Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Collection for 2021.  I recently acquired an Alox Cadet and now have both a Huntsman and Climber on the way. I plan to acquire only a few more models and prefer now the Alox for durability and aesthetics.  The plastic scale models will be more for utility and stored away at the office, home and bags. Current Collection Swiss Champ Red // 2011 // Collectible Trekker Black // 2011 // BOB bag Huntsman Silver Tech // 2016 // EDC rotation Black // 1979-1985 // Hiking Bag Cadet Alox Silver // EDC rotation Climber Black // 1979-1985 // Collectible Traveler // 1979-1985 // Collectible Hoffritz // 1985-1990 // Collectible Ruby // 1992-2005 // EDC rotation Camper Red // 1999-2005 // Collectible Spartan  Red // 2009-2011 // Car Red // 2009-2011 // Office Ruby/Sapphire // 2009-2011 // Messenger Bag Classic Classic // First Aid Classic Lite // Collectible With the Huntsman and Climber on the way, this has freed up several Spartans that are

I’m usually with my messenger bag that includes more items, like first aid, bottled water and some snacks.  But if I’m on foot around town this is usually what I have in my pockets along with my keys and a Kingston 8gb USB drive. I’ll likely add a Bic lighter to make for a more complete basic tool set.  Possibly a small bit of paracord wrapped in a keychain. March 2021: iPhone 11 Ballpoint pen Victorinox Cadet Swiss Army Knife Leather wallet    

The past 12 months have been the wildest of my life and even that is an understatement.  To commemorate the COVID-19 years and remind myself of how crazy its been I picked up a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife - Alox - Cadet. I've always wanted an Alox model ever since I purchased the Alox 8gb USB drive and found the all metal design truly breathtaking.  There is a certain feeling of assurance in its durability when you hold it in your hands and while its smaller than my Spartan it weighs about the same. My trusty Spartan has been by my side for several years and unfortunately its begun to show its age and the plastic scales are warping and coming undone.  While I have several other Spartans, I wanted to opt for an Alox as my everyday carry as I anticipate this will last longer and not require more regular replacement, although my Spartan has been with me for at least 7 years. In short, the Alox Cadet is beautiful and I'm very pleased.  While it'll take some getting used to as I

There are several Dean & Deluca's in Waikiki and I stumbled upon one of them in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.  It's fairly tiny with a mere three tables outside and this one seems to be more of a Coffee Shop with a narrow selection of coffee, teas and typical matching accessories like coffee mugs, cookies and jams. It's nothing like the larger Dean & Deluca's I'm used to that are more an upscale grocer like a fancier Trader Joes. Nonetheless, this was a nice respite and the iced Americano was good.  

Prices were cheap and figured I take a break and went to Honolulu for a short vacation.  I've been here several times before for work and play.  I'm amazed at how empty the whole place felt, the downside was there wasn't much to do other than eat, drink and sleep. I took in the sights and was actually quite soothing sitting outside my balcony and listen to the ocean waves.  The Victorinox INOX is proving a keeper and other than its tendency to get a few sand particles lodged between the bezel and the crystal, its the perfect watch for the beach.

Back to Coffee Weekends and a good book.  Enjoying a cappuccino and Sakhalin Island by Anton Chekhov.  I bought the book a while ago and been casually reading a few pages at a time and so far am maybe 1/4 into it. He is already on the island and visiting the various settlements.  His descriptions of the inhabitants and their conditions is quite stark and consistent as if you were reading a business report, but with a novelist flair using his social commentary. I could speed read through the book and have done that in the past with other books to just ‘say’ I read it and felt amassing a great quantity of books ‘read’ is equivalent to a more deliberate read of a few books, or just one book. I’ll try make it halfway or wherever there is a meaningful part by this summer.