Owen Mercer spent years writing about tools and gear before he started editing, and the habit of actually using things before writing about them never left. His work at WANT / Men sits at the intersection of craft and carry: the stuff men reach for without thinking, and the decisions behind why those things earned that spot.
He curates the way a good mechanic shops. Not by brand, not by spec sheet, but by asking what problem a thing actually solves and whether it solves it better than what came before. If the answer is yes in the field, it shows up here. If it isn't, it doesn't.
His desk has a drawer that he considers a kind of ongoing test. Anything that makes it in has to still be there six months later to count. Most things don't make it six months.