News
Everyday Carry Gear You’ll Actually Use
July 20, 2026 • Chris Butterfield
A lot of EDC gear ends up sitting in drawers. There’s no shortage of flashy gadgets, oversized multitools, and gimmicky pocket gear out there. Some of it looks interesting online, but once you actually carry it for a few weeks, you realize it’s either impractical, uncomfortable, or unnecessary. Good everyday carry gear tends to be simpler. The best EDC items are usually the ones you barely notice until you need them. Pens are a good example. A solid machined pen feels completely different than a disposable plastic pen. Better balance, better weight, better durability. Something you actually want to keep...
The Lost Art of Small American Machine Shops
July 06, 2026 • Chris Butterfield
There used to be small machine shops everywhere. Not giant production facilities — small shops run by machinists who knew their machines, knew their tooling, and built things with pride. A lot of those shops are gone now. Over the last few decades, manufacturing shifted heavily toward overseas mass production and large-scale automation. Cost became the driving factor for almost everything. And while modern manufacturing technology is incredible, something valuable was lost along the way. Small shops operate differently. There’s usually a stronger connection between the person making the part and the finished product itself. The machinist often handles setup,...
The Rise of Analog Hobbies in a Digital World
June 22, 2026 • Chris Butterfield
It’s interesting how many people are rediscovering physical hobbies again. For years, everything moved toward screens. Streaming replaced collections. Phones replaced tools. Social media replaced hobbies. Most of our work, entertainment, and communication now happens digitally. But lately, there’s been a noticeable shift back toward physical, tactile activities. People are buying records again. Mechanical watches are becoming popular again. Film photography is growing again. And in the world of EDC and machining, more people are gravitating toward physical objects that they can actually interact with. There’s probably a reason for that. Physical objects engage you differently. A spinning top isn’t...
Brass vs Copper vs Titanium for Everyday Carry
June 08, 2026 • Chris Butterfield
One of the things people notice pretty quickly once they get into machined EDC gear is that materials matter far more than they expected. At first glance, a brass top and a titanium top may look almost identical. In your hand, though, they feel completely different. That’s because each metal has its own personality. Brass has probably become one of the most popular materials in the EDC world for good reason. It’s dense, machines beautifully, and develops an incredible patina over time. Brass has enough weight to feel substantial without becoming uncomfortable to carry. It also ages well. After a...
Inside the Shop: How Butterfield Machine Products Are Made
May 25, 2026 • Chris Butterfield
There’s something satisfying about watching raw metal turn into a finished product. Most people only ever see the final piece — the polished brass top, the copper pen, the finished begleri set — but the real story starts long before that. It starts with bars of raw material, machine setups, tooling choices, and piles of chips on the floor. Every product we make starts as solid metal stock. Brass, copper, stainless steel, titanium, aluminum — each material machines differently, sounds different while cutting, and behaves differently under the tool. Some materials cut beautifully. Others fight you the whole way. Brass...




