It was not that far back in time when my basic EDC was a full size 1911 and a big swift opening folder.
Then I moved to a high capacity Wonder Nine when SIG started importing their amazing P226.
Over the years i’ve migrated from one platform to another in guns and knives simplifying while adding to my capabilities and comfort.
Today modern technology has given us an huge, hell almost overwhelming number of amazing options.
At the present time nothing seems to top my 48MOS with a very slim Holosun EPS Carry fed by Shield Arms FANTASTIC and flawless 15 round mags in a minimalist AIWB carry rig. It is painless to carry this gun in this configuration while wearing just about any attire all year round. And the warm fuzzy of having 16 rounds on deck in a gun that makes 50+ yard hits a slam dunk is just almost too good to be true.
Then there is my SD knife. A few years back I started carrying another version of this ultra slim design and slowly it has just about taken over as my EDC SD blade of choice.
Well my wife decided as one of my Christmas gifts to upgrade the one I own and love with absolute perfection!!!
Spartan blades NEMEC Carbon Fiber Folder. This knife has it all. It disappears in any pocket or IWB and weighs nothing, just over a freaking ounce!!! No huge clip that everyone can spot mikes away. The blade is a premium steel that comes out of the box SCALPEL sharp, the way a SD knife should be. Deployment is as fast, in fact even faster than anything else I’ve ever worked with including automatics, and open and close is a one handed operation.
In summary, I’m constantly searching for a better mouse trap but damn!!! I don’t know how this knife will ever be topped!!! Not a cheap knife but well priced for the quality and materials and worth every dime my girl spent on it.
Specs:
Blade Length: 3.5”
Blade Thickness: 0.125”
Overall Length: 8”
Blade Steel: Premium CPM S35VN
Blade Hardness: 58-60 HRC
Blade Style: Folding-Straight Back-Flat Ground
Blade Finish: Tumbled or Black PVD
Frame: Liner Lock, Sculpted Carbon Fiber
Weight: 0.124 LBS (0.040 LBS less than Ti Version)
I hear ya.
I migrated through all the Glocks and Sig’s and settled with my HK VP9SK in my Tier1 T1-M. 10, 13, 15, or 17
round magazines and the holster can be worn strong side or Apendix with the adjustable claw thickness.
The completely adjustable grip(S, M, and L palm swells and S, M, and L back straps) made it perfect for me to make it fit my hands comfortably instead of having to change the frame to an aftermarket like I did with my 365 X-Macro.
I went through all my Kershaw’s and Gerbers and after years of hounding from my brother I finally stopped on my Benchmade Casbah serrated auto.
The texture of the grip, easy to deploy, and weight of it was what I had been wanting but never wanted to pay the $200+ tag but I have no buyers remorse.
I love it when folks state their options in a manner that shows they have given it thought as opposed to just following a trend or blind advice by some “expert” or friend.
That being said, wife heard about Spartan Blades from a guest on the Shawn Ryan Show (Vigilance Elite) who she’s a great fan of and so am I.
The guy has guests who have truly been there, done that and wore out a whole lot of t-shirts. Don’t agree with everything every one of his guests say but I definitely respect their opinion and always strive to find a reason to reassess my “knowledge”.
Nothing wrong with your EDC. But, if you’re going to ask me if it’s “pinnacle”…as a Glock guy I have to say “not quite”
To me, personally, JMO, pinnacle for a Glock means a non-MOS model that is milled for direct mount of your Trijicon or Holosun optic…no MOS and no adapter plate at all.
Also, as a Glock guy, I wouldn’t call it pinnacle unless it was factory Glock magazines. I glad to hear your experience with the Shield Arms mag is that good, but, I’ve seen far too many people that end up having an issue or FTFeed with those mags, relatively to their usage rate, in comparison to factory Glock magazines.
