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Forty years ago, the first Leatherman multi-tool hit shelves — and since then, the brand has substantially grown both the multi-tool category and its own reputation for quality and dependability. This year, the brand launched its biggest swing of a multi-tool yet: the ARC.
An amalgamation of the experience of both Leatherman’s team and its users, the ARC is built on the brand’s revolutionary, magnet-based FREE platform and features an array of tools and functions co-developed with consumers every step of the way. With the ARC now available, here’s everything you need to know about it, including my first-hand first impressions.
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
Hayley Helms
How did Leatherman’s team develop the ARC?
The ARC was designed and built in the brand’s Portland, Oregon factory by a few dozen engineers, with plenty of input from actual users — specifically the 240-person Beta Team that Leatherman has put together for product feedback and testing.
What’s special about the Leatherman ARC?
Everything, really.
It’s a dramatic reinterpretation of the brand’s classic multi-tool design, highlighted by the modified drop-point CPM-MagnaCut blade, the bit drivers, the diamond-coated file and a combination pry bar/bottle opener/flathead screwdriver.
Each of these has its own story. According to Senior Product Designer Adam Lazenby, the pry bar/bottle opener/flathead combo emerged out of a need to relocate the bottle opener; on previous Leatherman designs, it was on the Phillips head screwdriver, but since the ARC ditches the Phillips for a more versatile bit driver, the bottle opener needed a new home. Leatherman’s engineers realized the pry bar could house the bottle opener and double as a flathead screwdriver in a pinch, integrating three different tools into a single implement.
This blade will hold an edge.Hayley Helms
The MagnaCut blade takes the quality of this multi-tool to the next level, but it came with its own set of engineering challenges. MagnaCut is only a few years old, but it’s gaining popularity in the knife space thanks to its ability to find the sweet spot among the three most important attributes of steel: toughness, edge retention and corrosion resistance.
“Generally speaking you can maximize two of those things, but not all three; through some clever metallurgy, MagnaCut manages to bring all three to the same level,” explains Lead Design Engineer Peter Parker. “The toughness is similar to 420 stainless steel, which is considered excellent. You don’t have to sharpen it as much, or worry about corrosion. But, because MagnaCut is so strong, that also makes it very challenging to work with.”
Leatherman’s team took almost two years to develop the ARC, and a major part of that story was getting MagnaCut to behave in the way they needed. Additionally, this is the first Leatherman design to feature a thumbstud on the blade.
The MagnaCut blade is effective at slicing through a variety of materials. Hayley HelmsIt sliced through this paracord like butter. Hayley Helms
What tools are included on the ARC?
The ARC features 20 tools — some new for Leatherman, and some tried-and-true options. Standouts include the MagnaCut blade, awl, diamond-coated file and two bit drivers. Others tools include multiple pliers and wire cutters, a saw, an awl and scissors. The ARC also comes with a nylon sheath and an additional bit set.
Who is the ARC for?
Short answer: everyone. While Leatherman’s team did acknowledge that some of the tools in its lineup are made with specific uses and end users in mind, the ARC was born from consumer input and feedback from a wide variety of users, and as such, is truly the people’s multi-tool.
At $230, it’s admittedly higher priced than many of its competitors — but when you factor in the upgraded materials, design and platform, it starts to look more like a bargain than an investment. (For comparison, Kershaw’s Livewire is purely a pocket knife featuring MagnaCut steel, and its sale price is the same as the ARC’s.)
The small bit driver in action.Scott Seiver
What’s it like using the ARC?
I received my ARC a week prior to writing this piece, and while I’ve only briefly gotten to know the multi-tool, so far impressions are good.
The moment I held the ARC for the first time, I sensed it was different from any other multi-tool I’ve used in the past. The ARC’s action is smooth and the materials are simultaneously sleek and rugged. All of the tools can indeed be accessed with one hand, and although it only weighs 8.6 ounces, it feels hefty enough to tackle most jobs.
My favorite tools are the awl, the impact surface and of course the MagnaCut blade. The blade’s belly is ideal for slicing, while the modified tip helps add strength and durability. I found myself reaching for the ARC throughout the day — I used the small bit driver to repair a pair of eyeglasses, used the blade for cutting open packages and tried the bottle opener out for good measure. Each tool is strong on its own, but together, they make quite the powerhouse.
Last but not least, why is it called the ARC?
Though it seems like an acronym, it’s more symbolic than literal. “The name was on a long list of potential names, and it simmered to the top,” says Senior Product Manager Jeremy Rodriguez. Once the brand had a list of five strong name possibilities, Leatherman reached out to its testing community with the options, and ARC was the winner.
The name has multiple meanings: it symbolizes the sweep of a story (in this case, Leatherman’s), represents the way the tools move when opened and, at the end of the day, it just sounds plain cool.
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Japanese whisky may not have become popular in the West until this century, but the Japanese have been perfecting the art of Scotch-style whisky-making for a lot longer than that. 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the company known today as Suntory, which opened Japan’s first commercial whisky distillery, the Yamazaki Distillery, in 1923.
Over the course of the ensuing century, Yamazaki and other Japanese distilleries operated by Suntory, such as Hakushu and Chita, have gone on to make some of the most acclaimed and sought-after whiskies in the world — mostly of the single-malt variety but also some top-notch malt and grain whisky blends.
This year, Suntory has marked its 100th anniversary with a series of special releases. Some of these 100th Anniversary Editions are simply special celebratory bottles that contain otherwise standard bottles of whisky, such as the Hibiki Japanese Harmony and the Yamazaki and Hakushu 12-Year-Olds. That’s all fine and good for collectors, but for more interesting to whisky-drinkers are the new whiskies that have been cooked up as part of the celebration.
Of those, there are also three, from the same trio of product lines. There’s a version of Yamazaki 18-Year-Old single-malt that’s been aged exclusively in rare, expensive Mizunara oak casks for its entire 18-year maturation. There’s a peated malt version of Hakashu 18-Year-Old single malt. And finally, the crown jewel of the collection is a blend, which should sound pretty shocking to Scotch fans. For this blend of the already super-premium and sublime Hibiki 21-Year-Old, chief blender Shinji Fukuyo swapped out the traditional sherry casks used to age the whisky for Mizunara oak.
Curious to find out what a century spent in the pursuit of whiskey-making perfection tastes like, I secured a sample of all three Japanese whiskies in the Suntory 100th Anniversary Collection. Here’s what I thought of them.
All whiskeys were sampled neat from a whiskey tasting glass. To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
House of Suntory 100th Anniversary Limited Edition Whiskies: What We Think
I mean, what’s not to like? These are tweaked, extra-special versions of three premium whiskies from some of the best distilleries in the world aged between 18 and 21 years. Of course, they’re each astounding, but all in their own way. The Hakushu gives the best of Islay a run for their money in its mastery of peat smoke flavor, the Yamazaki shows why Mizunara oak is so hyped and the Hibiki proves that a blended whisky can be a truly transcendent experience when you have blenders who make it their life’s work to prove that point.
The downsides? There are two, and they go hand in hand: price and availability. The SRPs of the three bottles are eye-popping enough, ranging from $1,200 for the Hakushu to $5,000 for the Hibiki. But, like all hyped whiskies (and whiskeys), they’re impossible to purchase at retail, and buying all three on the secondhand market will set you back at least $15,000 — likely more. Is it worth it? It’s hard to argue that any whisky is, but these may come the closest of any absurdly pricey hooch I’ve tried.
Products in the Guide
Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt 100th Anniversary Edition
Nose: Yep, this is peated all right. Heavy peat smoke on the nose; I’m expecting a smoke bomb.
Palate: Not much smoke at all up top … but just wait. Upon first sip, it’s surprisingly sweet with notes of honey and plum; not at all what I was expecting. But on the backend the peat bludgeons you with intense waves of smoky, briny flavor. Eat your heart out, Islay.
Finish: This fills your mouth with smoke after swallowing — I half expected there to be a visible puff when I exhaled. If you’re not into heavily-peated whiskies, you probably won’t like this. I am, and I love it.
Suntory
Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt 100th Anniversary Edition
Nose: There’s quite a bit going on here, and it’s very sweet and rich. I mostly get apple, oak and a distinct resinous note.
Palate: Lots of smooth malt character; unsurprisingly it tastes like a well-aged — and expensive — single-malt Scotch. The big difference, of course, comes from the Mizunara, which here adds some incense and resin flavor. Overall this whisky tastes quite complex, bringing some good heat, bright fruity notes and a decent amount of spice.
Finish: Mostly oak on the finish with the faintest lingering burn.
Suntory
Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara 100th Anniversary Edition
Smooth may not be the most sophisticated word one can use to describe a whisky, but when a dram goes down this easy, it’s hard to come up with a better descriptor.Johnny Brayson
Nose: This smells very delicate and slightly floral, almost like sweet grass and making a good olfactory match to its straw-like color.
Palate: Very unique. Not only is there no discernible burn, but there’s almost a cooling sensation when drinking this whisky. Quite possibly the smoothest-drinking whisky I’ve ever experienced, and easily the smoothest blended whisky. Like the nose, the taste is delicate and floral, with a hint of sweet fruit and a delightful touch of coconut from Mizunara aging. A once-in-a-lifetime type of dram.
Finish: Clean and lip-smacking all at once, I’m both tempted to take another sip and save the rest of my meager one-ounce sample for a special occasion.
Just over a month before Rihanna made her pregnancy announcement in red Maison Margiela MM6 x Salomon Cross Lows during the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, StockX called Salomon the world’s fastest-growing sneaker brand. With a 2,227 percent increase in trades on the resale platform, it took the top spot by a landslide.
Launched in 1947, the brand was built for outdoor athletes. However, a decade ago, Salomon released the sneaker that would take the brand beyond being a favorite of hikers, trail runners and adventure folk: the XT-6.
“They’re my preference for a little more technical run — more rocky and hilly,” says David Jou, cofounder of the Manhattan-based physical therapy and fitness studio MotivNY. He remembers first seeing them on professional trail runners like Kílian Jornet. “He put Salomon on the map for trail enthusiasts like myself.”
