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Unboxing: TacPack September 2017

By on September 22, 2017 in Reviews

The September 2017 TacPack has arrived at JTT HQ. I am pretty happy with this one in terms of value and usefulness. Let’s see what’s inside.

Hopefully you are familiar with the concept of TacPack by now. If not, you can read the reviews of the previous TacPacks for some background on this subscription box.

HopticUSA Picatinny Bubble Level and Scope Dope Sticker – This is the star of the show for me. I just took the time to mount an optic as level as I possibly could on an SPR-ish AR-15 and was all set to purchase a bubble level. Then TacPack smiled upon me with this one from HopticUSA. It seems nice. It’s compact, machined from aluminum, and even has various lightening cuts machined into it to reduce the weight to a minimum. The scope dope sticker is a handy addition too.

Tactical Oatmeal Pistol Mag Carrier – This kydex double stack handgun magazine carrier is solid. It won’t win any awards for fit and finish as the edges are basically just deburred but not really cleaned up beyond that. It uses a basic plastic belt clip which is a functional choice for something like this since it allows OWB or IWB carry. I don’t care for this type of clip on holsters but it works well on a mag carrier. This is a useful addition.

MGM Switch View Eagle Eye – I’ve tried a few universal “cat tails” before but this one is easily the most svelte. I’ll admit that I am a little dubious as to whether it will hold up but if it does, it will be a killer product. It should fit a wide variety of optics.

Eagle Grit Hand Cleaner – This stuff is actually pretty neat. It takes all kinds of stuff off your hands – gun oil, hydraulic oil, grease, and whatever else you weirdos manage to get into. It’s just a hand cleaner but it works and I can definitely put it to use around the JTT Compound.

If you want to try TacPack, you can check them out at TacPack.com. TacPack hints that the October box will contain something springy, something sticky, and something sharp.. So, maybe it’s some Halloween candy with razor blades hidden in it or something better.

Disclosure: I receive TacPacks, free of charge, for review.

Bargain or Just Cheap? – Real Steel H6-S1

By on September 19, 2017 in Bargain or Just Cheap?, EDC, Knives, Reviews

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.

I have always been very leery of Chinese knife manufacturers due to their historically poor quality and penchant for knock-off designs. A friend cautioned me about throwing the baby out with the bath water and introduced me to a several Chinese knife manufacturers that are worth a look. One such manufacturer is Real Steel and their H6-S1 is the subject of today’s edition of Bargain or Just Cheap?.

Real Steel offers several variants of the H6 but there is one that I believe really stands out – the H6-S1. This knife floored me with how good it is for the price.

Specs:

Lock: Frame Lock

Pocket Clip: Right pocket, Tip up only

Steel: Sandvik 14C28N

Handle: Textured G-10 front, steel back

Blade length: 3.39 in.

Blade thickness: .12 in.

Open length: 7.76 in.

Weight: 3.8 oz.

Observations from Use

This knife is exceedingly likeable. It is at the upper end of our $50 price limit but it is dripping with great features, hallmarks of quality, and functional design.

The 14C28N is a step up from the blade steel found on many Chinese knives or any budget knife for that matter. This Sandvik steel is easy to sharpen, takes a polished edge VERY well, and holds it well enough for EDC tasks. I was very happy to see a Sandvik steel being used here. The drop point, slightly recurve blade has plenty of spine and features a full flat primary grind. It cuts and slices very well.

The handle is well contoured and comfortable with more than enough room for all your fingers. Both the G-10 and the steel lock side of the knife are thick and sturdy but overall the knife feels and carries very slim. Speaking of G-10, the thumb studs are actually machined G-10 that matches that handle color. They are large and easy to operate. The knife opens easily and smoothly with a flick of the thumb without even having to use your wrist.

