A San Franciscan's Blog Un poquito de todo

Kit

Here is a list of items that I own that I generally find to be high quality, hard-wearing and vegan. Many are made by small, US-based manufacturers, with the hope that the production is more just and ethical. They are not always the cheapest, but they serve me well and I consider them well worth the price. I started this list because finding legitimate reviews online is nearly impossible these days.

Writing

  • Pen: I like to take handwritten notes for work. I usually go through a few composition books a year, which meant I was going through a handful of pens and refills as well, with all the waste associated with it. This waste was eliminated when I started using a fountain pen. I love my brass Schon DSGN Pocket Six. Since I have had it, I have not had to use another pen. I use a Kaweco squeeze converter and have been refilling it with Kaweco Midnight Blue ink (which is vegan!) using a blunt needle syringe. The pen does not leak, fits in my pocket and will outlast me if I can avoid losing it. I have a backup PEI ("Ultem") pen that I got from Aliexpress for about $20. It is also well made and should last me a long time, but the nib writes a bit too wet for my taste.
  • Mechanical Pencil: I really appreciate my rOtring 600, but it is fragile and expensive so I only use it at home. I carry a Pentel Graph Gear 1000 with me daily since the tip is retractable. Both pencils hold 0.7mm lead. I prefer 2B lead, which is softer and darker than the standard HB lead. Pencils are useful when pens aren’t practical.
  • Ruler: Having a good ruler is really useful when taking notes so I usually have two. I keep a small 10cm/4inch Mitutoyo stainless steel flexible ruler in my pocket notebook and a 16cm Traveler’s Company brass ruler in my briefcase.
  • Notebooks: I like to take notes in composition notebooks. Normal paper works fine with my fountain pen. I recommend the Top Flight composition notebook. For pocket notebook, I use a generic “Field Notes” style notebook with perforated pages. For journals, I use Leuchtturm1917 A5 or A6 notebooks.

Conveyance

  • Bike: I currently use a steel Univega bike that I got off Craigslist for free a decade ago, but dearly miss my Masi touring bike, which was stolen out of my garage a few years back. Steel bikes are heavy and I might have to move to aluminum at some point, but so far I can manage and it is very comfortable when riding in the city. I also ride bike share quite a bit since it avoids the risk of my bike getting stolen.
  • Car: I made it my first four decades without a car, but my work’s collective bargaining agreement forced me to get one in 2018. I ended up getting a secondhand 2002 Toyota Prius. I rarely use it, but runs great for a 22-year-old vehicle. It is a hybrid car that gets about 50 miles per gallon and lacks any distractions that make modern cars more dangerous, such as the huge screens in the middle of the dashboard.

Bags

  • Briefcase: My daily work briefcase is a DEFY bags slim canvass briefcase. It is made in the US and still looks new even though it is dragged around daily. I generally recommend vegan bags made by DEFY since I think they are worth the money.
  • Back Pack: I have a Goruck GR1 that I got second hand on Craigslist for longer trips or camping. It is an excellent bag, and same as DEFY bags, I recommend Goruck’s vegan bags but it is probably best to get them second hand since their lifetime warranty makes it worth it.

Pocket Tools

  • Multitools: My multitool of choice is the Leatherman Curl, which I consider to be an almost perfect multitool for me. It is light, smallish, has pliers, a cutting blade, a bit driver, scissors and a few other things. I also have a Surge in my home tool kit and a Style PS for airplane travel.
  • Pocket Knife: I have two pocket knifes, both which are less than 3 inches so I can carry them on me anywhere in California. My fancy pocket knife is a Benchmade Mini Griptilian 556-1 in CPM-20CV steel, which is incredible. Benchmade sharpens their knives for free, but more importantly, they replace damaged blades, which I have already taken advantage of. This knife was normally expensive, but I got an crazy good deal on it at REI. My other knife is a humble Ontario Rat 2. Simpler steel, but very good knife as well.
  • Watches: A wristwatch is practical and a good way to avoid the distractions of a cellphone display. I generally prefer the solar-powered, radio-controlled square G-Shocks because they require little maintenance. My daily wearer is the all-black GW-B5600.

Computer and Peripherals

  • Laptop: My daily driver is an XPS 13 9380. It has been a decent laptop, but only because I opted for the extended warranty and it got the (multiple) repairs it needed before said warranty expired.
  • Mice: I use the Logitech Master series mice; the very ergonomic MX Master 3 at my desk at home (acquired for free from a neighbor) and the smaller MX Anywhere 3 anywhere else. Both are excellent mice, highly recommended. The only issue I’ve had is that getting the smaller Anywhere on my dual boot system required a bit of research and configuration, so be warned.
  • Keyboards: At home I use the amazing Keychron C3 Pro wired keyboard. This is the best mechanical keyboard I could find at this price range and it punches way above its weight. Anywhere else, I use the Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard. It is OK and mostly on this list because of its size.
  • Stand: I use the Roost laptop stand when I am not at home. It isn’t cheap, but it is light and well made and worth the price.