Black Triangle posted a sneak peek of an upcoming addition to their Midnight Creeper line. The new MK4 features a flared pommel with symmetrical finger choils designed to give the user immediate feedback on grip position. It is dimensionally similar to the MK1 which is an excellent tool.
You can expect the MK4 to be available near the end of November. You can learn more at the Black Triangle Blog: BlkTriangle.com
Gatorz Eyewear is excited to announce the Gatorz x Ronin Collection. The Gatorz x Ronin Collection is a collaboration between Gatorz Eyewear and former U.S. Army Green Beret Tu Lam of Ronin Tactics. This collection is made to the exceedingly high standards that all Gatorz Eyewear has come to represent to the Special Operations community, including meeting American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z87+ rating and offering some features of MILSPEC Ballistic protection standards.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao Tzu
Tu Lam. a former U.S. Army Green Beret and founder of Ronin Tactics, fled communist Vietnam in 1979. The Lam Family escaped on an overloaded boat and eventually reached the safety of the United States as refugees.
Tu was raised by his Step-Father, an Army Special Forces veteran, and drew inspiration to eventually serve as a member of the Army Special Operations Community. For over 23 years, Tu traveled across 27 different countries and a number of war zones as a career special operator. During that time, he fought alongside and within the most elite units of the United States Military.
As the Founder and CEO of Ronin Tactics, Inc., Tu now develops innovative tactical equipment and teaches a range of Close Quarters Battle instruction for our military, Law Enforcement, and responsible armed citizens. Tu co-hosted three seasons of the History Channel’s “Knife or Death” and was developed into a playable character “Ronin” on the popular video game “Call of Duty.” Gatorz Eyewear is honored to be working with him.
Sam Havelock, The Chief Brand Officer of Gatorz eyewear and himself a former Navy SEAL, had this to say,
“We thought the collaboration with Tu Lam, whose background includes having to flee persecution from war-torn Vietnam especially fitting given the current state of affairs in Afghanistan. Gatorz Corporation is extremely committed to the Special Operations Community and closely identifies with the Mission of the Army Special Forces Community to Free The Oppressed (De Oppresso Liber).
The Ronin Edition collaboration with Tu Lam is an example of our willingness to partner with diverse members of our Gatorz Tribe who live a Mission-Driven life. Tu Lam’s personal history of service with the Special Operations Community coupled with his family’s legacy of relationships across Army Special Forces perfectly embodies our joint belief in the power of relationships and humans to overcome all obstacles during their Life’s Most Important Missions.”
See more in the launch video: Ronin Collection Launch
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1HF0u7FF0)
For additional information on GATORZ or the Gatorz x Ronin Collection, please visit https://www.gatorz.com/, facebook.com/GatorzEyewear, or follow @gatorzeyewear on Instagram and YouTube.
For additional information on Tu Lam or Ronin Tactics, please visit www.ronintactics.com, connect via @ronintctaics on Instagram and Twitter, or subscribe to Tu Lam’s YouTube Channel.
About GATORZ Eyewear:
Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, GATORZ Eyewear has for 30 years been a provider of premium, all-metal, professional-grade eyewear solutions to the Special Operations Community, the broader U.S. Military, as well as, Law Enforcement, skydivers, functional fitness athletes, action sports fans, and outdoor enthusiasts worldwide. This first of its kind, American-made aluminum sunglass has become a staple of the communities it serves, with its lightweight, durable frames, superior optics, and high-velocity impact lenses.
BERLIN, 2021-10-14 – WNDSN Applied Sciences Lab presents a significant update to their main product, a new sighting scale that improves the Telemeter accuracy by 400%. The WNDSN Telemeter is a low-tech, naked-eye distance measuring instrument based on comparing the triangle between our eye and a scale with the triangle between our eye and the object in question.
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” –Henry David Thoreau
In response and in collaboration with users who report problems in sighting accuracy due to the fixed distance between eye and scale that the Telemeter operation requires, WNDSN has developed a new sighting scale inspired by surveyor’s instruments with scale marks in E shape.
For the new sighting scale blocks instead of lines are used as scale marks, filling every other pair of lines with a solid color. This change increases the width of the smallest element which the user can visually discern from 0.25 mm to 1 mm — yielding a fourfold increase in legibility.
To introduce this improved scale, it has been added to the Night Ops Telemeter, which is already optimized for enhanced visibility in the dark. A bestseller ever since its release, the Night Ops Telemeter is a going-back-to-the-roots, bare bones Telemeter in clear acrylic.
The WNDSN Telemeter upgrade is designed to help people with short-sightedness or other visual impairment but it also increases accuracy for users who have no issues sighting with the original scale.
Made in Germany.