So if you needed an excuse to buy a G48 or other 9mm Glock model that is not MOS and then send the slide off to get milled, whilst keeping the one you have now, because having duplicates of the ‘same’ pistol is of course a great thing…you have another excuse to go do that now. hehe
I am intrigued by this knife though. Especially how thin it is…I like my PM2 (and others) but the height is something less than ideal in pocket
As a Glock guy and as you can guess from the above, my current, evolved over many years, EDC pistol is a 9mm Glock milled for an RMR though I am moving to an RMR HD on a different one (same model) shortly
Knife is a Blurple PM2 mostly, POM OC. Cloud Defensive handheld light (which is a monster, biggest 18650 handheld they have, with Thyrm switchback) MCH-Duty-HO-DF
After Glocks, my second favorite handgun…and I’ve had or shot a lot over the years…is the VP9. Like most people I find it points extremely naturally, tied for best factory striker trigger out there with Walther (…though S&W flat face 2.0 triggers now may be nicer?), hand fits the grip like a Glove, extremely reliable and I say that as a die hard Glock guy. The damn thing will reliably feed empty cases. Like to do ball and dummy drills with a VP9 literally pick up a piece of spent brass and load it into the middle of a magazine. Then go do your shot string…it will go into battery feeding the empty brass into the chamber and then go click instead of bang. And a tap rack will eject the spent case and get you ready for the next round. Try that on a Glock and it’s a wholllllle thing to fix. Just sayin’
Only thing is, I find the VP9 (and even moreso, the SK version) slower. The bore axis really does make a difference on the clock, self defense “accurate enough, always faster” I do better with the Glock.
I love my 43x. Have no intentions to change unless I decide to get a pistol just for deep concealment when needed. I e carried a shield 9, shield 45, M&P full-size, and a 19x. 43x is my preferred to them all. 43x is the Goldilocks zone of grip for me. Most micro 9s just feel too small for me and I don’t like how they shoot. 43x is super light easy to conceal, but I get a good grip on the draw. I haven’t moved to an optic yet. I will eventually but I’m still working on the cost.
I tried fixed blade knives, but tbh, I think I just prefer a folder.
You guys know a LOT more about this stuff than I do. I carry either my PPS or VP9SK and a spare mag in Tulster holsters, depending on how bulky I feel or what I’m wearing. When hiking, I keep a large POM spray in my back pocket with the clip on the outside, covered by my shirt. I rarely carry a knife or pen, but I certainly own them. I find that the clips for them dig into my hands when I’m walking/working. I also carry a thin Nitecore light on the hikes, as it gets dark in the middle of them this time of year.
I can’t imagine not doing rechargeable. Every time you use a primary cell (non rechargeable), you’re losing a little bit of runtime that you’ll never get back from that battery. So it’s constantly…do I not use my flashlight even though it would be handy, do I use it and have less of it left for next time, or do I replace a still-good battery with another one that’s closer to 100%?
The flashaholics, as they call themselves, refer to rechargeable batteries as “guilt free lumens”. Granted, that phrase goes back years to when rechargeable weren’t as good as they are now…now rechargeable are the standard
Granted, you don’t get a lot of runtime in the really small, really bright category, if your’e talking like one RCR123…but there are SO MANY great EDC lights that use the venerable and ubiquitous 18650 it’s hard not to EDC an 18650 powered light.
As far as EDC lights go you can also have the best of both worlds these days with lights that take a removable rechargeable battery and easier to find non rechargeable batteries.
Some of the rechargeable lights out there with a permanent built in battery will eventually loose charging capacity over time. But the ones with a removable rechargeable battery allow you to have a fully recharged spare ready to go and to replace the old batteries when they get worn out. And the ones that also take 123 or AA non rechargeable batteries let you find a replacement at a variety of local stores should the need unexpectedly arise.
I had a rechargeable flashlight about 15 years ago. It had a hard time holding a charge when I needed it. It made me go back to Eveready I agree there’s a noticeable vast improvement in battery technology.
On the EDC pistol front I am still searching for the one perfect tool. But will likely never have a one size fits all option due to my varying activities and locations.
The G48 with the Shield Arms mags interests me. But the only person I know with that combo has had a couple of issues. Plus it won’t fit in my pocket like my P365 does (just barely) which is a necessity when I am wearing packs with hip belts. I do shoot the 48 a little bit better though the couple times I have tried it. Just tough on my limited budget to justify 2 firearms that are so similar in size and purpose.
On the knife front I have found a small fixed blade knife I really like. But I need to learn how to make a Kydex sheath for it so I can set it up to be carried it in the appendix position. Though fixed blades, along with handguns are not allowed when I am working in CA:(
Have settled in on a 357 snubby
A Leatherman skeletool
A 800 lumen light that I picked up at Lowes
When you live behind the iron curtain where the politicians look at the citizenry as subjects
You do what you can until you can move to freedom
I agree there’s a noticeable vast improvement in battery technology.
