Rough Edge EDC: Online EDC group promotes kindness, caring
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – It’s been a long time since I’ve been “young and cool.”
So how do I stay on top of my EDC and knife collecting hobbies?
Well, YouTube, of course.
There is certainly some great content out there and some not so great.
I have been fortunate to come across a pretty cool online knife group spearheaded by JB from the Big Red EDC YouTube channel.
I’ve gotten to know JB over the past few months. Our online friendship started with an exchange of comments and replies on his YouTube page. We also chat over Instragram too.
Anyway, JB or Red also organizes a weekly livestream and group chat called “Saturday Knife Live.”
Was initially intrigued by the homage to “Saturday Night Live,” but soon the camaraderie, good vibes and sense of community really added up to create a great experience most weeks after I’d finish up my Saturday night shift at the station.
Through that online knife group, I’ve made some wonderful new friends and discovered some new YouTube channels.
One of my favorites is Zach’s Stuff. Zach serves as Big Red EDC’s moderator during those SKL live streams. The thing that really caught my attention is this: Zach has a mantra or saying #DSKFS or Do Something Kind for Someone.
That, in a nutshell, describes this online knife community I stumbled upon – a bunch of really super cool, kind people who all come together for their love of pocket knives and other EDC gear.
Big Red leads a discussion every Saturday. (His SKL is in the afternoon on the first Saturday of the month but is at 11 p.m. MT on the other weeks. Just want my boss to know that since I’m at work on Saturdays I am not tuning in during the early show. Wink. Wink. Just kidding. There will be a link down below).
Anyway, JB leads the group through a lively discussion of knives and EDC gear and shows off some new gear that he has either purchased or had sent to him for review by different companies.
Everyone is able to participate at home via group chat. Frankly, it is a lot of fun especially with all the joking around.
Every week, SKL culminates with a giveaway. We play the old children’s game – I’m thinking of a number between X and X and whoever comes the closest, without going over, wins.
Two weeks ago, I guessed the winning number and so did another guy in the group.
So it was on to a “Knife Fight.” Sounds serious, but it is just a fun name for a second round of the numbers game.
As I was concentrating trying to figure out my guess for round number 2, the other guy bowed out, citing the #DSKFS mantra and handed me the prize for the week.
Well, it arrived on my birthday and included two knives, a flashlight and a hand-carved pen. Also got a bunch of cool stickers and some patches.
The headliner, so to speak, on the giveaway was the Finch Halo. This knife is listed for $105 on the Finch website. If you read this space regularly, you know I’m a “budget knife” kind of guy.
So I probably never would have bought this knife on my own. Well, I am impressed. The one I got in the prize pack has a red G10 handle and black blade.
The fit and finish and craftsmanship are just excellent. And the action is smooth as silk.
Beautiful knife. I know why JB at Big Red EDC is such a big fan of this brand.
I also got a CRKT Testy with this packet. This is a small fixed blade knife with a skeletonized handle and a thermoplastic sheath.
It is currently listed for $20 on the CRKT website (that’s definitely more in my comfort zone) but unfortunately is sold out at the present time.
I set up the sheath for horizontal carry on my belt and I may never let it leave my side. Love, love this knife.
Next up is an Olight i3T EOS flashlight. I’m a big fan of Olight. Initially, I wasn’t all that excited when I learned this was in the giveaway packet. I thought it was a duplicate of one of my other Olights (I have about six or seven already).
Well, I was in for a pleasant surprise. Turned out, this model is new to my collection and is the little brother to one I already own.
This one is powered by a AAA battery. Love that. You don’t need to charge it. Just replace the battery with one of the most commonly available batteries on the plant.
This is fast becoming my everyday carry light of choice, with two modes controlled by a tail switch.
As a journalist, I’m a huge pen and notebook kind of guy. I wasn’t disappointed by this packet. I got a new pen – a hand-carved pen by PNW Fun Stuff, who is on YouTube and Instagram.
His pens aren’t currently available for retail purchase.
Instead, he makes them and gives them away as part of the #DSKFS lifestyle.
This pen, made of sapele wood, is gorgeous and uses a deconstructed Bic cartridge.
Nice addition to my assortment of pens.
And love the story behind it.
Finally, got a huge packet of stickers from different knife channels, knife companies and other YouTubers.
All are really cool, but a few really stood out.
I love the sticker from O Father EDC, who makes YouTube shorts and Instagram content on budget EDC content.
Also got some stickers for Big Red EDC and Zach’s Stuff, which I really dig.
A sticker with the #DSKFS message is taped to one of my computer monitors at work, reminding me to be nice and pay it forward.
Here are some links to YouTube channels I find helpful in my EDC quest.
Note: Dave Burge is a longtime Borderland journalist who works as a web producer and digital reporter for KTSM.com. All the gear he mentions or reviews he has purchased with his own money, unless otherwise noted.
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