#tec accessories

These two additions to my EDC paraphernalia are the TEC Accessories Centipede and the Duraflex whistle by Duraflex Hong Kong Ltd. out of China. The whistle first:

I debated for a while about whether or not to buy a whistle. Not understanding its function in a contemporary urban setting, I put the question to a group of EDC enthusiasts online and most of the responses I got were about calling dogs, farm animals, and children. (I feel I should say something clever here about that grouping...) The best answer, though, the one that won me over, was for natural disaster emergencies. Living in Japan for the last sixteen years, most notably during the 03/11 earthquake and tsunami, has convinced me that a two-dollar, 11-gram whistle is definitely worth its affordability and unobtrusiveness. It's about seven centimeters in length, two centimeters wide, and 1.4 centimeters at its thickest point. It's made of plastic and has three possible sounds: the right and left sides produce a high and low pitch respectively, together making a new sound altogether. The whistle also has a clip that works well on a PALS webbing grid, and a lanyard hole for neck-wear. This whistle is all over the internet and prices range from eight bucks to thirty cents. I got my two from a Japanese distributor for ¥210 each, one for my wife and one for me. Don't even look for the Duraflex website. It is, yet again, a major blemish on the complexion of Asian tool companies.

The Centipede by TEC Accessories: Awesomeness. This keychain wonder is a 5-millimeter-thick Titanium bar marked in two-millimeter increments up to eight centimeters. It's a handy quick-measure for your keychain and is yonks lighter than a tape measure. No, you won't be building a house with this phallic implement, but you will be saving yourself some stress and frustration the next time you're in the shop and want to know if a potential purchase will be meeting your measurement needs. I paid ¥1780 (around $18) for mine in Japan. The TEC website lists it for $21. Not bad.

Tec Accessories Glow Fob