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NukoTools Titanium GBi

By on February 25, 2012 in EDC, Reviews, Survival

Titanium makes just about anything better. That is scientific fact. It is certainly true with the NukoTools GBi.

You may remember the cute little GBi that I reviewed a while back. The old version was made from G-10 which is a very good material for this application given its light weight, non-magnetic nature, and extreme durability. This new version is made from an equally well suited material – titanium. Titanium is also very lightweight (though it is a bit heavier than the G-10), non magnetic, and extremely durable.

NukoTools Heat Colored Ti GBi (subject of this review)

If you read the previous review, you know that the GBi is a discreet self defense tool. It looks like a funny little smiley face but functions like a flesh tearing, bone bruising, eye gouging set of two finger “knuckles”. The new Ti version is about 1/4″ thick (slightly thinner than the original G-10 version) and features larger “eye” holes which improves the comfort and fit for me.

NukoTools has made a few versions of these. I have a heat colored version for review. The most recent versions have been stone washed and left raw or slightly heat colored. The heat coloring on my example is striking. It is mostly a very deep purple with some blue, green, and even orange in the right light. It gives this GBi a very distinctive look that is also completely unique from any other GBi. No two heat colored GBis will be alike.

Original NukoTools G-10 GBi (from the previous review)

The cuts on this earlier Ti version that I have are a bit rough in places. The eye holes are smoothed enough to be comfortable but the teeth cuts are a bit jagged in places (which isn’t really a bad thing considering their purpose). The newer stone washed versions have corrected this roughness.

The best thing about the GBi is just how discreet it really is. It isn’t unusual for people to comment about how cute my keychain is without ever realizing what it actually is. That is exactly how NukoTools intended it to be. This tool works.

Check out the NukoTools website or email nukotools@gmail.com for purchasing information. Be advised, these tools are handmade in small batches so they may not be available all the time.

Review: MagPod Prototype

By on February 22, 2012 in Guns, Reviews, Tactical Gear

I was lucky enough to be able to spend some quality time with the upcoming MagPod. MagPod provided me with a prototype that is already a few revisions old but I was able to get a very good idea of what the MagPod is all about.

The humble little MagPod is big on functionality.

I Don’t Care What You Were Told

First, like I did in my first MagPod post, lets take care of the elephant in the room. The MagPod is designed to allow shooters to use their Magpul PMAGs more efficiently as a mono-pod to steady their rifles in the prone position. So, it promotes resting the magazine on the deck which many people wrongly believe will cause their rifles to malfunction. This is simply not the case. It has been shown over and over by several instructors who teach this technique and oversee hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of rounds being sent down range that this is a valid technique that will not cause malfunctions with a quality magazine and quality rifle. There, I feel better.

This loop is perfect for extracting magazines from deep pouches.

Questions Answered

My time with the MagPod has been brief (but productive). I have enough time to get a good feel for how it functions. I do not have a lot of rounds on it but I do have a lot of rounds through ARs using the magazine mono-pod technique. In fact, I sold all my bipods but one a long time ago. There is just no reason to bother carrying the weight once you get used to this technique.

The biggest questions that I had were: Does it help when the rifle is held at angles other than perfectly level? Does it really add stability beyond what a standard PMAG baseplate provides? Does it function well as a magazine manipulation aid? How is it on uneven ground? Does it make the rifle sit too high off the ground? I am happy to say that my impressions were positive on all questions.

While the MagPod does have the most contact area when the rifle is held level, it does provide improved stability when the rifle is angled up or down as well. It is made from a hard plastic with a hard rubber pad on the base. This set up seems to have some give to conform to various surfaces and angles.

Lots of contact area but also enough of a gap to handle uneven surfaces.

It is noticeably more stable than when using a PMAG without the MagPod installed – the carbine just seems to rest more naturally with the MagPod in place. The extra stability is subtle at some angles but noticeable.

I think my biggest surprise was how well the MagPod worked as a magazine manipulation aid. The hole through the front of MagPod is positioned perfectly to allow use of your index finger to pull the magazine out of a pouch. The aggressive texture on the sides is a great grip enhancer for those who “beer can” grip their magazines when yanking a magazine free of the magwell (especially when clearing a double feed).

