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Popov Leather EDC Pocket Armour Review

thecyr

tldr;

 

When I got the itch to try to make some leather craft (mainly to make knife cases), I found the experience kinda neat. Luckily, I had a Tandy Leather Outlet within 20 minute drive so that I can run over on the weekend and pick up a few pieces and leather as I try to make something.

Where I got inspiration for designs was from etsy, pinterest and instagram. One account I followed was Popov Leather and I’m pretty sure I saw a pic of their EDC Pocket Armour that I molded into a horizontal knife slip case for my swiss army knives. So I was really happy that Ryan contacted me and suggested that I try his EDC pocket armour. This was hand stitched out in Nelson British Columbia using Horween leather and customized.

Ryan offers Horween leather in several colors and thread – so you have lots of color options to pick from. He also offers initials engraving; I ended up having my initials on a Driftwood Leather with English tan thread.

 

But Which Knife To Use?

I used the pocket armour as an excuse to buy some items to go with it; mainly a Fisher Space Pen with Brass finish. The pocket armour is mainly designed for a two layer knife so I decided to scan Amazon for options. I stumbled upon the Victorinox Pioneer X Alox swiss army knife. The big thing about this knife is that the extra layer is used for the scissors. I had my Victorinox Climber to test out if a three layer knife would work well with the case – and it did.

 

Fisher Space Pen + Victorinox Pioneer X Alox + EDC Pocket Armour

After a few weeks, I finally had all three pieces together and ready to use them as EDC. I’ve never had Hornween leather before. It’s very interesting as compared to regular veg tanned leather you get for basic projects. The Deadwood dye and English Tan thread gives it a very nice rustic look. When you slide in the knife, I love how the leather stretches and the color changes. The overall look a very sharp.

Having done some leather projects, I know how hard it is to replicate certain features like:

  1. Straight Lines – It is hard to keep lines straight. Having done a few projects, it’s a skill to get your lines just right.
  2. Stitching – Tight saddle stitches make your leather look professional. I tend to use a single stitch, but you can tell the difference between the two. I noticed that the thread is flush with the leather. Unlike me who missed some tools, a groover was used to sink the thread into the leather. This will allow for less wear on the thread.
  3. Burnish – That’s the process to get the ends of the leather mooshed together  the edges and creases and give a finished look.  A must when stitching together two pieces of leather together as in this slip case.

 

 

 

Everyday Carry After A Month

I have to say that the Horween leather is NICE, man this thing is so soft and really formed quickly around the knife after I started wearing it. This will most likely age and give it even more character over the years.

The Fisher Space Pen is light, fits very snug in the webbing on the side. I was worried about it slipping off, but nope. It’s very secure. I’m looking forward to the raw brass finish to add the petina and associated character.

And what can I say about this Victorinox Pioneer X Alox? What I beautiful swiss army knife. The original Pioneer Alox is a two layer knife and would fit this case much better, but the X version with scissors was a big feature that I wanted and it ended up filling in the EDC pocket Armour  great. It feels great in your pants pocket and with the ring, I added a tag that I can grab the knife while reading in the pocket.

 

Why Get This?

This is worth a purchase. Ranging between 25-35$ CAD this is well priced for a hand made item. I would combine this as graduation of gift for dad as you can customize every aspect of the pocket armour and attachments.

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