The Gear Review Blog....

Zero Tolerance 0301 Review

2012-03-10T03:52:00.014-08:00

NOTE: Click on any of the photos to view them at their full size

A couple of years ago, I started seeing a knife on the net that really sparked my interest; the Zero Tolerance 03XX series. The one I had my eye on was the ZT0301 (the 0300 & 0302 are the same just different color combos). Just from reading about the components, it seemed the ultimate pocket knife for me; I'm tough on knives sometimes :) The knife is a collaboration between Ken Onion, known for excellent custom made knives and Mick Strider, known for his beast-like military and hard use knives. With these two in collaboration and Zero Tolerance as a builder, you know, the knife was going to be good. For a while, the $200+ price scared me away. Then I went to a local gun show and handled one...I HAD to have it. The thing just screamed quality and built like a tank. Shortly thereafter, I sold some things and bought one.

When I received the knife in the mail, I was reminded of how much of a tank this knife was; It's HUGE for a pocket knife. I couldn't wait to put it into use and carry it at work.

Handle Materials:
The handle of the ZT0301 is made from a combination of Titanium (lock side) and 3D machined G-10 on top of a stainless steel liner on the other. This combination is used on several modern hard use knives and has proven it's self well. The titanium lock side is machined to match the look of the G-10 side and looks very nice. While the knife is a collaboration between Strider and Onion, the titanium frame lock is a Rick Hinderer design (It's like a who's who of bad A## knives) The clip is a standard Zero Tolerance clip; it's short, stiff and grips like a pitbull against the contoured titanium. It is so tight in fact, that in a very short time, it demolished the pockets on the jeans I wore it on. The clip also makes it ride pretty high in the pocket, a pet peeve of mine. The one sided G-10 scale and contoured titanium makes for a perfect grip in less than ideal situations.

The pivot screw is unique amongst folders that I have owned and I actually like it. It is an exposed 3/8" pivot nut designed so that it can be disassembled with common tools. The nut itself is not a size issue as one might think, I found it's presence to be a non-issue in the pocket.

Fit and Finish:
My initial impressions of the fit and finish of the ZT0301 were VERY good but that has been my impression with several knives out of the box so I reserved my review until after a few months of use. After using and carrying this knife for several months, I can honestly say that in a production knife, you won't find much better fit and finish. It becomes very apparent in use that ZT designed this knife to make a statement about their quality and the quality is GOOD. The knife uses ZT's (and Kershaw's) speedsafe assisted opening system for opening the knife. I was quite impressed at how well the speedsafe system opened this big blade. It snaps open with authority albeit a bit slow. Blade centering was very good for a frame lock.

Lock up:
The lock side of this knife as stated previously is a contoured titanium made to look like the 3D machined G-10 on the opposite side. It is a frame lock style lock with Rick Hinderer's Lock Bar Stabilizer. I have to hand it to ZT, they executed the lock very well and it locks up as good as any frame lock I've owned. It locks up like a bank vault at about 40% +/- and once locked in, it has no play in any direction. Well done ZT!

Blade:
The blade is made of a powdered steel known as CPM-S30V. In blade form, it has a RC hardness of around 59 or so in most knives. S30V is being used more and more in high end knives due to it's ability to hold an edge, ease of sharpening (compared to steels like D2) and it's corrosion resistance. I really like this steel, I think it's a good middle ground in the ever ending search for the perfect steel. The 0301 is also coated with what ZT calls DLC (Diamond like Carbon) to make their tiger stripes; paying homage to Strider, the "Original Tiger Stripe Guy". I found the coating to be VERY tough and even after lots of use showed little to no signed of wearing off.

The blade shape is called a modified drop point blade measuring in a 3 3/4" in length. I did not like the "belly" of the blade, I think it limits it's uses as an EDC but works well for hard use. Completely open, the knife measures a almost 9 inches long.

The ZT0301 also has two types of opening options, a flipper and a standard thumb stud. When I looked at the photos of the ZT0300 series on line, I thought that the thumb stud looked a little close to the scales to be useful but I was proven wrong. While the knife opens very well with the provided flipper, I found myself using the thumb stud more often as I could flick it open with more authority.The thumb stud also doubles as a stop pin.

Ergonomics:
While Ergonomics is a personal preference, I found the ergos of the ZT0301 to be very well executed for a knife of this size. When open, this knife fits my big mits very well and the jimping is in all the right places including nice jimping on the opposite end for reverse gripping the knife. The ergonomics were well thought out on this knife.

Size and Weight:
If you are looking for a small knife, then you'll want to look elsewhere. ZT0300 series knives are definite beasts of knives; made for abuse. That being said, when open it fills the hand nicely and feel right. Closed at 5 1/2 inches and clipped in the pocket is where I had my issues with this knife. It fills the pocket so much that it becomes a "pocket snob" (a step above pocket hog) not allowing anything else to be retrieved easily in the same pocket. It simply does not like company when it in your pocket. When this knife was clipped in my pocket, it rode high and was very heavy. It felt uncomfortable in anything but jeans and slightly obtrusive even in them. In shorts or work pants, at half a pound, it was just a bit too much.

Smoothness of opening:

I don't often see this mentioned in reviews but to me it's an important factor. In a life or death situation, being able to snap your knife open with authority via muscle memory is a must. Despite the very large size of this knife, it opens extremely smoothly with the flipper or thumb stud. With the flipper, it flips open nicely and locks up very well; add some wrist flick and it goes even faster. With the big blade it does seem to be a bit slow with just the flipper but it still does what it's supposed to. Using the thumb stud allows for one to flick it open with a bit more authority and I found myself using this method more often than the flipper. Lastly, this knife is so smooth with the installed phosphor bronze washers that simple wrist flicking in any position is easily accomplished. All in all, I'd give the "flickability" rating a 9 on this knife. It would be a ten but the large blade slows it a bit.

Uses:
If you are in the military or Law Enforcement, if you don't mind a big heavy knife, look no further. This knife was obviously built to be abused and used in the harshest environments known. It's size and weight (for me at least) limit it's use as an EDC knife. Opening this knife in a sheeple environment might cause some bladder control issues amongst the weak minded. In a knife friendly environment, EVERYONE is going to want to hold it, flip it, ask questions and drool over it.

Customer Service:
One of the best things about this knife is the company that makes it; Zero Tolerance. ZT is the sister (or brother) company to Kershaw and as any knife nut will tell you, in the customer service department, they have few rivals. While I never used their customer service for the ZT, I have used them for a speedsafe issue on my Kershaw Boa and even a broken tip on a leek that was my fault. In both cases, I was amazed at how well they took care of my issues. These guys score a solid 10 on the customer service scale! It should also be noted that the ZT0301 is 100% American made, that should count for allot in my book.

Conclusion:
The old adage of "you get what you pay for" holds very true with the Zero Tolerance 0301. The materials, fit and finish, innovative design and a company that stands behind their product all score a solid ten on this knife. I really wanted to like this knife and make it an EDC, alas it was just not meant to be. The size and pocket snobberery was just a little too much. These issues are personal preference however and should not detract from the fact that this is one hell of a knife. If I had to ding anything on this knife, it would be the pocket clip design. It makes the knife ride a bit high for my tastes and it's tightness against the machined grooves of the titanium lock side wreak havoc on pockets. Maybe a longer pocket clip that allows for some flex and lower ride or maybe smoothing out the titanium in the area next to the clip..I don't know. All this being said, if you are looking for a BIG, heavy hard use folder that will last you a lifetime, this may just be your knife. It's a beast of a knife in every sense of the word. While I ended up selling this knife, I sold my Strider for pocket snobbery issues as well. If I were to have to choose between a Strider and a ZT0301, I'd personally choose the ZT. Thats's no ding on strider (they're great knives), it's just that the ZT is built that dang good.

Ergonomics: 8/10 (Great in the hand, not so much in the pocket)
Looks: 10/10
Materials: 10/10
Fit and Finish: 9/10 (only cutoms get better)
Camp Use: 10/10
Hard/Military/Police Use: 9/10
EDC Use: 6/10 (a big knife and it stands out; might scare sheeple)
Food Prep: 7/10 (a little big for delicate tasks)
Skinning/Game Prep: 8/10 (excellent for this purpose, belly good for skinning)
Warranty: 10/10 (as good as it gets)
Zombie Usefulness: 8/10 (lay some Tiger stripes on a Zombie skull and they're done!)

ZERO TOLERANCE WEBSITE

Spyderco Caly 3 - C113CF Review

2012-03-09T15:38:00.019-08:00

Click on the photos to view a larger version.
The Spyderco Caly 3 (Caly is short for Calypso) is a reiteration of Spyderco's Calypso 1 & 2 with some new high end materials. I had seen this knife at a gun show but the vendor wanted way too much money for it. Then I got home and started reading articles about it and how much people liked it. I began an internet search of my favorite vendors and found a good price through GPKinves and hit the buy button. When it first arrived at my house and took it out of the box, my first reaction was that this was a really cool SOLID knife. When I opened it, I could not beleive how sharp this thing was. I think it was the sharpest knife I have ever purchased out of the box; easily shaving sharp.

HANDLE MATERIALS

The first thing you notice about the Caly 3 is it nicely refined Carbon fiber scales. While beautify done, the carbon fiber's polish didn't leave much in the gripping department. When wet, I found it to be very slick. The carbon fiber scales were laid over solid steel liners that actually gave the knife a very solid feel.

BLADE

The blade is another thing that really stands out on this knife. It is a flat ground, layered blade with laminated ZDP189 sandwiched between two layers of 420j2 leaving the cutting edge ZDP189. As I stated in the intro, out of the box the cutting edge of ZDP189 was easily the sharpest knife I have ever purchased. It was truly scary sharp. ZDP189 is usually reserved for very high end knives. It begins life as another of the high end Japanese powdered steels. In blade form, it is extremely hard tipping the Rockwell hardness scales at 64! While this bodes well for excellent sharpness retention, like all very hard blades, it can be tough for the average Joe to sharpen. Extremely hard blades also have a reputation for being a bit brittle. Reports I've read thus far on ZDP189 however, don't complain much on it's brittleness. The 420j2 portion of the blade is a very corrosion and stain resistant common steel usually used in other knife parts other than the blade. Most often found in liners and locks, it is a little prone to scratches but being a knife user (not a collector) this didn't bother me.This knife is an EXCELLENT slicer and would work great for food prep.

Jimping on the thumb ramp and finger choil of the blade is done very nicely and lends itself to EDC tasks very nicely.

The blade length is a short but very usable 3" with the thickest part of the spine at 1/8" inch. The overall length of the knife opened is around 7 inches, making a very EDC'able knife in my opinion.

LOCK

The lock is a standard yet capable lockback style. Nothing fancy but it works and locks up very solid.

FIT AND FINISH

The fit and finish on my knife was very well done. All screws were tight, the clip was tight and the blade was centered well. When open, there is zero side to side blade play and zero up and down. A complaint I do have was that a knife of this price, I feel that rivets instead of screws were an odd choice. I would have preferred screws. Being a closed back knife and prone to get dirty, screws make them much easier to clean.

ERGONOMICS

One of the things I kept reading about the Caly line of knives is that they handle very well and some claimed them feel like a natural extension of your arm. While I can't make the same claim personally, I will say that the knife handled very well and felt good in the hand. My personal technique for one handed closing knives however didn't jive well with the Caly 3. While I can't explain it without video (I really need to add some), I found that the choil was a bit small and I ended up with a couple of bites to my index finger; again this knife is SHARP!. Being a knife user, this presented a problem for me.

