Rudy Project | The IT Nerd

Archive for Rudy Project

My Every Day Carry (EDC) – The 2024 Edition

Posted in Products with tags Apple, Belkin, dBrand, Ekster, Keyport, Mujjo, Rudy Project, Spigen, ZIKE on November 16, 2024 by itnerd

My every day carry or EDC has evolved slightly since the last time that I covered what my EDC consists of. I’ve tweaked some of the items that I carry not only for meeting my daily needs but to add some style as well. So let’s have a look at what my EDC consists of the following:

I am still using the iPhone 14 Pro as it’s a fast phone and none of the Apple Intelligence stuff or the camera upgrades have enticed me to switch to the iPhone 16 Pro. I have a dbrand Grip Case on it and I protect the screen with a dbrand Prism 2.0 screen protector. The only thing that I have done to the phone is have the battery replaced under AppleCare when the battery health went below 80%. Now for formal occasions I have been known to switch my case to this one from Mujjo, but I might be able to get away with not having to do that as the dbrand case is something that I might be able to roll with for any occasion. We’ll have to see the next time I have to do something super formal.

I now use the original Apple Watch Ultra as that fits with the sports and other athletic activities that I do. I’ve had this for over 2 years and the battery health is currently at 94% which is outstanding after two years. While you see it here with the Apple Nike Sport band, I do have a selection of bands that I can swap to if the need arises. Including this recent addition. I’ve also customized the watch with apps that make it close to a Garmin watch as that fits with the fact that I am a very athletic person.

Next up is the Ekster Carbon Fibre Cardholder which is made of 3K carbon fibre. All the cards and ID that I need are in this slim and light package that I barely notice in my pocket. It does have RFID blocking capabilities which is a good thing. One thing that I should point out is that if I am wanting to slim down what I carry, I can switch to either this MagSafe wallet for formal occasions, or this MagSafe wallet if I am going for a bike ride. In either case, I just take my ID out and place it in the MagSafe wallet of choice and the wallet on the back of my iPhone 14 Pro.

I make sure that I know where my wallet is at all times by having this Zike Smart Tracking Card inside the wallet which integrates with Apple’s Find My network. One thing that I really like about this tracking card is that unlike a lot of them, this one is rechargeable. So when the battery goes dead, I just toss it onto a wireless charger and I get a charge that lasts about six months as opposed to having a card that works for about two years that you then have to replace when the battery goes dead.

If I want to listen to music while I am on the go, my Apple AirPods Pro is my go to as they allow you use active noise cancelling to shut out the outside world, or use transparency mode to stay aware of what’s going on around you. I have been wanting to replace them with the AirPods Pro 2 but these won’t die. They are wrapped up in the dbrand AirPods Pro Grip case to make sure that I don’t drop and damage them. I should also mention that I did replace the stock silicone ear tips with the Comply Foam Tips which not only make the AirPods Pro feel more comfortable in my ears, but they allow the AirPods stay in my ears better. They also sound better and noise cancelling works better.

When I am not driving, my sunglasses of choice are the Rudy Project Zyon’s. My wife originally got them with the prescription inserts. But she then moved onto a different Rudy Project model. Thus I took them, removed the inserts and have been using them ever since. I really like these as they provide a great amount of coverage, which means better protection for my eyes.

My keys are the next things that I grab. My keys are in a KeyPort Pivot 2.0 key holder which on the inside I have a 64GB USB stick, a multi-tool that in a pinch can open an Amazon box, a SIM card ejector tool, and a pen. Oh yeah. It also has my keys as well. One thing that I appreciate about this setup is that keys don’t dig into my thighs and they don’t jingle. I also have my key fob for my condo along with an Apple AirTag on them to find them when I misplace them. Since you can’t directly mount an AirTag to anything, I use the Belkin Secure Holder with the AirTag as it’s secure and cheap relative to the cost of what Apple wants you to pay for their products.

