The Pen That Earns Its Place
Focusworks EDC — Sechelt, British Columbia
Precision-machined titanium pens · Made in Canada · Heirloom quality
There are three things a man should never compromise on when he leaves the house: his watch, his wallet, and his pen. The first two get most of the attention. The pen is the quiet one — the one that actually does the work.
Jordy Wallace is a machinist on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. He runs Focusworks EDC out of Sechelt, and he makes pens the way a watchmaker makes movements — with the understanding that the object in your hand should outlast you. Every pen is CNC-machined in small batches, assembled by hand, and shipped with an Heirloom Warranty: built to perform for life and beyond.
The Sunshine Coast is not the obvious place to find a precision manufacturing operation. It is a stretch of coastline north of Vancouver, accessible only by ferry, known for its artists, its kayakers, and its unhurried pace. But that is exactly the point. Focusworks is not a factory. It is a craftsman's shop, and the pens it produces are not mass-market writing instruments. They are objects you keep.
I came across Focusworks the way most people do — through the EDC community, where the phrase "everyday carry" has evolved from a practical concept into something closer to a philosophy. The idea is simple: the things you carry every day should be chosen deliberately, built to last, and worthy of the task. A good pen is not a luxury. It is a tool. And a tool should be the best version of itself.
The Sideswipe
The Sideswipe is Focusworks' signature pen, and the one that built the brand's reputation. The name comes from the deployment mechanism — a proprietary side-actuated bolt action that is unlike anything else in the EDC pen world. You do not click it. You swipe it. The metal and ceramic mechanism deploys with a satisfying snap that is, frankly, addictive.
The grip textures are where Focusworks really distinguishes itself. The Krakenskin pattern — a full 3D milled grip that covers the entire barrel — gives the pen a tactile quality that is impossible to describe in words and impossible to put down once you have felt it. Other options include Dragonskin, Viperskin, Geoskin, and the P2 smooth grip for those who prefer a cleaner line.
Sideswipe Specifications
The Eryx PC1
The Eryx PC1 is where most people start. At USD $95, it is the most accessible Focusworks pen — but accessible is a relative term when the pen is machined from solid titanium and weighs 40 grams. It has a Dragonskin texture grip, a clip-on cap, and a click mechanism that is pure and direct. No threads, no O-rings. Just the pen.
The PC1 is also the pen that proves the point about EDC philosophy. You do not need to spend $353 on a Krakenskin Sideswipe to carry something exceptional. The PC1 will outlast every plastic pen you have ever owned, write better than most pens at twice the price, and look considerably better sitting on a notebook at the end of a long day.
Why the Pen Matters
The EDC community talks a great deal about watches and wallets. The watch is the statement piece — the thing people notice. The wallet is the practical anchor — the thing that holds the day together. The pen is the working tool, and it is the one that most people get wrong.
A Best Days Ever is not just experienced. It is recorded. The notes you make at the end of a great day — the name of the wine, the coordinates of the trail, the phone number of the person you met — those notes are only as good as the instrument you wrote them with. A pen that skips, a pen that leaks, a pen you borrowed and forgot to return: these are not the tools of a person who takes their days seriously.
Jordy Wallace's Focusworks pens are the tools of a person who does. They are machined in British Columbia, shipped with an Heirloom Warranty, and designed to be the last pen you ever need to buy. That is not a marketing claim. It is a manufacturing commitment. The titanium will not corrode. The mechanism will not wear out. The grip will not fade. The pen will be there, in your pocket, ready to record the next best day.
Sechelt, BC
The Sunshine Coast is one of those places that does not feel like it should exist in the modern world. It is 45 minutes by ferry from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, and once you are there, the pace of life changes in a way that is difficult to articulate. The mountains come down to the water. The towns are small. The people who live there chose to be there.
Jordy Wallace is one of them. He runs Focusworks EDC from Sechelt, machining titanium and copper EDC gear in small batches — pens, flashlights, fidget spinners, and accessories — with the kind of attention to detail that is only possible when you are not trying to scale a production line. Every product is assembled by hand. Every product ships with the No-Regret Promise: if it does not feel flawless within 15 days, send it back for a full refund. No forms. No friction.
The Heirloom Warranty goes further. It is not a limited warranty. It is a commitment that the product will perform for life and beyond. That is the kind of confidence that only comes from knowing exactly what you made and exactly how you made it.
The Collection
Sideswipe Gen 2
The flagship. Side-actuated bolt action, 3D milled grip textures, machined titanium throughout. Available in Krakenskin, Dragonskin, Viperskin, Roboskin, and P2.
Eryx PC1
The entry point. Dragonskin grip, clip-on cap, pure click mechanism. 40 grams of machined titanium at the most accessible price in the range.
EDC Starter Kits
Pen, flashlight, and accessories bundled together. Available in Electric Blue, Forest Green, Gunmetal Grey, Pumpkin Orange, and Blue. The complete kit.
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Focusworks EDC
The Trinity
I have been carrying a watch for thirty years. I have been carrying a good wallet for nearly as long. The pen is the one I got right last.
There is something about a pen made by a single craftsman in a small shop on the Sunshine Coast that changes the way you think about the act of writing. It is not precious — it is a tool, and Jordy Wallace would be the first to tell you that. But it is a tool that was made with intention, and that intention transfers to the hand that holds it.
The best days are the ones worth recording. The notes you make — the quick observations, the coordinates, the names, the things you want to remember — those notes deserve a pen that is worthy of them. Focusworks EDC makes that pen. It is machined in British Columbia, built to last a lifetime, and it will be in your pocket the next time you need to write something down that matters.
Good watch. Good wallet. Good pen. Best Day Ever.
— Gerald Shaffer, Just Gerald Magazine