In the last few years, the brand has done collaborations with Kith, Gore-Tex, and Costs and Children of the Discordance for the XT-6, but 2015’s Snowcross collab with a French boutique represents the brand’s first earnest foray into fashion.
Salomon
“Everybody thinks [Salomon] Sportstyle is three years old, and in reality, it’s become more available since early 2019.” says George Egan, Salomon’s North American director of Sportstyle. Although the official collection launched in 2018, “it was 2015 when The Broken Arm actually reached out,” Salomon’s North American director of Sportstyle, George Egan, says.
During 2016, the XT-6 made its runway debut for the Boris Bidjan Saberi menswear spring/summer ’17 show in Paris. Models wore versions that had been dyed yellow, but the designer himself sported a black pair.
Los Angeles-based brand consultant Dave Marshall first recalls seeing Shia LaBeouf in Salomon boots, but it was the Broken Arm collab and seeing Pusha T regularly wear the XT-6s through 2017 and 2018 that led him to purchase his first pair — limited edition S/LAB XT-6 Softgrounds in Beige. “I was working at Dover Street [Market in New York] at the time, and they seemed to be making their American invasion.” Marshall also recalls Throwing Fits podcasters Lawrence Schlossman and James Harris wearing them around the same time.
Journalist Jason Chen coined the term “gorpcore” in a 2017 story for The Cut, simply giving a name to fashion co-opting more utilitarian, outdoors apparel and footwear for aesthetic reasons over function.
“When the outdoor footwear trend grew, I think people were looking for things that were very technical looking and designed but not super ‘granola,’” says Bryan Diaz, Salomon’s Sportstyle marketing lead.
Then, in mid-2020, Americans were driven to spend more time outdoors following the initial periods of isolation as the Covid-19 pandemic spread worldwide. With the unprecedented unemployment and the rise in remote work, national parks across the US saw a sharp spike in visitation. This increase in people adventuring further into remote parts of the country made for an even wider adoption of both the outdoors lifestyle and the gear.
Salomon
Jou recalls his interest in trail running being accelerated by the pandemic, as well as seeing a lot more XT-6s moving around Soho.
“If I can credit New York, I feel New York started wearing them and we started seeing a lot of growth,” Diaz says.
“You can still get outside in the city. It could be walking down the street and hanging at your local coffee shop or going to the park with friends,” Egan says. “That’s the beauty of where Sportstyle sits within our ecosystem — there’s absolutely no guardrails.”
In 2013, Salomon didn’t set out to expand into streetwear. The XT-6 was and remains function first and gimmickless, different from a lot of hype shoes in the sneaker space today. It’s the best selling Salomon silhouette on StockX and makes up a little over half of the trades on the platform. “A large part of their success had to do with the people who embraced them and the culture. People just thought the shoe was cool,” Marshall says.
“And it actually is.”
Gear Patrol
A version of this story first appeared in Gear Patrol Magazine. Subscribe today
Welcome to Today in Gear’s Best of 2023. Consider this the People’s Choice Awards of this column: the top ten most-clicked products from January to now. This year, everyday carry was a clear theme, with knives, watches, tech accessories and even a carabiner making a strong showing. We also longed for summer days, with grilling goodies, water shoes, a lawn-care kit and a rooftop tent on the list. Enjoy this roundup of your favorites from 2023, and keep checking Today in Gear to see what innovative, stylish and smart products will come in 2024. Happy New Year!
Today in Gear is our daily roundup of all the latest product announcements, drops and news from Gear Patrol Studios. Send your most pressing product questions to [email protected].
10. Pichi Design Kootenay Carabiner
PICHI DESIGN
A carabiner is a carabiner, right? Wrong. This Kickstarter, funded in part by Gear Patrol readers earlier this year, proved it. Pichi Design took an object created for climbers and co-opted for everyday use and redesigned it from the ground up with EDC in mind. Its two-design is inspired by the Canadian Rockies, and both areas are easy to access with an overlapping partition lever. A clip on the back means you can attach it wherever you need, in whatever way you need.
Vaer makes rugged, reasonably priced timepieces that are instant classics, and one of the best examples of that may be the S5 Tactical Field watch. With a modern look that nods to vintage WWII-era military style, an illuminated, blacked-out dial and legible Arabic numerals and date window, this is a watch you can reach for every day.
When it comes to rooftop tents, lighter is better. Especially when that 110-pound package is still waterproof, insulated, spacious, comfortable and can be set up and torn down in less than 30 seconds. With engineering like this, it’s no wonder Freespirit’s 2023 update to its legendary Aspen series was a hit with readers.
In the spring, The James Brand dropped their most minimal EDC knife yet. It’s a full-sized knife that’s thinner than a pack of gum and still doesn’t skimp on the important details: a comfortable and customizable handle and a Swedish steel blade available in both serrated and straight styles. The key ring attachment also doubles as a flathead screwdriver, scraper and pry-bar.
We trust Keen to make comfortable, practical shoes that are always adventure ready, and in 2023 they expanded the selection of this high-traction, quick-drying, fully machine washable staple shoe. With so many options to choose from, you’re sure to find the colorway you’re, well, keen on.
This grill-ready Himalayan Salt Plate was a hit with readers when we wrote about it back in April, but we firmly believe that it’s never too early to start planning for summer. This visually stunning salt slab will infuse anything you cook with rich flavor and offers a dramatic presentation for your steaks, burgers and kabobs. In the meantime, there’s no reason you couldn’t use it indoors.
Speaking of planning for summer, Sunday’s Kickstarter Kit is primed to set you up for success. With two fertilizers formulated to give your grass everything it needs and an herbicide that lives up to its Dandelion Doom name, you can start dreaming of lush green even in the midst of a winter wonderland.
An everyday watch packed with extraordinary features, Jack Mason’s Hydrotimer Dive Watch dropped in April and has stood the test of time. Accurate to within five seconds a day and capable of reaching depths up to 300 meters, with a screw-down crown and a 42-hour power reserve, this is truly a piece you can rely on.
This folder is the creme-de-la-creme of EDC knives. Its tactical build is made to withstand a wide range of conditions, and its 3.1-inch titanium-coated D2 steel blade is sharp, precise and easily accessible. This is a no-frills, no-nonsense knife that’s still comfortable and capable. You won’t want to go anywhere without it.
Sometimes the best products are the ones that seamlessly solve an everyday dilemma, and Plugable’s adapter for the MacBook is just that. With this hub, you’ll never have to choose what to unplug. Take your machine from two USB-C ports to five — including a USB-C, two standard USBs, a headphone jack and an ethernet port – while still leaving room for your MagSafe charger.
From affordable to luxury, it was a banner year for purpose-built watches.
Presented ByCitizen
Published
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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.
Nothing beats a good dive watch or tool watch. Rugged, good-looking and built with purpose, these are the timepieces we know we can count on in practically any situation. In 2023, there were dozens of newly introduced models that got our attention. From retro reissues and the continued downsizing of case diameters to unexpected complications and innovative materials, the following 14 dive watches and tool watches impressed us the most over the past year.
Citizen has been making powerful dive watches for decades. In 1983, a Citizen watch washed up on an Australian beach, still ticking despite being covered in barnacles. That seaworthy timepiece inspired the Promaster Dive Automatic. This model has a screw-down crown and 200-meter water-resistance. The Super Titanium™ black case has visual heft but a light feel, and the bright luminous hands and markers pop against the graduated gray dial. Sporty, technical and high-performance: This is a watch that lives up to its Citizen’s legacy.
In 2023, Tudor introduced an entirely new (and unexpected) line within its popular Black Bay collection. Referencing the Tudor Submariner reference 7922 from 1954, the Black Bay 54 feels like a Tudor for vintage purists thanks to its no-date dial and 37mm diameter, and it boasts enough changes to make it feel like more than merely a downsized Black Bay 58. In addition to being a killer new diver from one of the top dive watch brands, the 54 may be the harbinger of more midsize divers.
Rising from the ashes in 2023 was one of Seiko’s most beloved vintage sports watches in a new, modern guise. The Navigator Timer GMT, which was the Japanese brand’s first GMT with a rotating bezel back in 1968, returned as the ref. SPB411 in Seiko’s higher-end Prospex line. The new watch keeps the size close to the original (thankfully) while offering numerous upgrades such as a modern automatic movement, a sapphire crystal and increased water resistance.
Longines has a number of models that could potentially qualify as its “flagship” watch (though, ironically, the Flagship probably isn’t one of them), but we’d probably give the nod to the Legend Diver. For over 15 years, it’s acted as the perfect bridge between the brand’s storied past and increasingly exciting future, and this year it got a major overhaul with a number of welcome adjustments, including a crowd-pleasing 39mm case size, vastly improved lume, COSC certification and a true bracelet.
Unimatic took its signature Modello Uno diver in a less minimalist and more capable direction with its new ProDiver, which replaces the brand’s typical sterile black bezel with a maximalist timing bezel with markers at every minute. The bezel insert is in brushed ceramic with fully lumed numerals in blue, matching the blue-glowing minute hand, while the other hands and indices of the dial all glow orange. The watch, powered by a Swiss automatic movement from Sellita, comes in two variants: one rated to 300m and one to 500m, respectively.
For years, Zodiac has been making quirky, often shockingly colorful variants of its historic and otherwise down-to-earth dive watches. Recently, though, the brand has been getting even more far-out, with 2023 watches including a skeletonized rainbow-bezeled Sea Wolf and another laser tag-themed version that glows under a black light. But our favorite may be this colorful diver with a case composed of a unique ceramic shell around a steel inner core.
There’s so much that’s interesting about the Vulcain Cricket Nautical. It features a rotating dial controlled by the 4 o’clock crown and a mechanical alarm (the thing for which Vulcain is best known) that’s audible underwater for use when diving. Like other watches from Guillaume Laidet’s relaunched brands, the Nautical resurrects a design from 1961 (though it’s not the first reissue since then) — and the purpose behind that unusual dial design is meant to help determine divers’ decompression times.