If I am driving I take my car keys with me as well, and they too have an Apple AirTag along with a Belkin Secure Holder on them.

The Groove Life Groove Belt is a great addition to my EDC as I can use it for formal occasions or just wearing jeans. It comes together using some really strong magnets and you feel like a superhero when you put it on. I’ll also point out that you can resize it at will which is handy as I have steadily been losing weight over the last couple of years.

The last item is some Blistex or some other form of lip protection as I get really dry lips.

That’s my EDC or every day carry. What do you think? What do you think I should add to it or change? And were you able to spot the theme? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts. In the meantime, stay tuned for a look at my Tech Sling that I carry with me when I see clients as that has a lot of interesting things in it.

My Every Day Carry (EDC) – The 2022 Edition

Posted in Products with tags Apple, Chipolo, Devon+Lange, Ekster, Keyport, Rudy Project, Spigen, Victorinox on May 20, 2022 by itnerd

My every day carry or EDC has evolved over the last year or so. I’ve tweaked some of the items that I carry not only for meeting my daily needs but to add some style as well. As we go through this, you’ll see a trend. Let’s see if you can spot what it is. Let’s start with the phone that I carry on a daily basis:

My current phone is the iPhone 12 Pro. It covers my needs for a fast phone with great cameras, lots of storage, and an amazing screen. I always keep my phones in a case, and the case that I use on a daily basis is the Spigen Tough Armor which has a kickstand for watching media hands free. But more importantly promises twice the military standard for drop protection. Something that I’ve unintentionally tested on a few occasions. To add to that protection, I have added a FloLab NanoArmour Anti-Microbial Screen Protector screen protector on it so that scratches on the screen are a non-issue and it gives the screen some extra resilience. The anti-microbial features are really just a bonus. You’ll also note that on the back I have a carbon fibre skin done by dBrand which is most evident around the camera and Apple logo.

The Apple Watch Series 6 with cellular is my smart watch of choice as its a great way to stay in touch without carrying my phone if I choose to do that as I can stay in touch minus my phone as this is the cellular model. It also keeps track of all my health metrics as that’s important to me these days. While you see that I have a Nike sports band on it at the moment, I have a variety of bands to choose from.

My keys are the next things that I grab. My keys are in a KeyPort Pivot 2.0 key holder which on the outside includes a flashlight along with a Lightning to USB cable which can allow me to charge my phone if I need to in a pinch. On the inside I have a 64GB USB stick, a multi-tool that in a pinch can open an Amazon box, a SIM card ejector tool, and a pen. Oh yeah. It also has my keys as well. One thing that I appreciate about this setup is that keys don’t dig into my thighs and they don’t jingle. Besides having actual keys and a key fob for my condo along with a hook to allow me to hook onto things like door handles that look sketchy, I also have the Apple AirTag on them to find them when I misplace them. Since you can’t directly mount an AirTag to anything, I use the Belkin Secure Holder with the AirTag as it’s secure and cheap relative to the cost of what Apple wants you to pay for their products.

My car keys also live in my pocket and they have an Apple AirTag which is being held in a Belkin Secure Holder so that I can find them when I misplace them.

A new addition to my every day carry is this Ekster Carbon Fibre Cardholder which is made of 3K carbon fibre. All the cards and ID that I need are in this slim and light package that I barely notice in my pocket. It does have RFID blocking capabilities which is a good thing. It also is a statement piece when I whip it out to pay for something. Or as the kids would say, it’s a flex.

I have this Chipolo CARD Spot tracking card in my cardholder so that I can use Apple’s Find My app to find it should I misplace it. While it hasn’t got the same sort of precision finding functionality of an AirTag, it does allow you to play “Marco/Polo” to find it if you lose it. One bummer is that it has non-replaceable batteries. That means that I will have to spring for a new one in a couple of years time. Hopefully by then there will be other options in this form factor that have replacement batteries.

