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The EDC Tool Roll: Knipex Pliers Wrench (86 03 125)

By on February 27, 2017 in EDC, Reviews, The EDC Tool Roll

The EDC Tool Roll is a feature on Jerking the Trigger in which we profile various every day carry worthy tools. The tools shown aren’t multi-tools but rather real tools, that by virtue of their compact size, light weight, usefulness, or unique functionality, can find a place in any range kit, emergency kit, or every day carry bag.

Feel free to comment on the tools that you carry so we can all learn! The discussion on these posts has been very valuable so far.

Knipex Pliers Wrenches might be my favorite tool in my tool chest and my EDC Tool Roll. I say this not only because of how well they work but because of how clever they are. What I mean is, I really like how they work but I love the idea of them too!

Knipex Pliers Wrench (right) shown with Cobra Pliers (left).

If you can imagine adjustable pliers that have been retooled with some engineering magic to have parallel opening jaws, you have the idea of the Pliers Wrench. They open and close like pliers but have the flat, parallel opening jaws of a wrench. The result is a tool that can “ratchet” by simply loosening your grip, has very fine adjustability, lets you easily control the pressure on the fastener with your grip, and can handle much larger fasteners than similarly sized adjustable wrenches.

These parallel jaws allow other uses like straightening sheet metal. They can also be used to push in roll pins and work especially well on stubborn pins like the bolt catch roll pin on an AR-15 lower receiver. You just place the Pliers Wrench over the pin and squeeze your grip to push it into place.

I own 3 different sizes of the Pliers Wrench but the one I carry daily is the 5″ version (86 03 125). It is the same size as the Knipex Cobra Pliers that I also carry and between the two of them, I can get a lot done. This tool is surprisingly small but it can be adjusted wide enough to turn 7/8″ diameter fasteners.

One thing that makes the 5″ version especially well suited to everyday carry or range bag use is how thin the jaws are. The tool itself is extremely stout but the jaws taper to just less than 1/8″ thick at the tips. This makes it easy to get on the smaller nuts and bolts often found on optics mounts or other gear.

I purchased my 5″ Knipex Pliers Wrench (86 03 125) at Amazon. I have found the larger sizes locally at places like Sears Hardware but never the 5″ version so I had to purchase online.

For a lower priced alternative adjustable wrench that is compact but still handles larger fasteners, check out the Lobster Shorty. We will eventually post some comparisons of a few options in a later installment of The EDC Tool Roll.

Do you have a compact adjustable wrench that you prefer? Tell us about it below.

Review: TacPack February 2017 Edition

By on February 22, 2017 in EDC, Reviews

The February 2017 TacPack is here and I’ll tell you right up front that this is my favorite one to date.

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.

Like I said before, this month’s box is my favorite to date. The perceived value is high. The usefulness and/or cool factor of the included items is high. It has a very high, I’ve-Been-Wanting-to-Try -One-of-Those factor. The TacPack has no weak items this month.

LiveFire Gear 550 FireCord – You can never have too much paracord and you can never have too many emergency firestarting materials tucked away in your EDC or various kits. LiveFire Gear’s 550 FireCord is both. It’s paracord with an inner strand that serves as an excellent emergency tinder. 25 feet is enough to make a ton of zipper pulls and lanyards.

TricornE Spool Tool – If you have paracord, you want/need a Spool Tool. This ingenious tool allows you to wrap 100 feet of paracord on it where it sits, ready to be used in projects. The tool also has an integrated cordage cutter, a bracket for holding a Mini Bic lighter, notches for holding the cord while you fuse the end, and a lanyard hole.

Bull Moose Tactical Muzzle Device – This brake is threaded 1/2×28 so it should fit a variety of rifles. I haven’t tried it yet but I will.

North Shore Kustoms Equalizer – I like knucks. I used to sell them back when we operated Edge/Equipped and I even had occasion to design one. I’ll probably never use one in any sort of defensive way. To me, they are a novelty that represents a craftsman who translates a design directly into metal. They are interesting objects that are cool to own, cool to talk about, and that is enough of a purpose for… Hold on… This one has a bottle opener!