The Tissot Sideral S offers striking retro style and several bright colors that should make it a go-to for every summer going forward, but it’s also got a backstory. Back in the 1970s, the original Sideral was the first watch to feature a case made of fiberglass. In the same vein of alternative materials, the modern version has a case made of forged carbon fiber — and although it’s not breaking new ground to use carbon material in watches, it is notable for its price point. That colorful scale on the dial (echoed on the bezel)? That’s a regatta (yacht race) timer, just for the fun of it.
Citizen is strong in dive watches (you know, for actual diving), but the Promaster Dive Automatic is especially watch-enthusiast-friendly. Why? It’s pretty much got it all. A higher-tier (Miyota 9000 series) automatic movement, premium materials like titanium and sapphire crystal and interesting proprietary tech with the brand’s own “Super Titanium” scratch-resistant hardening. It’s also got a story, as the modern model is based on a watch recovered from the ocean in 1983, still ticking. We can’t help but be excited about this version in a sleek, black DLC coating on a full bracelet.
After disappearing from the brand’s catalog five years ago, the Marinemaster is back on a dial at Seiko — and it’s a pretty big deal. Worthy of its storied moniker, the Prospex Marinemaster is intended to be Seiko’s new flagship diver, taking stylistic cues from the 62MAS diver from 1965 but offering a number of modern improvements. First and foremost is the 6L37 slimline movement, which makes this the thinnest automatic dive watch from the brand. And in another first, you can see the movement — no other Seiko diver has an exhibition caseback. Finally, the bracelet is all new and is finished to a level we’re definitely not used to seeing on Seiko divers.
We were excited when Longines launched the original Zulu Time in its pilot-oriented Spirit collection two years ago. But with a 42mm diameter and longish lugs, we thought to ourselves, “This would be absolutely killer if only it were a little smaller.” Now, the Zulu Time comes in those ideal proportions we dreamt of, making it one of the easiest GMT watches to recommend at its price point (and even above) with features like a ceramic bezel insert, a chronometer-certified traveler’s GMT movement and even a two-tone option in steel and yellow gold.
A bezel decorated with city names doesn’t make this dive watch an actual worldtime watch. But what you do have is an incredibly captivating look based on a legit vintage model, with GMT functionality, a funky and colorful decompression scale and excellent sizing at 40.5mm. It also comes in two equally delightful colorways for pretty reasonable prices.
Zenith completely reinvented its pilot collection this year. Gone is the classic look that nods to early 20th-century watches, and in its place is a distinctly modern, lifestyle-oriented watch. Yet, it retains nods to the classical design and convincingly recalls the brand’s aviation history. In addition to this handsome and well-finished time-only version, there’s a flyback chronograph variant, and both are available in steel or ceramic cases.
In 2023, Omega released an entire range of watches in its Seamaster collection, each with a gradient blue dial to celebrate the line’s 75th anniversary. Whereas the color was the main novelty for most of the watches, the Ploprof got its first new model in years, and it features a monobloc case in the brand’s O-Megasteel alloy that’s been sized down from the previous generation (by 3mm, vertically). We hope it’ll be only the first of a revived collection of this funky watch we can’t help but love.
Rolex finally released the titanium Yacht-Master many had anticipated since a prototype was spotted in 2021. It comes on a full (RLX) titanium bracelet and takes the otherwise swanky, yachting-themed collection in a decidedly sportier and more tool-watch direction with a monochromatic, Submariner-like aesthetic. Lightweight, tough and sporty, the watch points to an exciting new future for The Crown.
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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.
Did you know that this past Thanksgiving, the TSA recorded the highest number of travelers ever in a single day? Yeah, that really happened. And if trends are continuing in this fashion, the next year (and perhaps the year after that) could be even bigger for travel. Of course, travel is done best when you’ve got a good bag or two to get you and your gear from point A to point B (and all those points in between). Thankfully, it’s been a very good year for bag and luggage releases, and we’ve rounded up the best of the best right here.
This bombshell of a release marks the first collaboration with country superstar Chris Stapleton and the revival of one of Filson’s best archival designs. This bag is emblematic of the collaboration as a whole, with vegetable-tanned leather (courtesy of Pennsylvania’s fabled Wickett & Craig), water-resistant Rugged Twill fabric and plenty of utilitarian storage options.
Quince’s small capsule of hard-sided luggage just dropped, and it’s the first time in a while I can remember finding quality luggage for under $150. For $129, you get a polycarbonate suitcase with Japanese-crafted wheels and an internal compression system. A steal, if you ask me.
Mission Workshop’s Notch Modular Sling Pack can be worn across your chest or around your hips, making it ideal for bike rides but also long hikes, when there may be another bag on your back.
There’s pack light, and then there’s pack really light. Rimowa’s reissued Pilot Case forces you to pack less, but it helps you make the most of the internal storage space with dedicated pockets, a divider and even a water bottle slot.
Herschel, a brand better known for its soft-sided bags, debuted a new line of hardshell luggage. This bag in particular — the carry-on — is simple, sturdy and ready to be stuffed to the brim.
When Dior previewed its Mystery Ranch collab, plenty were surprised — us included. Mystery Ranch is a known name in outdoor gear, but not high fashion accessories. Sadly, it looks like this collab is no longer available to purchase.
Adsum’s new spring collection features an assortment of stylish bags, but none are quite as good as this Zip Tote, which is techy, sure, but easy to use and even easier to carry, even when fully loaded. While the purple colorway is sold out, it’s still available in green and tan.
Bag brand Eastpak and high-end luxury label A-COLD-WALL collaborated on a suite of cool bags, including this speckled helmet bag, which works as a tote or, as the name implies, a home base for your bike helmet.
Filson’s limited-edition Rugged Twill Duffle Bag is a stylish carryall for those still on the go all times of the year. This option from Filson comes in a subdued but eye-catching camo print that brings a tactical, natural vibe to any airport ensemble.
Bellroy’s new Tokyo Crossbody is a sleek carryall for anyone needing one bag to tote all their essentials. This option comes in three colors and uses 100% recycled nylon for a bag that will add refinement to any ensemble.
Time-tested, fan-favorite boot brand Thursday has taken its leather-clad expertise from the tarmac to the boardroom with this top-grain messenger bag. Complete with a 16-inch laptop pouch, it has everything you need to haul your daily necessities (and more).
Past years have seen EVs produce some eye-popping numbers in terms of range and power, but 2023 was all about making EVs more affordable and atainable to average American buyers. People looking to spend about the price of an average new car — a figure that now hovers around $48,000 — now have far more (and more compelling) electric options than ever before.
Here are the most notable new electric vehicles of 2023.
Hyundai followed up the Ioniq 5 with the Ioniq 6 — and won the World Car of the Year for the second year in a row with it. The Ioniq 6 has a drag coefficient of just 0.219, slipperiness only just shy of electric luxury machines like the Lucid Air, Tesla Model S and Mercedes-Benz EQS. Unlike those, however, you can get one for less than $50,000.
Family-friendly EVs have been few and far between, especially at prices mere mortals can afford. Kia is aiming to change that with the all-new EV9 crossover. It has three rows and boxy good looks, can provide more than 300 miles of range, and it starts under $60,000.
Polestar revamped the base version of its Polestar 2 for 2024. It now offers rear-wheel-drive for better driving dynamics (the previous entry-level 2 was front-wheel-drive) and receives a bump up to 320 miles of range and 299 horsepower. With a starting price around $50,000 and great lease deals aplenty, it’s one of the best values on the EV market right now.
Volvo used 2023 to launch the EX30, the brand’s “small premium” electric SUV. It’s pint-sized, sure, but it offers a solid 270 miles of range, starts under $35,000 — and in top spec (which still costs under $50,000), it can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, the same time as the Kia EV6 GT.
The Cybertruck finally entered production … after debuting in 2019. And the Blade Runner-inspired electric pickup is nothing if not notable. The Cybertruck’s claimed range (340 miles) and max towing (11,000 pounds) numbers aren’t as game-changing as anticipated, and its off-roading acumen remains to be seen. But it can still accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 2.6 seconds, and hey, its doors can stop handgun bullets.
The Genesis Electrified GV70 looks about as much like the standard GV70 as possible, without so much as an EV badge to distinguish itself. (That’s no bad thing, given how good-looking the GV70 is.) But you know which GV70 you’re in once you’re behind the wheel when the 483 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque launch the Electrified GV70 off the line like an absolute rocket. It’s also the fastest-charging EV you can buy.
A lot of EV startups show off cool new cars, but Fisker finally put the Ocean into production this year. It has unique features like “California Mode,” which drops eight glass panels to make it a convertible at the push of a button. And it’s still reasonably affordable for an EV with a starting price under $50,000 and available lease deals.
We’ve been waiting for the e-Force AWD Nissan Ariya for quite a while, and Nissan finally delivered it. The midsize Ariya is much livelier in dual-motor form, with 389 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque for Brie Larson to play with. It has a cool interior. It’s pleasant and easy to drive. And it’s a lot closer to what American buyers need than a Nissan Leaf.
The Chevy Blazer EV brings GM’s Ultium platform (at least a bit) closer to the masses. Granted, a $60,000 starting price for a two-row Chevy crossover that doesn’t pack a V8 is notable; then again, so is being the first car in a long while to offer front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions. With sporty looks and legit performance from the SS version, the Blazer should be Chevy’s answer to the Ford Mustang Mach E.
The Fiat 500e is returning to America, and this time it’s about more than compliance. The 500e will bring an “immersive Italian experience” by singing to pedestrians and feature limited edition product drops like Fiat is the hottest fashion label. And 149 miles may not be much range by many standards, but it. may be just enough to make the 500e a credible city commuter.
In 2023, Lexus finally launched its first electric car, the RZ 450e. The Toyota bZ4X sibling feels very much like a Lexus with a comfortable ride and a luxurious, spacious interior. And it debuts Lexus’s fancy Steer-by-Wire tech for EVs (Americans weren’t to be trusted not to make an acronym out of the name used elsewhere,”One Motion Grip”). We just wish it were a bit better at being an EV and offered a bit (well, a lot) more range.