POCKET CLIP

I have become a big fan of Spyderco's wire clips and the one on the Caly 3 is no exception. I like that it is recessed into the scales, thus less prone to loosening and moving around. As far as being clipped into the pocket, the combination of CF scales and the wire clip made this one of the smoothest knives going in and out of my pocket that I own. I really liked the combination for this reason.

SIZE AND WEIGHT

As stated before, the Caly 3 is an overall seven (7) inches opened and 4 1/16 inches closed. It weighs in at a respectable 3 ounces but feels extremely solid. It is a perfect size for EDC as a gentleman's folder.

SMOOTHNESS OF OPENING

I was pleasantly surprised when I received the Caly 3. It opens very smoothly but the tang rubbed against the scratch prone 420j2 portion of the blade leaving half circle marks. I discovered that this is due to a lack of bushings, thus leaving the blade to rub against the tang. A design flaw? maybe. As a knife user, this would not bother me. I suspect however that due to the high end components of this knife, that some will purchase this knife from a collectors standpoint. In this case, the rubbing may be a concern. You can see the rubs in the photo below and a few other scratches from minimal use.

USES

As I've stated above, I beleive this knife is intended as a gentleman's EDC folder or a collector's knife. In that respect, I think this knife fits those rolls well. As a heavy user or even a rough every day user (like me), this knife feels a little out of its element.

CONCLUSION

This knife is a gentleman's folder and/or an EDC knife; it fits those rolls well. As a collectors knife, it may fall little short because of the tang rubs and scratching issues. I guess this could be avoided if made a drawer or safe queen. The collection of high end components on paper scream collectors knife. The steel(s) in the blade, the uniqueness of sandwiching of them with the visible delineation line make this a definite conversation piece. As an EDC gentleman folder, I think this knife works very well. It's as sharp out of the box as any knife I've ever owned. Being a knife user however (sometimes a bit rough on them), this knife in my pocket was out of it's element. This is not to say I didn't like the knife. Everyone I showed this knife to loved it and a couple even bought one. It fits in the pocket very well, clips in smoothly and comes out smoothly without any wear on the user's pockets. It can handle any cutting tasks you throw at it within the scope of an EDC and I think it will be one of those Spyderco's that becomes a collectors item one day. At a street price of around $120-$130, this knife is priced very reasonably. For me however, I sold it to fund another purchase.

Ergonomics: 8/10 (Feels great in the hand)
Looks: 10/10
Materials: 9/10 (knock off a point for being easily scratched in the 420 areas)
Fit and Finish: 8/10 (would almost be a ten if not for the lack of washers to avoid tang rub)
Camp Use: 6/10 (more suited as a gentleman's folder )
Hard/Military/Police Use: 7/10
EDC Use: 9/10 (a sheeple friendly, gentleman's folder)
Food Prep: 9/10 (nice sized blade and good slicer for food prep)
Skinning/Game Prep: 7/10 (decent shape for this purpose but a little delicate for tough use)
Warranty: 8/10
Zombie Usefulness: 3/10 (Zombie's might be impressed with your nice knife,...but they'll still eat you)

Benro C-358EX Carbon Fiber Tripod & Benro B-2 Ball Head Review

2012-01-02T19:17:00.002-08:00

NOTE: Click on any of the photos for larger views

Recently after attending a meet of area wildlife photographers, and seeing some VERY nice carbon fiber tripods being used by some in the group, I decided that carbon fiber was something I was "in need" of :) I started my research on the net for carbon fiber tripods big enough to handle a Canon 500mm F/4IS L Lens. One thing I've learned over the years when using heavy equipment and tripods; go big or go home. While I knew this already, I tried to find some way out of spending $1000 on a Gitzo and then another $500 on a head. I read article after article on luminous landscape, Fred Miranda, et al. trying to find a cheaper alternative. While I know the BEST thing to do would to have been do it once and do it right, I just didn't have the money for a $1500+ set-up. After reading some very good reviews on Benro Tripods, I thought I'd give one a try. I then started my hunt for an acceptable head and a good deal on the two. Over the years, I have purchased photography equipment from several locations but one place I have always found would give me the "one on one" customer experience and has always taken care of me and many other photographers was Arlington Camera. The owner, Mr. Porter is a photographer himself and if you do an internet search on them, you'll find Arlington Camera is old school when it comes to taking care of their customers. So I gave Mr. Porter and company a call asking for their thoughts on Benro and what set-up I would need for the equipment I had. They highly recommended Benro, recommended a set-up and made me a very good deal on it. I purchased the set-up about 4 months ago and have been putting it through it's paces since then.

This review should probably be two separate reviews; one for the Tripod and one for the ball head. So I'll try and focus on the tripod legs in the first portions of this review and do a short review on the tripod head below. It should also be noted that the current Benro tripod that replaced the C-358EX is the C3580F. The only difference I can tell between mine and the newer model is that ithe newer model is a bit shorter.

TRIPOD LEG REVIEW

The first thing I noticed when looking at the Benro Carbon fiber tripods (as many do) is that they are either a homage, wannabe or knockoff of the undisputed king of the tripods; Gitzo. There are many rumors floating around the net that Gitzo actually set up a factory in China and tooled it to make their tripods over there and then backed out, leaving the factory intact (which some folks promptly took over and began production and called it Benro). After reading rumor after rumor repeating this and finally finding responses from Gitzo and Benro themselves, it appears to be 100% BS. This does not however detract from the fact the Benro did their level best to copy the Gitzo tripods and the regurgitate a product with 99% of the DNA of the Gitzo; looks-wise and material-wise anyway. The big question is; did they pull off a good copy? Keep in mind that I do not own a Gitzo and my only experience with them has been having tripod envy when shooting with my fellow photogs. and being allowed to use them temporarily. I also had the opportunity to play with a couple of Benro's under the same circumstances and for the life of me, at the time, I couldn't find enough of a difference to justify the several hundred dollar price difference. The three things I had to consider were, a.) was it as steady as the Gitzo holding my heavier equipment? b.) was the build quality as good or near as good as the Gitzo or Monfrotto? 3.) was the Benro as durable as either?

BUILD

For the past several years, I've been using an aluminum Bogen Manfrotto 3001BN with a 3030 head. I have literally beaten the Manfrotto to death and it kept on ticking. So I wanted something that I could count on like the Manfrotto that would not fail me in the field when I was out in the middle of no where. I knew Gitzo's reputation and that it would be dependable but I wondered if I could get by with the "knock-off" and get the same build quality. When the Benro arrived at my house from Arlington Camera I was admittedly a bit nervous wondering if I had done the right thing. Upon taking it out of the box however, my fears greatly subsided. This tripod is a beast! It came with a nice carrying bag, an adjustment allen wrench (which conveniently snaps onto an attachment on one of the legs), and spikes for the feet which can be interchanged with the rubber feet. I immediately fully extended the tripod in my living room. I am 6'1" and fully extended, it's much taller than I am. I really don't think I'll ever use the extendable center column. I may even replace it with the available short one.

The flip lock legs where as nice as any I've seen or used and allowed the legs to open and close smoothly. While there are no longitudinal grooves in the legs, they do not rotate (good thing). The Carbon Fiber Weave is a little different than the weave I've seen used on Gitzo. I do think the Gitzo just looks better for some reason. The "spider" holding the three legs together and center column is made of magnesium just like it's more expensive counterparts. The adjustable leg angle locks are another Gitzo copy. These pull out so you can adjust the legs in three locking positions by pushing the lock back in. You can really adjust these legs to an infinite number of positions as long as you don't need to lock them.

You will also notice in the photo above, a nifty accessory ring handing off the side of the spider. I've actually used this to hang things on like a remote release. If you look really closely, you'll also notice a useless little compass that sits atop the magnesium portion below the center column lock. Speaking of the center column, it is groved along one side so that it doesn't turn. It also has a nice "J" shaped retractable hook to hang extra weight on (like a back pack or camera bag) to add to stability, I've actually used it and it works good. The center column lock works good with about a hlaf a turn to lock and unlock it. I do my very best NOT to use the center column if I can help it because it detracts from the overall stability. In fact, many professional photogs prefer tripods without center columns for just that reason. Just be sure if you buy one without a center column to get one tall enough to make your equipment eye level when fully extended. This Benro more than fits that bill and then some.

I did not notice any loose play in any of the legs within their "glued" sockets. The included allen wrench allowed me to adjust the allen head screws to my preferred tension which I thought was a nice touch.

WEIGHT

This tripod weighs in at just under 5 pounds and I've carried it all day long shooting birds without a problem. For the size of this tripod and as strong as it is, it is very light. An aluminum tripod in the same size, would be like toting around a small building. Thank goodness for Carbon Fiber.

STABILITY

The ultimate test of a tripod and head is will it hold your camera and lens steady when you shoot your photo. My heaviest lens at the time of this writing is my Canon 70-200 F/2.8 IS L II. I have mounted this lens on my 40D along with my 580EXII and it holds everything rock solid. I have been very impressed. I purchased this tripod with the plan in mind to buy the Canon 500mm f/4 IS in the near future. I borrowed a friends 500mm and mounted it on this tripod and was pleasantly surprised at the stability. I am very satisfied with the stability of this tripod and head together. I think it will be even better with a Wimberly head.

CONCLUSION ON THE LEGS

The question most people have asked when they see this tripod in the field is, "Is it as good as a Gitzo or Monfrotto?" That is a difficult question to answer. What I can say is that the Gitzo/Monfrotto looks a bit better in my opinion, has a better earned reputation, and (the Gitzo) is much more expensive. The current Benro model C-3580F can be purchased for under $500 new online while the comparable model from Gitzo runs over $800. From Gitzo, you get years of proven quality and reliability, a life time warranty from a company that has been in business for a long time and should be there for a long time to come. What you get from Benro is a tripod with very similar components, apparent good build quality from a company that has been getting very good reviews in most cases. It appears to me that Benro is looking to be a serious player in this market and to do so they have upped the ante to play catch up with the "big guys". To me this tripod is a very good indicator of their serious intent. What Benro has done in my opinion is fired a shot across the bow of Gitzo and to a lesser extent Monfrotto. In the C-358EX, they have created a VERY nice set of tripod legs. The fit and finish are VERY good in my opinion and as more people see the Benro in person the more will buy them. Durability is a question that has yet to be answered for me but most have reported very good results. Is Benro as good as its Monfrotto or Gitzo counterparts in the small details? Probably not. Will you ever notice the fine details that make Monfrotto or Gitzo better? Probably not. Gitzo and Monfrotto make GREAT tripods, I think that is a given. Any photographer worth his salt immediately recognizes a Gitzo or Monfrotto tripod. Will Benro ever have that same name recognition and/or reputation for quality? Thus far, things are looking good but time will tell I guess. I have used my Manfrotto tripod for the past 8 years and have abused that thing like an ugly stray dog yet it takes it all and asks for more. Will the Benro follow suit? Time will tell; and give me a reason for a followup in a year or so :)

BUILD QUALITY: 9/10
DURABILITY: ?? So Far So Good
PRICE: 8/10
LOOKS: 9/10
WARRANTY: 5/10 (1 year compared to Gitzo's Lifetime and Mofrottos' 2 year)
UNABASHED COPYCAT: 10/10

______________________________________________________________________________

BENRO B2 BALL HEAD

When I purchased my Benro CF tripod, I needed a head that would support the weight of my equipment at least as solidly as the tripod itself. I had used a friends Arca Swiss Z1 ball head and fell in love with the versatility. Having never handled the Benro version of the Z1, and having read some good reviews on it, I gave it a try. It came in a separate box from the tripod. Upon opening the box it became very apparent, this is one serious tripod head. It is not small by any stretch of the imagination. It is evident that it is made to hold some serious equipment. The inevitable comparison to the Arca Swiss Z1 leaves the Benro B2 somewhat lacking in my opinion however. While B2 holds the equipment nicely and interchanges plates as simply as the Arca Swiss, the fit and finish just isn't quite up to the level of the Z1. The adjustment knobs on the Benro just don't seem to hold the fine tuning in place as good as the Z1. The Benro knobs are just "looser". With the correct adjustments for the equipment you're using however, the Benro's ball moves smoothly and holds things in place just as it should. The ball on the Arca Swiss seems to turn a tad bit smoother.

