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.
Having just completed his law degree, Tobias (@tfo_aesthetics) is now working as a trainee lawyer at a Federal Court. It was only when he was preparing for a camping trip to Sweden that he stumbled upon the whole concept of EDC. And since then, there hasn’t been a day gone by that Tobias wasn’t thinking about how he could improve his EDC (we can all relate). Read on for Tobias’ carefully put-together carry and learn how he works his way around the strict German knife laws.
Featured Tools:
- Knife: Chris Reeve Knives
My favorite EDC knife is my Chris Reeve Small Sebenza 21 Insingo (left handed). It's small enough to not be annoying in my pocket but still big enough for every challenge life throws at me on a daily basis. It's also easy to sharpen, well made and reliable.
What sets this guy apart from the rest of my collection is the blade shape, which in my opinion is perfect for EDC tasks. And the fact that this specific knife is made for a left-handed person like myself means I can use this without doing stupid finger acrobatics and without having to move the pocket clip over to the show side.
Aside from that, this knife is also very dear to my heart because I bought it when I finished my law degree. However, due to very restrictive German knife laws, I cannot carry my small CRK Insingo legally anytime I want here in Germany. That’s why I have another smaller knife in my daily carry.
- Knife 02: Lionsteel Roundhead
My second favorite EDC knife is my Lionsteel Roundhead in black carbon fiber. This is probably one of the first Roundheads out of the second production run in Europe. I started emailing ToolsforGents months before the thing was actually released and after a few emails, they offered to contact me as soon the knives arrived at their store.
They kept their promise and I had my Roundhead almost a week before they were even available online. Since they sold out within 3 minutes, I would have probably not been able to get one at all otherwise.
The knife itself is a slip joint made out of very modern materials (M390, Titanium, Carbon Fiber). The fit and finish are excellent and it can be legally carried pretty much everywhere, which is why this is the knife that gets the most pocket time right now.
- Flashlight: Klarus Mi7
My EDC Flashlight is a Klarus Mi7 Titanium running on an Olight 14500 battery. It has a power output of around 700 lumens while maintaining the size of your average single-AA flashlight.
I wish it had a tail switch but other than that the UI is very intuitive and very well thought through. Especially right now, since it’s winter, my flashlight is one of the most used items out of my EDC setup. The Mi7 Ti is the best value I could find so far with its excellent materials and build quality but it's not perfect. I hope the next generation will have a charging port and a tail switch.
- Watch: Alfex 5634
My most worn watch is an Alfex 5634. It's a Swiss made quartz watch that I bought back when I started my law degree. I like the design and thanks to the sapphire crystal it has remained scratch free despite a ton of abuse.
This watch has been around the globe with me from Cape Town to the northern ends of Sweden. Thanks to quartz being as reliable as it is I never had any problems with punctuality. And since I forget what day it is all the time, I appreciate the date window very much. With that being said I feel like the time has come to up my watch game so I am planning to get my automatic watch collection started this year.
- Pen: Lamy Rollerball
The pen is a Lamy Rollerball Pen Mod. 206 in brushed aluminium. I don't know how many of these I have bought over the years but since I have a habit of losing my pens (mostly to other people), I chose something that can be easily replaced. It looks good enough for any occasion and is robust enough so I don't have to worry about it breaking or failing me in any way.
- Wallet: Donbolso
My wallet is made by a small company called Donbolso. It’s a rather minimalist wallet but still offers most of the functionality of a full-sized wallet. It has the main compartment for my cards, a second compartment to hold some bills and a zipper pocket on the back to hold some coins.
When I first got it the coin pocket broke within the first month, so I emailed the company and made some suggestions on how they might improve their product. They were very friendly and incorporated some of my suggestions into a prototype which they sent me for free. This is the wallet you can see in the picture. I have carried it ever since and it has never failed or shown any signs of quality issues.
- Camera: Sony RX100
The camera I carry with me every day is a beat up first-gen Sony RX100 Mark I with a magnetic ring for lens attachments. My main camera is a Canon 70D which is great, but way too big to carry it around with all the time.
The RX100 has the form factor of a small point-and-shoot camera but the image quality of an entry level DSLR or mirrorless camera. Thanks to the magnetic ring I can even use filters if I want to. This camera is responsible for a huge number of shots that you can see on my Instagram account. During the winter months, I carry it mostly in my jacket pocket, during the summer I prefer to keep it in my bag.
Background:
My name is Tobias but you might know me as tfo_aesthetics on Instagram. I am 26 years old and I currently live in a small town in the State of Hesse, Germany. I just finished my first law degree and started working as a Trainee Lawyer at a Federal Court.
Due to all the changes in my life that go hand in hand with leaving university and working a new job full-time job, my EDC will probably not remain to be as it is right now for any lengthy period of time. As for when I am not working or studying I like to spend my time reading, hiking, or taking photos. I also spend an unreasonable amount of time thinking about my EDC and outdoor gear.
I got my first SAK back in Kindergarten when I was about 4-5 years old. I loved it but it wasn't long until I managed to lose it somewhere out in the woods. My best friend’s family during Kindergarten and primary school had a huge patch of woodland so we used to play out there often using SAKs and flashlights.
I continued to carry a Victorinox for as long as I can remember but it wasn't until about a year ago when I really started to get deeper into the whole concept of EDC. It started when I was buying gear for an upcoming camping trip through Sweden. I was absolutely blown away by the simple fact that I could now buy a tiny flashlight with a higher lumen output then the old 6 D-Cell Maglites I knew from back in the day when I was a kid.
I dug deeper to find out what else is out there to make my day to day life easier and more fun and I started to think about what I carry every day more consciously. Since then, not a day has gone by without me thinking about how I could improve my EDC.
Favorite EDC Tool:
In the winter time, I would say that my Klarus Mi7 TI is my favorite and most used item. But overall, it's probably now my newly acquired Lionsteel Roundhead. The M390 is a pain to sharpen but once it's sharp it stays sharp. I love having a modern, well-made slip joint that I can legally carry everywhere without any compromise in terms of looks or materials.
Next On Your Gear Radar:
That's a tough one. I have recently ordered a custom SAK by Robert Lessard but it will probably take a few weeks until it gets here. Other than that I would like to get into automatic watches and I am currently looking at some of Sinn's models.