I’ve been carrying this Victorinox CyberTool M for years. And if you look at the picture, it shows as you can see that it does have some light scratches on it. Despite that it still looks great and works just fine. That’s a testament to the quality that Victorinox builds into I use it to do everything from open up computers and to open up Amazon boxes as it has 32 different tools on it that are useful for almost any situation that I have found myself in. I have a pouch for it that has a loop that allows me to put it on my belt. It is beaten up. But that’s not a surprise as the CyberTool M and the pouch are well over a decade old.

Let’s say that I can’t carry my Swiss Army knife because I’m getting on a plane. Or I choose not to carry it. I have two other options for multi-tools to choose from. The first is the Axiom FLAT PACK TO 8 multi-tool. Originally designed for cyclists who might need to fix something on the road, I’ve found that it is useful for opening up computers as it has Allen keys as part of the deal. It doesn’t take up a whole lot of space in my pocket and it’s durable.

My second option is the Swiss+Tech Transformer 11-In-1 multi-tool. While it is on the heavy side, it does have a full array of screwdrivers and a flashlight among other things in a package that fits in my pocket. I’ve only ever had to replace the batteries for the flashlight. Beyond that, it’s survived the test of time as I have had this since the late 2000’s.

If I want to listen to music while I am on the go, my Apple AirPods Pro is my go to as they allow you use active noise cancelling to shut out the outside world, or use transparency mode to stay aware of what’s going on around you. I put them in a Spigen Rugged Armour AirPods Pro case which protects them from scratches and provides some drop protection. The case came with a carabiner that recently broke. Thus I replaced it with a more heavy duty carabiner that has a screw lock along with a matte black ring. One other thing that I have done is replace the silicone ear tips with the Comply Foam Tips which not only make the AirPods Pro feel more comfortable in my ears, but they allow the AirPods stay in my ears better.

If I am going to be out for while and I need to ensure that I have enough power to keep my phone online, I drop this Jackery Mini power bank in my pocket. It’s a 3200 mAh power bank that allows me to get about a 70% charge on my iPhone 12 Pro should I need it. It will also give my AirPods Pro a full charge as well. It doesn’t take up a lot of real estate in my pocket which is a good thing. In terms of a cable, that’s when the Lightning cable that’s on my key holder comes in handy as both my AirPods Pro and iPhone 12 Pro can use that to get a charge.

In a rare photo of yours truly, you can see the Rudy Project Deewhy sunglasses with Polar3FX HDR Grey lenses. Rudy Project doesn’t make these anymore, but that doesn’t matter to me as they work extremely well for me. The lenses are polarized lenses that filter harmful UV rays and eliminates glare by selectively filtering non harmful wavelengths through the lens. It’s designed to filter glare from car headlights, sun rays and the refracted light on wet or shiny surfaces like water and snow. All of which means that my eyes don’t take a beating when I drive. I also use them when I am walking around town. You can also see the Devon+Lange 3 layer face mask that is made from silver infused premium modal, and it has a filter pocket to hold the included PM2.5 filters. There’s also a removable and replaceable nose piece to ensure that they fit properly. These masks are comfortable to wear, I can breathe in them and I can wear them for long periods of time without an issue.

When I can’t be bothered to take a trip down to the car to get my Rudy Project Deewhy sunglasses as that’s where those sunglasses normally live, I often grab these Rudy Project Agon sunglasses which live at my desk. They have the “Laser Black” lenses which allows for about 12% light transmission. But I also notice that they enhance contrast and I can wear them while driving, or taking a walk in the woods or just walking around. The fact that they enhance contrast means that you can pick up small details that would have gone unnoticed even by the naked eye. Such has cracks in the road while driving or uneven terrain while hiking. That makes them a great general purpose pair of sunglasses for me.

From the mundane item department comes this tube of Blistex. I often have dry chapped lips. So to mitigate that I always have some lip balm on me. In this case it’s Blistex, but I have also been known to carry ChapStick as well.