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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.
Many things changed in 2023, but one thing that remained the same was the knife and EDC world’s ability to churn out stunning and sharp masterpieces every month. Whether super steel appeared in a top-notch multi-tool, or some of our favorite pocket knives became customizable, the common theme was making good things even better, and raising the bar when it comes to what our tools can do.
You’ll see some tried-and-true brands on this list but also some lesser-known names. Innovation can happen at any level, from global brands to indie knifemakers in private studios. The following items stood out in a sea of sharp and pointy contenders.
The ARC is a dramatic reinterpretation of the brand’s classic multi-tool design, highlighted by the modified drop-point CPM-MagnaCut blade, the bit drivers, the diamond-coated file and a combination pry bar/bottle opener/flathead screwdriver.
The James Brand’s first back flipper mixes classic design cues with some new features for TJB — notably, the use of a button-lock flipper. Developed after years of ideating on a back flipper design, it’s “a knife aficionado’s kind of knife” — with the price point to match.
A threat to Benchmade’s iconic Bugout, the new USA-made Assert is pleasantly tactile, features a S30V plain edge blade and at 1.87 ounces, won’t weigh down your pocket (and it’ll stay put thanks to the deep-carry pocket clip). Other useful features include the adjustable thumb stud, ambidextrous pivot lock and single-handed operation.
This year brought us the ability to customize the little bro of Benchmade’s standout EDC folder. Beyond myriad colors and materials, you can upload images to truly make yours one of a kind — and deploy that 2.82-inch, S30V steel blade in style.
The features of this exceptional knife include a CPM-MagnaCut steel drop-point blade, Micarta scales, ambidextrous Slide-Lock, titanium pocket clip and more. If you want your very own USA-made workhorse knife, this is certainly a contender for the best currently available.
This funky folder features the same one-handed kinematic opening system as its talon-like predecessor — albeit with a D2 blade better suited to everyday tasks like opening boxes and slicing apples. It’s also the most haptically satisfying knife we’ve tried in years.
This full-tang bushcraft knife boasts a versatile, high-quality steel drop-point blade along with a grippy handle. It also has a spine and sheath made to help with starting fires — perfect for survival usage.
Editor’s note: The Venture Fixed Blade Knife is currently sold out, but you can sign up for restock notifications here.
Gerber finally took one of its most pocket-friendly multi-tools and turned it into an outdoor- and adventure-ready offering with the Armbar Scout, adding a saw blade, hammer tail cap, can opener and more.
The first CRKT collaboration with survivalist and custom knife maker Kaila Cumings, the Bugsy is a small fixed-blade knife with big capabilities thanks to its ergonomic Micarta handle and curved, full-tang 1095 carbon steel blade.
With its modular, magnetic functionality making it possible to create the exact configuration of functions you need on the fly, Windeler has been disrupting the EDC space since 2020 — and it’s cool tools are now much more widely available thanks to Huckberry.
This year, the incomparable Quintin Middleton launched a smaller version of the popular ONA folding chef’s knife on Kickstarter, and it quickly surpassed its funding goal. The 3.5-inch S35VN stainless steel blade looks great for cooking, camping, hunting and more.
Vosteed’s second collab with Rob Saniscalchi is inspired by Adam Haritan’s mushroom-loving YouTube channel. Forage-friendly highlights include a 2.99-inch N690 steel sheepsfoot blade, crossbar lock, dual pocket carry positions and ergonomic aluminum scales.
Case’s Modern EDC collection is a bold departure from its bevy of more traditional offerings. Available in four colors, this lively 4.5-ounce flipper boasts a lightweight anodized aluminum handle, 3.2-inch S35VN drop point blade, reversible pocket clip and liner lock.
With its reliable slicing and wine bottle-opening capabilities, the No.10 Corkscrew knife was already great for picnics. Now Opinel has taken it to the next level by adding a clever beer bottle opener to the end of the handle.
For the third time, WESN’s tiny, keychain-compatible frame lock folding knife has been redesigned — this time, with feedback taken from years of customer input. It now has a removable thumb stud, an improved pocket clip and a choil redesign.
This titanium treasure packs a surprising amount of functions into a typical keychain carabiner form factor: bottle opener, hex wrench, spoke wrench and hidden utility blade. An innovative spring design hooks easily on your belt loop, and it quick-releases your keys too.
This Kickstarter gem completely reimagines the utility knife concept with a casing that’s entirely free of screws. A study in minimalism, it’s composed of just three pieces total: a back, a top and a blade housing. Yet the mysterious way it deploys and retracts is truly a wonder to behold.
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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.
Recovery is every bit as important as exercise — at least, if you want to do the latter right. Building strength and endurance requires pushing your body, but it also requires letting your body relax and rebuild afterwards. Too many of us forget that part, or at least let it languish in comparison.
After all, setting new PRs, hefting mighty weights and achieving great speeds brings feelings of glory; settling in for a massage afterwards feels indulgent, even weak. Perhaps that’s why so many recovery products seem angled to be aggressive: we don’t use massage devices; we use massage guns; we don’t take a cold bath; we do a cold plunge.
There’s no need to beat ourselves up about recovery, though. And with these fascinating, revolutionary or just plain cool products we came across this year, you’ll find recovery can be even more seamless and easy — no aggression required.
With this latest generation of the Theragun Pro, Therabody appears to have made one massage gun with an arsenal’s worth of recovery. The all-new Pro Plus features percussive therapy, near infrared light therapy, vibration therapy, heat therapy and breathwork in one single device.
This innovative wearable harnesses the power of both LED and laser technology to more effectively penetrate your cells. The banded silhouette is designed to be worn across your knee and other joints, delivering inflammation-relieving light via three Bluetooth-connected modules. It’s simple, intuitive and great for at-home recovery.
Trudging through snow or hitting the slopes can be tough on your joints — as can your normal training regimen — so it’s pivotal to recover with the right tools. This impressive, comfortable sleeve from Hydragun combines heat and vibration therapy for the sake of helping alleviate tightness, soreness, stiffness and pain.
Boasting a slew of more than 8,800 nails spread across 29 inches of vertical height for approachable treatment, this mat is designed to deliver exceptional benefits for new and experienced athletes alike. It’s a great treatment for both post-workout pains and anxierty treatment,
The Ice Barrel is a solid way to dive into cold immersion therapy. While it lacks the bells and whistles found on more advanced models, such as a chiller pump, its space-saving upright design and affordability make it a good pick for any athlete.
In 2023, our favorite budget BCAA powder unveiled a new collaboration with Airheads to bring the candy flavors of your millennial youth to your workouts and recovery of today. While you can enjoy the three new flashback flavors anytime, we find the lack of stimulants in the powder lends it best to intra- and post-workout use.
This new recovery device is designed to target the eyes and head to help alleviate facial tension, relieve eye strain, decrease headache intensity and relax the mind for improved sleep by utilizing heat, vibration and massage modalities. It’s a niche product, but one that’s offering up a great way to escape the trials of daily stress; comfort is apparent, and the added benefit of the companion app makes choosing the right use case a breeze.
This innovative new wearable forgoes the typical wires and bulky equipment found with electrical stimulation therapy while still delivering the desired result, even enabling users to wear it while conducting other activities. It’s not quite a proper substitute for larger, wired alternatives, but it’s a great fit for when you’re on the go or routinely partake in competitive athletics.
Let your walls act as a second set of hands with this innovative release from Symbodi. As the world’s first wall-mounted massage gun, the Vertigun keeps the percussive head in one location as you move your body across its path for more efficient relief and tension release. Plus, the industry-strength airlock mount is portable and can easily hold onto any smooth, non-porous surface for smooth recovery wherever you roam.
Therabody’s no stranger to innovation in the recovery space, and this hot, cold and contrast therapy device promises to alleviate any post-workout woes. Using the brand’s proprietary Cryothermal Technology, the RecoveryTherm Cube utilizes optimal temperatures and time limits for consistent, effective results. Choose from the three preset modes and put those aches on ice (or heat, or both). Learn more about the Therabody RecoveryTherm Cube here.
Your shoulders need love too, and this innovative Hyperice silhouette can help you regain shoulder mobility, relieve pain and restore your quality of life through its use of contrast therapy. By combining the effects of hot and cold treatment, the Hyperice X Shoulder is designed to reduce swelling and increase blood flow to this pivotal joint.
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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.
Newness in men’s clothing doesn’t often come in the form of groundbreaking fresh designs or flashy fabrics. More often than not, heritage brands slowly iterate on classic designs, adding purpose-built features and materials when appropriate. New brands frequently reimagine the same classic designs, adding a different perspective to something familiar. The most interesting new clothing clothing of 2023 is a study of subtle, tasteful design — check out our favorites below.
I’ve been bullish on this Buck Mason PCH Jacket since it was teased on the brand’s site at the end of 2022. It’s out now, though, and it’s as good as it looks: soft, supple sheepskin leather formed into a classic, zip-front design.
Argyle but grunge, Jelado’s newest mohair cardigan is inspired by Kurt Cobain and actually named after his band’s song “Breed,” the fourth track on Nirvana’s seminal record, Nevermind.
Want a hefty flannel? Look no further than Studio D’Artisan’s full-on flannel jacket, which is made from heavyweight, Indigo dyed jacquard check woven fabric. It comes with stacked pockets, taped seams, bartack reinforcements and is finished with reproduction melamine buttons.
It’s rare that two brands truly mesh. Collaborations, you see, are often just for show — to stir up interest in what the two brands are doing independently. But 18East and Earth Studies really clicked, as you can see by these patterned Field Pants.
With the season finale of HBO’s The Last of Us still on our minds, we’re thinking about fungi. So is Cactus Store, as you can see. The shop reissued its Taxa Sweatshirt 9, which showcases insects zombified by cordyceps fungi, the same strain that triggers the apocalypse in the show.
Harley Davidson hit reset on its apparel arm. The brand introduced HD Collections, a hub for higher-end Harley gear spearheaded by Yeezy alum Louise Goldin.
