I recently posted a review of the Nightstick TCM-550XL weapon light. In the review, I talked about how this compact light has tremendous potential for the EDC market but I lamented a lack of holster support. That is a major hurdle for any new weapon light to overcome.
Fortunately, holster availability is already improving thanks to Black Rhino Concealment. Their TCS-L Holster is now available for the TCM-550XL. The TCS-L is a convertible holster that can be configured for IWB or OWB carry.
The Empire Outfitters Naga Knife is now available. It is a compact defensive knife that ticks all the right boxes.
The Naga is 5.75″ long and has a 2.5″ blade which keeps it legal in most jurisdictions. It is ground from AEB-L stainless steel. It has somewhat Persian style blade with a sweeping edge and a wicked point.
The handle offers a thin but aggressive grip thanks to the handle treatment. It wrapped with cord and then soaked in resin. The result is a handle that is grippy, resilient, and lightweight.
The Naga comes with a great sheath and is ready to carry right out of the box. It it well suited to a variety of center-line carry methods like inside the waist band or running it horizontally in the belt loops.
The entire package weighs just 2.2 ounces including the sheath! For shooters who are looking for a defensive knife to complement their carry gun without weighing them down, this may be just the ticket. It is also relatively affordable for a knife with these features.
Welcome to Bargain or Just Cheap? This series will review budget friendly knives for a variety of uses in a short format. All of the knives will cost less than $50 (in most cases, much less) and will be purchased out of my own pocket. I’ll buy them, carry them, and use them in an attempt to determine if the knife is a bargain or just cheap.
There was a time when Chinese made knives were mostly junk – at least those that were imported and sold very inexpensively. That is changing thanks to a wave of manufacturers like Steel Wil and othersl that are offering some really excellent knives that are often priced very competitively. That is certainly the case with the subject of today’s installment of Bargain or Just Cheap? – the Steel Will Modus F25.
Steel Will often offers two versions of the same design, one with more premium materials and one with more working class materials like FRN handle slabs and D2 steel. I often tend toward to working class model because they are very affordable and I actually happen to like D2 steel and FRN (plastic) as a handle material from all my years carrying Spyderco knives. The particular version of the Modus that I purchased is the F25-12 model. It features a 3.25″ D2 steel blade with green FRN handles.
The Modus features a modified sheepsfoot shape. Most sheepsfoot knives have a completely straight edge but the Modus’ edge sweeps gently up toward the tip giving it some belly. The blade is quite tall for a folder and the primary flat grind is nearly full height which does a very good job of thinning the edge. It cuts and slices very well.
The handle feels great in the handle and the texture provided by the patterned FRN scales is great. The full steel liners under the FRN have been skeletonized to reduce weight.
The lock up on these Steel Will liner locks is excellent. They typically exhibit early lock up with full engagement. The lock up on my Modus is among the best I have seen on a liner lock.
The Modus weighs in at under 3.4 ounces and it its FRN handle makes it very easy on pockets. The pocket clip is quite good with tip down left or right side carry, solid tension, and no sharp edges. I find these knives to be a joy to carry.
I think my favorite thing about these knives is how well they deploy. They are opened via a flipper and Steel Will has absolutely mastered the art of the flipper even without the use of ball bearing pivots which is mildly mind blowing. This knife is buttery smooth and has a perfect detent. It fires open easily and locks up with a satisfying snick.
NOTE: I have seen one Steel Will flipper that didn’t deploy well. It turns out the phosphor bronze washers were installed backwards (the smoother, more rounded side should be against the blade). Once they were corrected, the knife fired like a champ. It’s an easy fix.
The Steel Will Modus is an EDC gem. It isn’t just a good knife, it is one of my favorite knives!
At around $40, it is definitely a bargain. It is light weight, deploys smoother than many flippers costing significantly more, and offers a lot of cutting performance in a sensibly sized package.
I am using Amazon as the price base line for this series. All knives were purchased by me from Amazon: Steel Will Modus F25-12 (there are other colors available)
Our goal is to represent knives for a variety of uses from EDC, to outdoor, to tactical knives. Do you have a favorite affordable knife? Let us know about it in the comments!