The design of the MagPod was obviously made to handle uneven ground. There is a front and rear pad that make contact with the ground with a small gap between them. This gap allows the MagPod to span debris like gravel and still stay relatively stable.

The concerns that I have read from some concerned onlookers about making the rifle sit dangerously high off the ground are unfounded. When level, the rifle is only about 1/8″-3/16″ of an inch higher off the ground than it would be with a standard PMAG baseplate. I will take that slight height increase as a trade off for more stability and more positive manipulation.

How stable is it? Stable enough to balance your rifle on the magazine with ease.

Conclusion

I like to think of the MagPod as a tool that is similar to a MagPul Ranger Plate but with twice the functionality. It provides improved handling of the magazine in a variety of grips and it also has the huge bonus of making a very stable shooting platform. I thought I was impressed before I tried it. I am even more impressed now that I have been able to experience the nuances of the MagPod.

The MagPod will be available soon. While you are waiting, check out MagPod on their website and their Facebook page.

Review: Blue Force Gear Dappers

By on February 14, 2012 in EDC, Reviews, Survival, Tactical Gear

Sometimes you a need a bag that has the open space to carry larger items and sometimes you need a lot of organization features to carry smaller items. Thankfully, with Blue Force Gear Dappers you don’t have to choose between wide open storage capacity and fine tuned organization. These hook and loop backed pouches can be moved easily to configure your pack exactly the way that you need it for your specific mission.

My typical Dapper layout in a BFG Skye Pack.

Blue Force Gear (BFG) has discontinued their DAP Packs this year in favor of a new direction for the DAP line in 2012. Some of the DAP packs are still available at great prices on the Blue Force Gear Last Call page). They will continue to offer the excellent Dappers that will work in any hoop and loop lined bag which are becoming more common. They have also introduced a couple of inserts that are designed to make Dappers work in just about any bag that you already own. This new approach will only add to the versatility of the Dapper line.

Blue Force Gear graciously provided me with a Wall Street Warrior Kit and Skye Pack (now discontinued) to check out. Since the pack has been discontinued, I’ll focus on several different styles of Dappers individually.

The excellent but now discontinued BFG Skye Pack

Admin Pouch Dapper

The Admin Pouch Dapper is easily my favorite pouch in the line. It has the perfect combination of small organization features and a larger storage area.

The Admin Pouch Dapper has no shortage of organizational features.

The front of the Admin Pouch Dapper has been improved for 2012. The fabric organizer loops have been replaced with the same heavy duty elastic material that is used on the Ten Speed line. The result is an organizer that can stretch to accommodate nearly any pen, flashlight, multitool, or a number of other items. There is also a small flap covered pouch on the front that can hold something as large as an Altoids tin, digital camera, compass.

Behind all of the organization features is a large zippered pouch. This pouch is large enough to hold larger and bulkier items.

The new elastic organizer is very versatile in terms of what will fit.

Mesh Pouch Dapper

The Mesh Pouch Dapper is just what it sounds like. The front of the pouch is made from heavy duty mesh which lets you see the contents. The interior back of the pouch is lined with hook material so you can add other Dappers for internal organization. The top of the pouch has a small webbing loop that makes the Mesh Pouch Dapper a great pull out type pouch that can be separated from your main pack.

The Mesh Pouch Dapper is a large pouch that can hold bulky items.

The interior of the Mesh Pouch Dapper can accept other Dappers.

I like to keep my winter hat and gloves in it since it is large enough to hold bulkier items and the mesh front allows them to dry after spending a day in the snow. If you have a BFG Skye or Overlord pack with the hook and loop lined beavertail, you can mount the Mesh Pouch Dapper to it on the outside of your pack to let wet items dry out through the mesh without getting the contents of your pack wet.

The mesh makes this Dapper great for drying items like winter hats and gloves.

