SAR Global Tool, maker of the excellent Eclipse Signal System and excellent custom knives, now has a new webstore that makes getting your hands on their gear easier than ever. You can check out the new site at SARGlobalTool.com.
Archive | EDC
Elzetta Lights Are No One Hit Wonder
Elzetta recently impressed us with a demonstration of just how water resistant their lights really are. Well, Elzetta isn’t done proving the durability of their lights. Check out this amazing demonstration of impact resistance.
If an Elzetta light will stand up to driving thousands of nails, then I suspect it will survive just about any drop, fall, or accidental impact you can throw at it.
You can read more about the entire line of Elzetta lights and mounts on their website.
Review: SEREPICK Executive Kit
The Bogota Entry Tools and Bogota Titan Entry Tools are not only some of my favorite pieces of gear that I have ever reviewed but they are also the most popular pieces of gear that I have ever reviewed in terms of page loads. Once you actually use them, it is easy to see why they are so popular. They work extremely well. These Bogota Entry Tools allow someone with no lock-picking experience to bypass locks with just a little practice.
The new SEREPICK Executive Kit pairs the Bogota Entry Tools with 2 handcuff shims, a diamond wire blade, and a svelte case to create a very attractive, very simple, and very effective set of E&E tools. All of these tools are extremely simple to use and very effective. In this review we will take a look at each of the components individually.
Bogota Titan Entry Tools
The Executive Kit comes with the Bogota Titan Entry Tools. The “Titan” in the name indicates that these are crafted from titanium. Since I have already reviewed these before, I will just hit some of the high points. Please refer to the full reviews of the Bogota Entry Tools and Bogota Titan Entry Tools for more detail.
The Bogota Titan Entry Tools are well suited to this set due to their titanium construction. Titanium is a fitting material for a set that is designed to be so elegant. Titanium is non-ferrous which makes these tools very difficult to detect on their own (the handcuff shims and diamond wire blade are ferrous so they may be easier to detect). The extreme corrosion resistance of Ti makes it well suited to a kit that will be carried often and used little. The Bogota Titan Entry Tools are the heart of this kit.
Handcuff Shims
If you have never used handcuff shims, you will be in for a wake up call. They can be used to open nearly any set of handcuffs unless they are double locked. They are extremely effective and extremely easy to use. In fact, they are easy enough to use that, with just a little practice, they can be used behind your back.
The shims are made from spring steel so, while they are extremely small and thin, they are fairly tough. I used the same shim to open cuffs over and over again with no deformation or damage to the shim at all. The spring steel also provides the right amount of rigidity and flex that is needed to force and finesse the shim into the ratchet mechanism of the cuffs. Other handcuff shims that I have used have not held up nearly as well as these from SEREPICK.
To use the handcuff shims, you must first know which side of the cuffs has the ratchet mechanism. This can be determined by touch or visually by locating the key hole or ratchet teeth on the swing arm. The ratchet mechanism will be on the same side as these items. Then it is a matter of simply inserting the shim in between the swing arm and the ratchet mechanism to disengage the teeth. Once the shim is in place, the cuffs will fall open.
Diamond Wire Blade
The 70mm diamond wire blade is a very interesting and versatile addition to the kit. It is probably the easiest piece of the kit to use but it also requires the most patience. It is just what it sounds like – a piece of fairly rigid wire that is impregnated with diamond dust. The result is a tiny blade that can be used to saw through anything that is less hard than diamond, which is just about everything.
I used the diamond for a number of tasks to get a feel for its capabilities. I used it to do the initial opening of a an AK-47 rear sight before switching to wider file to finish the job. It worked quite well for this, much like the diamond jewelers file that I typically use for the task. I also decided to cut through a hardened steel 1/8″ hex wrench with a timer running. It took about 25 minutes to get about halfway through and just under 50 minutes to get to the point that it was compromised enough to bend and break.
That is a long time, but this is a last ditch item. It is actually quite impressive that a short piece of wire and some diamond dust can cut through hardened steel. The applications for this are nearly endless.
SEREPICK Executive Case
The case itself is really impressive. It really sets this kit apart as a classy item that is worthy of its “executive” moniker.
It is made from bicast leather and features 3 cells – one cell for each tool. The tools are retained by a flap that tucks into a band to close. The flap is tapered to make it easy to tuck into the band.
Conclusion
The SEREPICK Executive Kit can get you out of ugly situations and looks good in the process. It builds on the capabilities of the Bogota Entry Toolset with two additional tools that are equally as effective and simple to use. It is so slim, small, light, and cool that it would be at home in anyone’s briefcase, EDC bag, or E&E kit.
Check out the SEREPICK Executive Kit on the SEREPICK website.
Disclosure: The item was provided to me by SEREPICK, free of charge, for review.
Elzetta Lights: Water Resistance Test
If you are familiar with Elzetta flashlights you are likely already familiar with how tough they are. You can literally drive nails with them.
Their extreme durability extends far beyond just the sort of impact resistance that it takes to survive driving nails. They are also extremely water resistant. In fact, even if water breaches the o-ring seals and completely fills the light, your Elzetta light can continue to function.
