The first quarter of 2026 brought a weird and wonderful batch of everyday carry gear. Not the usual parade of slightly updated pocket knives with marginally better steel, though some of those showed up too. The real story this time around is range: a multi-tool built on a patent from 1913, a flashlight shaped like a carpenter’s pencil, and a knife that literally transforms into a different tool configuration with the press of a button. Q1 2026 feels like the EDC world collectively decided to get more creative, and the results are genuinely fun to dig through.
We pulled seven standouts from SHOT Show debuts, Kickstarter launches, and fresh releases that landed between January and March. The mix spans folders, fixed blades, a flashlight, and a multi-tool, all verified through hands-on coverage and official product pages. Here’s what’s new and actually interesting.
MetMo Pocket Grip
The pitch sounds almost too good: five tools packed into a slim pocket-friendly body that traces its DNA to a patent filed in 1912. Leeds-based MetMo has built a reputation for reviving forgotten mechanical concepts with modern CNC precision, and the Pocket Grip might be their most ambitious project yet. The original Patent No. 1,070,656, filed by J. Anderson and granted in 1913, described a double-ended parallel wrench that never found commercial footing.
MetMo took that silhouette and turned every surface into a functional zone. The center pivot doubles as a 1/4-inch hex drive for standard bits. The adaptive parallel jaws borrow directly from MetMo’s own Fractal Vise technology, staying perfectly parallel up to a 20mm opening distance with over 21kg of clamping force from finger pressure alone. Plier teeth, a V-groove for 3-6mm square drive tools, and an edge nipping point round out the feature set.
All of it fits into a package measuring 95.5mm by 45.5mm by just 10mm thick. Three body materials are available: hard-anodized 7075-T651 aluminum at 83.6 grams, Grade 5 titanium at 103.6 grams, and stainless steel at 141 grams with upgraded hardened cutting jaws MetMo calls the Snip Grip. The jaws themselves are 17-4 PH hardened stainless steel with a Rockwell C hardness of 45. MetMo backs it with what they call a 200-year guarantee. Pricing starts at $132 through Kickstarter, and at last check it was sitting at roughly $885,000 pledged.
Price: From £99 (Around $132)
Where to Buy: MetMo
Streamlight Wedge SL
Most EDC flashlights try to pack maximum lumens into the smallest possible tube. The Wedge SL takes a different approach entirely, borrowing its shape from a standard carpenter’s pencil. That flat profile means it sits flush in a pocket without the usual cylindrical roll, and at just over an ounce with the included clip, you’ll forget it’s there until you need it.
Output tops out at 500 lumens in THRO mode with an 80-meter throw, while high mode delivers 100 lumens at 35 meters for 1.75 hours. Drop to 50 lumens and the runtime stretches to 3.5 hours. Everything runs through a programmable tail switch that takes a minute to learn but feels intuitive once you’ve played with it. USB-C charging and four LED battery indicators on the side keep things simple. It debuted at SHOT Show 2026, and at under $70 it landed as one of the most comfortable-carrying lights on the floor.
Price: $65.99 (Discounted)
Where to Buy: Amazon
Knafs Doodler
A gentleman’s folder with a secret: there’s a micro pen hidden in the handle. Knafs has been steadily building a following by making knives that don’t take themselves too seriously while still delivering on the fundamentals, and the Doodler fits that identity perfectly. The blade is S35VN steel, the handle is G10 with swappable inlays that let you change the look without buying a whole new knife.
The hidden pen isn’t a gimmick bolted onto a mediocre folder. It’s integrated into the handle design cleanly enough that you wouldn’t know it was there unless someone told you. For the pocket notebook crowd, and there’s significant overlap with the EDC community, it’s a genuine quality-of-life addition that turns a two-item carry into one. The Doodler launched on Kickstarter at $129, and the combination of solid steel, thoughtful design, and a bit of fun makes it easy to see why it’s gaining traction early.