Sneakersnstuff continues to prove it’s so much more than just a sneaker store — hence the “nstuff.” Its in-house line, SNS Seasonals, continues to grow, too. These Field Pants are pretty damn good.
Todd Snyder and Champion collaborated on a line of relaxed separates to merge the worlds of fashion and sports. This hoodie has an oversized fit and comes in four colors.
As the winter rolls in, a puffer is your best friend, but a jacket is only worth a damn if you actually want to wear it. With Canadian origin White Duck Down, you won’t be sacrificing warmth for style.
With reflective heat transfer graphics on the chest and sleeve and made from midweight Terry fabric, the Reigning Champ X Norda Crewneck is technically for running, but just as good for staying put.
Most fleeces are bad for the environment. They’re often made from virgin plastics, and they shed, releasing microplastics into our water streams. Aether’s well-made Walsh Full-Zip is built from recycled polyester, bypassing raw materials for reused ones.
A style from Fay’s archive reproduced for today, the 4 Ganci jacket is an icon from the ’80s, albeit with tweaks to make it appropriate for today. The hook fastenings remain, but the outer shell is made from coated slub canvas, which gives it waterproof capabilities. This is outerwear at its finest.
Inspired by ancient Japanese samurai craftsmanship, Vollebak’s latest releases — a Sashiko jacket and sweatshirt — mark another achievement in the brand’s quest to make the most durable, long-lasting, sustainable apparel. Designed to last as long as possible, each is crafted from 100 percent high-grade jacquard cotton and boasts up to 1 million meta-aramid reinforcement stitches.
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Nathan Myhrvold almost fainted. “What?” he said, “that can’t be right.”
After a series of escalating experiments, Myhrvold had proven what he thought was nonsense: the best way to make a steak juicier is to punch a bunch of holes in it.
Myhrvold is the founder of an invention company, a former CTO of Microsoft and a peer-reviewed physicist. Recently, he’s the founder of Modernist Cuisine, a culinary lab and food research institution in Bellevue, Washington that publishes its own cookbooks. Following his deep dive into moisture levels in meat, Myhrvold became a strong believer in punching holes in a steak before cooking it. His choice tool: Jaccard’s affordable tenderizer.
“It’s just a white brick with a bunch of tiny knives. You punch it down on a steak before cooking — pchunkpchunkpchunk — and the final product will be better than it would’ve otherwise been,” Myhrvold said.
Myhrvold says the magic is in the muscle fibers. As you cook a piece of meat, you cause all the fibers that connect the muscle together to rapidly contract. When they contract, he says, it’s “a little like wringing out a wet washcloth.” The Jaccard tenderizer’s job is the stop this from happening.
“The little knives cut those little fibers, so when those fibers shrink with the heat, the meat is squeezing itself less effectively,” Myhrvold explains. “This is also why the ‘oh, you’re searing to seal in the juices!’ is total bullshit. Searing naturally dries the meat out.”
In his tests, steaks tenderized with the Jaccard retained 20 percent more fluid than those that didn’t. Happy grilling.
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Want a great-looking, retro-styled, ultra-affordable mechanical watch? We’re constantly recommending a Timex Marlin. What exactly that looks like, though, can range from funky ’60s style dials to dressy to Snoopy. This unique Marlin, however, offers something new for the collection — and a feature unusual among ultra-affordable watches.
You don’t really find complications among watches at the sub-$300 price level, but that’s what the new Timex Marlin Sub-Dial Automatic offers. The name says a lot: it features an automatic Miyota8217 (or similar) movement with a sub-dial displaying the current hours in 24-hour format — not to be confused with a second time zone. This is an extremely simple complication, sure, but it does add some interest, a unique look and perhaps even some utility.
Timex
The case shape is also new for the collection, which until now has featured only classically round designs. Thanks to C-shaped curves and polished bevels contrasting with brushed surfaces, the overall effect is that of a thoughtful, restrained design with a clean but retro appeal. This is exactly the type of formula with which Timex has recently won over even snooty collectors — and it shows that a lot of features associated with high-end watches don’t necessarily demand the hefty price tags.
All that sounds just fine, but is it a clumsy 43mm wide? Nope. They got the sizing just right, too, at 39mm, which should make it suitable for a dressy or everyday watch. The Timex Marlin Automatic Sub-Dial comes in variants of silver or black dials with leather straps for an MSRP of $269.
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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.
As per usual, a ton of new smartphones and accessories launched this past year. Now that 2023 is just about done and dusted, here are the most innovative and eye-opening releases, as researched and reviewed by our team.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the fifth-generation foldable smartphone in Samsung’s “Flip” series. Samsung gave it a bunch of internal upgrades, but the biggest physical change is that the small cover screen on the front of the smartphone is 3.78 times bigger than the one on last year’s Flip 4 — so you can do a lot more without having to flip the smartphone open.
Apple gave its more affordable line of iPhones a brighter screen with the Dynamic Island notch, which was previously only available on the Pro models. These smartphones have also been updated with an improved camera system and, maybe most significantly, a USB-C charging port.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have a couple of key upgrades over their iPhone 14 predecessors. They have a customizable Action button, a new titanium case, a USB-C charging port, Apple’s new A17 Pro chip and an upgraded camera system. The Pro Max also has a 5x telephoto lens.
Moment’s T-Series of lenses are designed to get more out of your smartphone’s camera. Compared to its existing M-Series, which has been around since 2017, the T-Series all have thicker glass for better optics and are bigger to better fit today’s smartphones. There are eight lenses in the T-Series, ranging from $120 to $150.
Released this past May, the Pixel Fold is Google’s first foldable smartphone. When closed, it works as a 5.8-inch smartphone. When opened, it transforms into a 7.6-inch tablet. It’s powered by the same Tensor G2 chip as Google’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro smartphones.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is the company’s new “best of the best” flagship smartphone. It has the biggest and brightest display, the biggest battery and the best camera system (now with a 200MP sensor), and it comes with an embedded S Pen stylus for note-taking.
The Pixel 8 is the company’s new baseline smartphone. Compared to last year’s Pixel 7, the Pixel 8 has a brighter screen with a higher refresh rate (now up to 120Hz), faster charging and Google’s new Tensor G3 chip, plus an improved main camera. The downside is that Google increased its starting price. It also comes with the promise of seven years of OS updates.
The Pixel 8 Pro is the company’s new high-end smartphone. It’s the same size and looks mostly the same as its predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro, but the Pixel 8 Pro has improved cameras, a brighter screen, a next-gen Tensor G3 chip and a lot more software tricks. As with the Pixel 8, Google has promised an unprecedented seven years of OS updates.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the newest foldable smartphone in Samsung’s higher-end and more-productivity-focused Fold series. It’s not that much different from last year’s Fold 4, but it has upgraded internals and a slimmer, lighter and more pocketable design.
Belkin’s 2-in-1 MagSafe charging stand for your iPhone and Apple Watch is exclusively being sold by Apple. It has a minimalist design and is available in two neutral colors: sand or charcoal. It’s one of the most elegant MagSafe chargers we saw all year.
Google’s second-generation smartwatch looks identical to the original Pixel Watch, but it packs a much improved processor, a bunch of new sensors (including barometer, magnetometer and a skin temperature sensor) and up to 24 hours of battery life with its always-on display turned on.
Apple’s second-generation Ultra smartwatch looks identical to its predecessor, but it boasts several key updates under the hood. It has a 2x brighter screen, a much faster chipset and it supports new-age features like gesture controls and on-device Siri processing. Of course, it might also be impossible to get.
Nomad’s first MagSafe car mount has a slick all-black design — very similar to the company’s Stand One MagSafe charging stand — and comes with an 18-watt USB-C car adapter so you can fast charge your iPhone. (Nomad also announced the Mount, which looks the same, costs $45, but can’t charge your iPhone.)
The Series 9 looks identical to last year’s Series 8, but Apple has given it a brighter display and its fancy S9 processor, the latter of which enables new features like double-tap gesture controls and on-device Siri processing. The Series 9 is also Apples’s first-ever carbon neutral product. Like the Ultra 2, it might also be impossible to get.
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is essentially a larger version of the Galaxy Watch 6; it’s available in 43mm and 47mm sizes. Samsung had skipped a year of releasing a “Classic” version of its smartwatch, but this year’s model is a pretty big deal because it marks the return of what used to be a signature feature for a Samsung smartwatch: a physical rotating bezel.
The Nothing Phone (2) is the company’s first Android smartphone to be available in the United States. It looks very similar to its predecessor, last year’s Phone (1), but boasts higher-end specs and an upgraded and more customizable LED lighting notification system on its back.
The Stand One is probably the most elegant wireless charging stand that fully supports MagSafe. It’s unique because it’s a made of really premium materials — a solid metal body paired with a glass top — and weighs just over a pound, so it doesn’t lift up every time you go to grab your iPhone. It’s available in silver or black (carbide).
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the smallest and most affordable of the company’s three new flagship smartphones. It has a 6.1-inch display and the same triple rear camera system as the Ultra, except the main camera has a 50-megapixel sensor instead of the Ultra’s 200-megapixel sensor).
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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.
2023 has been kind of a wild year for footwear, with releases running the gamut between bizarre, never-bef0re-seen styles, iconic revivals and everything in-between. But whether you’re a fashion-forward trendsetter or an only-the-classics curmudgeon, there’s probably been something released that suits you perfectly. And we can prove it with our collection of the best new boots, sneakers and shoes of 2023.
These boots spread like wildfire when they were first announced, appearing on the streets, courtside at basketball games and all over social media. The BRB (Big Red Boots) — inspired by Astro Boy — are one of MSCHF’s latest internet-breaking projects. Whether they’re your cup of tea or not, they clearly caught on. There’s even a Crocs version.
A truly polarizing pair of sneakers, the Tiffany x Air Force 1 1837 dropped via Tiffany and select retailers on March 7th after months of teasing and previewing. And it promptly sold out. If you want a pair now, you’ll have to pay the eye-watering resale price, which is now over $1,500.
