EDCs are the living embodiment of “big things come in small packages”. EDCs are the kind of smart little tools that are always great to have in your backpack or tool kit. You never know when one of them could come to your rescue, helping you out of the trickiest situation, or to even pop open a bottle of beer, when you need to unwind after work. These little superheroes can make a world of difference while completing tasks – whether big or small. And, we’ve curated the best EDC designs we’ve seen in a while! From a fully-functioning balisong-style pocket knife to a titanium magnetic screwdriver that puts all the bits you need in your pocket – these are the EDC designs you definitely need by your side.
1. The Titanium Multi-Function Pry Bar
I know the term ‘forever’ can get thrown around a little loosely while discussing EDC durability, but it’s precisely what designer EDC Monster had in mind while designing the Titanium Multi-Function Pry Bar. Crafted from Gr5 Titanium, this pocket-friendly tool is lightweight, versatile, and ridiculously durable.
Why is it noteworthy?
It sports 10 different tools that cover every scenario from fixing your bicycle to escaping your car, and from cracking open a bottle of beer to writing a letter… all of which encapsulate that ‘forever’ aspect, including the last bit, thanks to the fact that the Titanium Multi-Function Pry Bar comes with its own Forever Pen – a special metallic writing instrument that can write forever, without using ink or graphite.
What we like
- The Titanium Multi-Function Pry Bar has the unique distinction of having tools that can be used indoors and outdoors and in casual settings or emergencies
What we dislike
- The Pry Bar and Tritium capsules are shipped differently
2. The Mandala EDC Knife
Looking like the kind of Vibranium dagger King T’Challa or his trusted general Okoye would carry on covert missions, the Mandala EDC Knife has a beautiful indigenous-meets-futurism appeal to it.
Why is it noteworthy?
The knife itself boasts a Titanium handle with a colorful Mandala-inspired enamel inlay, a hollow roller-bearing, and a spear-point M390 steel blade that’s sharp on both the edges as well as the tip, making the Mandala EDC Knife an incredible tactical tool.
What we like
- Ambidextrous design and double-edged blade
- The spear-point blade comes made from M390 steel, known for its toughness, corrosion resistance, and ability to stay sharp without succumbing to wear and tear
What we dislike
- The knife does not have a way to carry the knife on your bag or keychain with a lanyard.
3. M-20 Titanium Magnetic Screwdriver
There is now a class of screwdrivers ingeniously designed to fit in your Everyday Carry or even in your pocket. Most of these, however, still don’t cover the wide range of screws in use, but this 9-in-1 magnetic screwdriver makes sure you always have the most important ones in your pocket, ready to let you do your magic whenever and wherever your skills are needed.
Why is it noteworthy?
At first glance, the M-20 looks nothing like a screwdriver and more like a robust carrying case for screwdriver bits. In some sense, that is also correct, as the uniquely shaped tool has slots for up to nine bits, holding them in place using very strong magnets. That means they won’t get loose and get lost even if you quickly slip the M-20 into your pocket.
What we like
- Gives you a firm and precise grip when turning the handle to tighten or loosen the screw
- Made from titanium, making it is lightweight yet also durable and resilient against corrosion
What we dislike
- The flat design of the screwdriver makes it an ergonomically different experience/adds a learning curve for inexperienced users
4. The M-Stand
The M-stand is versatile, compact, lightweight, powerful, durable, and cleverly balances between tactical and casual roles – for example, it can go from being a self-defense tool to a smartphone stand in under 10 seconds.
Why is it noteworthy?
Made from durable titanium (with neodymium magnets holding the two halves together), the M-Stand also has a rope cutter, bottle opener, two wrenches, a pry tool, a fire starter, and a tritium holder built into its compact design.
What we like
- The two-finger grips on either side of the multitool help prop up your phone or tablet at a precise 45° angle when used in stand mode, giving you a multitool you can comfortably use both indoors as well as outdoors
What we dislike
- The edge of the design is always outside, could lead to accidental harm
5. The AirTag Holder
Most AirTag holders don’t make claims of also being able to hold your keys, open bottles, dock your smartphone, or maneuver hex bolts… the Atech Innovation AirTag Holder does. Crafted from solid stainless steel (with an ABS plastic enclosure for the AirTag), this nifty little multitool from Atech gives you seven features in its compact design.
Why is it noteworthy?
Shaped like a carabiner, the multitool has an enclosure that lets you dock a single AirTag, giving you a piece of EDC you can track easily using your Apple devices. A hole in the top lets you secure a keychain to your AirTag Holder, and cleverly oriented design details let you open screws and bottles, as well as use your AirTag Holder as a stand for your smartphone.
