First of all, writing tools – in public safety, these Zebra pens are pretty much everywhere, and for good reason. They’re metal and hard plastic, making them easy to clean, durable and hard to lose (except when your coworkers abscond with them).
I’m also pretty far from a pen dork, but they seem, to my admittedly not particularly discerning eye, to write consistently and smoothly. They’re also not horribly expensive, so you don’t need to lose too much sleep when they disappear or get gross beyond normal cleaning efforts.
As far as the Sharpie, this sucker comes in handy all the time for the mundane tasks at work, but it also has a more serious use – in EMS, if we have to apply a tourniquet to someone it’s important to be able to note the time, whether on the TQ itself or on the patient somewhere – this permanent marker enables me to do either as necessary. It may seem silly, but only until you need it.
There’s a very good reason “Swiss-Army Knife” is a generic term for a do-it-all tool. This little Victorinox Manager knife has been my trusty companion for literally years, and its little pen has saved my bacon so often I oughta buy it a beer.
It’s not the sharpest knife I own, nor is it the biggest blade by a long shot, but it’s so doggone convenient to keep in my pocket that it rides everywhere but in the airplane with me. I’ve lost it several times, usually in a recliner or my between my car’s seat and console, but I’ve found it every time, and been thrilled each time.
The little screwdrivers it sports have also gotten me out of a few situations – I think the only feature I’d add if I thought I could would be a set of pliers, but absent some sort of wonky Transformers-esque shapeshifting, I don’t think that’s happening here.
Regardless, I’m a huge fan of this knife and its durability – it strikes the sweet spot for features and size quite handily, and as a result, it’s earned a ride with me almost everywhere.
[Update 2/2020 – I have started to experience an issue with this knife wherein the pen slides out a little bit whilst in my pocket. Not a huge problem, but may eventually prove fatal, at least to the pen portion of the knife – it looks like it stems from some wear on the plastic that makes up the body of the knife.]
That’s all I’ve got for now – until next time!
-T
I have/have had several of these. They come in handy.