Ten Speed Pistol Dapper

The Ten Speed Pistol Dapper is designed to hold pistol mags and it does that very well. However, like the rest of the Ten Speed line, it makes use of heavy duty elastic which makes it useful for holding a wide variety of items.

This versatile Dapper works for more than just handgun mags. Here it is holding a Multitasker TUBE, a large Sharpie, and 2 chemlights.

I had no problem fitting Glock 17 magazines. I could even fit Glock 21 magazines. The Ten Speed Pistol Dapper is also great for storing pens, markers, chemlights, and tools like the Multitasker TUBE.

The Ten Speed Pistol Dapper is compact enough to fit inside the Mesh Pouch Dapper. This adds some organization to an already useful pouch.

Large Laptop Sleeve Dapper

The Large Laptop Sleeve Dapper is another one of my favorite Dappers because it solves a problem for me. Backpacks that have padded laptop sleeves are great, when you are carrying a laptop. If you aren’t carrying a laptop, all of that padding is taking up useful interior space and adding weight. BFG solves that by making their laptop sleeve removable. You can simply remove it when you don’t need it.

Not carrying a laptop? The Laptop Dapper lets you remove the bulky sleeve when you don't need it.

The Large Laptop sleeve is padded all the way around. It features a large flap that secures the contents of the sleeve. My largest laptop is about 10×15 and it fits easily. The entire front and sides are covered with hook and loop so that you can add more Dappers to the exterior. I have also found that it works as a hydration pouch in a pinch.

Other Considerations

These are well made pouches as I have come to expect from Blue Force Gear. The materials are top notch and the construction is probably heavier duty than is needed for pouches that are designed to be used inside a pack, so they should last quite a long time.

It is becoming more common for packs to have interior hook and loop panels so it won’t be hard to find places that the Dappers will be useful. Makers are recognizing that hook and loop is a fairly light weight and completely customizable way to add organization to the interior of a pack. I have owned packs that have internal MOLLE webbing but that tends to be heavy and for more restrictive as to how you can layout the pouches. I hope that we will continue to see more gear makers adding internal hook and loop so that we can leverage the very complete line of organization tools that the Dappers represent.

This M4 Triple Ten Speed Dapper is being used on the front of a BCS Low Profile Plate Carrier.

Dappers aren’t just for inside a bag. I use an M4 Triple Ten Speed Dapper on the front of a low profile plate carrier that I helped design with Beez Combat Systems.

Conclusion

I have just scratched the surface of the Dapper line. There isn’t a more versatile or customizable organization system on the market. The Dappers are also easily the most complete line up of hook and loop organizers. With a nice selection of Dappers, you will never again have to choose between having enough space and having enough organization.

You can see the whole line of Dappers on BlueForceGear.com.

Wiha 363 Series Torx Driver Set

By on February 7, 2012 in EDC, Reviews

I have posted about these before but I have found them so handy, that I think they are worth another mention. The Wiha 363 HM7 set of Torx drivers is one of my favorite tools. They are small enough to toss in your EDC bag (the whole set is about 2″x2.5″) and have the perfect assortment of sizes for most folding knives.

Recently, I had a pocket clip on my EDC knife that was coming loose to the point that I nearly lost one of the screws. I reached into my backpack for my Wiha Torx drivers and fixed the screw in short order.

This set has held up far better than other smaller Torx drivers that I have tried. The finish is still mostly intact and the they have not started to twist or round in the slightest even after quite a bit of use.

I don’t like to carry a ton of stuff that I won’t use. This little set of Wiha Torx drivers is really the only tool that I carry on a daily basis other than a multi-tool. They just continue to impress me with their quality and compact form factor.

Review: US PALM AK30 Rebuild Kit

By on January 23, 2012 in Guns, Reviews

The internal components that US PALM uses in their AK30 Magazines are excellent. Their AK30 Rebuild Kit makes it possible to install those same internal components in any magazine body that you choose. These kits allow you to revitalize old worn out magazines or even to upgrade your working magazines. I have mentioned these on the blog in the past and now I have had a chance to spend some quality time with them.

