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Thirty years ago the term Everyday Carry, or EDC, didn’t exist. Back then, I was just a nerd with pocket-pliers who could reattach your Tamagotchi to your wallet chain. I’d whip out my multitool at the slightest provocation and no one realized I was an early adopter of EDC tools. It turns out, I wasn’t nearly as early to adopting as I thought. By the 1990s, Henry W. Brands’ company COAST had been selling multi-function knives for 75 years. I’m not gutting and fileting salmon like Coast’s first customers, but I still appreciate high-quality tools that offer great value. Today, I’m still the nerd with tools, but thanks to the Internet, I’m a nerd with a community.
This review covers two seperate products: the Coast KL35R Flashlight and 1919 Reserve Shift Pocket Knife. They aren’t sold as a pair, but you can buy both pieces for $50.00. The KL35R is $19.99 the Reserve Shift is $29.99, and together you have a good portion of your EDC settled.
Given the popularity of our EDC deals posts, our recent watercooler conversations have centered around the need to do more EDC tool reviews. But, like I said above, I’ve been doing it for years. I need to start by addressing my definition of everyday carry. That will define how I test and judge tools like this. We all have different expectations of EDC tools. Some of you are preparing to singlehandedly fight the zombie apocalypse with your EDC; not me. I’ve got a J Salter in my trunk, and my plan is to pop off to the Winchester for a pint and wait for it all to blow over. How’s that for a slice of fried gold?
My version of EDC is what I would call minimalistic reality-based. I find carrying a sling or small laptop bag is life-changing; a revelation of fatherhood. It allows me to carry a small tool set, a light source, lens cleaners, a writing kit, and normally some snacks. I don’t always have a knife and I rarely have a traditional multitool. I always have: keys, wallet, phone, watch, glasses, pen, and some cash. The Coast KL35R Flashlight and 1919 Reserve Shift can fit right at home in this loadout.
The Bottom Line on Coast KL35R Flashlight and 1919 Reserve Shift
I don’t like sharpening knives. I’m not good at it, I’ve never invested the time to learn to do it properly. A knife with replaceable blades is ideal for someone like me. There are countless choices for knives like the Coast 1919 Reserve Shift, especially if you include run-of-the-mill utility knives/box cutters. But, to start with, this feels like a quality pocket knife. Out of the box, it’s a little stiff to open one-handed. After a couple of weeks of use, it still takes some effort and I don’t see this being a flick-open fidget toy. The thumb stud is huge, it also functions as the release for changing blades. If you’re looking for a high-value knife, that will always be sharp, and can be tailored to different tasks, but isn’t necessarily a showpiece, the 1919 Reserve Shift is hard to beat at 30 bucks.
I’ll start my Bottom Line of the KL35R flashlight like I ended the Shift. This isn’t something you’ll show off on social media, it’s a tool you’ll use for daily tasks. It weighs less than an ounce and is 3 inches long. It fits great on a keychain. It’s rechargeable with USB-C and has 3 hours of runtime on medium flashlight mode or high lantern mode. It has a two-way metal clip that allows you to clip it to the bill of a hat, your sleeve, the flap of a tent, or anything thin. The Lantern also has a red mode; either a solid light for reading in the dark or flashing for a warning light. This is a great utilitarian pocketsized work-light that’s only 20 bucks. Coast offers much brighter, heavier, metal-ier, flashlights, which I will review later.
| Coast KL35R | Coast Reserve Shift | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Value | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Versatility | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Durability | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Overall | 8.3/10 | 8.5/10 |
How Are The Coast KL35R Flashlight and 1919 Reserve Shift Built?
Classifying the Reserve Shift as just another utility knife would be easy, but not accurate. While it will use pretty much any notch-top, standard utility blade, it looks, feels, and operates like a folding pocket knife. The handle construction features steel liner plates covered with scales that to my eye, look like glass-reinforced nylon with a mold-over rubber insert. The two halves are held together with Torx screws, one of which is the blade pivot. The blade holder is stainless, the drop point and hook blades are 3CR13 stainless, and the trapezoidal utility blades are high-carbon steel.