That’s my EDC or every day carry. What do you think? What do you think I should add to it or change? And were you able to spot the theme? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts.

2 Comments »

Review: Rudy Project Zyon Sunglasses

Posted in Products with tags Rudy Project on September 13, 2018 by itnerd

My wife like yours truly has challenges with her eyesight. But unlike yours truly, she can’t solve those challenges using contact lenses. And her prescription is so strong that it makes the possibility to use prescription performance sunglasses from companies like Oakley a non-starter. That was until Rudy Project stepped into the picture with these:

ao67osltSmmYOyYdVFDrwQ

Meet the Rudy Project Zyon sunglasses Two things to point out about them. First are the lenses. They are photochromic lenses that go from clear to black depending on the lighting conditions. The second thing that you should note are the prescription inserts which allow the wearer to have an optician put in their prescription to allow you to have performance sunglasses even if you’re optically challenged.

jNjCJ19XQHCDLx5PBgvoGg

You can see that the prescription insert mounts on the nose piece. But it doesn’t affect the adjustability of the Zyon sunglasses. The nose piece as well as the arms are extremely adjustable. My wife found that it was easy to make them fit comfortably. She used them at the Epic Tour 80K (which was actually 85K) ride in Milton Ontario and found that they did a great job of keeping wind and dust out of her eyes as well as having the right amount of tint for the lighting conditions. Gripes? It took her a bit to dial in the fit so that the Zyon sunglasses provided ample protection while not having the prescription inserts press against her face and get dirty. But once she got past that, the Zyon was a total win as far as she was concerned. And she can’t wait to use these for cross country skiing with the racing red lenses that are designed to enhance contrast. One thing that isn’t pictured are side shields which give you additional protection from dust and debris. My wife chose not to use them.

IRudy Project has many models that have a prescription insert option. Not only that, depending on your prescription, a prescription lens may be an option for you. So your best bet is to visit a Rudy Project dealer that is an optician so that you can get your prescription filled at the same time. Expect to pay $250 USD and up for a pair, plus $80 for the prescription inserts, & plus the cost of the prescription lenses if you need them. According to my wife, you won’t regret it.

Review: Rudy Project Tralyx XL Sunglasses

Posted in Commentary, Products with tags Rudy Project on September 12, 2018 by itnerd

I’ll say this up front. Of all of the Rudy Project kit that my wife and I have received, the Rudy Project Tralyx XL sunglasses are simply outstanding. But before I get to why I feel that way, let me show you what they look like.

3UBDPgm0T5qMGAInHteL1w

The Tralyx sunglasses come in three sizes. The Tralyx Slim which is on the smaller side, the Tralyx XL which is on the larger side and is what you see pictured above, and the Tralyx which is between the two in terms of size. That’s important to point out because depending on your face size and shape, you may need to try on all three until you get the coverage for you eyes that you’re looking for. In my case, that was the Tralyx XL. The lens that you see above is the photochromic lens that goes from clear (about 74% light transmission) to black (about 9% light transmission) depending on the lighting conditions. In other words, the brighter the sunlight, the darker the lens gets. That’s handy for me as I usually am out on my bike doing a training after 5PM on the weekdays. Which means that I am usually returning home when the sun starts to set as it will ensure that I can still see while protecting my eyes. You’ll also notice a blue lens inside the case. That’s the multi laser blue lens that I will use when I am cross country skiing this winter as it is designed to enhance contrast which is extremely handy on a cross country ski trail.

One big plus to the Tralyx XL is ventilation:

TJOjZTKjQOOiIDrXTuDdmg

Ventilation ports abound on the frame and on the lenses. This will ensure that the sunglasses will never fog up regardless of weather conditions of how hard you are working. Another big plus is the adjustability. The nose piece is extremely adjustable, and the arms are made of a flexible rubber that not only grips but adjusts accordingly to your head. That means that you can make the Tralyx XL fit you perfectly with or without a bike helmet. Which is something that I could not get with my now Craiglisted Oakley Radarlock Path Sunglasses.