Two great companies based in the Northwest teamed up on a collab that pays homage to a pivotal year for both brands. In 1964, Buck Knives sold its first 110 folder and Nicks Handmade Boots sold its first loggers. Now you can buy the Nicks BuilderPro in 1964 brown with a knife pocket that perfectly holds the 110 (this version of the 110 has smaller pins like the knives of the ’60s).
Originally only available overseas, Red Wing brought its Abilene Classic Moc stateside in 2023. The roughout leather boots will break in differently than traditional hide, but these are harder to find and just as hard-wearing.
A manic mishmash of colors and textures, Action Bronson’s collaborative New Balance 990v6 represents many things, the rapper says, from the colors he uses when painting to the waves he rides when boogie boarding.
Todd Snyder prefers his martini dirty — hence the name of his limited-edition lace-up Vans, which are a reference to the olive (and olive juice) included in any good one. Exclusive to Todd Snyder, this fresh take on these classic SoCal kicks are very nearly sold out as of this writing (and probably won’t be coming back).
Greats wants you to get out there in style. Its all-new-for-2023 Park Hiker is ready for wet sidewalks and squishy grass, but not much more — not Everest, is what I’m saying. It has a sneaker-inspired sole with leather and suede accents. And, to be honest, we like the yellow laces, but we’d be eager to swap them some for tonal ones.
Famed Texas bootmaker Lucchese teamed up with country singer Chris Stapleton on a collection of well-made cowboy boots. The most affordable and understated pair in the group is the Old Friend, an Italian-suede boot with mule ear pull straps and a Torero side seam — Stapleton calls it part of the “songwriters’ uniform.”
Tom Sachs’s boldly boring General Purpose Shoe dropped again this year (in an all-new colorway) via Nike and Nike Craft, his growing hub for all things Nike x Tom Sachs. This all-brown pair embodies the design’s utilitarian spirit.
Few luxury brands have, well, universally appealing signature shoes. But Casablanca’s Atlantis design feels like it’s been around forever — in a good way. It’s a cool cross between a sportswear design and something super luxe.
Tanned using aluminum salts, Mexican footwear brand Unmarked’s Eco White Yulka 02GXL Boot sticks out, but for good reason. It’s a unique color, sure, but it’s the sturdy construction that strikes the eye most.
Debuted during New York Fashion Week, Raleigh Denim Workshop’s exclusive Allen Edmonds Strand Dahlia Oxford is made from black selvedge denim. That means these will fray, not patina, but that’s part of the fun. Imagine how these will look 10 years from now.
Made in Maine by Easymoc for American Trench, the Scout Boot mixes colors and materials but in a cohesive way. From suede to leather to the off-white Vibram sole, each part looks better than the last.
In August of this year, Timberland released its Motion 6 Hiker boots. They have a high-cushion sole made with EVA, and are waterproof. Pair that with their modern styling and it makes them a great middle-ground between outdoor-only boots and those you might wear in the city.
Reese Cooper is a talented designer, and his debut boot impressed even the staunchest critics. Now, his follow-up, the Lanier Boot, is here — and in six different colorways, no less. It’s really good.
Handcrafted in Italy with a fully-lined upper of pebbled cowhide, the Paglia Moto Boot is tough, sleek, and easy to slip into with an antique brass zipper and zipper pull. And while you might look at these boots and think they’re more fashion than function, they’re definitely built to stand up to motorcycling usage.
Clarks’ new NXE Lo sneakers are a super sporty option from the brand known for its chukka boot. It comes in three colorways with a 3D molded footbed for air circulation and rubber pods in the sole to offer maximum traction.
These summer slip-ons are the perfect mix of relaxed and refined. Made in Spain, they feature an Italian suede upper, a non-slip rubber bottom and a breathable jute footbed. The heel is also collapsible if you want to just slide into them. (Note: Suede will stretch over time, so order down if you’re between sizes and use a shoe horn for the first few wears.)
The Jet Star Is a Modern Movement in a Stunning Vintage Package
Bulova’s iconic design now comes with a revolutionary mechanism
Bulova
Presented ByBulova
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Updated
Bulova first introduced the Jet Star in 1973, and the bold, angular dial design quickly became iconic. Now, the brand is bringing back this classic style with a half a century’s worth of innovations. Behind the vintage face lies Bulova’s Precisionist movement: a mechanism that vibrates at 262kHz and is so meticulously made it’s accurate to five seconds per month. The watch is finished off with a date window, sweeping seconds hand and luminescent detailing.
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When’s the last time you took a flight? Because, whether it was a jet-setting jaunt halfway around the globe or a brief domestic day trip, chances are you wandered through duty-free on the way to your gate. And, though you may have picked up a nice new pair of sunglasses along your way, or had a quick spritz of cologne, you likely walked straight past the selection of spirits.
And that was a mistake. Because, though a bottle may seem too cumbersome to stash in your carry-on, some of the rarest whiskeys in the world can be found among the fridge magnets and triple-sized Toblerones. Given the limited size of the sector, travel retail offers distilleries the chance to market small-batch, experimental offerings that only aficionados will appreciate; single-cask showpieces and spirits finished in alternative casks.
Of course, not every travel retail exclusive is worth your recently exchanged money. Many airport expressions are too young, launched prematurely simply to populate the market and with prices hiked high for the sake of scarcity. But others are just the ticket; perfect souvenirs to bring out at your next wingding — and bottles that give the term ‘whiskey flight’ a whole new meaning. Here are nine of the finest.
Tasting Notes: Pine resin, brazil nuts and sea spray
Both the first-ever travel exclusive from Ardberg and the first expression bottled under the whisky maker’s new ‘Smoketrails’ banner, this non-chill filtered offering runs deep with flavors of bitter dark chocolate and buttery nuts. Manzanilla (a fortified wine comparable to sherry) infuses its casks with floral flavors and these notes, in turn, have seeped and steeped into this highly herbal whisky. Keep your palate primed for an unusual undertone: that oh-so-citrusy, musky scent of saddle soap.
Tasting Notes: Baked apricot, sandalwood and walnut cream
A well-traveled, duty-free exclusive. Hailing from Aberdeenshire — but aged in casks flown in from Portugal and southern Spain — The Glendronach’s latest limited edition is a rich, reddish spirit that, whilst available at airports right now, is a whisky best saved for winter. There’s so much stone fruit and spice swirling around this whisky that it’s like swilling a Christmas cake — with hints of quince, nutmeg and plum pudding on the palate from initial velvety mouthfeel to full-bodied finish.
Maker’s Mark will release three more ‘City Series’ edition bourbons by the end of the year. But this original expression (launched late last year alongside a ‘Sydney’ bottling) will be hard to beat. The result of more than a decade of wood-science experimentation, the brand’s Manhattan-inspired spirit was cooked up by tastemakers and New York natives, Erina Yoshida and Justin Ottervanger. It’s bolder and bigger than the Apple itself, and thrums with flavors of spice, oak and rich dark chocolate.
21 Year Old Midleton Very Rare Virgin American Oak
Midleton
21 Year Old Midleton Very Rare Virgin American Oak
Tasting Notes: Chocolate honeycomb, orange zest and red chili pepper
Landing exclusively in London, Midleton Very Rare’s new ‘Virgin American Oak’ lives up to the brand’s vaunting name. The best of the four editions in the brand’s latest travel retail collection (launched in various European cities this April), Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman opted to age this particular 21-year-old Irish whiskey in oak — which suffuses the spirit with intricate spices, praline and salted caramel notes. It’s the least expensive bottle of the four, but that earthy woodland character and roasted coffee finish give it an edge.
Tasting Notes: Peppered malt, smoked nectarine and creamy pear
Highland peat is no normal mulch — it’s woodier and more robust. So, when whisky makers burn it to sweetly, smokily enhance their spirits, the resulting liquids brim with intense, tastebud-flustering flavors. Benriach’s travel-exclusive ‘Smoky Quarter Cask’ may have a light look (it’s a delicate olive gold in the glass), but that pale color belies a rich, smoky taste. Matured in 45-liter bourbon barrels, these small-sized casks mean more interaction between whisky and wood — allowing spiced vanilla, nutty oak and mellow smoke notes to take hold.
Tasting Notes: Toasted bread, baking spices and candied peel
Four distinct expressions make up this new travel-exclusive collection from Glenfiddich. Aged using the ‘Solera Vat Process’ — during which casks are never fully emptied; simply refilled to overlay different generations of spirit on top of one another — each bottling also feels the influence of the wider drinks world, utilizing barrels that previously held bourbon, red wine or, for our favorite of the four, Spanish sherry casks. ‘Vat 2’ is exceedingly affordable for such an avant-garde whisky, and its leathery sweetness is tempered, with every sip, by a marmalade tartness.
Tasting Notes: Rum raisin, burnt toffee and gingerbread biscuits
You could spend this sort of money on a return ticket to New Zealand, but you’d be better off seeking out Teeling’s latest travel retail exclusive — a once-in-a-lifetime purchase created using some of the very oldest spirits in the whiskey maker’s warehouses. The palate is predominantly tropical, with rum notes soaking candied orange and dried fruits back to spicy life. But its most accessible aspect — and what makes this one the smoothest, sweetest bottle on our list — is the whiskey’s biscuity, molasses-heavy heart.
Tasting Notes: Tropical fruits, salted caramel chocolate and tangy citrus
Only 250 bottles of Tomatin’s latest travel retail exclusive will be available worldwide — and each will come with a bespoke metal certificate signed by the brand’s master distiller, Graham Eunson. The whisky itself has been languishing for 45 long years in Spanish sherry casks, and has spent this half-century well; developing distinctive flavors of tangy Sanguinello blood orange and herbal bitters. Presented in an exquisite, custom-made Glencairn crystal decanter with a golden stopper, it’s a worthy cornerstone of any globe-trotter’s collection.
