Showcase #72: Business Manager from Austin, Texas

Welcome to the Urban EDC Showcase! Each week, we feature one member from the EDC community and the gear they rely on every day. Want to be featured? Submit your gear photo.



This week, we take a trip to Austin, Texas to talk to Jorge (@gonzo_bros). Jorge is a business manager, and during his downtime, he indulges in smoking pipes and cigars, reading, playing the guitar and bird watching. Read all about how Jorge juggles the duties of his dual-knife carry, and about his stringent criteria for his EDC!

Featured Tools:

• Knife 01: Hinderer XM 18
  This is a Hinderer XM 18 with a 3” Wharncliffe blade. This knife provides me with peace of mind because it fulfils the self-defense role. The flipper not only makes it easy to open fast but also doubles as a finger guard. This feature makes it a great tactical knife.
  
  The blade shape excels at penetrating and makes it useful for cutting zip ties and in other narrow areas. The lines on this knife are simple and elegant. It has an understated beauty. This was my first high-end edc gear purchase. It has traveled with me for several years and I will never sell it.

• Knife 02: Northwoods Esky Zulu Giraffe Bone
  Personally, this is the real EDC knife. For me to EDC a knife it must meet a few criteria. The knife cannot look scary or threatening. This allows me to use it confidently use it around people.
  
  It must also be full flat ground since it will mainly be used for cutting cardboard, fruits, and vegetables. The knife has to have a simple steel that I can easily sharpen to a hair shaving edge. The Esky Zulu meets all of those criteria. It is a 3” spear blade with 1095 carbon steel that rips through cardboard and apples alike. And because it is a traditional folder people are not put off by it.

• Flashlight: Foursevens Mini
  This light is thrown into my pocket every day as well. It’s bright, relatively small and lightweight. I love the copper construction and it is rechargeable. I have had great experiences with Foursevens and I will continue to use their lights. My job requires me to follow up on outside projects performed after sun down. This light makes that fun and easy. I also use it to check the cleanliness of equipment throughout our store operations.
   
• Pen: Fisher Space Pen
  This pen does not write as smoothly as a fountain pen. But because it’s compact it makes it easy to carry. Every item I carry must be lightweight because I wear slacks to work every day (slacks seem to make everything feel heavier). I use this pen daily to sign off on deliveries/orders, make lists, and create layouts.
  
  
• Leather Sheath: Northwoods Pocket Slip
  This piece of equipment makes having a pen on you easy. I love that it is attached to the knife sheath so everything can be accessed quickly. It also makes the equipment feel lighter in my slacks because it helps to distribute the weight better.

Background:

Every item I use and carry has to pass two criteria. Firstly, does it work well? Is it practical for my purposes? In other words, I won’t carry a knife that is so thick that won’t readily slice. Secondly, is it beautiful? The item must be visually appealing and excite me when carrying it. I must enjoy carrying it.

I picked up my knife carrying habit from my father. He always carries a knife on his person because he works on a ranch, so it’s second nature to him.

I would say that it was during the last two year that EDC has really transformed into an actual hobby. This is due to the incredible knife community on Instagram, which is very involved, diverse and it just makes talking and sharing about gear such great fun.

I spend most of my time with my beautiful girlfriend. If I am not with her I am with my family. I enjoy reading, smoking pipes/cigars, playing guitar, and bird watching.

Favorite EDC Tool:

My favourite has to be the Northwoods Esky Zulu. The carbon steel is constantly changing in appearance. I love using it and I can't wait to see how it will look in ten years.