The KL35R has a plastic body with a metal clip. The two buttons are rubberized and there is a rubber plug over the USB-C port. There’s a bit of texture on the body for grip, which also makes it difficult to identify what type of plastic is used. I’ve contacted Coast to see if they’ll tell me, and I will update if necessary. The flashlight is sealed making it waterproof, but it also means the battery isn’t replaceable. The lens for the flashlight is inset about 0.070 inches, which gives some scratch protection.
The Verdict: Coast 1919 Reserve Shift Knife
I have no data to back this up. But, I suspect that those of us who aren’t using a pocket knife in a professional capacity are using it to open boxes at least 88.3% percent of the time. If we do have a bunch of MacGyvers regularly cutting reactor cooling radiators or building bamboo bazookas—apologies. Most of the time I’ve had a trapezoidal utility blade in the knife. They’re great for opening boxes and later breaking them down for recycling.
This is probably a good time to mention, the Reserve Shift comes with a sheath that holds the knife. It also includes also a plastic case for the extra blades. The drop point blades are the same thickness as the utility blades, 0.025 inches. So, this isn’t a blade you can lean on. If you’re the type of person who is prying and scraping with your pocket knife, this isn’t for you.
I have yet to use the hook blade. I don’t do a lot of gutting. But, like a roofer or carpet blade, you can use it to cut a sheet of material lying on top of a surface you don’t want to damage.
Besides boxes, I’ve substituted the Coast for a hobby knife a few times. Soft materials can be surprisingly difficult to cut, especially if you want a clean edge. Foams deflect and are often high-friction. The deflection also leads to load dispersion. I could go on for days about cutting elastic materials. So, I’ll just say Google it when you have a week or two.
Anyway, as much as I like Xacto knives, the small form factor isn’t great for applying enough force and maintaining control. Box cutters are good for the force. However, often they don’t hold the blade tight enough for precise control, and they can be uncomfortable. Between the rubberized grip, the thick spine of the blade holder, and the double lock, this makes a great hobby knife, especially without the pocket clip. Being able to swap in a new sharp blade in seconds is also invaluable on maker benches. Just for testing purposes, I also stripped a few wires with it. It works fine, but I own several tools specifically made for the job. So, I will say in an emergency, it’ll do the job and leave it at that.
This is a $30 knife that will do the job of a few different pocket knives. It isn’t a show piece. It’s also not a knife meant for prying or hacking. It’s ideal for someone like myself who doesn’t want to sharpen the blade, and easily swaps from drop point to trapezoidal or whatever weird blade I might find online. The last time I bought utility blades, I got 100 for $10. Coast sells its drop point blades, 6 for $15. This is a great-looking knife that’s high value and ultra utilitarian. It’s a tool. Coast makes fancier knives, and I will review a couple of them down the road. Until then, I’ll keep using the 1919 Reserve Shift and burning through those easily replaceable blades with a smile.
The Verdict: Coast KL35R Flashlight
My parents will tell you I’ve had a flashlight obsession since birth. My guess is, it started on May 25th, 1977. Either way, I love flashlights and I have tons of them. The Coast KL35R has replaced several of them, and once this is published, it will live on my keychain full-time. I have more powerful flashlights, but the 600 peak lumens it’ll produce is more than enough and I use it on a lower setting. I’m not trying to spot coyotes at a thousand yards or signal the ISS. I’m checking my CV boots or seeing if the small fastener sitting down in a counterbore is a Torx or triple square. Like the knife above, this is a utilitarian tool and not a spec sheet hero.
This is a small flashlight. If your hands are freezing, it’s probably going to be tough to hang on to. In the wet, the textured surface and ribbed sides make it easy to hold. I like the two-way pocket clip, but if I could change one thing, I would make a version with a couple of magnets for working on cars. But, that wouldn’t work as a keychain light.
My gold standard for pocket flashlights has been the mini Maglite. I have a different mini wand light that’s my favorite light for inspecting and working on cars. This serves the function of both and in a smaller package. Plus, this one is rechargeable. At 20 bucks for the KL35R and 30 bucks for 1919 Reserve Shift, the combination is a long-lasting, useful, EDC package.