Components

The AK30 Rebuild Kits are made up of 3 components: a skeletonized polymer follower, a stainless steel magazine spring, and a parkerized steel floor plate latch. These are premium components. The followers are of the same distinctive design used on the AK30. It is ventilated to allow debris to be easily flushed out. It also seems to be very low friction (more on that later).

The US PALM AK30 follower is very distinctive.

When I have a choice I prefer a quality stainless spring. Modern stainless springs offer increased corrosion resistance while still providing set free reliability for many thousands of compressions. These springs will likely outlast the magazine body in which they are housed. I have had AK magazines fail due to rusty springs, but that becomes much less likely with the use of a stainless spring.

There isn’t much to say about the floor plate latches other than they locked into every magazine that I tried. Its only real purpose is to retain the floor plate and it does that well.

The floor plate latch is nicely finished and works well to retain the floor plate.

In Use

I had 4 kits that I installed in 4 different magazines: a polymer Polish magazine, a Chinese “no rib” steel magazine, a Hungarian 20 round “tanker” magazine, and a Bulgarian Circle 10 polymer magazine.

Left to right: Hungarian Tanker, Chinese "No Rib", Bulgarian Circle 10

The Polish magazine is the earlier military type that has steel reinforcement in the feedlips, not the later commercial types with no steel. This was the magazine that I was most looking forward to testing the kit with since its original follower was very sticky in the magazine body to the point that it would cause an occasional stoppage. The AK30 Rebuild kit immediately and completely cured the feeding issues. I have put over 300 trouble free rounds through this magazine with the kit installed. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am about this because this is a great magazine body and it was a real shame that it wasn’t running well.

The Chinese “no rib” magazine accepted the kit and ran perfectly. However, the follower is a little bit narrow for this type of magazine and will only engage one of the follower retaining dimples at a time. These dimples are in place to prevent the follower from riding up too high in the magazine. By not engaging on both, the follower was allowed to wobble a bit more than usual. My concern would be that the follower might wear out sooner or develop more too much tilt over time. However, it functioned without issue through 180 rounds.

Hungarian 20 round “tanker” magazines utilize the same springs and followers as 30 round magazines. The AK30 Rebuild Kits fit the magazines perfectly. Loading the last few rounds is somewhat difficult but they functioned very well. There were no malfunctions through 150 rounds.

The follower required some fitting to work with the Bulgarian Circle 10 magazine. The follower would catch on the metal feedlip inserts. The fix was simple. I used a sharp knife to chamfer the top corners of the follower. The AK30 guts in the Circle 10 magazine body made for a very nice combination – the ultra rugged Circle 10 magazine body paired with the great follower and stainless spring of the AK30. It functioned perfectly through 300 rounds.

Top to bottom: Hungarian Tanker, Chinese "No Rib", Bulgarian Circle 10

Will They Work for You?

Given the somewhat wide variances in AK magazines, US PALM has done a very good job of making a kit that fits a broad range of magazine bodies. However, there can be some fit issues as evidenced by the examples I mentioned above. There are also some magazines that common sense dictates you wouldn’t want to use these kits.

If you are interested in trying the AK30 Rebuild Kits, I recommend buying one kit and trying it in the magazines that you intend to use it in before you buy several kits. Check the fit in as many magazines as you can. Determine if you will need to do any fitting (which is extremely easy to do). Then, once you have determined that they will work with your favorite magazine body, buy all that you need.

If you have “bolt hold open” mags like those from Yugoslavia, these kits are not for you. The follower has a taper at the back that will not work well to hold the bolt open. The plastic will also likely not hold up very well to being battered by the bolt and bolt carrier.

Conclusion

I like these kits. I was able to successfully use one to rejuvenate a magazine that would have been difficult and expensive to replace. I also like that there is finally a stainless steel spring option for AK magazines. This kit makes maintaining your magazines much more simple and makes them more resistant to a lack of maintenance. It will be up to you to determine if they work with your magazines and whether you need the functionality of the improved follower and stainless spring.

You can check out the AK30 Rebuild Kits on the US PALM website.

Disclosure: These kits were provided to me for review, free of charge, by US PALM.

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