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Scrap Yard Knife Company 511

By on August 24, 2011 in Knives, Survival

The newest knife design from Scrap Yard Knife Company, the 511, is available now. It continues Scrap Yard’s tradition of offering a very functional hard use knife for a very reasonable price.

The 5.11 features Scrap Yard’s excellent Resiprene C handle. I have three knives with this handle and find it to be very comfortable and easy to use. It also sports a 5.5″ blade that is ground from 3/16″ thick SR-101. SR-101 is a very tough carbon steel that holds an edge reasonably well while still being very easy to sharpen. The blade size, coupled with SR-101, make this knife a great choice for general camp chores.

As usual with Scrap Yard knives, they are only around for a limited time before they are gone forever (or at least a long time), so act fast. You can get yours on the Scrap Yard Knives wesbite.

Council Tool Velvicut Hudson Bay

By on August 23, 2011 in Survival

Council Tool has released the second axe in their premium Velvicut line which I mentioned previously here. The newest addition is a true classic – the Hudson Bay Axe.

The Hudson Bay axe is one of the all time great pack axe patterns. This axe would be at home tucked away in a canoe or lashed to the side of your favorite pack. It has some truly premium features like a 24″ American Hickory handle, a forged 5160 head that has been hardened to 50-54 Rockwell, and leather sheath. The head is even hung in the traditional way – a soft wood wedge with a metal cross wedge.

The most important thing to consider about the Velvicut axes might be that they are made here in the USA. The US axe market is in shambles. Many once great axe and tool manufacturers have been out of business for years. Those of us who wanted premium axes have had to buy used axes to refurbish or buy an imported axe. The Velvicut line represents the return of the premium American axe.

Check out the Velvicut line on the Council Tool website.

Review: Arc’teryx Baller Ass Cap

By on August 22, 2011 in Reviews, Tactical Gear, Tactics and Training

I consider a hat with a brim an almost mandatory safety item when on the range. It keeps sun and hot brass off your face and out of your eyes. Ballcaps are the most common type of hat you see on a range due to their proliferation in our everyday lives and because they work. However, since I was a young man playing soccer and even now, my body temperature tends to run fairly hot which makes some hats nearly unbearable to wear in the warmer months. When I set out to find a better ballcap my search lead me to Arc’teryx and the Baller Ass Cap (BAC).

The mesh construction is what drew me immediately to the BAC. 4 of the 6 panels used in the construction of the hat are made from a slightly stretchy mesh material. The mesh lets the hat breath far more than a typical ballcap. The difference in how quickly this hat allows me to shed heat versus an all cotton hat is very noticeable. This hat solved a problem for me. That is what good gear does – it solves problems.

The BAC is also extremely comfortable to wear thanks to the FLEXFIT design. Most of you will likely be familiar already with FLEXFIT hats. They look like fitted ballcaps from the outside but inside they feature a comfortable elastic band that fits the hat to your head.

While the BAC is similar to some off the shelf offerings from FLEXFIT, it isn’t exactly like anything that you can buy from FLEXFIT. Arc’teryx made sure that this had some features that set it apart and made it more shooter oriented. It is available in either black or tan unlike the typical FLEXFIT hats which are more brightly colored. The BAC also lacks a button on the crown which is an important feature for those who wear ear muff style hearing protection on the range.

Finally, the BAC features a patch panel for name tapes or patches. The panel has the Arc’teryx logo embroidered into it in color that matches the hat for a very low profile look. If you dislike garish logos on your gear, you will appreciate this hat.

Arc’teryx has created a near perfect warm weather training hat with the BAC. Now that I have worn one for a while, it is hard to imagine wearing a different hat during a hot summer day on the range. Sure, its just a hat but it also an example of combining the right features to make an everyday object more functional.

You can read more about the Arc’teryx Baller Ass Cap on the Arc’teryx LEAF website. I purchased mine at Grey Group Training.

ZT 0550/0551 Scales from Hinderer Knives

By on August 20, 2011 in EDC, Knives

The Zero Tolerance 0550 and 0551 knives are a smash hit due to their combination of near custom quality, extremely modern materials, and the excellent designs skills of Rick Hinderer. Now you can buy accessory scales to customize your ZT 0550 or 0551 directly from the man that designed the knife.

The Hinderer Knives ZT 0550/0551 Scales are available in several colors, including my favorites: orange and translucent green. There are even camouflage options. The scales are machined from G10 which is resistant to just about everything (chemicals, heat, breakage, etc). The XM texture that Hinder Knives uses on these scales is touted as being easy on the hands while still providing plenty of grip and, based on the XM-18s that I have handled, I believe it.

The ZT 0550/0551 Scales are available on the Hinderer Knives website.

New Low Profile Bezel from Elzetta

By on August 19, 2011 in EDC, Flashlights, Guns, Tactical Gear

As if the mix-and-match options of the Elzetta ZFL-M60 lights were not already extensive enough… Elzetta has announced a great looking low profile bezel option. If you think this is just a cosmetic feature, you don’t know the folks at Elzetta.

The new low profile bezel option adds functionality to an already impressive series of lights by reducing weight, reducing bulk, and allowing the use of many common filters. The new bezel is .15″ less in outside diameter than the standard bezels. This makes the diameter of the bezel at 1.25″, a very common size for flashlights, which makes it compatible with many color or IR filters.

Oh, don’t worry, I am pretty sure it will still hurt when you smash someone’s the face with it even if it does lack crenelations.

The new low profile bezel will be available as an option for the ZFL-M60 lights on the Elzetta website.

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