If you go far enough down the pocket knife rabbit hole you hit the Chris Reeve Sebenza. Chris Reeve is the Rolex of the knife world. There are plenty of amazing knives out there, and I own them too - Benchmade, Spyderco, you name it. The Chris Reeve Sebenza is an end game knife. It’s not without its issues, but this knife holds up to expectations.
Titanium scales, Magnacut blade with a hollow grind that is absolutely elegant. Unlike a typical flat grind, the hollow grind actually gets thinner when you initially sharpen it instead of thicker. This just means the life of the blade is just longer. And it’s a slicer alright.
I really think there is nowhere to go from here.
Quick note - You often have to hunt for these as they often sell out on dealer websites. Check out Chris Reeve’s dealer network on their site, and purchase from one of those authorized dealers.
I’m a music lover who works from cafes every morning, so I figured it’d be worthwhile to invest in a premium set of headphones. This was a way bigger endeavor than I expected. I spent hours of research, reading and watching countless reviews, then I ended buying a number of pairs and spent hours testing them against each other.
It was actually a very surprising (and frustrating) experience. I thought I’d have a clearcut answer out of the gate, but each set had its pros and cons (better comfort, better bass, better clarity, better looks, etc.), and it took unlearning the sound signature I was familiar with for the past 5 years with my Sonys to finally appreciate the others. My winner was Bang & Olufsen. These are the H95s.
When I first got these, I didn’t like them. They were not comfortable and the sound was way too intense for me; my ears genuinely felt overstimulated. I was so used to my Sonys (which are still fantastic btw) that it really took me time to acclimate to these.
Not only do these provide way more clarity and information, they just have more “gears” than the others I listened too - more clarity and deeper bass.
Quick note: Comfort-wise, you’ve gotta give these a few weeks. They will never be cloud-like comfort like Sonys or Bose, but they are much better now.
Most who are looking at these are probably looking at the H100s now, which I hear are way more comfortable out of the gate.
Big price tag for B&Os, but yeah, they are great.
And as far as Apple Airpods Pro 2s go - I always have these on me, even if I have my B&Os. If I need to take a call, these are ALWAYs in my ears.
Probably my favorite Apple product. They really are magic.
Rolex Explorer or G-Shock GW5000U
Unless I’m running, I’m wearing 2 watches nowadays. It’s either the Rolex Explorer (114270) or the G-Shock GW-5000U.
The Rolex Explorer is my grail watch. I really lost all interest in watches after getting this - It just felt like it checked every box for me for what I wanted in a watch like this. It’s subtle, classy, but still sporty. Forever my favorite.
That said… 4 out of 5 times, I’m wearing the G. I bought this because I needed a cool but inconspicuous watch for a sketchy motorcycle trip in southern Mexico. My Dad always wore a G-Shock Square when I was a kid, so it’s a bit of an homage to him.
The GW5000U is the IYKYK G-Shock square. There is a reason so many Rolex guys rock this particular watch. It has the soul of the original G-Shock Square, but elevated. Softer strap, metal case which gives it a wonderful heft, all kinds of bells and whistles like solar and multi-band, but it stays low-key. It’s ironically the premium G-Shock while also being probably the most understated - the only color on it is a tiny red trapezoid.
People don’t typically add fragrance to their EDC round-up, but I’m always wearing this, so it’s gotta go in.
Imma be real with you, I did not like this when I first smelled it. I tried it on paper and only got the scent of dill. A year later, I tried it again, this time on my skin, let it settle, and everything clicked into place for me. It was exactly what I was looking for - earthy, sandalwood, tobacco. It’s both kinda sophisticated while being rustic/rough around the edges.
I’ve got a bunch of fragrances, but this is what I’m wearing 9 out of 10 times.
Snow Peak Titanium Sake Bottle
That’s right, a $200 titanium sake bottle that I use for water. Ridiculous… insane even!
That said, this is a purchase that I have zero buyer’s remorse about. It’s absolutely feather light and the shape of it is beautiful. If you toss this empty in your bag, you’ll feel zero added weight. Then fill up once you get to where you’re going.
I let my intrusive thoughts win - Being that it’s so light and thin, I had to know if the walls would bend under my pressure - the answer is no. This thing is wildly strong. If you dropped it on a rock, I’m sure things would be different, but, in short, this is an elegant beast.
I’m not crazy, you’re crazy.
KC CO. Keychain
My first business was a leather goods business called KC CO.. I made and sold leather goods from belts, to wallets, to bags, to keychains. Of course, I always haaaad to make myself elevated versions of the products - so this one is made with English Bridle, Tiger thread, and Japanese brass hardware (that I searched waaay to long to find).
This thing is so useful. throw it around your wrist, tie it around your belt loop, spin it, bop it, pull it, twist it (ok i’m kidding now). I’m thinking about re-launching some products when the channel or newsletter hit a certain point - would y’all be in???
Let me know. This would likely be one of the first things I’d relaunch.
Been rocking these for several years. I found these because I went down a rabbit hole after seeing Johnny Depp rocking rad glasses in a bunch of photos online.
I ended up emailing Moscot to ask what size he wore - they confirmed: Size 44.
Back when I got these, you had to do modification online to order this small size. You had to buy eyeglasses and then pay extra to have sunglass lenses put in. Now, the 44s are available to buy in a click, so that’s great. I just think these are so classic and I love the size of them.
About a year ago, I was using the Remarkable tablet. I really wanted to love it, but it didn’t work for me. Loved the e-ink screen, but it was just too slow. I switched to iPad mini, which has been really great, but for reasons I didn’t expect.
I still use it to take notes on calls with clients, but I also use it to sketch out designs, or take photos and then draw in modifications to see what something could look like (I do this a lot for brainstorming interior design stuff).
But the big thing that I wasn’t at all expecting was how this has become a game-changer for my social media life.
I moved IG off my phone and onto this and it has drastically cut down my usage.
I can’t look at IG or post anything while I’m out and about, because I’ll leave the iPad at home, and then there is all this friction to do anything because I have to airdrop stuff if I want to post it, and IG isn’t optimizing for iPad. All this friction. that I often just decide not to do it at all.
And life’s better that way. The trick doesn’t need to be abstinence, it can simply be making your experience horrible.
Phone: iPhone 16 Pro (titanium)
It’s great. Love the battery, love the camera, but if it were all in a smaller package, I’d be ALL about it.
What I’m hauling all this in. I love this briefcase, been using it daily for many years.
Classic.
Iconic.
But $495 is getting a little out there, Filson.
One thing you should know about me - I’m not value buyer. I have to buy the thing.
Like, I’m not gonna get something that looks like Common Projects, I’m gonna get Common Projects. This is just how I do life. The Filson Briefcase is the thing, but it’s not a $495 thing. It’s mostly canvas, a little leather, and the finishing is just ok. This is coming from the guy who made a video about how a $1500 bag is underpriced.
So, take that as you’d like. You’ll have it forever, so that helps justify things, but consider looking for sales. I bought mine 6 years ago - MSRP was $325 then, and there was a $65 discount = $260 is a reasonable price for this.
p.s. Here is my video on the Filson Briefcase
p.s. Are you subscribed to my YouTube Channel where I go in depth on all of this kind of stuff??? You should be.
p.p.s. Some of these links may toss me a commission without costing you any extra. This goes to buying more things so I can talk about them.
Cheers!
Dominic
perfect 2 watches. No need for more. 👌
Just here to validate you’re not (that) crazy for the snow peak sake bottle, because after having one for 9 months I also feel not (that) crazy