Tasting Notes: Vanilla, chocolate-coated nuts and rich raisins
This one may still be a month or two away from hitting airport shelves — but one of the first Jack Daniel’s forays into the single malt market will mark a big day in duty-free, and is well worth a mention. Matured in new, charred American white oak barrels for at least four years and finished in Oloroso sherry casks, this bottling contains 100% malted barley grain. Expect aromas of soft fruits and cocoa on the nose, with flavors ranging from chocolate-coated nuts to caramel-sweet berries. Make room on your bar; a new classic is about to touch down.
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One thing The James Brand is known for, besides its clean and minimalistic design, is its devotion to the process. Rather than churning out a new knife every other month, TJB has kept its selection curated and considered, thanks in part to the careful development it devotes to every new knife.
Its latest release, the Wells, is a continuation of that devotion. After spending years ideating on a back flipper design, the team at The James Brand has released what it calls “a knife aficionado’s kind of knife” — with the price point to match.
The button-lock mechanism, in all its glory. The entire Wells knife is machined and made in the US. The James Brand
The Wells mixes classic design cues with some new features for The James Brand — notably, the use of a button-lock flipper. For the unfamiliar, button-lock flippers have been gaining traction in the knife space for the past couple years — they’re typically seen on automatic knives, but lately more brands are including them on manual action knives. (Which is a fun development in the world of EDC — who doesn’t like to push a button?)
The button-lock keeps the blade in place; it won’t deploy until you push the button, releasing the blade. Some button-locks even open and close the knife by pushing the button. Button-locks are as strong as the knife’s frame, and are quicker and easier to use than a liner or frame lock.
Like many of The James Brand’s other knives, the Wells’ sleek and sophisticated design will fit in any environment. The James Brand
The James Brand didn’t take implementing the button-lock lightly; the brand says the concept has been on the drawing board for years, but wasn’t brought to life until it could be done “The James Brand way.”
Weighing in at 3.1 ounces, the Wells is 7.17 inches long overall, with a 2.9-inch Wharncliffe blade in MagnaCut steel. There are two finishes available for the Wells: black and anodized aluminum. The aluminum version features 6061 aerospace aluminum scales, but both the aluminum and black versions of the knife feature a formed wire pocket clip, caged, stainless-steel bearings and anodized scales on the handle.
The James BrandThe James Brand
On the black version of the Wells, the clip and hardware are black DLC coated with black anodized scales; the anodized aluminum version has a stonewash finish on its blade. On the black blade version, the clip and hardware are DLC coated, and on the rose gold blade, the clip and hardware are PVD coated.
When it comes to The James Brand’s reputation of blending form and function, the Wells seems to hit the mark. If you’re a knife expert, collector or just a huge fan of TJB, you won’t want to miss this release.
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If a brand names one of its products “Legend,” you’d better hope said product can back up that lofty moniker. And for the past 16 years, that has been the case for the Longines Legend Diver. Debuting in 2007 as a modernized version of the super compressor dive watches the brand produced from the late 1950s through the early ’70s, the Legend Diver has arguably been Longines’ flagship offering for the past decade and a half.
But as beloved as the vintage-style diver was, the Legend Diver still had its foibles. Enthusiasts complained about the lack of a true bracelet option, the too-large (42mm) and too-small (36mm) case sizes, the practically non-existent lume and the near-impossibility of tracking down a rare no-date reference. Well, today Longines has launched a brand-new generation of the Legend Diver that — at least on paper — would appear to address everyone’s issues with the prior version. But how does the new Longines Legend Diver translate in the metal? I spent a week wearing it to find out.
Longines has clearly been listening to its customers. The completely revamped Legend Diver has a more versatile case size at 39mm, far better lume, a COSC-certified movement, a more modern design and a true stainless steel bracelet option for the first time — fitted end links and safety clasp included. The dial even eschews the date, something fans of the watch have been clamoring for.
Overall, I love the new Legend Diver and think it will be a massive hit for Longines — I don’t see the Legend losing its status as Longines’ de facto flagship anytime soon. However, I do miss the fauxtina and mesh bracelet of the older version, as they helped give it a retro-cool je ne sais quoi that the fancier new rendition doesn’t quite capture. Despite that, I think it’s still the best retro dive watch on the market for the money.
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
Many will appreciate the addition of a true bracelet
The lume has been massively upgraded
More luxurious and robust than ever
Cons
Lacks some of the vintage charm of its predecessor
Internal bezel with screw-down crown is not as practical as an external bezel
Case Size: 39mm
Water Resistance: 300m
Movement: Longines L888.6 automatic chronometer
The 39mm case size is pretty much perfect
Perhaps the most frequent complaint people have had about the Longines Legend Diver since its debut has been about the size of the watch. It debuted with a 42mm case, which isn’t massive for a diver — Omega’s Seamaster Diver 300M is currently only available in 42mm, much to my chagrin — but because of the exceedingly loooong lugs that are present on so many of Longines’ watches (cough, Spirit line, cough), the watch wore larger than its specs would indicate. For someone like me, with a 6.25-inch wrist, it was basically unwearable. Longines debuted a smaller 36mm version of the watch in 2018, but many found these to be too small, and they were also rare on the market and generally marketed toward women with more jewelry-like references.
The old 42mm Legend Diver wore very large due to both its expansive dial and long lugs.Johnny BraysonThe new 39mm version offers a more compact and comfortable fit, while still providing plenty of wrist presence.Johnny Brayson
The new Legend Diver comes in just one size: 39mm, which seems to be the mythical “sweet spot” for just about everyone’s wrist. And I will admit, the watch wears like a dream. The lugs are still long, of course, and I wouldn’t mind seeing them shaved down a tad if I’m being honest, but overall, the 39mm case size just works. It doesn’t take up a ton of room on the wrist, yet it still has plenty of presence, thanks in large part to the internal rotating that’s color-matched to the dial, making the dial appear larger. Any bigger, and the watch would feel overpowering. Any smaller, and that heavily hash-marked dial is going to look a little crowded. Longines really nailed the sizing here, and I think a lot of people are going to be very happy.
The lume is a massive improvement
One of the chief requirements of a dive watch, in addition to high water resistance and probably a timing bezel, is that it needs to have excellent lume so a diver can clearly read the time in the sea’s murky depths. But if you’ve ever seen the lume on a Longines Legend Diver, then you know it’s an absolute joke. Despite the abundance of markings on the dial, the watch only featured lume on the tiniest of hash marks for each index, the triangle for the bezel, the minute hand and the tip of the hour hand. It was basically illegible at night and was long considered one of the watch’s glaring weak spots.
The new Legend Diver glowing on my nightstand at 1 am … not bad at all.Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol
But I am happy to report that those issues are a thing of the best because the new Longines Legend Diver is lit. Again, the brand has clearly been listening to its fans (and critics), as Longines has doused the dial with a far greater amount of Super-LumiNova. The handset is the same general design but is brand-new, with a wider minute hand, a fully lumed shovel hour hand and a lumed arrow tip now present on the seconds hand. The Arabic numeral markers on the dial are now lumed for the first time, and the other indices are also more brightly lit. During my testing, I once woke up in the middle of the night to see the watch on my nightstand, where it was glowing brightly enough that I could easily read the time. A lume treatment on a watch may seem like a small thing, but in this case, it greatly increased my enjoyment of the watch. (I still like to see that bezel fully lumed, but you can’t win ’em all.)
Date window? We don’t need no stinkin’ date window
Longines has made a no-date version of the Legend Diver before, but only for a limited time. They’re highly sought-after and difficult to track down, and can sell for around twice as much as versions with the date. (The 36mm version was never offered in a no-date variant.) So given the market’s clear preference for it, it would make sense for Longines to offer a no-date version of the new Legend Diver. And that’s exactly what the brand did. In fact, you can only get a no-date version — there is no reference with a date offered this time around, at least to start. Naturally, I love the look of the no-date dial and am very happy Longines made this decision. The dial is much more balanced and attractive without the date, and it’s truer to the design of the 1959 original.
Look, Ma, no date!Johnny Brayson
The new bracelet is nice … but …
Okay, onto the fourth nitpick that seemingly everybody had about the Legend Diver: There was no traditional bracelet option. Virtually every competitor in the luxury dive watch market, or even sub-luxury, has an available stainless steel bracelet option with fitted end links. The Legend Diver, however, did not. Since its 2007 debut, its bracelet option has always been a stainless steel mesh bracelet with straight ends. But not anymore.
The new Legend Diver has jettisoned the retro mesh in favor of a stainless steel beads of rice (BOR) bracelet. While still considered a retro style, the BOR is more typical of what you’ll find on other modern divers with its fitted end links and dual push-button clasp. It features a nice taper and feels silky on the wrist, and it’s supremely comfortable. There’s no quick-adjust feature on the clasp, but there are plenty of micro-adjustment holes that make it easy to dial in the perfect fit. The bracelet is also nicely finished, especially when it comes to the high polish treatment applied to the inner “beads of rice.” Each one acts as its one little mirror, which can be quite hypnotic while admiring the watch.
The finishing on the Legend Diver’s new bracelet is very nice, but be forewarned: The mirror-polished clasp is a scratch magnet.Johnny Brayson
I like the bracelet, I do. And yet … I miss the mesh. I feel like it fit the overall vintage aesthetic of the watch better and helped make the Legend Diver stand out more in the crowded dive watch marketplace. The new bracelet is very nice, it just doesn’t feel as unique to Longines or the Legend Diver. Hopefully, Longines will offer the mesh bracelet as an option down the line. Currently, the new Legend Diver is available only on the BOR bracelet, a leather strap or a NATO.
It feels more modern and luxurious than before
Longines has been upping its game in recent years, stepping up the quality of its movements and its finishing in what appears to be a bid to take on Tudor, just as Swatch Group sibling Omega has gone upmarket to better take on its longtime rival — and Tudor’s big brother — Rolex. And the new higher-end Longines DNA is definitely present in the new Legend Diver. The watch feels more luxurious and modern than before, and it’s not just because of the bracelet. The dial has been modernized and streamlined. Gone is the vintage “fauxtina” lume of the previous generation, as it’s been replaced by stark white printing on both the black and blue dial variants (the only two colors at launch). The dial has also been tweaked to look a little less eccentric, with the minute markers being shortened ever so slightly.