Available at:
WNDSN’s Applied Science Lab, based in Berlin, develops and manufactures that which can’t be improvised; measurement, navigation, and surveying instruments informed by the motto “Ex Mensura, Scientia” — knowledge from measurement.
WNDSN produces archival quality products that are designed with intent by combining techniques proven over centuries; arcane science meets cutting edge contemporary methods, resulting in iconic, timeless, high-utility designs.
In addition to custom-built instruments and tools, metrology & illumination solutions, WNDSN creates expedition mementos and morale patches to celebrate cross-disciplinary exploration in the spirit of the Renaissance. WNDSN morale patches are acutely designed — no line is left to randomness, no element is mere filler. They serve as infographics, how-tos for the WNDSN tools, magic sigils, as well as functional markers.
Tracer Tactical’s Covert Snap Wrap look right at home on the typical snap-back cap… if anyone even notices it. That’s exactly why it works.
The Covert Snap Wrap wraps around the snap-back portion of a cap and is secured with hook and loop. The interior of the wrap features a slim pocket that is perfect for carrying compact survival items like Bogata Rakes from Serepick or similar.
The Skylark series of knives from WELmade Knives consists of a single design in multiple finish options. It’s design is both practical and radical… brutish and refined. It’s a very visual knife that is aimed squarely at the everyday carry (EDC) market and comes with everything you need to add it to your EDC right out of the box.
The Skylark is crafted for WELmade knives by Dauntless MFG. If you are familiar with Dauntless MFG, you’ll know they bring a custom level of fit and finish to both the knives and sheaths that they craft.
It features a 3.24″ long blade with a modified tanto/recurve shape that is ground from 154-CPM steel. This full-tang construction knife is 7″ long overall and weighs 5.5 ounces with the included kydex sheath. It is available with multiple handle scale options including the black G-10 over white G-10 liners on my example. The handle screws are blue anodized titanium.
The Skylark is a striking knife – not just in the design but also in the details. The shape is eye-catching and very unique. The stone-washed blade finish looks great and the handle treatment brings to mind a tuxedo. The pop of color from the screws is subtle depending on the light but it makes you take a second look when they catch the sun. I just like looking at it and I have told others that I am not cool or classy enough to carry a knife like this.
Thankfully, WELmade Knives intends for you to do more than look at this knife. The blade shape, while unconventional, is very useful. The recurve section catches things like twine and cuts it aggressively. The leading edge has a slight amount of belly and reminds me of a chef’s knife or a kiridashi in how it orients in the hand and lays on a cutting board. The high flat grind makes this knife surprisingly “slicey” and the swedge grind gives a very strong, useful, and acute point. I would probably prefer a flat section of edge to the small section of recurve but I can’t deny that this blade shape wants to work.
The handle on this knife looked small to me in pictures but looks are deceiving. WELmade Knives gave us some nice, thick scales. It is actually quite hand-filling while still remaining compact for carry. The handles are mostly round but with flats that prevent the knife from turning in the hand. The finger choil behind the well-rounded guard is somewhat compact but works well for my average-sized hands. It might be a little cramped for sausage fingers. I easily fit all 4 fingers on the handle and find it to be comfortable for edge-out and edge-in grips.
The sheath that is included with the Skylark is excellent. It is a fold-over, kydex sheath that is very compact. It is machined to fit the contours of the knife perfectly and the included Discreet Carry Concepts clip makes it very easy to clip on and go. It carries well in a pocket or on your belt line. Dauntless MFG is well-known for their sheaths and sheaths like this are the reason why that is. It’s very well designed.
There are a lot of thoughtful touches on this knife that really only come out when you spend time with it. It has a nifty shallow thumb rest on the top that falls naturally and comfortably under the thumb. This ramp provides just a little more control for cuts in both directions. I also appreciate how the shape of the handle sort of grips the first 3 fingers with a broad, shallow finger groove which also works in concert with the thumb ramp to provide more purchase for both push and pull cuts. The tapered shape of the handle lets the user orient the edge to a flat surface easily while providing clearance for the knuckles. Finally, the sheath itself has a clever offset rivet that makes it so the clip can ride more vertically and closer to the centerline. This is extremely clever and really improves how the knife carries.
Nothing is perfect. As good as this knife is, it could be even better. It works really well in a pinch grip so it would be nice if the scales were relieved just a little bit to better support this useful grip. The edges of the sheath were a little sharp around the opening and these edges can be pushed into your side when the knife is out of the sheath. I trimmed the sharp parts easily but it would be nice if that was already done.
This is a visually striking knife that is easy to carry and offers a ton of utility in a small amount of space. The quality and design touches exude pure class but the materials and shape beg for work. If you are looking for a unique fixed blade for EDC that is both gentlemanly and rugged, the WELmade Knives Skylark has to be on your radar.