TacPack Patch – You like patches don’t you? Of course you do.

LiveFire Gear 40% Off Coupon – The final item in the box is a 40% coupon for LiveFire Gear. I’ll put that to use for sure!

If you want to try TacPack, you can check them out at TacPack.com. They are saying that the items in the March box will have a total value of $115 and a TacPack sometime in the near future will feature the debut of a new item from Hexmag.

The EDC Tool Roll: Lobster UM24SS Shorty Adjustable Wrench

By on February 13, 2017 in EDC, Reviews, The EDC Tool Roll

The EDC Tool Roll is a feature on Jerking the Trigger in which we profile various every day carry worthy tools. The tools shown aren’t multi-tools but rather real tools, that by virtue of their compact size, light weight, usefulness, or unique functionality, can find a place in any range kit, emergency kit, or every day carry bag.

Feel free to comment on the tools that you carry so we can all learn! The discussion on these posts has been very valuable so far.

The Lobster Shorty Adjustable Wrench (UM24SS) is a compact adjustable wrench that is well suited to everyday carry. The wrench is just over 4.5″ in length but has large jaws that can open wide enough to handle a 1″ diameter nut or bolt.

These drop forged steel wrenches have had great care taken to ensure that they remain light weight. The handle has been fluted and skeletonized and the jaws are tapered, relatively thin, and fluted to removed weight. Those thin jaws are part of why I prefer this wrench over other adjustable wrenches I have tried. Cheap adjustable wrenches often have chunky jaws that are difficult to use on small fasteners.

The Lobster Shorty is available with a number of different colored handles. Be advised that the “red” handle color (shown) looks more pink in person.

These wrenches are made in Japan and usually imported. I ordered mine through Amazon but they are also available from a number of sellers on Ebay. I’ve never found a local, brick & mortar source for them.

Where to Buy: Lobster Shorty Adjustable Wrench (UM24SS) on Amazon

If you are looking for an alternative, consider the Channellock 804 (chrome) or 804N (black oxide). You are likely to find them locally, they are more affordable, very compact, and made in Spain. I’ll profile one in a future edition of The EDC Tool Roll.

Do you have a compact adjustable wrench that you prefer? Tell us about it below.

The EDC Tool Roll: Knipex Cobra Pliers 87 01 125

By on February 8, 2017 in EDC, Reviews, The EDC Tool Roll

The EDC Tool Roll is a new feature on Jerking the Trigger in which we profile various every day carry worthy tools. The tools shown won’t be multi-tools but rather real tools, that by virtue of their compact size, light weight, usefulness, or unique functionality, can find a place in any range kit, emergency kit, or every day carry bag.

Feel free to comment on the tools that you carry so we can all learn!

German tool manufacturer, Knipex, makes a number of my favorite tools but their 5″ Cobra Pliers (87 01 125) are at the top of that list. These extremely compact pliers are extremely big on usefulness.

I bought the Cobra Pliers because I was tired of the pliers on my multi-tools never quite being the right tool for the job. The 5″ (125mm) Cobra Pliers are only slightly longer than most multi-tools in the folded position but they boast all the same features as Knipex’s larger pliers including drop-forged steel construction, push-button adjustment, and hardened jaws that self-lock into nearly anything you are trying to turn.

They are just under 5″ in length and just under 3 ounces in weight. This makes them easy to carry in pocket, small bag, compact tool roll, or in the built in admin organizer of your pack.

In spite of that small size, they can be used to turn nuts (or round material) up to 1″ in diameter. They grip material so tenaciously that I have used them to turn nuts that were nearly completly rounded. The forward portion of the jaws lets me do fine work like gripping webbing to pull through a tight tri-glide, while the inner portions of the jaws are recessed to mate with nuts, bolt heads or round stock like pipes and caps.

These have a place in The EDC Tool Roll because they are the pliers that I wish came in my multi-tool.

I have purchased these locally from Sears Hardware stores or online from Amazon. See the Knipex Cobra Pliers at Amazon.