The movement is now COSC-certified, which wasn’t the case before, and it’s fantastic. During my testing, the watch kept time well within chronometer specs, to the point where I didn’t even have to think about how accurate it was because it was always accurate. The movement winds buttery smooth from the screw-down four o’clock crown, and the screw-down crown at two o’clock for adjusting the timing bezel was also surprisingly easy to use — even while the watch was on my wrist (though I still prefer an external bezel, which will always be more convenient). The watch is also now a certified diver’s watch, meeting ISO 6425 certification and surpassing ISO 764 benchmarks for magnetic resistance tenfold. It’s a highly capable and polished modern luxury dive watch and is still one of the best bargains on the market.
The Legend Diver retains some of its old quirks, like the embossed diver on the caseback. Johnny Brayson
But I can’t help but feel the Legend Diver has lost a bit of its swagger with this new generation. Some of the changes are great — the 39mm size, the improved lume, the no-date layout, the COSC movement — but others, like the lack of fauxtina and the abandoned mesh bracelet — take away some of the spirit of the watch, in my opinion, and make it a bit more run of the mill. It’s technically a better watch than before, but style-wise, it’s lost some of its swagger.
Longines Legend Diver: Alternatives
Longines is far from the only brand to resurrect a super compressor-style dive watch this century. There are lower-tier heritage brands that have reissued their own mid-century divers that, like Longines, used EPSA super compressor cases in the 1960s, notably the Alpina Seastrong Diver Heritage (42mm, $1,795) and the Benrus Ultra-Deep (36.5mm, $1,095). A more modern yet still affordable take would be the Christopher Ward C64 Super Compressor (41mm, $1,375), which uses a functioning super compressor case that actually increases its water resistance as pressure increases, something that’s practically unheard of today. For a budget option, the Dan Henry 1970 Automatic Diver (40mm, $290) brings similar aesthetics for around 300 bucks, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the gorgeous JLC Polaris (42mm, $10,000+) starting at ten grand.
But the most direct competitor for the Longines Legend Diver comes from Tudor. While not a super compressor-style diver, the Black Bay Fifty-Eight (39mm, $4,000) is still a retro-inspired, COSC-certified, 39mm dive watch. You can’t go wrong with either, but the Tudor is about 800 dollars more on the bracelet.
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Some gadgets just seem destined to be boring. It’s not really possible to have a “cool dongle” or a USB hub that you’re simply thrilled to use every day. And I’d thought power banks — heavy black bricks (or sometimes cylinders!) with an LED light or two — were among the ranks of ungussyuppable utility devices. But now that I’ve had my hands on the Shargeek Storm2 ($229 originally, $169 on sale as of 10/10/23), I can see how wrong I was.
Honestly, it might be enough if the Storm2 were just transparent. The clear-plastic case that gives visibility to both the battery’s control board, complete with diodes, capacitors, and microcontrollers, takes me back to my smoky-grey see-through Game Boy. But the real star is the 1.14-inch IPS display which is bright and crisp but, crucially, colorful. It’s really just a delight to look at, whether you’re actually looking for details on the speed and power of charging or just gazing at it because it’s fun to ogle.
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.
Eric LimerEric Limer
In the weeks I’ve had the Storm2 in my bag, it’s served me admirably as a standard power bank (aka a portable battery). It can recharge my iPhone about a half-dozen times from nearly zero, and can also bring my MacBook Air back from the brink. But what’s really been fun is how the real-time input/output wattage on the display has allowed me to finally confirm my suspicions about which of my various Lightning cables charge the fastest and slowest.
The DC out settings (with controllable voltage) is handy for charging laptops that are older than USB-C is.Eric LimerThe Storm2 next to its little brother, the Storm2 SlimEric Limer“See officer? It says right here I can take it on the plane!”Eric Limer
The Shargeek Storm2 looks unique, and that’s its appeal. It also, uh, kind of looks like a bomb. Not a real bomb, of course, but more of a cartoon of a bomb, which might be plenty to spook bystanders. I haven’t tried to fly with the Storm2, but I’d be a little nervous about it. Though TSA X-ray operators should be well-accustomed to seeing power banks without their clothes on, it does helpfully declare itself “Airline Safe” right on the side.
At the end of the day, the Storm2 is overkill, sure, but that’s precisely what makes it so damn cool.
It wasn’t all that long ago that the idea of BMW building a giant, eight-passenger SUV would have seemed downright heretical. Sedans, coupes, wagons and convertibles have been Bimmer’s stock in trade most of its existence; it waited until the very end of the 20th century to jump on the sport-utility bandwagon, even though manufacturers had been using the term for the fast-growing category for more than a decade and models like the Ford Explorer, Chevy Tahoe and Jeep Grand Cherokee had proven the immense demand for family cars that combined four-wheel-drive grip and a civilized ride.
Of course, to paraphrase Mr. Zimmerman, the times have been a-changing. Here in 2023, the X7 isn’t even the most controversial model BMW builds on this platform; that honor would have to go to the plus-sized plug-in-hybrid performance SUV called the BMW XM, the M division’s first unique car since the M1. But the X7 has been around long enough (and sold enough copies) to earn a mid-life-cycle refresh, clearly demonstrating that, while true Bimmer believers may still cry fowl, the market says otherwise.
So with the X7 freshly updated for the 2023 model year, I took it for a spin in and around the greater New York area to see how it would handle the urban and suburban chores that the vast majority of these big BMWs will spend their lives performing. Here’s what I found.
2023 BMW X7: What We Think
The X7 is one of the best choices in the large luxury SUV category, especially if that third row of seats will be used more occasionally than regularly. Its car-like (at least for a large SUV) performance, ride and handling make it easy, even fun to drive for such a big beast. While 2023’s updates are on the milder side, and the facelift’s visual appeal is very much a matter of taste, the interior upgrades have overall made it an even more comfortable and enjoyable place to occupy while driving.
The 2023 BMW X7: Testing Notes
The X7 is big, but not overwhelmingly so
Will Sabel Courtney
Technically, the X7 competes in the same three-row SUV category as the Lexus LX 600, Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX80, Jeep Grand Wagoneer and Lincoln Navigator, but it doesn’t quite feel on the same scale. Part of that is due to its car-like unibody construction, versus the pickup truck-based body-on-frame build of those other vehicles; it lends the X7 (and the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, which also goes unibody) a bit more of a nimble feeling. But it’s also because, well, it is smaller. At 203.6 inches long, it’s nearly a foot shorter than an Escalade — even though the Bimmer’s wheelbase is two inches longer.
Granted, that makes the third row less usable than the equivalent of larger SUVs; it’s fine for occasional use, such as the ever-cliché duty of being pressed into transporting a couple extra tweens to soccer practice, but the toll it takes from the cargo bay means you won’t be able to carry many balls or bags back there. (And on the flip side — if you really use your third row often, odds are good you’re looking at an extended-length SUV from one of Detroit’s automakers, anyway.)
The six-cylinder X7 xDrive40i is all the power you’ll need here
Will Sabel Courtney
The X7 offers three choices of powertrain — a six-cylinder and two V8s – but you can stop at the base model. BMW’s 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six is so creamy-smooth and potent, you’ll never want for more power. BMW quotes a 5.8 second 0-60-mph time for this beast, but their estimates tend to be conservative; if you’re the type who enjoys launch-control-starting their big SUV, my butt-ometer suggests it’ll do the naught-to-60 in a the low five-second range.
With just shy of 400 lb-ft of torque available from 1,850 rpm all the way to 5,000, there’s a noticeable shove on the roll at any speed — and if the 375 horsepower seems a little low compared to some competitors, keep in mind BMW usually underrates their outputs. Add in the mighty $25,250 upcharge needed for eight-cylinder power, and arguments for choosing any other engine in the X7 become damn hard to make.
The interior is so nice, you won’t even miss leather
UWE FISCHER
True story: it wasn’t until I checked the window sticker halfway through my test that I realized the supple material coating the seats of my test car wasn’t leather. It was actually “Sensafin” — BMW’s new vegan leather, which comes standard in the X7 xDrive40i. I’m used to seeing other types of fake leather trim in BMW products, but usually it’s in the likes of 3 Series sedans and Mini Coopers, where buyers would be more apt to choose leatherette to save a buck. The X7, though, sits alongside the 7 Series at the top of the range, where customers have more disposable cash and, presumably, want nicer rides. The fact that Sensafin feels good enough to be worthy of such a high-end model— and one look around the cabin will make it very clear you’re in a high-end model — is impressive, indeed.
Unlike the upholstery, you won’t have such issues noticing the giant split-screen landscape display that curves halfway across the dashboard, with one side serving as instrument panel and the other as infotainment screen. BMW is implementing this design far and wide across its lineup these days, while simultaneously swapping out shift levers for electric switches and ditching most of the physical buttons. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, ergonomically; the larger screen is more legible and easier to operate, perhaps, but the disappearance of handy features like the preset buttons and tactile climate controls is irksome, at least to me. (Then again, I still don’t get the whole appeal of ChatGPT, so maybe I’m just becoming a dinosaur.)
The 2023 facelift…kind of works for it?
Will Sabel Courtney
Generally speaking, I — and many other folks — haven’t been a huge fan of BMW’s recent design language. Epitomized most clearly by the likes of the M3 / 4 Series and 7 Series, it’s a complex mish-mash of sharp creases and elements, some oversized, some undersized — a far cry from the simple lines of the BMWs of the 1980s and 1990s, or even the oceanic ovoid designs of the Chris Bangle era.
Yet while the aforementioned cars might force buyers to choose black paint simply to disguise some of those design traits, the X7, arguably, almost looks decent after its 2023 facelift. Part of it stems from the sheer size of the front fascia; as one of the biggest cars in Bimmer’s line, there’s a lot of room to fit the mega-grille and all those other design elements. But part of it is simple aggression: compared to the pre-facelift model, the latest X7 simply looks far tougher. Slower traffic that might have paid the previous one no mind in the rearview will be way more likely to move over when this face shows up on their six.
Hayley Helms