The Arca Swiss Z1 runs anywhere from $390 to $420 while the B2 can be found for less than $200. The Benro B2 will do anything the Arca Swiss can do; so is the slight F&F advantage worth the extra $200? All things considered, I don't think so but that's just a personal opinion. The Benro B2 suits my purposes nicely. I will eventually purchase a Wimberly head though to go with my Benro Tripod Legs :)

BUILD QUALITY: 7/10
DURABILITY: ?? So Far So Good
PRICE: 8/10
LOOKS: 9/10
WARRANTY: 5/10 (1 year compared to Gitzo's Lifetime and Mofrottos' 2 year)
UNABASHED COPYCAT: 10/10

BENRO WEBSITE

ARLINGTON CAMERA WEBSITE

REACTOR Men's 59506 Trident Never Dark Review

2011-12-30T18:05:00.003-08:00

NOTE: Click on the any of the photos for a larger view.

I bought my Reactor Trident 59506 (Hereafter referred to the Trident) around a month and a half ago and have worn it exclusively since, on and off duty. I have not found many reviews for this watch on the net so I’ll try to touch on a few points here. Keep in mind when reading this review; I'm a watch user, not a collector.

I found the Trident while doing a search for a watch that uses Tritium tubes as its lume. Reactor watches had also caught my attention a while back while perusing watches on watchuseek. They have some very good looking watches and I almost purchased one several months ago but held off due to the asking price (then at around $400+). The Trident 59506 comes with either a stainless band or a rubber band (59806). This review is for the model with the stainless band with the black nitride coating.

LOOKS / APPEARANCE

This model of the Trident has a solid black stainless steel case and band and a dial face with what Reactor calls a Khaki color (looks more dull yellow to me). The dark case, band and watch dial look VERY good in my book. My wife’s first reaction when she saw it was, “It’s a little smaller than what you usually wear, but it looks good”. The face while busy, looks very good in my opinion. The feel of this watch is VERY solid. Even the back of the watch has a unique look to it.

I would say even the mall ninja's and tactical computer warriors would be happy with the looks of this one.

BEZEL

The Bezel turns nice and turns smoothly counter clockwise for 120 clicks. The "clicks" as it turns are just the right tension; not too tight not too loose. The scallops, teeth or grooves, are a little small in comparison to my other dive style watches. I use the bezel to time my runs and workout times. Simply turn the marked arrow with the dot of lume on the bezel to align with the minute hand and go...simple. The main arrow on the bezel lines up pretty good with the numbers.

DIAL WINDOW

The dial window is made of a mineral glass that is common on many mid to lower end watches. I’ve had mineral glass on other watches and have found it to perform very well. I’ve accidentally banged this one a few times into objects and thus far, it shows no damage.

CASE

The case on the Trident is very tough black nitride Coated stainless steel and made to take some abuse. The screw out crown is placed at the three o’clock position. While I’ve found some dive watch crowns uncomfortable at that position, the Trident pulls it off nicely. The crown is stamped with the Reactor logo and isn’t rough enough to be uncomfortable against the back of the hand. The crown is protected by protruding stainless steel guards from the case. The Bezel sits on top of the case unprotected by any guards. It is sufficiently small enough however that I don’t see the lack of protection being much of an issue. That small size however also isn’t as grippy as say the Seiko Monsters or a GSAR. The teeth on the bezel are actually somewhat dull but are easy enough to grip and it turns nicely. The subdued numbers on the bezel, while they fit the “mall-ninja” bill, are difficult to see in all but the best light.

DIAL/FACE

The dial is laid out nicely with large florescent Arabic numerals and Tritium tubes placed at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 positions. The arrow shaped hands are also large and the tips are coated with florescent paint. The hands are also inlaid with tritium tubes. The day and date are the biggest complaint on this watch. The day and date are so small that I often have trouble reading them in all but the best lighting. A Cyclops would be very helpful on this watch.

LUME

Reactor came up with a brilliant idea on their watches and calls it “NeverDark” represented on the dial face with a big ND. Many of my friends however who have seen this watch have asked, “What’s the NO mean on the face?” It really does look like a, “No”. If you like florescent paint as your lume, you’ll like this watch. It’s as bright as the brightest that I’ve owned (Seiko’s Orange Monster). Reactor calls the florescent paint concoction, Superluminova. I don't know how much different it is than the paint used by other manufacturers but it works well; it's BRIGHT. If you like Tritium as your lume, you’re also in luck. Reactor placed Tritium tubes at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 positions as well as on the hands. Tritium glows continuously for up to 20 years. The lume from Tritium isn’t as bright as fully charged florescent paint but is easily bright enough to read your watch all night for many years to come. I really like the idea Reactor came up with here. Well done!

BAND

The band on the Reactor Trident is very well done. I have had no pinched hairs issues, it’s solid and very flexible. The clasp has three micro adjustments on it and the fold over is branded with the reactor logo. The band on this watch is very well done, I’d rate it a 9/10.

POWER SYSTEM

This watch is powered by a “10 year lithium” battery which means it will last a long time. Ten years? I doubt it but even at eight, I’d be happy with it.

MOVEMENT

Movement on the Trident is a no frills Japanese Quartz movement. Nothing fancy just plain-Jane accurate movement. It’s proven much more accurate than any of my auto’s. It’s at least on par with my G-Shocks. While Quartz isn’t fancy, it’s accurate and can with stand some punishment. One other thing that I wish this watch had (and should for the price in my opinion) is a perpetual calendar. It’s another watch with the 31 day month thing that you have to unscrew the crown and change every month that doesn’t have 31 days. Given, it’s a minor complaint but I’m a set-it and forget-it kind of watch user.

GOT WATER?

The Trident is advertised as a dive watch and is supposedly waterproof down to 200 meters. For my purposes, that’s well within my occasional snorkeling depths.

ON THE WRIST

Amongst the dive watches that I’ve owned, the Trident runs a bit small. The case measures 40mm wide. While this is by no means a small watch, amongst today’s mega sized divers, it’s on the small side. I could have stood a couple of extra mm’s but that’s just personal preference. Being solid Stainless Steel, this watch also has some heft. This heft to me speaks to its robustness. This watch feels SOLID. I like it.

PRICE

Price averages about $350 for the model with the rubber strap to about $400 to $450 with the full stainless band. The question of whether or not it’s worth this amount is difficult to answer. If you base price upon the sum of its parts, then I would say you could find several similar Quartz watches with similar parts for much cheaper. If you base your criteria on the sum of it’s parts, construction, looks and “cool factor”, I’d say I’d pay in the upper $200 range for one of these. At $350 to $400, I’d say it’s a bit of a stretch. Still, this does not detract from the quality of the watch; it’s a good one.

CONCLUSION

The Reactor Trident seems to be a very solid watch. It’s one of the first things that hit me when I removed it from the case. It has proven to be a very accurate watch. The NeverDark idea by Reactor works very well in my book. I’ve actually used this in the field in total darkness in what some would call Tactical situations and I’m very satisfied. I’ve run through firearms qualifications with this watch on my wrist shooting over 200 rounds of 180 grain .40 through a H&K P2000, about 100 rounds of 12 Ga. Slug and 00 buck and the entire full auto M16 qual course. The reactor never missed a beat. My dings on this watch are the very small day/date, no bezel guard, the 31 day calendar and the nitride seems to be wearing pretty fast on the stainless case and band. The price seems a bit high for me as well for the parts you get. All this being said, I like the watch and will be keeping it.

REACTOR'S WEBSITE

Orient CEM65002DW AKA "Blue Mako" Review

2011-12-25T21:35:00.000-08:00

NOTE: Click on any of the photos to see an enlarged view.

I purchased a Orient CEM65002DW AKA the "Blue Mako" about three years ago.This review is a little different in that about three weeks after I purchased this watch, my dad came over to visit and made several comments on how much he liked the watch. Being that I had several watches and Orient was selling these for such a good price at the time, I gave it to my dad with the caveat that he would report back his likes and dislikes. Still I had the watch for about three weeks and put it through it's paces a bit to see what I liked and disliked. The rest of the review will be somewhat shallow and second hand info from my dad. He's 70 years old and is used to his Rolex. Which one does he wear more? read on to find out ;)

LOOKS/APPEARANCE

As far as dive watches go the Blue Mako is a bit "dressier" than some of the other divers I've owned such as the Seiko Orange Monster, Reactor Trident, and GSAR. I think this watch just looks a bit classier but less robust. The blue on this watch is outstanding and should be seen in person to be appreciated. The case diameter is a healthy 41mm so it's not a small watch nor does it scream, "look at me".

BEZEL

The bezel on this watch is not as aggressive looking as the bezels on many other dive watches. To me it looks cheaper but it could also be described as more of a dress watch. The bezel is unidirectional and only 60 clicks instead of 120 like on many other divers. I have to ding the Mako in this area because for me, the bezel a.) was somewhat difficult to turn and b.) didn't line up exactly at 12, 3, 6 and 9. I found myself having to use my fingernails to turn the bezel most of the time. I think Orient could remedy this my making the teeth larger or bezel taller. It just didn't feel as good quality as it should have been.

DIAL WINDOW

The dial window on the Blue Mako is made of mineral glass, a standard (but good) material in lower to mid priced watches. My dad has worn this watch daily for almost three years. Even at 70+, he works hard and is a little rough on watches. Even with the treatment he put this watch through, it still looks good.

CASE

The Case on the Blue Mako is very tough polished stainless steel and made to take some abuse. The crown is placed at the standard three O'clock position and is protected by steel on either side protruding from the main case. The bezel sits unprotected by any portion of the case unlike that of the Seiko Orange Monster which is protected by case guards at the top and bottom of the bezel.

CROWN / PUSHER

The crown as stated above is positioned at the 3 o'clock position and is protected by the case on either side by protruding guards. The crown itself is stamped with the Orient logo and looks nice. Unscrewing the crown and pulling out one click will allow you to change the date. A second pull/click outward will allow you to change the time. The pusher (above the crown) at the 2 o'clock position is also a screw out type. Screwing it out and depressing it will allow you to change the day and does so smoothly. I liked this aspect of the watch.

LUME

The lume on the Blue Mako is a standard florescent paint like that used by many other manufacturers. While the lume is bright enough to be usable after a day long charge (or a high intensity charge with a flashlight), I found that it's brightness was average at best and did not last as long as some other lumes that I've used.

MOVEMENT & POWER SYSYTEM

The one thing that sets Orient apart from many watch brands is that their movement is "in-house"; that is, they make their own. While I did not have adequate time to judge the Orient Caliber 46943's accuracy, reports from my dad are actually somewhat glowing. He swears by this watch's accuracy and durability. Like I said previously, he has worn a Rolex for the past 10 years and switches between that and an Omega. According to him, the Mako holds its own..Impressive.