Price: $129.99
Where to Buy: Knafs
We Knife NexoMorph
This one needs a minute to explain, because nothing else in the EDC space works quite like it. The NexoMorph is a pocket knife that transforms into a push dagger configuration with the press of a button. The handle reconfigures around the blade, shifting the grip from a traditional folder stance to a push dagger orientation. It’s a mechanical feat that blurs the line between knife design and engineering challenge.
The titanium handle houses the transformation mechanism while keeping the overall package pocketable. An M390 blade handles cutting duties in either configuration. At $540, this is firmly in the collector and enthusiast tier, and We Knife is still treating it as a prototype, so final production specs could shift before wider release. But as a proof of concept for where mechanical knife design can go in 2026, the NexoMorph is the most conversation-starting piece on this list by a wide margin.
Price: $540
Where to Buy: WE KNIFE
Benchmade Codex87 Horizon Edge
SHOT Show 2026 had plenty of new knives, but the Codex87 Horizon Edge generated the kind of booth traffic that made it hard to get close. The reason comes down to blade construction. Benchmade is using a laser-fused bi-steel approach: a Hakapella Damasteel body with CPM Rex 121 bonded directly to the cutting edge. Two entirely different steels working in concert, each doing what it does best.
The Damasteel provides the visual drama and structural toughness a blade body needs. The Rex 121 brings extreme edge retention to the actual cutting surface, where hardness matters most. It’s a manufacturing technique that could reshape how premium knives are built if Benchmade can scale it effectively. Coverage from the SHOT Show floor called it the biggest knife news of the entire show, and considering the competition on display that week, that’s saying something.
Price: TBD
Where to Buy: Benchmade
Tacray Tiran II
Button-lock folders have been gaining ground for the past couple of years, and the Tiran II makes a strong case for the mechanism’s appeal. Tacray went with ZDP-189 for the blade, a Japanese powder steel known for exceptional hardness and edge retention that punches well above this price range. A glass breaker tip integrated into the handle adds a utilitarian touch that most folders at this tier skip entirely.
The finish options give the Tiran II distinctly different personalities without changing the underlying specs. Zirconium offers a dark, refined look. Copper develops a patina over time. The blacked-out variant keeps things stealth. At $138, it sits in the sweet spot where you’re getting genuinely premium steel and thoughtful design touches without crossing into collector-only territory. The button lock snaps open cleanly, and the overall build quality reflects a brand that’s been refining its approach with each release.
Price: $178
Where to Buy: TACRAY
Vosteed Inferno
Closing with a fixed blade feels right, especially one with this much personality. The Inferno is the first collaboration between Vosteed and Nick from the Stassa23 Knife Therapy channel, and the result splits the difference between practical EDC fixed blade and something you’d actually want to show off. The 3.57-inch 14C28N blade pairs with a Micarta handle that gives it warmth and texture without sacrificing grip in wet conditions.
The real design win is the carry approach. Vosteed positions it as a low-profile, daily-use fixed blade with a sheath system built for pocket-friendly carry, which matters because fixed blades usually fail at comfort long before they fail at cutting. Pricing varies by retailer, so it’s worth checking the current listing if you’re comparing it against small fixed blades in the same size class.
Price: $82
Where to Buy: Vosteed
Wrap up
Early 2026 EDC has a specific kind of energy: more mechanism, more personality, and fewer safe updates that only matter to steel nerds. You can feel it in how these picks approach the basics, from a clamp tool that leans into its weirdness to knives that treat form factor like a design problem, not a tradition.
If you’re only going to pay attention to one signal, it’s this: brands are chasing carry comfort as hard as they’re chasing specs. Flat lights, pocket-friendly fixed blades, and compact tools with real bite all point to the same idea. The next wave of EDC isn’t about carrying more gear. It’s about carrying gear that doesn’t annoy you.
INIU Mini Portable Charger, Small 45W PD Power Bank, 10000mAh USB C in&Out Fast Charging Pocket Size Battery Pack, Travel Essentials Powerbank for iPhone 17 16 15 14 Pro Air, Xiaomi, Samsung S24 etc
(as of March 25, 2026 18:34 GMT -05:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
