Back in my grandfather’s day, there wasn’t a name for Every Day Carry. “Every day carry” were simply items a man just had on him at all times: A pen, a proper small flashlight, a simple small jackknife, a lighter, and for my grandfather and an extra clean handkerchief just in case someone else needed it. My grandfather’s jacket was like a magic box made of tweed, with pockets that always had a useful tool when you needed it. He was always ready for any emergency, great or small. Back then each man’s kit was slightly different: Some had magnifying glasses, or favourite fishing lures, some had ..read more

What metal makes a great flashlight?    Well it depends on your criteria. Let's talk about requirements for a flashlight first:   1) Electrical conductivity  2) Thermal conductivity (the ability to absorb and radiate heat)  3) Durability  4) Cosmetics  5) Cost  6) Ease of manufacturing    We'll talk about electrical conductivity today.    So obviously, seeing as a flashlight uses electricity to operate, an extremely important property is the conductivity of the metal.    I'll give you a quick simple overview of how a f ..read more

Everyone uses lithium-ion cells safely everyday. That safety is engineered into high quality devices and the batteries that run them. There’s one more important part of battery safety to talk about though and that is...Charging! You may think: “What's the big deal? Push some power into it and it’s all good.” And you’re right, you can do that and the cell will charge but incorrect charging can cause fires or explosions. What constitutes correct charging? The first step is to buy a high-quality charger. That will take care of everything for you. I could just end with a charger recommendation ..read more

Ah Aluminum. Everyone's favorite most boring metal. But what makes it special and why is it used so much?  It's everywhere from space to your kitchen.  Let's first talk about its history, then how it's made and finally why it might be the best boxcutter material.  Let's go back, way back! No even further back. Still not far enough. There you go, Earth is just forming. And what's there? Boom! Aluminum. Lots and lots of aluminum.    Aluminum is what's called a primordial isotope. That means that it has existed in its current form since the formation of the earth.&nb ..read more

The word "lumen" may sound like it has something to do with the moon, but it actually comes from the Latin word for light. Lumens measure how much light is created by a light source-such as a bulb or lamp-per second. What is a Lumen? A lumen is the standard unit of measurement for light and luminous flux. It is NOT a measure of "brightness" A brighter object is one that appears to have more light. But brightness is not necessarily a measure of how much light there is. Lumens are different from lux, which measures illumination, not light. Lumens are also different from candela, which measure ..read more