The Blue Mako is powered (like many divers) by the movement of your arm. My dad says it holds a charge for about 2 to 3 days when fully wound; about average for an auto diver.

BRACELET

The bracelet on the Blue Mako felt a bit cheap to be quite honest. While the watch itself, felt solid and well made, the stainless bracelet felt sub-par. The clasp did have the orient logo stamped on it and it looked nice but it just felt flimsy. Conversely, when I asked my dad what he thought, he just smiled and said, "you're too picky, it's fine."

PRICE

The price on the Blue Mako was VERY good for a watch with in-house movement and of this quality. I picked up mine for $132; VERY reasonable for a watch that looked this good and was this accurate. For anything under $150, I think you're getting a good deal. Anything over, I'd look towards Seiko, Citizen or even Invicta.

CONCLUSION

I think that the Blue Mako is amongst the most popular watches from the Orient watch Company; at least it's one of the most discussed on the various watch forums. In the looks department, it's a very classy looking diver and the blue color just stands out (you really have to see it in person to appreciate it). It doesn't look as robust as some of the other divers but I guess it depends on what style you're looking for. Accuracy according to my dad has been very good but in reading others reviews is about average for a low end auto movement, probably on par with Seiko's 7S26. My major dings for this watch are the bezel, the bracelet and the lume. While they are not terrible by any stretch, I think Orient could really improve them. For the price you can pick one of these up for however, I think it's a fine watch and would recommend it to my friends looking for something in that price range. My dad? Well he's been wearing it for close to three years now and hardly ever takes it off.

Seiko Dive Watch SKX781K3 AKA "Orange Monster" Review

2011-12-04T21:01:00.002-08:00

NOTE: Click on the any of the photos for a larger view.

I bought my SKX781K3 (Hereafter referred to the Seiko Orange Monster) around two years ago and wore it frequently since then on and off duty. Since there are already hundreds of reviews on the net that pretty much touch on every aspect of this watch, I'll just give my thoughts on the basics and aspects I like and dislike about this watch. Keep in mind when reading this review, I'm a watch user, not a collector. A collector's view would be MUCH different.

The Orange Monster and it's brother the Black Monster (SKX779) are arguably Seiko's most popular dive watches amongst watch collectors, enthusiasts, horologists, et. al. These are the models with the rubber bands; of course they come with nice stainless steel bracelets too in the SKX781 and SKX779K models.

LOOKS / APPEARANCE

The first thing that stands out about the Orange Monster is that it's much different than other watches; in a good way. For those who like dive watches, the Orange Monster is a "looker". The orange color, large size and just plain good looks garner comments from even the non-watch crowd. The stainless steel case without the crown is a substantial 41.5mm across and almost 13mm thick. The crown is offset at the 4 O'clock position which minimize rubbing against the back of the hand when your hand is bent backwards. The Scalloped Bezel stands out amongst other divers and looks very nice. The crystal dial window called hardlex by Seiko is slightly convex and slightly magnifies the details of the watch face. In short, it's a beautiful watch and I can't count the number of compliments I've received on it.

BEZEL

The Bezel turns nice and smoothly counter clockwise for 120 clicks. The "clicks" as it turns are just the right tension; not too tight not too loose. The scallops or grooves, are perfect for gripping it. I use the bezel to time my runs and workout times. Simply turn the marked arrow on the bezel to align with the minute hand and go...simple. If you're looking for a bezel that lines up perfectly with the corresponding numbers on the dial face, you may want to look elsewhere. This doesn't bother me.

DIAL WINDOW

The dial window is made of a hardened crystal that Seiko calls Hardlex. In short, IT"S TOUGH. I've banged my Orange Monster into many things from fence posts, to barbed wire to brick walls and it barely shows any signs of wear. I'm impressed.

CASE

The Case on the Orange Monster is very tough polished stainless steel and made to take some abuse. As stated before the crown is placed at the four O'clock position and is protected by steel on either side protruding from the main case. The Bezel sits inside of a protective Bezel Guard at the top and bottom which is also part of the main case. Seiko leaves the sides unprotected so you can grip the bezel to turn it. Seiko put some thought into this case and it works perfectly.

DIAL/FACE

The dial is laid out nicely with large lumibright markers where the numbers usually sit. The arrow shaped hands are also large and coated with lumibright. The day and date are pleasantly large enough to actually read (a complaint I have with many other watches). The dial on the Orange Monster is one of my favorite things about it.

LUME

Seiko calls their lume coating used on their dials Lumibright. Lumibright is Seiko's own concoction of florescent paint used on watch dials and hands. It absorbs light when available and glows for a short while in the dark. Of the watches that I currently own that use florescent paint for lume, the Orange Monster ties for the brightest with my Reactor Trident watch. After a day in the sun, the Seiko stays illuminated brightly for about 20-30 minutes, then less so then on for about and hour. At the three hour mark, the very slight glow is barely enough to read the time in the dark. To be fair, the lume on most florescent painted watches do not last this long and Seiko has them beat in this respect and in it's initial brightness. The only lume that lasts longer is electroluminescent options or tritium tubes. As you can see below, the Seiko lume is BRIGHT.

POWER SYSTEM

The Orange Monster like many Seiko's is an automatic watch. This means that it does not require a battery and is powered by your natural movement when mounted on your wrist (or while sitting on a winder). Seiko calls their automatic movement the Magic Lever Winding System which consists of only four moving parts. The simplicity of the system aids in it's robustness which is one issue many automatics usually fall short on. The power reserve on mine was usually good when fully charged for about 2+ days. If it runs down, just pick it up, give it a minute or so of gentle shakes, adjust your time and your set.

MOVEMENT

Movement inside the Orange Monster is provided by Seiko's in-house 7S26 21-Jewel mechanism. It's nothing fancy but it works as it should. The 7S26 has it's good points and it's bad; first the good. Seiko's 7S26 movement is a very common movement used in many of their watches and also used in many other brands sold to them by Seiko. This being the case, if you ever have to have your watch serviced, most horologists know how to clean and repair them. The other good point, is that due to their simplicity, they are a little tougher than other more complex movements.

The bad points unfortunately for me are that (on my two tries/copies) it wasn't as accurate as I would have liked which lead to other problems I didn't like. My first attempt gained over a minute a day! My second try showed a gain of about 40 seconds a day. Then I read various sources that claimed that this movement got better after prolonged use and it will eventually "settle". On my Orange Monster, it did finally settle to the accuracy of 1 to 1.5 minute gain a week. While it doesn't seem like much, over several weeks, it adds up to an inaccurate watch that I constantly found myself adjusting. This lead to another issue I have with the Orange Monster. The weakest part of this (and other analog watches) is the crown, hence why they are all protected in some form or another by some type of guard. Every time you need to adjust the time on the Orange Monster, you must unscrew the crown, pull it out two clicks, adjust the time, push it back in and hold it in while your screw it down. The date function on this watch must also be adjusted frequently because it counts from 1 to 31 every month and as you know, every month doesn't have 31 days. Again, this leads to having to access the crown, pull it out one click and adjust the month. While having to constantly adjust the time and month may seem trivial, I'm 6'1" 230 and have gorilla hands that do not work well with delicate instruments and the crown is by all accounts a delicate instrument.

GOT WATER?

The Orange Monster is first and foremost a divers watch and is reportedly waterproof down to 660 feet. While I've attempted a 660 foot dive to test this, for some reason, I've never gotten past 9 feet deep. I usually run out of breath and my ears start popping, so I'll have to accept what others say is true. I have however, snorkeled with this watch extensively in local rivers and lakes and had zero issues.

ON THE WRIST

As I said before, when wearing this watch, I get compliments all the time. It is an eye catcher for sure. At almost 42mm wide, it's not a small watch but I do own larger ones. For a 6 foot plus tall man, I think it's the perfect size. It even looks good on a smaller wrist in my opinion. The positioning of the crown at the 4 O'clock position works well for comfort. This watch wears well in a dressy environment or in shorts riding your mountain bike. I've worn it many times at work where I sometimes walk for miles through the south Texas brush climbing fences, banging it against trees and fence posts, subjecting it to sweat and the elements. For an automatic, it has held up well and never showed any signs of stress.

PRICE

Price, if you can find one, is very reasonable for a watch of this quality. The problem was that initially these watches weren't available in the US. The internet has somewhat alleviated these problems and if you can find one on the web, the Orange Monster with the rubber strap can be had for $150-$170 and the model with the bracelet can be found for anywhere from $180-$200. You can also find them occasionally on the watch nerd forums in the classifieds. Again, for the price, this is a nice watch.

CONCLUSION

The Seiko Orange Monster (and the Black Monster) have become one of Seiko's all time best selling dive watches and for good reason. The movement while not as accurate as some higher priced watches is durable and can reportedly run without adjustment for 15+ years. It is still however an automatic and cannot take the beating of a quartz or come close to what a G-Shock can take. Still, under normal circumstances, the 7S26 movement should provide years of reliable service. The looks of the Orange and Black Monster are a thing of beauty; from the distinctive bezel to the lume to it's large size. If you buy this watch, you will get questions and compliments. For me however, being a "set it and forget it" type user (not a collector), I ended up selling it. If Seiko ever upgrades the movement to a Seiko 6R15 and gets a perpetual calendar, this may be the perfect watch for me.

Ironically, after writing this review, I think I may go buy another one with the stainless steel bracelet. It is a very nice watch :)

Click the photo to go to World of Watches Orange Monster page:

Rick Hinderer Aluminum Investigator Pen Review

2011-09-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Click on any photo to view the large version
Pens are an every day item in many professions and law enforcement is no exception. I have used just about every type of pen imaginable over the past 20 years. I have broke many of them, ruined many a pocket with leaking ink and pretty much considered them a disposable item. Recently however, I became interested in quality writing instruments and being in the profession that I am, I thought one with a self defense twist to it might not be a bad idea. At first I purchased two different pens; a Smith and Wesson M&P Tactical Pen and a (Tom Anderson Style but Chinese made) Elite Tactical Pen with a Glass Breaker. Well, I couldn't get rid of the Elite Tactical pen fast enough and the while the S&W is a very nice pen for the price, it was a bit big for my tastes. Then I found out that my favorite knife maker; Rick Hinderer made pens as well. I figured if his pens where half as good as his knives, they would be a winner. He sells two sizes; a smaller "Investigator pen" and a larger "Extreme Duty Pen". Being that my only complaint with the S&W was it's size, I decided to go with Hinderer's smaller Investigator pen.

BUILD

Well, I can happily report that just like my Hinderer XM-18 knife, the investigator pen's fit and finish was first class. No rattles, nice, precisely cut threads and a good green color. While he sells an Investigator pen made of more expensive Titanium, I went with the aluminum model due to my tenancy to loose pens. The aluminum, is Aircraft Grade 6061-T6 Aluminum with a Mil Spec Type 3 Hard Coat Anodize. Roughly translated, this means it's much stronger than your average aluminum, much like the popular Mag lights and stinger flashlights. The groves cut into the body of the pen aid in grip retention. I have to admit, I would have liked the longitudinal groves the whole length of the pen. I've seen several people that put rubber rings between the circular grooves for comfort and I may eventually do the same.

INK CARTRIDGE

The ink cartridge that comes in the Investigator Pen is a full sized Fisher Space Pen. It fits snugly into the pen with no springs or other parts to fail. People either love or hate fisher pen cartridges. They write in just about any environment and even upside down. They do this by creating pressure within the cartridge "pushing the ink" towards the tip. Unfortunately, this often causes what some people dislike about fisher cartridges; a slight ink blob. Some people find that when using fisher cartridges after long periods of non-use, the first contact with the paper is sometimes is marred with a little extra ink. I do not find this a big issue as (for me at least) it hasn't happened except on a couple of occasions. The pros for me outweigh the cons, mainly because it always works when I need it to. You can also buy these cartridges in a fine tip. I've read that the fine tip hardly ever has this issue.