While I did do a couple of training rides with these sunglasses, they were battle tested so to speak in the Epic Tour ride in Milton Ontario by riding the 80K event (which was actually 85K). They performed extremely well as the weather changed from completely overcast to having sunny breaks, and it was extremely windy as well. Not that the wind was an issue as the Tralyx XL protected my eyes from the wind and debris that was around late in the ride. That isn’t a surprise as these sunglasses have been battle tested by professional cycling teams such as Bahrain Merida, Lotto Soudal, and Trek-Segafredo. In the case of the latter, Trek-Segafredo rider John Degenkolb pulled off an emotional win on stage 9 of the Tour De France which was run over very dusty, rough and dangerous cobblestones of Northern France. If the Tralyx XL are good enough for him in that harsh environment, as well as for some of the best bike racers in the world, they’re good enough for you.

The Tralyx XL start at $249.99 USD. Other Tralyx variants start at $224.99 USD. They come in a variety of lens colors to suit your use case, and frame colors to suit your fashion needs. While you can get them on Rudy Project’s website, I do suggest that you go to a local Rudy Project dealer and try them on for yourself and see what works for you. I think you’ll find that these sunglasses are outstanding and you’ll be taking home a pair.

Review: Rudy Project Agon Sunglasses

Posted in Products with tags Rudy Project on September 10, 2018 by itnerd

My wife and I have recently decided to make the move to using Rudy Project sunglasses for our cycling, cross country skiing, and other outdoors activities. Thus over the next few days I will be reviewing three pairs of sunglasses from Rudy Project. Starting with the Agon sunglasses that I will be using for driving and casual walking around.

The ones that I got have “Laser Black” lenses. These lenses allow for about 12% light transmission. But I also notice that they enhance contrast and I can wear them while driving, or taking a walk in the woods or just walking around. The fact that they enhance contrast means that you can pick up small details that would have gone unnoticed even by the naked eye. Such has cracks in the road while driving or uneven terrain while hiking. That makes them the perfect general purpose sunglasses for me. Now these glasses were originally designed for cycling so I had to take them out for a training ride to see how they performed. At the end of a two hour training ride, I found that they weren’t moving about regardless of how much I was sweating.

One thing that I really appreciate is the fact that the nosepiece is adjustable. That’s something that was lacking with the Oakely Flak 2.0 sunglasses that these were replacing because I could never get the right fit with those. The Agons also include adjustable temple tips which allow you to further dial in the fit which is handy to get it to fit over a cycling helmet for example. But five minutes of playing with the Agon’s in both regards allowed me to get the perfect fit which is close to my face to keep out as much dust and wind as possible.

But the Agons have one really useful party trick that you should know about. They have venting that you can turn on and off. Rudy Project’s Integrated Vent Controller lets you choose between two difference lens positions:

This is open which allows for maximum venting.

This is closed which does not allow as much venting given that there is a notch on the side of the lens. I usually use them in this position and I have had no issues with fogging which was another problem that my Oakley Flak 2.0 had.

One final aspect that I would like to bring up is the look of these sunglasses on my face. Now looks are subjective, but I think that for most people the Agons will fly under the radar as they look like your average pair of sunglasses rather than something from a sci-fi movie.

The Rudy Project Agon glasses are on sale now at Rudy Project’s North American website with the ones that are on display here going for $119.99 USD with the regular price being $249.99. Though I am a proponent of you visiting your local Rudy Project dealer to find the right pair of sunglasses for you as Rudy Project offers a ton of lens choices and sunglass styles to fit your use case. But I would strongly suggest the Agons for anyone who wants a conventional looking pair of sunglasses that wants to tweak them to fit their face, or who have had issues with fogging or fitting glasses while using a bike helmet. They are well worth it.

1 Comment »

The IT Nerd