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I have been wearing an S&B Watches SANS-13 since 2014. It is one of my favorite watches and the watch that launched the S&B Watches brand. Now, 5 years later, the SANS-13 has received some updates.
The first, and perhaps most meaningful upgrade, is the movement. The SANS-13 now boasts an quartz movement manufactured by Swiss maker, ETA.
The original watch featured interesting lume vials which apparently broke down on some watches (mine is still pristine). As a result, S&B Watches has moved to C3 Super Lume infused paint markers and hands. Removing the vials had another nice side-effect. The hand stack is now shorter, allowing the 316L stainless case to be adjusted from 15mm thick to just 12mm. The SANS-13 has the same 42mm case but it is now more svelte.
Speaking of the case, its water-resistance has been improved. Previous iterations of the SANS-13 were water-resistant to 200 meters. The new SANS-13 2.0 boasts 300 meter water-resistance.
Finally, S&B Watches has done away with the threaded bars between the 22mm lugs in favor of traditional spring bars. I liked the original threaded bars for their durability but acknowledge that the spring bars will make strap swaps easier for those who wish to do so.
S&B Watches is currently offering 30% off and free shipping on their website. They are also offering a trade-in program for original SANS-13 watch owners.
The Nightstick TCM-550XL is relatively new to the weapon light market but it is from a maker that has been making first responder lights for a long time. Let’s dive right into the review to see how it stacks up.
The TCM-550XL is a compact weapon light from Nightstick, a division of Bayco Products. It is about 2.5″ long, just over 1″ wide, and just over 1″ tall – a size that allows it to sit well inside the footprint of a typical double stack handgun like a Glock.
It boasts 550 lumen output and uses a collimating lens to produce a beam with a relatively wide hotspot. The runtime for this single CR123A light is published as 2.5 hours.
The main body of the TCM-550XL is machined from 6061 aluminum with a polymer back plate. It weighs in at 2.5 ounces. Other highlights include a paddle style switch and lock out bezel.
I typically shy away from direct product comparisons in these reviews but in this case it feels unavoidable. The TCM-550XL is similar in size, shape, and execution of at least two features (the lockout bezel and rail clamp) to the Streamlight TLR-7. However, I feel that the TCM-550XL actually has a major advantage over the TLR-7 in that its paddle style switch is MUCH easier to operate and it is brighter with better tint than my TLR-7.
Speaking of the switch, it offers constant/momentary operation. The user interface should feel familiar as it has become somewhat standard across many tactical lights – quick press for constant, long press for momentary. This is a system that works fairly well with just a bit of practice.
This brings us to my first criticism of this light. It turns on instantly but there is a delay in turning off, almost as if the light is deciding whether it should stay on or turn off based on your input. It is just a moment (not even a second) but it is noticeable when running drills. Apart from that delay, the switch is actually very impressive. This is a very compact light but the well designed switch operates as easily as a full size light.
The lockout bezel works well though the detent that indicates the light is locked out can be a little difficult to feel on my example. It is still a thoughtful feature and there are markings on the bezel to indicate where the lockout exists.
The beam profile is very good. It has a wide hotspot with plenty of spill. The TCM-550XL balances throw and spill very well for a compact light. Those 550 lumens do a good job is filling a room with light or extending the range at which you can ID a target outdoors.
I am very impressed with this light. It has standout ergonomics among compact lights, a compact footprint, and good output for a single CR123A light. It has a lot of potential but it shares the same stumbling block to that potential as any new weapon light – lack of holster support. This light has what it takes to be a great CCW light but as of right now, it will be hard to find a holster for it. Safariland has this light listed in their holster finder but all of the compatible holsters are more suited for duty carry, not CCW.
The TCM-550XL has the size, weight, output, and ergonomics that I look for in compact weapon light. The switch in particular stands out among a lot of compact weapon lights. It ticks all the boxes but until there is holster support, it will be hard for it to reach its full potential.
