Archive | Knives

Review: MSM Wrap Holster and Wrap Multi Pouch

I have used a number of Velcro backed holsters and magazine pouches over the years. I have even made my own. The most versatile that I have found to date are the Wrap Holster and Wrap Multi Pouches from MILSPEC Monkey (MSM).

Overview

MSM’s Wrap accessories are pretty simple and both the Holster and Multi Pouches share a common feature set. They are made almost entirely of Velcro One Wrap which is magical stuff that sticks to itself like… well, like Velcro. This is the secret to the Wrap accessories’ versatility. You can basically origami your way into any shape you need to carry whatever you want by simply moving the parts around to fit the payload.

Each Wrap accessory also comes with a bungee retainer that is easy to add, remove, or adjust for length.

MSM Wrap G19 with LightMSM Wrap Handgun Mags

Observations from Use

The use of One Wrap for these accessories works out so well. One Wrap makes these pouches incredibly adjustable and extremely versatile because of all the different ways you can configure them. All of that is great but what really surprised me (in a good way) is that One Wrap is somewhat rigid – more rigid than what many universal holsters are made from. That rigidity makes it extremely easy to draw and reholster because the Wrap accessories hold their shape. It really is a very good material for this application.

The Wrap Holster is excellent for use with handgun mounted lights. Few universal type Velcro backed holsters work well with lights. Many will allow them to fit but unless they holster is long enough and rigid enough, the light or front sight will snag on the bottom of the holster during the draw. Again, the slight rigidity of the One Wrap material is a boon here as it prevents the light from being accidentally activated in your bag.

MSM Wrap AR Mag MSM Wrap Compact Revolver

The Multi Wrap Pouches work for handgun magazines of just about any length. They are ideal for longer magazines from full-size handguns. If you have a shorter magazine (Glock 19 and shorter), you will have be careful to draw the bottom of the pouch very tight to limit how deep the magazines sit. MSM may want to consider a shorter version in the future but I was able to make them work.

I was able to configure the Wrap Holster to work for everything from a Glock 21 with light to S&W J-frame in terms of handguns. You can set the retention as tight or loose as you want. You can easily set the Wrap accessories tight enough that you don’t need the bungee retainer for most items though it will be more difficult to insert the item. The Wrap Holster also works very well for AR-15 magazines, cell phones, Altoid tin style survival kits and other small containers, smaller battery backups for your electronics, GPS units, communication handsets, and more.

The Wrap Multi Pouches are dynamite for handgun mags, multi-tools, flashlights, Snickers Bars (You’re not yourself when you’re hungry!), and more.

MSM Wrap Smart Phone

Wrap Up

The Wrap Holster and Wrap Multi Pouch are as versatile as any piece of gear I have tried. One Wrap is a great material for this application in obvious ways and in ways that I didn’t envision until I tried them. MSM hit these out of the park.

Check out the Wrap accessories at MILSPEC Monkey.

Stealth – New from Joe Watson Knives and Hardwired Tactical Shooting

The HiTS knife, a collaboration between Joe Watson Knives and Darryle Bolke of Hardwired Tactical Shooting, has been a run away success. It will be a tough act to follow but they are going to try with the “Stealth”.

Joe Watson HiTS Stealth Hardwire Tactical shooting

The Stealth is a fairly versatile design that accommodates a number of techniques. It is basically a double edged American tanto shaped blade. The handle is finished with Joe’s excellent epoxy soaked cord wrap and features a deep finger groove for retention and indexing. By sharpening the straight spine of the tanto Joe and Darryle have created a knife that adapts quickly to edge in or edge out techniques – so much so that, at a glance, it is a dead ringer for a typical pikal knife.

The Stealth will be available soon. Check out Joe Watson Knives.

Cross posted from Blade Bomb.

Artificum Solis Bladeworks Andy

“Andy” is Artificum Solis’ latest creation. This concealable fixed blade looks well suited to carry as a backup to your concealed carry firearm or for utility use.

artificum solis andy-2

The Andy features 3.5″ long, 1/8″ thick O1 Tool Steel blade that has a chisel primary grind with a V ground secondary edge. The blade has a Wharnecliffe profile that gives you plenty of point to work with and helps hold the material being cut on the cutting edge when slashing.

The handle slabs are hand textured micarta and the knife has a 3.5″ handle (7″ overall length). It comes with a kydex sheath.

Check out Andy at Artificum Solis Bladeworks.

Cross-posted from Blade Bomb.

TOPS Knives B.O.B. Knife with Tumbled Finish

The Brothers of Bushcraft designed BOB Knife has been a smash hit for TOPS Knives and for good reason – it is a great knife. I own one and it strikes a great balance between cutting performance and durability thanks to its somewhat unique modified “Scandi” edge and large, hand filling handle. There have been several iterations of the BOB Knife so far, all of them featuring a powder coat finish in various colors.brostbfMany users find that the coating reduces cutting performance and just ends up rubbing off during some common tasks like batoning. It is fairly common for people to actually strip the coating from their knives. The newest version of the BOB Knife is the first without powder coating from the factory. It features a tumbled finish that leaves the 1095 steel bare.If you don’t care for coated knives, this is the BOB Knife for you. Check out the new B.O.B. Knife with Tumbled Finish at TOPS Knives.

Cross posted from Blade Bomb.

Will Moon Custom Knives – Emerson Super Commander Moon Ultra-Mod

There is an entire cottage industry set up around customizing production knives and no knives are more popular to customize than Emerson Knives. True custom Emerson Knives are in extremely high demand and cost a significant amount of money so many fans of Mr. Emerson’s work resort to customizing a production version of one of his knives to suit their tastes. This process usually involves a significant investment in cash and time while you wait for the work to be completed which is why it is so cool to see a maker offering off-the-shelf custom modified Emerson knives.

Will Moon Custom Emerson Commander

Will Moon is an accomplished knife maker in his own right. He makes very distinctive folders that tend to be elegant, understated, and built like Swiss time pieces if Swiss time pieces could be used to cut through a car door. He has turned his attention to a limited number of Emerson Super Commanders and created what he calls the Emerson Super Commander Moon Ultra-Mod.

The Emerson Super Commander Moon Ultra-Mod may start out as a production knife but nearly every aspect of it is hand tuned. The typical asymmetrical grind that Emerson is known for is tweaked to provide improved geometry and edge retention. The blade is hand rubbed to a satin finish. The titanium locking liner is carbide plated to increase it’s lifespan and the nylon washers have been replaced with phosphor bronze to smooth the action. The scales have been replaced with high-viz orange, hand contoured, bead blasted G-10. The thumb disk has also been replaced with a custom high-viz orange G-10 part that is contoured to make deploying the blade even easier.

This knife is gorgeous to look at and functionally improved. Check out the Emerson Super Commander Moon Ultra-Mod.

will moon custom emerson commander disk

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