The sealed Malkoff LED module is one of the keys to this level of water resistance. Even though water may breach the body of the light, it cannot access the LED or the electronics.
This is a tremendous capability. O-rings crack, tear, and deteriorate over time. Everyone has had the experience of a once water-proof watch or flashlight allow water to enter unexpectedly. It is comforting to know that even if this happens to your Elzetta, you will probably still have a functional light.
Pocket Carry Viability
“Pocket carry” is a method of concealed carry where a handgun is concealed in the wearer’s pocket. This carry method requires a handgun that is actually small enough to carry in a typical pants pocket and its popularity has increased as the market continues to be flooded with sub-compact handguns. It is my intention to have an honest discussion about pocket carry, its advantages, its disadvantages, and its viability as a carry method.
Holsters
Let’s get one thing out of the way before we delve too deeply into this discussion. I will assume in this post that we are referring to pocket carry with the use of a holster that is purpose built for pocket carry. I would never consider carrying a handgun in my pocket without a holster that completely covers the trigger guard – anything less is a negligent discharge waiting to happen. A holster will also help prevent the intrusion of pocket lint and other debris into your handgun.
Holsters that are designed for pocket carry will have some method of keeping the holster in the pocket during the draw stroke. If your pocket carry holster tends to come out with the handgun when you practice your draw stroke on the range, throw it out and buy a different design.
Advantages
There are some advantages to consider when discussing pocket carry. The most obvious are comfort and convenience. It is extremely convenient to be able to drop a holstered handgun into your pocket and it is typically a very comfortable way to carry a handgun. While comfort and convenience are nice, there are many far more important factors to consider when choosing a carry method. Clint Smith wisely said that carrying a gun “is supposed to be comforting, not comfortable.”
Two other advantages to pocket carry that are rarely mentioned but are, in my mind, the most compelling advantages that this carry method offers are the ability to appear complacent and the ability to appear compliant while indexing your handgun.
Consider a situation where you are walking through a parking garage and you see someone approaching while holding an object that you can’t identify in the dim lighting. You can’t just pull your shirt up and put your hand on your gun. That would be irresponsible since you haven’t identified a threat yet. However, you could place your hands in your pockets and appear to be complacent while you are actually establishing a firing grip on your handgun and preparing to draw if necessary. That is the ability to appear complacent and it can be a tremendous advantage.
Now consider the same situation except this time you don’t see the person approaching. They get the drop on you and they want to force you into your car at gunpoint. The situation is grave and your mind is telling you that you will need to fight back in order to live. You reach into your pocket to appear compliant by “getting your keys” and instead you index your handgun and prepare to defend your life. This ability to appear compliant might buy you the split seconds that you need to produce your handgun and defend your life.
Disadvantages
Before we get carried away by the compelling advantages of pocket carry, we should take an honest look at some very compelling disadvantages.
A pocket can be a terrible environment to store a handgun. It can be humid and dirty. Even when you clean your pockets, reliability threatening lint forms quickly. Great care must be taken to clear the handgun of all lint and grit before it works its way into the barrel or lock work.
Drawing a handgun from a pocket will generally take longer than producing one from the belt. The hand must slip into the pocket quickly which can be a bit tricky and the pockets sit lower than the belt which extends the draw stroke. Drawing from a pocket does not take very much longer than drawing from concealment but it does take longer. We generally try to reduce the time and increase the efficiency of our draw stroke. Pocket carry does the opposite.
A handgun that is carried in the pocket can be difficult to access with both hands. Even a mildly flexible person can access a handgun from a belt holster with their support hand but a pocket is a different story. It can be done but it is not easy, efficient, or graceful.
It can be difficult to access a pocket carry handgun while seated. When you are seated, your pockets are typically drawn tight which makes it difficult to get your hand into the pocket. It also changes the angle of the draw in a way that makes it all but impossible to draw your handgun without pointing it directly at your leg.
Finally, pocket carry gives you one less pocket to carry other gear. That may seem like a small thing but think about it. You should never carry anything in your pocket with your handgun. That is an accident waiting to happen and it could impede your draw stroke. The pocket that you will carry your handgun in is probably also the pocket that you clip your knife in or where you carry your keys. You will have to make other arrangements for these items and then carry them that way consistently so that you don’t reach into your pocket to get your keys and pull out a handgun instead. Don’t laugh. It happens.
Viable or Not?
So where does all of this discussion leave us? Is pocket carry a viable carry method or not? I can only answer for myself and say, “it depends.” In my opinion, based on the discussion above, pocket carry is not a suitable primary carry method but it can be an acceptable method for carrying a back up handgun. By carrying your back up with this method you can leverage the advantages of pocket carry while mitigating the disadvantages because it is not your only handgun.
Pocket carry is a compromise. You are exchanging a smooth, reliable draw stroke for comfort and convenience. That is a lousy trade but in some cases it may be an acceptable trade. I limit my use of pocket carry to a back up role. You will have to decide for yourself.