The lock on my example is excellent. It looks up with about 60% engagement so it is very sturdy with room to wear in over time. The lock bar features a very unique and very cool feature. It has a disk that at first glance looks like any Hinderer style lock bar stabilizer (a small stop designed to prevent lock bar over travel). Closer inspection reveals the fact that it can be pushed forward into a second position that actually blocks the lock bar from moving completely! In this position, the knife can not close on your hand without some kind of catastrophic breakage. The disk locks in each position with strong detent action so it is extremely unlikely that you will accidentally activate or deactivate it.

This knife is impressively light for a knife of these dimensions. There is some milling on the inside of the steel handle scale to remove weight. A full height flat grind also reduces weight as does a liner-less G-10 handle scale. It is larger in every dimension than the previously reviewed Kershaw Emerson CQC-4K yet it weighs less!

The pocket clip isn’t a true deep carry clip but it does place the knife very low in the pocket which is nice for professional settings. It is very stout and holds the knife securely.

Bargain or Just Cheap?

The fit and finish of this knife is very good. It has better than average steel, better than average materials, clever features, and a very functional design. It also happens to look great! It gives the impression of quality. I’ve seen them as low as $40 but they usually average around $45 for most variants of the H6. Honestly, I would feel good about this knife at twice the price.

There is nothing cheap about this knife other than the price. The Real Steel H6-S1 is most certainly a Bargain.

I will be using Amazon as the price base line for this series. All knives were purchased by me from Amazon: Real Steel H6-S1

 

Note: There are a number of H6 variants and colors available. The features vary significantly from variant to variant. Be sure you are buying the H6-S1 if want the features shown in this review.

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!

Bargain or Just Cheap? – Kershaw Emerson CQC-4K

By on September 15, 2017 in Bargain or Just Cheap?, EDC, Knives, Reviews

Welcome to Bargain or Just Cheap? This series will review budget friendly knives 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.

I’ve been carrying and using a Kershaw Emerson CQC-4K mostly because I was able to purchase it for $15. The ultra-low price was my initial attraction to it. It is one of the lowest priced options in the already very budget friendly line of Emerson designed Kershaw produced knives.

Specs:

Lock: Frame Lock

Pocket Clip: Reversible, Tip up only

Steel: 8Cr14MoV

Handle: Textured G-10 front, 410 steel back

Blade length: 3.25 in.

Closed length: 4.2 in.

Open length: 7.4 in.

Weight: 4.1 oz.

Observations from Use

There is a lot to like here. The size is great for EDC – plenty of blade for most EDC tasks, a long enough handle to support four fingers without crowding, and its very pocketable. The Emerson designed Wave Opening Feature works and is a great feature to have. The spear point blade has some belly, plenty of straight edge, and a useful point. The handle is comfortable in the hand. I find that it is also a good looking knife.

8Cr14MoV steel is a budget steel. It performs similarly to AUS-8. It is a stainless steel that sharpens easily. It lacks the edge holding ability of super steels but I find it completely acceptable. It is a solid, budget friendly steel and Kershaw seems to do well with it.

The lock on my example is very good. It locks up somewhat early so there is room for it to wear in and it does pass a spine whack test. The lock bar doesn’t stick and the detent is fairly strong and positive.

Unfortunately, there are some things about this knife that I don’t like. It is heavy for its size due to it’s thick 410 steel lock bar side and a full steel liner under the G-10 handle scale. The thumb disk doesn’t line up well with the relief cut in the handle making it difficult to access. Finally, the primary grind on this knife is a short, hollow grind that leaves the edge fairly thick. It cuts reasonably well but not as well as it could with a higher primary grind.

Bargain or Just Cheap?

If you like Emerson Wave Openers like me, you won’t find a cheaper one, especially with real G-10 handle scales. Unfortunately, the strange spacial relationship between the relief cut in the handle and the thumb disk strikes me as an avoidable design flaw with a very noticeable impact on how easy you can open the knife.

This knife might be a bargain when it can be found around $15-$18 but other than that I’ll say… Just Cheap. If you are going to spend over $20, I would pass unless you are drawn to its smaller size in relation to other Kershaw Emerson models. I think there are better, but larger, options in the Kershaw Emerson line like the CQC-6K which I will review at a later date.

