Friday EDC CXLIII "Pocket Kings"

Another Friday is here—a good one, it seems. The weather is sunny, the work day is going smoothly, and, most importantly, I feel "sunny." 

The day will be mostly spent working and then taking it easy and doing some crafting at home. There will be a little extra luxury in the way of cooking as my dear wife and I are celebrating our engagement anniversary. It will be beef fillet and some kind of herb butter and probably some variation of baked root vegetables to go with it. But I haven't thought of that yet. 

At work, I have just been treated to classic Swedish "kalops". It's a take on a beef stew. Prepared with care, a splash of wine, lots of allspice, and a pile of bay leaves.

"Pocket Kings"

When you are working in a professional kitchen that involves a lot of opening, not least tough plastic packaging and the like, it is good to have a sturdy knife with you. Ferramonster Glideman is one of those. A relatively new acquaintance for me, as the brand has not been on the market for a very long time. At least not that I know of.

But this is my first encounter with it and it is a genuinely positive one. The knife is both well-built and, above all, well thought out. There are several details that are sometimes missed, but this knife excels in those areas. Soon, I will develop that idea somewhat in a review.

Then you can't forget a classic Victorinox. They are simply never wrong. Extremely practical and easy to carry. This happens to be a Pioneer. The golden color comes from the fact that it is the 2019 limited edition.

Together they are phenomenal, so I chose to call the picture "Pocket Kings". The English is mostly because most of my followers are from the rest of the world, not Sweden. I had a Swedish reader who wondered a little about the choice of language.

/ J - in Friday-mode

#knivesandbikes #knivigtvarre

Friday-EDC CXLI "The Glideman"

Friday was sunny. Or is sunny I should say, and by that I mean more than just the weather. A simply good day. Although perhaps I should go out for a walk during my lunch break instead of sitting here writing. But I can't be that healthy today. There were also plans for knife throwing this afternoon, but that disappeared when the white fluff that fell last night decided to stay. It's getting too cold on my hands for there to be any quality to that training.

Instead, it will probably be sorting knives for me. It may not sound like a delicate task to the uninitiated, but I can assure everyone that it is a real challenge. 

I have come to the point where I have a few knives from A.G.A. Campolin on a display shelf in the living room. Right next to and above the computer are five shelves full of knives that stand up a little on the diagonal. We are talking about maybe 150-200 knives. There are some Italian brands there as well as Spyderco and QSP. In addition to that, I have a large drawer in the living room with smaller fixed blades and the fixed blades I use most frequently in a cabinet together with photo equipment. Then there are two drawers with "active" knives in a chest next to the computer. Some knives are currently being carried a little extra either because I like them at the moment or because they will be reviewed soon. The ones that need to be easy to access.

In addition, ten full drawers are hidden in a closet upstairs. They contain everything from junk knives to brands that didn't fit next to the computer, specific categories like stilettos and Spanish navajas, classic folding knives, multitools, and Victorinox.

Unfortunately, I also found a box that I don't know where it will fit. Then there were all the other fixed blades, including a machete, some hunting knives, a couple of diving knives, and all the Mora knives. I haven't figured out where they will go yet.

In addition to that, I have three large wooden boxes with throwing knives. I actually have no real idea how many there are at this point because the boxes are overflowing. On closer inspection, I have to count. But they are also divided according to which ones are used the most at the moment. As well as a few other factors when I think about it. That was the matter of sorting stuff.

"The Glideman"

This was mostly a general text about knives rather than what I have in my pockets. But the "main knife" is this eminent creation from Ferramonster called the Glideman. A veritable little pocket monster with excellent ergonomics for its size, very nice blade geometry, and well-chosen materials. Simply a great knife.

Incidentally, it's time to review it in more detail soon. But I like it as you might noticed. 

Have a good time, friends!

/ J - i sorteringstagen

#knivesandbikes #knivigtvarre

Friday-EDC EDC CXXXVIII "The 13th"

If you are to be the least superstitious, this is a day to be careful. The calendar is once again showing Friday the 13th.

As for myself, everything that can go wrong already has. It makes me think more "come on then" and put myself in a mentally ready position in a fighting stance with my hands ready. Like a challenge to whatever might happen.

But I came home from work. Drove quietly and calmly despite decent winter tires. I also moved through the door without tripping or slipping on the stairs. Despite renovation chaos in the living room, I also managed to navigate to the computer without falling flat on my face. So far, everything is fine, in other words.

However, much of the day remains, so I don't count my chickens yet. Especially as the head is chaos and a lot is spinning there. As it is, I stumble over the words and something particularly incomprehensible might slip down through the keys and out on the digital paper. 

"The 13th"

Pocket life is easier. I proudly carry my latest addition from Italian Lionsteel in the form of the Molleta-designed Skinny. An excellent little knife here in black and red edition. However, in reality, the color is even more muted and leans more towards burgundy than fire truck red.

Then someone wondered why there is a playing card in the picture. The explanation is simple, it was found in the inside pocket next to the wallet. The reason is spelled knife throwing. Not infrequently cards are thrown at and they end up everywhere. In the throwing bag, in the box with knives, and not least in the pockets of both trousers and jackets.

A flashlight is almost a necessity this time of year. The last time I used it was this morning to see if I had possibly lost my key under the car seat. It was damn dark there, I can tell.

Now I shall stumble on through life and see if I can avoid any accidents in the near future

/ J - duckar olyckor efter bästa förmåga

#knivesandbikes #knivigtvarre

Friday-EDC "Satyr"

Fimbulwinter is talked about in the sagas. It would last for three years and portend Ragnarök -  the end of days. It may not be that bad so far, but it's starting to eat away at the psyche now. The other day it was bare ground where I live and some feelings of spring appeared, even if the calendar grimly reminds that the new year is barely a baby yet. It was underlined by the fact that some Snowdrops were first seen at my father's house, only to now be covered with snow.

I am already fed up and there is no comfort to be found from our friends at the Swedish Meteorological Services. They claim that the cold and thus the snow intends to stay for a while longer. Why do I care about that? Well, because a lot of what I like to do is outdoors and NOT in snow.

First, I can't ride a bike. Or rather, of course I can, but it's not as satisfying. Once you're up and running and commuting and training, you can cycle in any damn weather. Getting started, however, requires a bit more motivating weather, at least it applies to me. And that is not what prevails at the moment.

Then you can't throw a knife, which makes me really frustrated. A quick look at last year's training diary shows that things were different last winter. It was quick and painless and there was thus a lot of training. I'm looking forward to getting the season started and not least participating in some online competitions.

After that jeremiad, however, it can be stated that the day is quite good in a slightly different way.

"Satyr"

I'm sitting at work writing these lines on my breakfast break. In the pocket is the latest addition to the knife pile. I have it at work to get more usage as a basis for the coming review. The kitchen environment offers many small jobs, not least in the form of opening all kinds of packaging. 

The knife in question comes from Artisan Cutlery and has been named Satyr. The model is a collaboration with Cerberus Knives who are responsible for the design and Artisan for the rest. It's not a simple piece but one of their top models which includes titanium in the handle and S90V in the blade. Add a lot of milling time for details like patterns and clips.

The other gadgets are currently found in jacket pockets along with an Army 7 from Victorinox. Now back to the pots. Today a Tikka masala with Naan bread and rice will be prepared.

/ J

#knivesandbikes #knivigtvarre