Review: Scalarworks LDM/CompM4

By on January 26, 2017 in Guns, Reviews

Before Scalarworks, you had two choices in optic mounts. You could have QD, return-to-zero performance or you could have light weight. Then Scalarworks dropped the LDM or Low Drag Mount on the gun world and gave shooters a third choice: BOTH. Since their initial release of the LDM/Micro (for Aimpoint Micros and other compatible red dots), they have released a number of other mounts with the same ratcheting thumb wheel and radically skeletonized design. The LDM/CompM4 is one of the most recent and the subject of this review.

Overview

Like previous Low Drag Mounts, the LDM/CompM4 has Scalarworks’ ratcheting thumb wheel QD mechanism. The wheel has a toothed circumference kind of like a gear that interfaces with a ball detent in the mount. This adds a level of repeatability not found in a simple friction thumb wheel. The wheel drives telescoping mechanism that opens and closes a clamping surface that runs the full length of the mount.

The LDM/CompM4 is machined from 7075-T6 aluminum (an upgrade from the 6061 aluminum on my early LDM/Micro). It also features a hard anodized finish on all the aluminum parts.

There are a number of other durability enhancing features that you can’t really see with the naked eye like cold formed threading and 4140H alloy steel hardware.

Observations from Use

I think what impresses me most after having spent a lot of time with Low Drag Mounts, is that the design isn’t just something made to be different. Scalarworks didn’t just make a thumb wheel because everyone else was using levers. The ratcheting thumb wheel is a means to an end… it serves a purpose. Without it, the mount couldn’t be so compact. These mounts are often narrower than the optic they are attached to. The mechanism also couldn’t be as light as it is while also being durable without the thumb wheel. A round shape like the thumb wheel can be made both small and strong.

The radical skeletonization of these mounts is another key to their lightweight. The optic basically sits on 4 pillars of material and a bunch of nothing. As you might know, nothing weighs very little. The LDM/CompM4-LDM310 that I have (lower 1/3 co-witness) weighs just 1.49 ounces. The CompM4 in the original mount weighs in at 11.8 ounces. It weighs 9.76 ounces with the LDM/CompM4.

It is tempting to think these mounts aren’t durable or at least there seems to be a perception that lightweight can’t also be durable. Well, just like I did with the LDM/Micro, I dropped this mount directly onto the optic from shoulder height. I did this 3 times with no ill effects (accept to the finish of my CompM4 – see image below). You simply aren’t going to hurt a Low Drag Mount in normal use or even with some abuse.

I also removed and reinstalled the mount from the host rifle several times to test the return to zero performance. Just like the LDM/Micro that I tested before, there was no shift that could be detected with the LDM/CompM4. I don’t know that I have proven that there is no zero shift at all but it would seem that, if there is a shift, it is well within the margin of error in my precision shooting ability with a red dot sight. I am comfortable saying that there is no practical zero shift.

I should also note that I appreciate how easy it is to install and remove the Low Drag Mounts. Some lever equipped QD mounts require a lot of tension on the lever to truly grip the rail. This makes them annoying and sometimes even painful to remove. The LDM’s ratcheting wheel only requires the user to turn the wheel as tight as they can with their thumb. It’s easy and repeatable.

The LDM/CompM4 cantilevers the optic forward which leaves plenty of room at the rear of the upper receiver rail when mounted on an AR-15. There is more than enough room for an Aimpoint 3X magnifier or night vision device.

Wrap Up

This mount saw well over 1000 rounds, 3 drops, several remove and reinstall cycles, and more than a few walks in the woods. It performed perfectly.

If you look at a Scalarworks LDM like this one and only see the weight reduction, you would be missing most of the point. Yes, these mounts are far lighter than any other QD mount. They are also more compact, exceedingly well made, and truly functional in that they return to zero well and are easy to use.

I am someone who happens to think Aimpoint’s factory mounts are actually very good. They work. So, if I am going to pay my hard earned cash to replace a perfectly good mount, it is going to be a mount that is durable, lighter in weight, and functional like the Low Drag Mounts.

Check out the LDM/CompM4 at Scalarworks.

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