TACTICAL END/TIP

When I saw the photos of the Investigator pens tactical end, I thought it wouldn't provide much deterrence as it didn't look as "aggressive" as the other aforementioned pens. In person however, the bullet tip is well executed and would suit it's purpose very well. It threads into the end of the pen making it modular (interchangeable). It also holds the ink cartridge in place. Hinderer plans on offering different tips in the near future.

POCKET CLIP AND CAP

The pocket clip on the Investigator pen is just about perfect in my book. The main thing I hated about the Elite Tactical pen was that the pocket clip was immovable and just about worthless. The clip on the S&W is just a bit too flexible but not bad. The Hinderer Investigator pen's clip is strong, flexible, not too long, not too short and is as close to perfect as one could expect on a pen. It is threaded into the cap with (what appears to me) a smaller version of the lock bar stabilizer used on his knives; it's not going anywhere. The cap threads on to either end of the pen with three threads. So you don't have to spend forever un-threading your cap but there is enough threads that it won't come undone and lose the cap. To me, this is just another example that Rick actually uses his products and perfects them before selling them to the public.

SIZE

Like I said before, the S&W tactical pen is just a tad big for my tastes and I'm 6'1", 230. The Elite Tactical was even bigger and clunky. The Investigator Pen is much smaller than either one. The size in a defensive grip allows just enough room for the defensive tip to extend beyond my fist and my thumb over the other end. For writing, it's just about perfect. For defensive purposes, I may have preferred an inch +/- longer, but that might have made it more awkward to write with, who knows?

PRICE

Price for this aluminum version is around $60.00 on various websites or off of the Hinderer website. It's about twice that of the Smith and Wesson but the Smith and Wesson is Chinese made and doesn't have near the Fit and Finish of the Hinderer. It's cheaper than the Benchmade Tac. Pen but again, the fit and finish of the Hinderer is a winner for me. The Hinderer pen is made right here in the United States by Rick Hinderer and the cool factor has to count for something :)

CONCLUSION

Like all Hinderer products that I have handled, this pen is overbuilt and the fit and finish is top notch. I love the threaded ends and the fact the cap can thread on to either side. I like the ink cartridge and the fact that I NEVER have to shake the pen to make it work. I like the longitudinal grooves in the body of the pen. I may like the circular grooves more when I put some comfort rings (O-rings) on them. For a last ditch defensive purpose, I think this pen would work. I know I wouldn't want to get thumped on the grape with it. It's small enough to fit comfortably in any pocket and fits snugly in a uniform pocket with the confidence that your $60 pen isn't going to fall out. Everyone that has seen it, wants one. I've had it now for over a month and I've really grown to like this pen and I'm constantly messing with it either sitting at the desk or while stationary in my patrol vehicle. If you like a smaller, comfortable tactical pen, I think you will find the Hinderer Investigator Pen a VERY nice choice. If you like a larger tactical pen, maybe the Hinderer Extreme Duty pen will fit the bill. I don't own one yet but when I get one, rest assured, I'll review it.

COLORS: The investigator pen comes in Green, Black or Blue. I chose green to match the uniform.
Hinderer also makes a Stainless Steel and a Brass Investigator Pen for the same price.

RICK HINDERER WEBSITE

Spyderco Dragonfly 2 FRN review

2011-09-22T17:49:00.005-07:00

Click on the photos to view a larger version.
The Spyderco Dragonfly has been around for a long time. You might call the dragonfly the little brother to the Delica and the Endura. As with many Spyderco knives, the Dragonfly2 is a result of Sal Glesser (owner of Spyderco) and Co. constantly listening to and considering feedback from their end users. They call their evolutionary process of refining knives their C.Q.I. (Constant Quality Improvement) process. Sal, his son and their staff are well known in the knife industry and among enthusiasts for their constant interaction via email exchanges and on the various forums around the net (including their very own at www.spyderco.com). One thing is very evident; they listen. The Dragonfly2 is the result of improvements suggested by end users.

MATERIALS

The Dragonfly 2 uses FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon) as it's scales or handle. If' you've ever owned a spyderco, you know what these scales feel like. They are nice and grippy. The Blade is made from one of my favorite steels, VG-10. VG-10 was originally designed for the Japanese cutlery market but was picked up by Spyderco for use in several of their knives. VG-10 lies in the mid range for RC hardness at around 59 or 60. I have found in use that I can (personally) sharpen VG-10 to a sharper edge than any blade material that I own. I can routinely get my VG-10 blades to razor or shaving sharp. Even better, they hold that edge for a long time. Not too hard, not too soft and it's stainless. I really like VG-10 steel.

Spyderco chose to utilize screws to hold everything together rather than the pins they used to use. I think this just exudes more quality than the pins and it allows for repairs or cleaning.

BLADE

As stated above, the VG-10 blade is one of my favorite steels. This knife blade is a miniscule 2.25 inches and the cutting edge due to the choil is a mere 1 7/8 inches. In use however, this little blade can accomplish 80% of my every day cutting tasks and does so very well. The blade is available in plain edge or serrated (AKA Spyderedge). Despite the small size of this blade, it is very capable.

LOCK

The lock is a standard yet capable lockback style. Nothing fancy but it works and works well for a knife in this category as long as it's used for it's intended purposes. I wouldn't do any spine wacking experiments on it though :)

FIT AND FINISH

The fit and finish on my knife was very well done. All screws were tight, the clip was tight and the blade was reasonably centered. When open, there is VERY little side to side blade play and zero up and down.

ERGONOMICS

As stated previously, this is a small knife. I ordered this knife online due to so many people recommending it. I was admittedly a little apprehensive about such a small knife and thought it's uses would be limited. Further, I never expected to be able to flick it open like my larger Spyderco's. I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived. While ergonomics are mostly a personal issue, I found this knife to work way better than expected in my hand. I'm a big guy (6'1") and have big hands but this little knife just works. I have found that the choil is very useful when performing small cutting tasks and find myself laying a index finger along the spine during many tasks. The ergonomics are very good in my book.

POCKET CLIP

One thing I don't like about some of my spyderco's is their standard non-recessed clips. On the little Dragonfly2, Spyderco has utilized a tip up (right or left) recessed wire clip. I like this clip better because it doesn't have the tenancy to loosen and wiggle back and forth like some of the other clips. It clips very well into the pants (or like I carry it) into a shirt pocket. It is held in place by a single screw and it holds it in place well.

SIZE AND WEIGHT

This knife weighs in at a feathery 1.2 ounces. Clipped into the pocket, you can honestly easily forget that it is there. Some people have actually made neck sheaths for these and use them as "neck knives". It's closed length is only 3 5/16 inches. Below is a photo of the Dragonfly 2 next to it's bigger cousin the Endura 4.

and next to a Casio G-Shock watch:

SMOOTHNESS OF OPENING

I was pleasantly surprised when I received the Dragonfly 2. It opens very smoothly AND I can flick it open just as fast as my other Spyderco's with a snap of the thumb.

USES

If I have to nit pick anything on this knife I guess it would be that because it's small size, there are a few cutting tasks that it cannot handle well. It's not long enough to cut through large onions or tomatoes and would probably be the last knife I would reach for in a life or death situation. Fortunately, it was not made for these purposes so this must be taken into consideration. It does VERY well, opening envelopes, peeling apples, opening boxes, cutting out splinters and scraping off cactus spines. In fact, I used it on today's date just for that purpose. I think it will handle 80% of cutting tasks that most folks may encounter.

CONCLUSION

As long as you consider this little knife within the scope of it's intended use, I don't think you can buy a better little "big" knife. I was a little skeptical reading all the rave reviews thinking I probably wouldn't like such a small knife. This knife however has won me over. I carry it every day in my shirt pocket on my LEO uniform. It is VERY sheeple friendly and can be easily sharpened to a razor edge. If you are looking for a small bladed knife but want something with a bit more heft and strength than a standard small Swiss army knife and made with very good Japanese VG-10 steel, then I would highly recommend looking at the Spyderco Dragonfly2.

Ergonomics: 8/10 (feels surprisingly good despite it's small size, snaps open like a bigger Spyderco)
Looks: 9/10
Materials: 9/10 (For it's size, I love the materials. Good blade steel and FRN is perfect for a knife of this size)
Fit and Finish: 9/10 (Very good for a knife of this price range)
Camp Use: 6/10 (more suited as a gentleman's folder )
Hard/Military/Police Use: 3/10 (would have to be a last ditch tool)
EDC Use: 9/10 (a sheeple friendly but surprisingly useful blade)
Food Prep: 5/10 (a little small for this purpose but peels apples very well)
Skinning/Game Prep: 4/10 (too small for this purpose for all but very small game such as birds)
Warranty: 8/10
Zombie Usefulness: 3/10 (I guess you could put out their eye)

Click on the photo below to go right to the Cabela's page for this knife:

Cold Steel Recon 1 Review (50/50 Tanto point)

2011-09-17T19:02:00.006-07:00

NOTE: Click on the photos to see larger versions.
I was recently at a gun show and as most gun shows go, there were several knife vendors. While I'm admittedly not usually a big fan of Cold Steel's folding knives, the Recon 1 caught my eye at a vendors table. When I handled the knife and opened it up, I heard a "snap" like I've never heard before on a lock-back/Rocker lock knife (Cold Steel calls theirs the Tri Ad Lock). The smile I developed when I heard that snap immediately told my wife the wallet was coming out. To my chagrin however, the tanto point was the only one they had left. I've never been much of a fan of the tanto point but I had to try out this knife so it went home with me.

MATERIALS

The scales of the Recon are made of a nice "grippy" laminated G-10. Inside the scales is a 6061 (hardened aluminum) heat treated spacer. The screws holding the scales together are nice torx head screws. Also visible are the pivot pins from the rocker lock and one the works in conjunction with their Tri Ad Lock. The blade is made of Aus 8A stainless steel. Aus 8A is in the same class of steels as 440c which is commonly found in mid to lower priced knives. RC hardness is usually around 57 to 58 depending on the treatment. From what I've read, Cold Steel treats their Aus 8A with freezing temps so I assume this puts its hardness at the harder end of the RC scale (58 or so). One good thing about Aus 8A and 440C is that it has good rust resistance. While it may not hold an edge as long as D2 or the carpenter steels, it is much easier to sharpen to a razor edge. One of my longest owned EDC knives is a Spyderco Native in Aus8 and I have had nothing but good things to say about it.

The blade is coated with a black teflon (commonly used as a lubricant) coat which in theory should make this knife cut through items smoother. The teflon coat may also aid in rust prevention but as I said earlier, AUS 8A should be fairly rust resistant. Lastly, the Recon comes with a removable/changeable thumb-stud. As you can see in the below photo, the thumb-stud is threaded and workable with a slot screwdriver.

BLADE

The blade on this particular model is a 50/50 (plain/serrated) tanto point. Cold Steel also makes this model in a much nicer (in my opinion) clip point. Out of the box, this blade was hair splitting sharp. The serrations are particularly well done on this blade and I think for any sawing purpose, they would do very well:

As I stated before, I'm not big of a fan of tanto points because for utilitarian purposes, I just think other blade styles work better. For the mall ninja or killing out of control car doors, this is the blade style for you! I think if this was a clip point, I would REALLY like this blade. Cold Steel did a fine job on this blade.