All of the knives for this series will be purchased by me on Amazon: Kershaw Emerson CQC-4K

Do you have a favorite affordable knife? Let us know about it in the comments!

Review: TALON Grips

By on September 7, 2017 in Guns, Reviews

Shooter skill is the single most important element of recoil control. However, having a grip surface that allows the shooters hands to more effectively grip the firearm can go a long way toward supporting those skills – especially when it comes to handguns. That is why, if you were to look in my safe, you would find some sort of home brew stippling job or a stick-on grip solution on nearly every handgun I own.

I’ve tried several stick-on grips over the years. I’ve cut my own simple shapes and tried a number of pre-cut products. Honestly, my own cut shapes tend to work out better than most pre-cut products because many of them have the same flaws. They don’t apply texture all the way around the grip and they don’t apply texture to the right places on the grip. Then I tried TALON Grips.

TALON Grips does not suffer the same design flaws. Their grips are cut in very complex shapes that allow them to be wrapped completely around the host gun. This is important so that you can apply grip pressure anywhere you need to on the grip.

They also cut their grips to cover the right parts of the gun for recoil control. I have used stick-on grips for Glocks that basically just cover parts of the front strap and the lower sides of the grip. Those are the areas where Glock already applied some texture! If you use a modern handgun grip and are applying crush or camming pressure to control recoil, the upper part of the grip where your support hand contacts it is one of the most important gripping surfaces. TALON Grips tend to extend their stick-on grips up into this area.

TALON Grips also offers two different textures. Their first offering was sandpaper/skate board grip tape style texture that they call Granulate. More recently they began offering a pebbled rubber texture. If I was never going to carry a handgun inside the waist band, I would choose the Granulate texture every time. If IWB or AIWB carry is in your future you might consider the Rubber texture as I find it to be more comfortable against my skin while still providing excellent grip (the Rubber texture is shown in the images of the Glock 43 in this post).

I also appreciate that TALON Grips offers a wide selection including most common, and even slightly uncommon, handguns. They even have products for things you might not expect. If you want a stick-on grip for a Mossberg 590 Shockwave, they have it. They even make stick-on grips for many of the common Glock magazine extensions on the market.

I have also found them to be very durable and I suggest that you carefully read the short, simple instructions provided with their product. Good prep and the application of light heat after the initial installation are key in making sure these last… and they do last. I have been very pleased with the longevity of TALON Grips products.

These kinds of stick-on grips have been around for a long time and there are a lot of choices. I have found that TALON Grips makes them better than any others I have tried.

Check out TALON Grips.

Wild Hedgehog Tactical Ouch Pouch

By on August 11, 2017 in EDC, Reviews

I’ve been carrying an Ouch Pouch from Wild Hedgehog Tactical for about a year. It spends most of its time in the hydration pack that I use for hiking and biking. I’ve had to raid it several times and I’ve really come to like this simple, compact first aid kit.

The Ouch Pouch isn’t that different from something you can build yourself… except you are going to have to pay up for large quantities of the components only to strip them down for use in a compact first aid kit. I like the quality of the components used in the Ouch Pouch. There are brands like Medline, 3M, and Curad. I also like the versatility of the selected components. Items like Steri Strips can be used a number of ways and can close some pretty nasty wounds in a pinch.

Components:

  • 1 Pair Nitrile Gloves
  • 1″x3″ Bandages (5)
  • 2″x4″ Bandages (2)
  • Gauze Pad
  • Aspirin Pack
  • Antihistamine Pack
  • Ibuprofen Pack
  • 3M Medical Tape
  • 2x Bacitraicin Antibiotic Gel Packs
  • Pack of 3M Steri Strips
  • Purell Wipe
  • 2x Iodine Wipes
  • ​2x Alcohol Wipes

I’ve added a couple doses of anti-diarrhea tablets to mine because nothing will ruin a day on the trail or at the range quite some intestinal distress. Other than that, this is a capable, basic, and fairly complete kit at a decent price.

Ouch Pouch at Wild Hedgehog Tactical

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