Watch: Casio F-91W with Sensor Watch board replacement

I'm not really a watch person, as my smartphone usually is enough to tell the time. But "smart" watches have some appeal, as they can be useful tools on their own. Unfortunately, the rather short battery life of most smart watches bothers me as I don't want to constantly recharge another device.

A while ago, when I stumbled upon the Sensor Watch board replacement for the classic Casio F-91 watch I wanted to give it a try, and I'm fairly happy with this decision. I could easily fill another blog post on how I use the Casio F-91W with the Sensor Watch replacement board (and maybe I will), but so far I'm very pleased with the battery life, as I still did not have to change the coin cell, yet.

I really like that I can customize and compile the firmware myself and I mostly like these features:

• tally counter (for counting things)
• enhanced alarm and timer features
• games for passing time – there's also a two player game!
• store (almost) arbitrary strings – this is probably the most useful feature to me as I can store some phone numbers for emergency situations (when my smartphone is not available due to drained battery or loss/damage/theft)

Pen: KeyUnity KP01BK

Let's be honest: EDC pens are mostly a scam. They're way too pricey for what they offer and often come with proprietary overpriced refills that are difficult to get (especially for small pens). Nevertheless, I wanted to have a sturdy pen that goes together with my paper notebook. By chance I discovered the KeyUnity KP01BK and it checked some marks I was looking for:

• small enough to match the size of the pocket notebook
• fully made of metal
• fine stroke width
• common pen refill

Smartphone: Apple iPhone SE (3rd generation)

Well, smartphones are ubiquitous nowadays and probably the most common every day tool for most people. There are several reasons why I picked the Apple iPhone SE, but the most important features to me are device security and the size. With a screen size of 4,7" (11,94 cm) it's a lot smaller than most other modern smartphones. It's a shame that no smartphone brand produces smaller sized devices :(

Flashlight: Wuben C3

As I almost always carry my smartphone, the integrated camera flash is a sufficient light source for most cases. But for cases where I need one, this flashlight is really useful and has some nice features:

• sturdy (aluminum alloy, impact resistant, IP68 waterproof)
• rather small (although it could be smaller)
• adjustable brightness steps
• very bright (1200 lm)
• chargeable via USB-C
• changeable battery (18650 type Li-ion)

The only thing that is missing: being able to use the flashlight as a power bank (some other brands/models provide that feature).

Pocket knife: Böker Plus Cataclyst Flipjoint

Pocket knifes can be really useful tools: They can help opening letters and packages, cutting cardboards (for recycling etc.), cable dismantling (when no better tools are around), cutting food on the go and pry things (carefully). Multi-tools like the "Leatherman", Gerber tools or the classic Swiss Army knife usually provide more features but can be more bulky or have rather moderate quality. When I was searching for a smaller pocket knife (that is not a multi-tool) with a good quality blade and that is not from an overpriced EDC brand, I came across Böker. While they also have really pricey stuff, there are a lot reasonable priced options and so far I'm very pleased with my choice.

Notebook: Moleskine Pocket with soft cover

Usually goes together with my pen. To take notes in meetings or draft quick sketches, it is quite handy to have some paper available. Moleskine is a well known brand for notebooks and a bit pricey, but I really like the features of the Moleskine Pocket with soft cover:

• small (9 x 14 cm)
• soft cover makes it comfortable to carry in jackets or back pockets (bendable)
• elastic closure (can be used to hold a small pen)
• ribbon bookmark
• inner pocket in the back

Wallet: Space Wallet Push with slimpuro credit card holder

This is probably my favorite EDC gear: a small wallet that holds credit cards and other cards while also providing storage for some coins. While classic foldable wallets do a great job, I had the problem that the snap button for the coin case presses hard on the cards, when I store the wallet in my back pocket and sit on it. As a solution for this, I chose a very sturdy cover with an elastic closure and use it together with a small card wallet that can hold coins.