LOCK

I'm going to have to go along with the hype over this lock. I've owned allot of lock back / rocker lock knives over the years. My Spyderco Chinook 1 held the title for years for my strongest lock back knife. It snaps closed with an authority that leaves no doubt that it would hold under pressure. The Recon 1 snaps closed with the authority of a #15 steel trap. My first impression of their Tri Ad Lock literally made me say, "Wow!".
This is one serious lock! Unfortunately, you have to put a little more effort into disengaging the lock. While it's not bad, it definitely takes more effort to disengage than your standard lock back. In short, I like it! I think the you tube spine wackers will have their hands full with this one.

FIT AND FINISH

Fit and finish on the Recon 1 is very impressive. It opens smoothly, locks up as tight as a bank vault and has zero blade play. All screws were tight, it came out of the box very sharp and the contouring and scalloping on the G-10 is very nice. This knife feels good and solid in the hand. Well done Cold Steel!

ERGONOMICS

In the hand, the Recon gives a sense of a hard use tool. You get the impression when holding this knife with it's super lock that it is indestructible. Cutting tasks with this knife were hindered somewhat with the Tanto blade. Again, if this one would have had a clip point, I think I would have rated the ergonomics a 9/10 for every day cutting tasks. With the Tanto point, I would rate it at 5/10. For stabbing to death angry car doors or slaughtering flesh eating zombies... a solid 10/10.

POCKET CLIP

The pocket clip on the Recon 1 makes it sit a little higher in the pocket than I would have liked but that's a personal preference. It's also pretty tight against the G10 scales. While this holds it in the pocket nice and secure, it will also wreak havoc on pocket material over time. I think if the clip were bit longer, it would allow for a bit more flex so it would be easier to get in and out of the pocket without tearing up your pants over time.

SIZE AND WEIGHT

The size of the Recon 1 is pretty close to my Spydero Endura 4 but is slightly heavier. The Recon 1's blade is a big 4 inches in length while the overall length is a substantial 9 3/8 inches. The Endura 4 however does not feel nearly as tough or solid as the Recon 1 by any stretch of the imagination. I don't think the weight of the Recon 1 (5.3 ounces) would be an issue for me for EDC. For reference, my ZT 0301 was too heavy to carry and I ended up selling it. At the time of this wirting, I only carried the Recon 1 for a week and it carried well.

SMOOTHNESS OF OPENING

While the Recon 1 opened very smoothly, I wouldn't call it buttery smooth. I'm a big fan of the spyderco holes in knives for one handed opening but I also have many knives with thumb studs that I like just as well. Thumb studs for me have to be done perfectly to be able to flick blades open as fast as I like. The first thing that goes through my head when playing with a new tactical knife is, "would I be able to snap this blade open easily in a life or death situation?" For this knife unfortunately, my answer was no. It's a big blade and while the position of the thumb stud works fine for one handed opening, it doesn't lend itself to snapping open with authority. For under handed wrist flicks, it works great.

USES

One of the drawbacks of Tanto points in my opinion is they they limit the uses of the knife. This knife was clearly designed for hard military, police, or self defense use. This is one of those knives that if you ever HAD to end up in a knife fight, this one would only be bested by a fixed blade. If you can learn to snap this one open instinctively, it would fit it's intended purpose well.

CONCLUSION

This is one tough knife; I don't think that point can be argued. The Tri Ad Lock on this knife is probably the strongest lock back style knife I have ever used. The blade steel is very good in my opinion and in a clip point style blade, I would really like it. When open, this knife is SOLID with zero blade play and definitely gives the feeling that is was designed for hard use. For a knife this size, it feels very good in the hand. Unfortunately for me, the short, tight clip, the difficulty snapping it open quickly with the thumb stud and the tanto point are deal killers. If you like the Tanto point style blades in a big, solid, zombie slaughtering, car door killing knife, then you will love this knife.
A word of caution; every non-knife person that I opened this knife around pretty much gasped with, "Whoa!, that thing is evil looking" While I kinda laugh at reactions like these, one must be cognizant of his/her audience when deploying a knife like this. Sheeple will run in fear of this knife. Overall, I think Cold Steel has a winner with the Recon 1. At a street price of $60 to $70, I think this is probably one of the toughest folders in it's price range. For me, this Tanto point version is going up for sale. I may try one with a clip point later.

Ergonomics: 8/10
Looks: 9/10 (Very tough looking knife)
Materials: 7/10 (nothing fancy but the materials are excellent for what this knife was designed for)
Fit and Finish: 8/10 (very good for a production knife)
Camp Use: 8/10 (Clip point would be better)
EDC Use: 7/10 (a little big and it stands out; sheeple will cower in the fetal position just looking at this knife)
Food Prep: 8/10 (a little big for delicate stuff but a great slicer, more suited for killing food)
Skinning/Game Prep: 6/10 (probably not enough belly for skinning, but good for killing food)
Warranty: 7/10 (Cold Steel seems to have a good reputation but not the top of the heap)
Zombie Usefulness: 9/10 (Zombie's won't have a chance if you can catch them after they see this beast)
Angry Car Doors/Hoods: 10/10 (The ultimate in car door slaughtering design)

Click on the below photo to go right to Cabela's Cold Steel Recon Page in the clip point :)

COLD STEEL WEBSITE

Zen-Ray ZEN ED2 8x43 Binocular Review

2011-09-12T09:53:00.000-07:00

NOTE: you can click on any of the photos to view a larger image.

BACKGROUND (Skip this is you want and go to the next section for the actual review)

Binoculars are a vital part of my job and also very important for my wildlife photography hobby (www.flickr.com/centavo). Over the years I've owned several binoculars, mainly in the mid to lower end of the price range. As my wildlife photography progressed, I became more finicky about the glass/lenses I used. As a result, I have migrated mainly towards using Canon's "L" glass. Canon's "L" series of lenses is their premium line of lenses for professionals and picky hobbyist like me. The resulting photos taken with Canon's "L" series lenses have proven themselves to be superior and the need for high quality glass became glaringly evident to me. While "L" series glass is the top of the line in Canon lenses, there are some less pricy alternatives (such as the premium line of Tamron, Sigma and Tokina) that come VERY close and cost a fraction of the Canon lenses. As I became used to premium glass in my DSLR lenses, I have over the years started to notice the shortcomings in my "cheap" binoculars as well. Well a few years ago, I began a search for a new set of binoculars by reading reviews, talking to owners I met in the field and using /testing friends binoculars.While I didn't want to spend thousands of dollars for premium bino's, I did want the best I could get for my money. I decided to to apply the same theory of my lenses to my bino search. I knew that the premium binoculars were the Leica's and Swarovski bins but I wondered if I could get the same (or close to it) quality of these premium bino's in a brand with a "lesser name". In my initial search, I had narrowed my search down to three bins; the Nikon Monarch, the Minox BV 8x42 BR or the Vortex Diamondback's. I was fortunate to know someone who owned the Votex's and the Monarch's and they let me use them. I was hard pressed to find much of a difference in the two and they were both good quality bins. I wanted to try the Minox but couldn't find anyone who owned or carried them locally. I was about to buy the Nikon (mainly based on name alone) when someone on bird forums pointed out a very good special on the Minox at Cameraland. I had read some reviews highly recommending them and with the deal at cameraland saving me $100+ dollars, I couldn't pass it up. Well to make a long story short after purchasing the Minox, I WAS NOT disappointed. They have served me well over the last few years and the optical quality in my opinion, surpassed the Monarch's and the Diamondbacks.

As stated previously, I use my binos at work and while off duty doing my wildlife photography. This being the case, I was constantly having to take my binos home and bring them back and vice versa. I would often forget them at work and would be stuck without bins on my outings. So, a few weeks ago I began a second search for new bins that I could keep at home for birding and to aid in my wildlife photography. I again read review after review, browsed through forums, and asked the recommendations of birders I ran into in the field. While at a hunting show, I found a guy selling Vortex binos at a booth and tried a few pair. I immediately fell in love with the Talon HD's and (as I always do) thought I'd do some research on them prior to purchasing them. Well, in no time at all with a little reading, I discovered that the vortex are made by the same factory that makes the Zen Ray (and Promaster & Hawke) line of bino's. Vortex just does a few cosmetic tweaks, tacks on their (great) lifetime warranty and charges a bit more. Vortex is well known for standing behind their products so the decision for me came down to; did I want to spend the extra couple of hundred dollars for a warranty? Well, as it turns out, Zen Ray has developed a reputation for standing behind their products as well. So this made my decision easier. I purchased the equivalent bins to the Vortex that I had seen. I purchased the Zen-Ray ZEN ED2 8x43 bins. NOTE: The current model is the Zen Ray ED3's

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
When I received the Zen Ray's in the mail, my initial impression was that they were much bigger and a bit heavier than my Minox. While heavier, they felt solid and well built. I liked the case that Zen provides as it provides a bit more protection over the standard soft case that I had received with all of my previous bins. The case also has a nice carrying strap. The binocular neck strap that came with the bins was long enough to tow a boat but with a few adjustments, it was shortened to the length needed; no big deal. The neck strap is also detachable with the provided quick-connect. In use, the neoprene strap was very comfortable and handles the bin weight nicely.

The Zen-Rays also come with covers for the eye cups and the front objectives. The eye (or ocular) covers fit well and thread into the neck strap so you won't loose them. The font/objective covers are tethered to the bins with loose fitting rubber rings. As you can see in the photo, the rings just slide over the front of the bins but they are fairly loose.

I can see me loosing these front objective covers so I'm going to have to come up with an idea to better tether them (I'm thinking para cord).

The rubber coating on these bins seems tough and I think it should provide years of protection.

BUILD QUALITY
Hinge: The central hinge is just stiff enough so that it doesn't change angles unless you intentionally do so. It goes through it's range of motion smoothly.
Feel: These Bins feel SOLID. I got the same initial impression when handling the Vortex Talons and Razors.
Eye Cups: Eye relief on these bins is very nice at 16.8mm. The eye cups have three positions; flush (all the way down), half way out and all the way out. As an eye glass wearer, I was pleasantly surprised. I can use these with or without glasses; no issues.
Focus Wheel: The focus wheel is nice and big and easy to turn. It takes allot of turning to go from it closest focus to it's farthest but nothing that bothers me. In fact, due to this, over focusing or under focusing can be less of an issue. The focus wheel however is one point on these bins that tells you these are not Swarovski's or Leica's. There is a slight play or "slop" in the wheel in which the wheel turns and doesn't move focus. It is a minor amount but I can tell its there. I can live with it. For the record, the Vortex bins had the same amount of play. After using these bins in the field for a week now, the very slight amount of play does not effect the bins in use. The Swarovski bins that I've played with had absolutely no play in the wheel.
The focus wheel prominently displays the Zen-Ray model name, power (8x43), the coating info, waterproofing, phase correction, and the Field of View.

Diopter Adjustment Wheel: The diopter adjustment wheel is well done and provides "clicky" feedback. The clicks also seem to hold the wheel in place once you get it set to your particular setting. I found this to be a nice upgrade over other bins I've used as I always seem to be adjusting the diopter wheel due to my crappy vision without glasses.

SIZE

These bins are bigger than my Minox 8x42 and my friends Nikon Monarchs but due to the open hinge design, they handle ergonomically, very well. I went to my local birding spot the second day I had these bins and after walking about 2-3 miles, I did notice a slight difference in carrying them. Nothing huge mind you; just that these were bigger than the Minox. The cushioned neck strap handles the weight well. Length wise, as you can see in the picture, the Zen-Rays are longer:

You can probably tell, I tend to favor the green colored bins..

