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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The write stuff
For the uninitiated, EDC (or everyday carry) is a subculture devoted to optimising and organising your daily go-to objects, from key holders to wallets to prybars. It’s characterised by acute attention to detail and an unwillingness to settle for the ordinary, and while EDC doesn’t usually intersect with the luxury-goods market, Wingback’s catalogue is where the two do. “The common ground is people saying, ‘If I’m picking this item up 20 times a day then I want it to be the best possible,’” says founder Alasdair MacLaine.
Wingback’s matte titanium collection of stationery and accessories was briefly available last autumn, but launches properly this month. The “aerospace-grade” nature of titanium is popular with EDC manufacturers, but this collection has been additionally blasted with fused alumina to create a darker finish that, crucially, isn’t invulnerable to the odd scratch. “It’ll pick up small marks from your keys in your bag, and develop a patina as the surface layer oxidises in your hands,” says MacLaine. “I’ve always thought that the value a product has at purchase is the least value it should ever have. The marks it gains along the way transform it into an object you love.”
As someone who doesn’t generally use a ballpoint, I found the mechanical pen to be the most pleasing item in the collection. MacLaine, a former Dyson product innovator with the Airwrap styler and Airblade Wash+Dry tap to his name, enthuses about the design elements: a textured barrel with a wider diameter than a standard ballpoint (“less fatigue when you’re writing for long periods”); a fraction of extra weight (“to remind you to take a little more time with your writing”); and a retractable twisting mechanism that can be activated with one hand. “It’s an incredibly simple product, but one that offers us more opportunity to get into the details, right down to micron level.”
An anticlockwise twist reveals the hidden interior mechanism and a Fisher Space Pen refill, enabling the pen to write at an angle, even upside down. The refill comes from the USA, but the pen is predominantly made in Britain. A beautiful object, begging to be picked up.
Hold it together
Comparing this 2.5l sling with one of my own makes me realise that bag litreage is more art than science. It holds a preposterous amount of stuff, thanks to an ingeniously efficient construction by Rework’s brother-and-sister design team: pockets front and back; a main compartment that can fit an iPad mini or A6 notebook alongside a wealth of other items in a padded sleeve and four mesh pockets; a quick-access pocket on top (which, miraculously, doesn’t interfere with any of the others); and a hidden pocket for an Airtag-type tracker – all with a bright interior lining that makes everything easily findable. Additional stowable compression straps allow a larger umbrella or water bottle to attach underneath. Rework rocks the EDC world, and with good reason.
Slide hustle
Within the EDC world there’s a subculture devoted to fidget toys: cubes that twist, rollers that turn, spinners that spin – all with the aim of reducing anxiety and improving focus. This exquisitely engineered metal slider does nothing more than move back and forth when pushed, but its movements are accompanied by a pleasurable ratchet sound caused by a small sprung bead running across 20 internal teeth. My test unit was zirconium and stainless steel, but it comes in a range of materials. It’s a measure of how seriously people take these things that it comes with replacement springs and a prising tool to fit them, should you wish to minutely adjust the sound and feel.
Talent show
A multitool is often considered an essential element of EDC, but if it contains a blade there may be knife-carrying laws to consider. This slim, two-layer tool certainly contains sharp elements, but would be considered “bladeless” by Swiss Army knife enthusiasts. You’ll find Victorinox’s excellent mini scissors, the classic combined bottle opener, wire stripper and flathead screwdriver, and a relatively new box-opening tool that cuts cardboard, sellotape and cable ties, along with a flat tip that can be used on crosshead screws. The Alox scales provide a typically sturdy grip, and positioning the flathead screwdriver at half-stop (90º) gives you surprisingly substantial turning power.
Light touch
Most mini flashlights look like scaled-down torches, but this one, from Hong Kong-based Rodman, resembles a dial: slightly wider than a British £2 coin, with two lights (white on the edge, coloured on the side) and a single button. A long press activates the edge light, which can be cycled from a 300-lumen beam (illuminating around 50m ahead of you) down to a muted, 1-lumen night light that should last more than 24 hours on one charge. Two presses activate the side light, which cycles through warm white, red, blue and ultraviolet. There’s a built-in magnetic stand – prop it up, or stick it to a suitable surface – and a small hole to attach it to a cord. Petite and powerful.
