Welcome to the Urban EDC Showcase! Each week, we feature a member of the EDC community and the gear they rely on every day. Want to be featured? Submit your gear photo.
The epitome of a man who works with his hands, brain, and heart – to paraphrase Louis Nizer – Andrew (@0.8200.20) is an artist, craftsman, collector, photographer, and leatherworker all rolled into one. A self-professed “patina-fiend,” he seeks out vintage Leatherman tools and Old Cross Alox SAKs. Read on to learn about Andrew's love affair with all things old and how he strives to live a simple, honest life.
Featured Tools:
- Knife: Great Eastern Cutlery #78
This is my GEC #78 with Sambar Stag scales. Traditional slip joint knives are something I've only really gotten into in the last year or so. I particularly like the natural materials used for the scales, such as bone and stag. GEC knives are built to such a high standard, and they've quickly become my most used cutting tool. I also love how 1095 steel patinas and ages.
- Pen: Kaweco Liliput
This is the Kaweco Liliput fountain pen in solid brass. I love small pens, fountain pens, and brass. The Lilliput ticks all those boxes for me, and it goes with me everywhere.
- Multi-tool: Vintage Leatherman PST
I'm a real sucker for vintage gear. I enjoy collecting vintage Leatherman tools and Swiss Army Knives. This black oxide PST from the 1980s is one of my favorites. I love how worn in it is, it slips into a pocket so easily, and it has no locking mechanism which means I can legally carry it in the UK. - SAK: Victorinox Old Cross Alox Farmer
My biggest passion is vintage Alox Swiss Army Knives. This Farmer from the late '70s/early '80s is probably the most beaten up out of all I own. I've found myself carrying it more than my other blades recently. I tend to use the other tools on a SAK more than the blade, as I usually have a traditional slip joint on me too.
- Flashlight: Maratac AAA Copper
I love Maratac gear, and I think they've got a real eye for making simple yet classic designs that just work. This is the most recent Rev. 5 which manages to put out 170lm from a single AAA, which is perfect for me. It's pretty tiny too. I love copper, and I'm a bit of patina fiend...
- Notebook: Handmade
I like to dabble in a bit of leatherwork, making slips and notebook covers. This one holds two Field Notes sized notebooks. I usually have a plain and a ruled book inside - the plain for sketching down ideas and doodling, and the lined for shopping lists, to-do lists, and reminders.
- Hank: Firefly15
I don't own a lot of hanks, and in fact, this is my only fancy EDC one. I usually carry an old-fashioned bandana. It's used for all sorts of messy things!
Background:
My name is Andrew, and I live with my wife, two-year-old son, and a grumpy cat in Manchester, UK. Although I grew up on a farm in the English Lake District, I am an artist and also work in an artist's supplies shop.
Growing up on a farm, knives and tools were always a part of everyday life. I've still got the scar from when I closed one of my Dad's slip joints on my finger as a child. I've carried a Swiss Army Knife for as long as I can remember. It was only a couple of the years ago that I discovered the EDC community, which has opened the doors to a whole world of collecting and other things to blow my spare cash on!
Aside from EDC and art, I read a lot and dabble with leatherwork. I've just started messing around with making micarta and wooden scales for SAKs. I cycle everywhere, tend my vegetable plot, play around with vintage film cameras, and spend a lot of time with my son. I'm just trying to live a simple and honest life.
Favorite EDC Tool:
My favorite from the above is the Old Cross Alox Farmer. I love carrying and using vintage stuff. It always makes me wonder where it has been and who had used it before it ended up with me. The stories a 40 or 50-year-old knife could tell. I also love the aesthetics of older gear; the lines are always cleaner, and they look classier to me. I'm not a fan of modern knives at all.
What's On Your Gear Radar:
My current wishlist is full of stuff as always, but I'd love to pick up a few older Great Eastern Cutlery models, namely, the #66 moose pattern. Recently, I've started trying to collect older #15s. Unfortunately, a lot of these fetch a really high price, and my budget for EDC stuff is lacking at the moment.