WHY 8x43 OVER 10x43?

One issue in wildlife photography that plagues photographers when using extra long/telephoto lenses is camera shake. It can turn a potentially great photo into a blurry throw away shot. The problem is that the higher the magnification of a lens, the more pronounced/obvious camera shake becomes. This same issue applies to binoculars. The higher power your binoculars, the shakier things become. For most people, an 8x binocular is about the maximum magnification they can use without propping themselves against something after a short period of use. For those extra shaky folks, Zen-Ray provides a handy dandy tripod mount at the front of their hinge. To access it, you simply unscrew the "ZR" cap exposing the female threaded screw seen here.

With the 8x bins, I've never noticed much shake and thus far never needed to use a mount.

OPTICS:

This is an area that these Zen-Ray ED series REALLY shines. As I've stated before, I have become accustomed to the very best in optical performance with my various "L" series Canon Lenses. For this type of optical quality unfortunately, you wallet typically takes a severe beating. My 70-200 f/2.8L IS II cost me over $2000, my Canon 100mm 2.8L IS Macro cost well over a thousand. Fortunately, Zen-Ray has somehow magically squeezed premium optical performance into their bins without draining your wallet. A close look reveals how much quality they've included in their glass.
** First Zen Ray uses a glass known as "ED" or Extra Low Dispersion glass. This is the same type of glass used in premium lenses to properly align/focus all of the colors of the spectrum (RGB) to a single point. Failure to do this causes chromatic aberration or CA. Zen-Ray's glass has covered this well.
** VividBrite Dielectric Prism Coating on their prisms. The prisms in binoculars such as roof prisms like these or porro prisms like the older bins are at their basic level a combination of mirrors. These mirrors or prisims reflect light gathered from the front objective and angle it eventually back to the ocular lens. The better reflectivity of the prism, the more light gets through the bins and thus a brighter view. The Dielectric coating used on Zen-Rays mirrors does this job VERY well. The brightness of these binoculars puts anything I've used thus far to shame in low light conditions.
** CrystalView - From what I understand this is nothing more that a water/oil repellent coating put on the objectives. In my experience, these coating simply fill in the microscopic "pits" naturally found in glass, giving water nothing to cling to. I expect this works much like rain-x does on your windshield. I don't know why more bin manufacturers don't do this. Unfortunately, we are in a very bad drought right now in Texas and I haven't had to opportunity to test the attributes of this coating. One thing that these coatings also offer that has not been pointed out by Zen-Ray is dust resistance. I use a manually applied coating to my glasses that repels water and oils. In use in dusty environments like we have in South Texas, it DRAMATICALLY cuts down on static and the accumulation of dust. I noticed the same effect on these bins. Well Done Zen-Ray!
** Fully multi-coated optics - This basically means that every surface of every element is coated with a substance (usually magnesium fluoride or calcium fluoride) that aids in light transmission by reducing glass' natural tendency to break up light rays. Many manufacturers coat only the front objective or the more expensive brands, the front surfaces of all the glass in the bin. Zen-Ray coats all surfaces within the bins just like Leica, Swarovski, et al. These coatings prevent the break up of light as it passes through the objectives and thus results in a brighter image. In use, I can definitely tell a difference. These bins are bright!
** Sharpness - The sharpness of these bins can't be over stated. When I let my friend and my wife look through them, the resulting, "wow" said it all. I can pick out details on birds, bugs and the like of which I could never do with my other bins.The edge sharpness of these bins is better than my Minox but there is a slight bit of fuzziness right at the edges (maybe the outermost 5%). On a lens this would bother me but in a bin, no issue at all. I don't look at birds with the edges of my bins and I suspect like most people, I use the center 1/3 almost exclusively. Most people call this area the sweet spot and on these bins, it's very good.
** Color - The one thing about my "L" lenses that really stands out is the color they reproduce in the photos. The same can be said about these Zen-Rays. The color is a well rounded neutral with a slight bit of saturation. I don't think you could do any better.
** Edge Distortion - With the wide field of view 426 ft at a 1000 yards, I would expect a slight bit of distortion or curvature. I see very little on these bins.
** Field of View (FOV) - Field of view on these bins is very nice. A wide FOV aids when trying to find something through a bin quickly or finding a moving subject such as a flying bird. The 426ft at 1000 yards works nicely.
** Overall view - I can honestly say I'd give these bins a nine out of ten. If that sounds like glowing praise, it is. For what I paid for these bins, the optical quality is outstanding. Birds look like they are right there and that you could reach out and touch them. I suspect that due to the longer tubes on these over my Minox, there is a more "3-D" view akin to porro prisms. I really like the view through these bins.

CONCLUSION

I really like these binoculars! While they do not have the overall fit and finish of the $1000+ Swarovski's or Leica's, the F&F is very good. Optically, other than touching up the edge sharpness, I wouldn't expect to find many bins better. I would venture a guess to say that 98% of the binocular viewing public would never notice the difference between the view with these and the so-called alpha bins. They are really that good in my humble opinion. For what you spend on these Zen-Rays, you can't go wrong. If Zen asked me what could be done different or better, I'd say, address the focus wheel issue, the edge sharpness and come up with better objective covers. I also noticed that the close focus was at around 5 ft. 8 inches as opposed to the advertised 6 feet. I wish this could have been a bit closer but that is just a personal preference because I do allot of insect photography. This always helps in identification for me. I love that my Minox has a very close focus of about 4 feet. All in all, if you want alpha bin like optical quality and can't afford the $1000+ price tag, these bins are one example of getting much better than what you paid for. I really think the only thing you will miss is the very tight fit and finish if the alpha's and maybe the, "Oh wow, you have Swarovski's!" reaction you might get from your birder friends. If this happens, just let them look through your Zens and let the bins speak for themselves. You (and them) won't be disappointed.

NOTE: I will put these bins through the ringer over the next few months and report back with updates if any issues arise. I'm fairly confident they will hold up well.

Zen-Ray's Website

ESEE-4 Fixed Blade Knife Review.

2011-09-03T16:55:00.001-07:00

Click on any of the photos for a full sized version

I purchased an ESEE-4 almost a year ago and I have used it for everything from food prep to cleaning fish to field dressing a feral hog. The following is a short review of my thoughts on this knife.

When I was in the market for a medium fixed blade knife, I (like always) read review after review before I make a purchase. One knife brand that kept coming up was ESEE (Formerly RAT Cutlery). There were several positive reviews of their knives and their warranty service so I thought I'd give them a try. Next, I had to decide which size because ESEE offers everything from it's miniature but very capable Izula (named after a South American Ant) to it's Zombie slaughtering Junglas. For my purposes I was looking for something in a size I could carry comfortably without scaring little old ladies while out hiking. I wanted something I could use for food prep, game prep. and general purpose cutting tasks. Lastly, the main argument for fixed blades, I wanted something tough enough to take a beating. Based upon the reviews I had read and the size I was looking for, I purchased the ESSE-4.

The ESEE-4 has an overall length of 9 inches. The blade length is 4.5 inches but due to the choil, the cutting area is around 4 inches. ESEE sends out their knives with a survival card, a kydex sheath and some molle attachments. When I first opened the package containing the knife, my first thoughts where, "man, this is a nice knife for the money."

BLADE

The ESEE-4 blade is made out of 1095 steel. This steel is a common steel in many tools. It is classified as a high carbon steel and thus can rust if not taken care of. 1095 and other high carbon steel materials are generally the best for extremely hard use knives. 1095 is a bit more brittle than some of the other high carbon steels such as 1050, 1058 or even cold steel's very own 1055. That being said, in shorter lengths such as the ESEE 3, 4 or 5, the brittleness shouldn't be an issue.

Many knife companies including ESEE combat the high carbon rust issue by coating the majority of the blade with various types of powder coats or epoxy resins. ESEE knives have done a very good job in this regard because after a year of use, the coating on my blade has yet to come off. I admittedly do not care for my hard use fixed blades as good as I should and my ESEE-4 has shown a few spots of rust. Fortunately, it's easy to remove and probably easier to prevent with Tuf-Cloth.
When I received my ESEE-4, it came sharp enough to shave the hair off my arm. In use, it retains it's sharpness fairly well but with hardness of 57RC it (like many high carbon blades) dulls with use rather quickly in comparison to steels such as D2. Fortunately this also makes them easier to sharpen.

The blade thickness on the ESEE-4 is substantial at 3/16" of an inch. It is evident that it is built for hard use. When you pick this knife up, you will know; it will take pretty much anything you can throw at it.

They offer their blades in three colors, OD Green (like mine), Desert Tan or Flat Black. You can also get plain edge or serrated.

HANDLE MATERIAL

The handle on my ESEE-4 is made from Orange G-10 but ESEE also offers them in Linen Micarta or Canvas Micarta. The handle size comparatively is well balanced against the blade. It handles very well, fills the hand well and makes a good chopper and does not overly wear on the hand like some handles if used for long periods of time. The screws holding the G-10 material in place are hex head counter sunk flush into the handle. The steel portion of the knife also protrudes past the handle leaving an area for a lanyard hole. While I don't use lanyard holes on my folding knives, On a fixed blade, I consider it a huge plus.

KYDEX SHEATH

The Kydex sheath that comes with the knife is a well thought out and locks the knife into place just like it should. Nothing special but it does the job like it is supposed to. The Molle attachments are a plus because you can attach it to all of the tactical ninja gear you can find. I used it to attach it to my Camelbak. It works great.

IN USE

I have carried my ESEE-4 on duty, while hiking and kayaking. It carries well and is not too heavy. Surprisingly, it has served me very well in food prep.

As mentioned before, make sure when you use it for this purpose, you clean it and dry it off so the exposed (non-coated) edge doesn't rust. A wipe down with Tuf-Cloth would help in the regard as well.

Once while working out in the brush, I needed to climb into a tree for a better view but the tree had no low branches. I simply drove the ESSE-4 into the tree and used it for a step. It worked great and I'm 6'1" 230.

WARRANTY:

One of the great things about ESEE knives is their NO QUESTIONS ASKED warranty. If you break it, they'll replace it. How could anyone expect anything more from a company? While I've never had the need to use this service, I've read many accounts of people that have dealt with the company and I've not heard any complaints. A Good American made product and a company that stands behind what they sell; a rarity these days. Well done ESEE! Warranty Link

CONCLUSION:

If you are looking for a hard use fixed blade knife that will not drain your bank account. The ESEE line of knives are well worth looking into. They work just as advertised. Many of my co-workers that have seen this knife ended up buying one and in many cases, several; that says allot. When I'm toting a fixed blade, this is it.

Ergonomics: 8/10
Looks: 9/10
Materials: 8/10 (still waiting on the stainless version)
Camp Use: 10/10
EDC Use: 8/10 (a little big and it stands out; might scare sheeple)
Food Prep: 7/10 (a little thick but it works)
Skinning/Game Prep: 8/10 (excellent for this purpose but not quite curved enough for a great skinner)
Warranty: 10/10 (as good as it gets)
Zombie Usefulness: 8/10 (While you distract them with it's orange color, take the head shot and go home safe)

Oh, they work well for taking out angry cow skulls as well :)

Web Link to ESEE

Rick Hinderer 3.5" XM-18 Review

2011-09-03T13:31:00.003-07:00

NOTE: Click on any of the photos to view them at their intended size.