What we like
- Two ABS plastic discs hold the tracking device in place without causing any interference in its signal
What we dislike
- You can’t really control what angle your phone will stand at, and it’ll depend mostly on how slim your smartphone is, and whether it has a case or not
6. The Bali-T
The fully-functional Invictus Bali-Ti is a knife that deserves to be a part of your EDC arsenal! What makes this knife distinctive are its Terrain 365 branding and of course its construction. The sleek pocket knife features 6AL-4V titanium handles & a pocket clip and has a blade made from rustproof Terravantium. The Invictus Bali-Ti is a beautifully crafted, high-performance tool built to last in the wilderness!
Why is it noteworthy?
A Balisong aka a butterfly knife is a type of folding knife that originated in the Philippines. It has penetrated into other markets, including the US, where Terrain 365 is perfecting its design for everyday use. The Balisong has the potential to be used as a threatening weapon, which means its use is illegal in certain countries. Thankfully, there is nothing so illegal about the Invictus Bali-Ti, which draws its design cues from the Invictus folder. It measures 8.125 inches when fully deployed and folds down to roughly half that size to 4.125 inches when closed.
What we like
- Made from rustproof terravantium blade
What we dislike
- Hefty price tag
7. The Microtech Exocet Dagger
With a tiny 1.94-inch blade, the Microtech Exocet Dagger is actually legal to carry in most states, making it the perfect EDC to have on you at all times. The dagger features an OTF-style (out-the-front) drop-point blade made from CTS 204P steel that’s perfect for piercing and carving outdoors and doing things like opening boxes indoors.
Why is it noteworthy?
The blade retracts into the Exocet’s rather comfortably compact aircraft-grade aluminum handle, which also has a pocket clip on one side that doubles up as a money clip, letting you carry your cards and cash with you. I imagine taking out your money for a mugger would be a pretty interesting event, given that your de facto wallet also doubles as a blade!
What we like
- It’s also the relatively wide pocket clip on its side, which Microtech designed to also double as a money clip, giving you a safe and secure place to store your Benjamins
What we dislike
- We wish it had at least one additional function to make an outdoor-friendly or urban-friendly EDC
8. The Provoke EDC
Inspired by the hinge detail on their popular Provoke Karambit line, the Provoke EDC by Joe Caswell for CRKT brings the same opening mechanism to the traditional spear-point pocket knife. The knife features an aluminum handle with an anodized finish, a D2 steel blade, and CRKT’s signature Kinematic™ opening style that makes the Provoke such an object of beauty.
Why is it noteworthy?
The Provoke’s all-metal design instantly gives it a sense of rugged reliability. Hold it in your hand and play around with it for a bit and you soon realize it’s a highly-capable serious piece of EDC that’s designed to function really well under even demanding conditions. The Kinematic™ mechanism lets you deploy the knife with a single thumb, revealing the 2.5-inch satin-finish D2 blade that has remarkably high resistance to wear and tear.
What we like
- Perfect for both indoors and outdoors
- The pointed tip makes it great for piercing bags, tearing through sealed boxes, or cutting into harder materials like wood
What we dislike
- Not economically priced
9. The Mbacco Wallet
In a world that’s still somehow stuck to the boring bifold or the cramped MagSafe wallet, the Mbacco Wallet offers a fun alternative. It’s compact, but still has enough space to store cards, cash, and keys… and comes with a lively accordion-inspired design that does a great job of organizing your cards and other belongings by priority or category.
Why is it noteworthy?
Although designed to hold cards, the Mbacco Wallet doesn’t have any strict rules – it’ll hold cash, keys, memory cards, and pretty much anything that’s up to 2.6mm thick and about the size of a credit card. The wallet’s fun accordion-inspired design holds anywhere from 5 to 9 cards, although it can be pushed to the limit to store as many as 12 cards without really breaking a sweat or becoming bulky like the kind of wallet George Costanza carries around.
What we like
- A perfect blend of tradition and modernity
- It stores them the way a book ‘stores’ pages
- Has a secret hidden compartment
What we dislike
- Even when lightly filled, the wallet looks thicker than many modern wallets
10. The Bolt Carabiner V-II
How often have you found yourself running late to work or school only to notice, you don’t have the keys on you? Struggling at the last minute, in and out of the rooms, you realize the keys were hiding deep within your pant or jacket’s pocket. This is essentially why carabiners make attractive keychains to let you hang the keys at home and carry them safely in the loop of your plants.
Why is it noteworthy?
For the benefit of Gen Z, which fancies modern and trendy equipment, the new version of the Bolt Carabiner V-II begs gawk. Designed by EDC Apparatus, the Bolt is not an ordinary auto-locking or twist-locking carabiner; this one instead has a trigger on the opening side, which you slide down to open the gate. The rugged carabiner also sways from the regular D shape carabiners, it features a Question mark form factor, with an opening in the bottom to hold the keys for you.
What we like
- Capable of hanging various accessories, the carabiner is wear- and rust-resistant
What we dislike
- We are not sure of its load-bearing capacity