Back several months ago, I purchased a knife I had seen rave reviews for all over the net. So when I purchased Rick Hinderer's highly touted XM-18, my expectations were admittedly pretty high. Rick is a firefighter / EMT as his primary job but produces knives on the side. He does not have a regular production schedule and does "runs" of his various knives at different points through out the year. So back in March after a couple of months of waiting for a production run, I finally bought a 3.5" XM-18. When it arrived at my house, it came in a plain, no frills white box and a small ziplock baggie. Apparently Rick doesn't make a big production on his boxes which I guess most get thrown away anyway. He allows the knives to speak for themselves.

Upon opening the box and taking out the knife, it became very apparent, this was a knife made for hard use.

Materials:
The frame of the XM-18 is 6AL4V titanium and despite the extremely thick lock side of the frame, it's fairly light for it's size. Rick allows you some choices on how you would like your titanium frame to look such as tumbled or sand blasted. The knife blade itself (on mine) is made from CTS-XHP (lightly stamped on the blade). CTS-XHP, also known as carpenter steel by some, starts life as a powdered metal. In blade form it has the corrosion resistance of 440C and the a RC hardness of 64; almost that of D2. This combination makes for a very nice blade in my opinion. The scale on the non-lock side are made of various colors of G-10 (or an optional carbon fiber). The one sided G-10 scale makes for a perfect grip in less than ideal situations.

Fit and Finish:
My initial impressions of the F&F of the XM-18 were VERY good but that has been my impression with several knives out of the box so I reserved my review until after a few months of use. After having this knife now for several months, I can honestly say, Rick's close tolerances and eye for detail have created a knife that has no rival in the Fit and Finish department. It becomes very apparent in use that Rick actually uses the knives he develops and the small details show it. The open back design allows for easy cleaning. The stand off's (the spacers between the two sides of the knife handle) are made for the apocalypse. All of the screws are counter sunk and flush with the handle of the knife. I can say that after months of use, none of them have backed out like they have on several of my other knives. The pivot screw which is an essential part of any hard use knife is a beast. I beleive Rick developed his own pivot screw and is one of the things immediately recognizable on an XM-18 (pictured below).

His pivot screw is more substantial than the pivot on my strider and much smoother.

Lock up:
Like I stated earlier, the lock side is made of titanium and very thick titanium at that. It is a frame lock style lock with Rick's very own Lock Bar Stabilizer.

Lockup is ROCK solid, quite honestly the most solid lock up of any frame lock I have ever owned. A co-worker / knife nut that I let use the knife for a day described it as "fixed blade-like solid". It locks in with the knife tang at approximately 50%. Even after months of use, I still find zero blade play; impressive to say the least.

Blade:
Ricks standard grind is another Rick Hinderer exclusive known as the spanto grind. I think it comes from a combination of SPear point and Tanto blade; hence "Spanto". I am no fan of tanto blades and I even emailed Rick to ask if there were any other options to which he replied there were not (NOTE: I've heard they are going to offer a slicer grind for the next run). When I received the knife and began using it, I discovered the genius behind the "Spanto" grind. It allows for a very thick end but yet still has characteristics of a good slicer. In every day use, it proves itself very well.

Rick also has two types of opening options on his blades, a flipper and a standard thumb stud. For my first Hinderer, I chose a thumb stud. The flipper has a thumb stud as well in case you choose to use it that way. This blade has worked very well for every cutting task I have thrown it's way. I guess I could be called a "Spanto convert".

Ergonomics:
While Ergonomics is a personal preference, I have found the ergos of the Hinderer very intuitive. If you look at photos of the Hinderer XM-18, you'll notice a slight angle not seen on other knives. This like the Spanto concerned me before I handled the knife. Having owned and used the knife now for several months, I can say this too is another indication of Ricks actual use of his knives that has translated into his design. In short, IT WORKS.

Size and Weight:
If you are looking for a small knife, then you may want to look at a Hinderer 3" or look elsewhere. The 3.5" Hinderer is a REAL knife. Real in that it fills the hand, inspires confidence in it's durability and commands space in your pocket. That being said, I can still comfortably remove my keys from my pocket with the 3.5" Hinderer clipped in. I could not say the same for my Zero Tolerance 0301 (a beast of a knife in it's own right). The weight of the 3.5" XM-18 is a comfortable 5.6 ounces. Rick minimizes the impact of that weight by it's ergonomics. I ended up selling my ZT 0301 and rarely carry my Strider due to the weight issues and them being pocket hogs. The Hinderer while a substantial knife pulls off the weight and size issue as best as any knife of this size could do. In short, I carry it often hiking, working and doing my photography thing. That alone should say allot.

Smoothness of opening:
I don't often see this mentioned in reviews but to me it's an important factor. I have several knives that open smoothly but very few I would classify as buttery smooth. This Hinderer opens buttery smooth I would put in the class of a Sebenza smooth. The Sebenza lacks one thing however; "Flickability" While the Sebenza opens buttery smooth, it's more of a gentleman folder and doesn't "flick" open as well as some knives. My Spyderco knives are the epitome of flickers and the Hinderer falls somewhere in between. It doesn't flick open as fast as the spyderco delica, endura, sage 1 or 2 or native but it can definitely be flicked open with authority. Keep in mind, I am speaking of the thumb stud only model. I will post my thoughts on the "flipper" model when I get one. All in all, it has the buttery smoothness of a Sebenza and close to the "flickability" of a Spyderco; VERY nice.

Uses:
If you are in the military or Law Enforcement, look no further if you want the ultimate hard use knife. As a federal Law Enforcement officer of almost 18 years and a firearms instructor (I think this might qualify me as a gadget nerd), I have carried knives from just about every major company and even a few customs. While my main carry knives at work are a Spyderco Endura, Delica and Dragonfly. I do so because of their utility, cost and I would not spend hours walking through tall brush looking in despair if I lost one; I'd buy another. This being said, I love carrying my Hinderer occasionally at work and almost every day during my other pursuits off duty. I have used this knife (hard in some instances) and it works just as it was designed for. It works equally well slicing foods as I've used it for food prep and even helped dress out a feral hog. It is made to be used.

Customer Service:
Rick and his front man Rob Orlando have earned a well deserved reputation amongst knife nuts as good folks. They interact on forums such as http://www.bladeforums.com/ and answer questions quickly either by email or forum posts. They respond quickly to the very rare problems and generally just take care of their customers.

Conclusion:
As stated before, I have owned knives from several major companies such as Spyderco, Benchmade, Zero Tolerance, Kershaw, Gerber, Buck, Cold Steel, CRKT, Chris Reeve, Strider, et al. I can honestly say with out reservation, the hype behind Rick Hinderer's knives is very well deserved. If I were choosing between a Strider, Hinderer and Sebenza my choice would fall to the use I had planned on using the knife for. If I needed a gentleman's folder, I'd go with the Sebbie. If I needed a sharpened prybar, I'd go with either the Strider or Hinderer. If I needed a good all around working knife that was a good slicer, up for hard use or for use in a tactical (military or Law Enforcement) environment, I'd personally go with the Hinderer with the strider a couple points second. My Hinderer XM-18 is my favorite knife in my collection; a knife I will hand down to my son someday.Did I mention I REALLY like this knife?

Some photos of my 3.5" non-flipper XM-18:

Ergonomics: 10/10 (Senor Hinderer really thought this knife through)

Looks: 10/10
Materials: 10/10
Fit and Finish: 10/10 (Great!..Hinderers are like lays potato chips, one won't do, you'll want more)
Camp Use: 10/10
Hard/Military/Police Use: 10/10
EDC Use: 9/10 (might scare some sheeple)
Food Prep: 9/10 (a slicer grind would get a 10)
Skinning/Game Prep: 8/10 (worked good for me, not enough belly for a great skinner)
Warranty: 10/10 (as good as it gets)
Zombie Usefulness: 9/10 (only fixed blades get a 10, but Zombie's fear Hinderers)

Hinderer Knives Website

Apetures (F-stops) and their effects on photos

2009-09-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

The word photography literally means "Light Writing" and as such you have to regulate the amount of light to "write" your photograph to your camera's sensor or film. The amount of light reaching your sensor (film in the old days) depends of course on the amount of ambient light available to produce a photo. Artificial light (flash or strobe) can be used when there is not enough ambient or available light. To take advantage of the amount of ambient light available depends on two mechanical parts in your camera; the shutter (and it's speeds) and the aperture or F-Stop inside the lens. In this article, we will talk about f-stops or apertures.

An easy way to remember what an aperture / f-stop does is to think of it like the pupil in your eye. When it is bright outside, your pupil constricts or shrinks to limit the amount of light reaching the inside of your eye. When it is dark out, your pupil dilates to allow more light in. The aperture in your lens acts in the same way; either manually by your choosing or automatically as needed when your camera is in auto. So in short, the aperture in your camera regulates the amount of light that gets into your camera to its sensor.

Your aperture does one more very important thing as a byproduct of the sizes chosen. Your depth of field is dependent (hereafter referred to as DOF) on the aperture size. DOF is important for many reasons. When shooting landscape photography ideally, you want the greatest DOF possible so everything from the foreground to infinity is in focus. In portrait photography, most photographers prefer the shallowest DOF possible so the photographic subject will be the focal point.

So how does the aperture affect DOF? Well in simple terms, the larger your aperture, the shallower the DOF. Conversely, the smaller your aperture, the greater your DOF. This is illustrated in the graphic below.

For the sake of this lesson, let's assume your camera is in manual mode (my preferred shooting mode). I am at a state park and want to shoot a nice landscape shot. Let's assume it's a bright sunny day and there is plenty of light available to take your photo. There are many variables here to consider such as your shutter speeds, if you are using a polarizer (which cuts down on light), lens length, etc. For the sake of this article, let assume that you are using a Canon Camera with the 50mm , f/1.8 AKA the nifty fifty. You should try and close down the shutter a bit to insure good DOF. I would try and get at least F/8 to take a good landscape photo. Assuming you have enough light at F/8 to get a shutter speed that is conducible to hand holding (1/50th or faster if you have steady hands with this lens), you should get a nice clear photo with everything in focus from the foreground to infinity (represented as ∞ on most lenses).

Let's say later you see a cute photo opportunity of your child and want to take a good portrait of him/her. I've taken portraits with everything from 50mm to about 105mm and they all work good for me. Most portrait photographers subscribe to the theory that a very shallow DOF is best for portraits; as a general rule, I agree. If this is the case, you will want to open up your aperture very wide. While you can open up the nifty fifty to f/1.8, the image quality to me at least at f/1.8 leaves something to be desired. If your copy is better, then f/1.8 should be fine but focus has to be spot on. I personally prefer at least f/2.8 for my portraits and the focus accuracy is a little more forgiving.

In older lenses, you used to be able to calculate your DOF from the markings on the lenses. The newer lenses make it a little more difficult. Many camera companies used to include (and some still do) a DOF preview button. I've never really found much use for it and have always pretty much considered it a gimmick or maybe someone just hasn't showed me the correct way :).

So how do you choose an aperture on your camera when your aperture setting is a priority? There are basically two ways in all cameras. In manual mode where you can choose your shutter speed and your aperture, you just select your aperture first by what ever means your camera uses and select the appropriate shutter speed second. Most all cameras have a mode called Aperture Priority (represented on most dials as AP or AV). In this setting, you just select the aperture of your choice and the camera will select the appropriate shutter speed. This works fairly well as long as your subject(s) are not back-lit or you need to stop action.

Lastly, as a general rule, lenses with larger apertures run more expensive because they are harder to make accurately, use more glass and coatings to cope with fringing, etc. cost money. There are many, many other topics to cover relating to apertures but these are the bare bones basics. You can click on the graphic below to see a larger version.