Kershaw Blur: Initial Impressions

Awhile back Grasshoppa was kind enough to send me a Kershaw Blur. I've been carrying it around for about a month now. Certainly enough time to get a sense of what it is and isn't.

I really don't have enough good things to say about the Kershaw Blur. The spring assist basically makes it a blade activated switch blade without any of the legal constrains (as far as I know anyway) which is pretty cool. The metal handle with grip inserts is pretty awesome especially at this knife's competitive price point.

The blade is very sharp and well designed. I find the curved swooping back of the blade a bit awkward aesthetically but it puts the point in the right place (centered) which is what really matters. It cuts the heck out of everything I've given a go at which is all you can ask for a knife. The edge seems to be holding nicely.

The clip is very secure and well designed. I appreciate that it securely holds the knife in it's place using a simplistic design with two screws. Too many folks skip the design portion of a clip and try to make it secure with more screws which makes for a bulkier clip. The only issue I have is that (at least on my particular model) there are only holes for the clip on the right side which would be awkward for lefties. It can be tip up or down which is better than some models.

Right now the role my Blur has found is as a "get off me blade". Given that small daggers and push knives can be legally problematic and even a small fixed blade is fairly long for EDC in my lifestyle a folder is the available option. I appreciate the easy opening feature even more with my weak hand. It's riding OWB clipped to my belt at about 9 o'clock. Seems pretty secure plus at their excellent price point if it gets lost I'll order another then put it into a sheath in the same place.

Depending on where you shop a Kershaw Blur can be had between $40 and 50. I find it equal to or superior to any comparably priced offerings by other major brands like Cold Steel or Spyderco. You can certainly spend more money on a knife. That money will get you a bit more fit/ finish then at some point maybe a bit of quality and warranty support. However at their price point you can have a blur in both family vehicles and several kits/ caches. I seriously doubt an Emerson or high end Benchmade will outlast 6-8 Kershaw Blur's.

Kershaw Blur and Thanks

Grasshoppa was kind enough to send me a Kershaw Blur to check out. It has a tanto blade with partial serration which is pretty much my ideal fighting/ destroying things configuration in a folding type blade. It is working into my EDC for testing and evaluation. It seems like a very well made knife at a super competitive price. You will see an initial impressions post shortly and a review in due time. I need to go find some stuff to cut.

Thanks again Grasshoppa!

Knife in the Making by JP's Custom Knives

JP of JP's Custom Knives is making me a knife. It is going to be a large camp type knife. Going through the whole process with him was pretty cool. What I did was look at a bunch of pictures of knives JP has made. Sort of picked and chose the parts I wanted.

I like the blade style of this knife. It's about a 10" blade. Big but not bulky for bulks sake.

The first knive is nice but I prefer a more traditional looking handle like on this knife. So that's what is coming out of the forge and into my hands.

We didn't really talk steel, grind angles or any of that. Honestly I don't get into that. Just use knives to cut stuff, sharpen them and repeat. Anyway I would rather give a craftsmen my intent (in this case a large camp knife that can do a fair job of chopping things and processing wood) and leave him to do his thing. Of course I'm sure if you have opinions about all of that JP would be more than happy to oblige.

This knife should be pretty awesome. I can't wait for it to arrive.

10 Lower Prices Solutions to Survivalism

A few ways to make preparedness fit your budget a bit better.

1. Prioritize. I know this is is a far bigger thing and really arguably negates the rest of the article but I do need to touch on it briefly. Choosing preparedness stuff instead of other things is a very valid option. I find it easier to have the goal in mind and do the math working towards it. Example doing the math that at 4 bucks a pop you would need to choose drip from home instead of fancy coffee 15 times to get the medium fixed blade knife you want or 10 nights out at $50 a pop to buy a rifle or whatever. For me this makes it a choice to prioritize that specific goal instead of just general budget tightening which kind of sucks.

 2. Cut down on your vices. Drink less, smoke less, chew less, gamble less, go from $5 coffee out to drip from home, use that money to prepare. [This is probably #1 for overall life improvement but for saving cash to fund preparedness, which is the topic of the post, I put it at #2. The reason is that prioritization (which also touches on vices) is more all encompassing.]

3. Buy used. Many things can be had gently used for 50-80 cents on the dollar. Once you take the tags off, use it a couple times and it will have a few scratches or wear marks anyway so save the $$$.

4. Build the same systems but with lower priced (but not junk) items. Common Mans $150 BOB by TEOTWAWKI Blog (though I think it's more of a Get Home Bag) is a great example of this.

5. Get basic guns. A tight budget does not mean to buy cool guns because you like them  and then skimp elsewhere. If you can't afford food you definitely can't afford an AR and a Glock, let alone an M1A and a high end 1911 with a bunch of mags each especially with prices these days!. It means you need to get basic but quality guns that will serve your needs but not bust the budget. The odds you need an AR-15 over a bolt action 30'06 or pump shotgun or a Glock 19 over an old SW Model 10 are a lot lower than that your family will start eating drastically less. Honestly if tomorrow our gun collection was a 30-30, a bare bones Rem 870/ Moss 500 pump shotgun, a pair of .38/.357 revolvers (his and hers) and a .22 it would be a decent enough setup. If we had 2 of everything and I had a J frame as well as a bigger revolver (aside from her pistol) it would be a good setup. Bought over time most folks can afford a $400 30'06 or 30-30, a $300 shotgun, a $300-400 pistol and a .22 of some sort along with plenty of ammo to go with them.

6. Get items that serve a lot of purposes. If money is tight it might not work in the short term to have 6 dedicated preparedness knives (huge camp, medium general purpose fixed, small fixed, folding EDC, multi tool and "fighting") a folding saw a hawk or hatchet and an ax. Instead a small ax or hatchet/ hawk (AO dependent), a medium sized fixed blade and a folding EDC/ multi tool (lifestyle dependent) might just be it. Those 3 tools would handle most all of your realistic preparedness cutlery needs.

Coming back to guns because we dudes tend to gravitate there and thus overspend limited resources which should be spent elsewhere. In terms of guns that can do a lot of things compact sized pistols are a good one. A Glock 19 or 3" small/ medium framed revolver can fill a lot of roles adequately. A pump shotgun with long and short barrels can do a ton of things. Toss in whatever center fire rifle fits your lifestyle and budget best then round it out with a decent .22 and you are good to go.

7. Put in the time. Oh you are busy too, well make some choices. Watch less tv or something. Learn stuff from people you know. Helping them is a great way to do this. Ask somebody to HELP YOU fix your car or wall or whatever and just maybe they will do it. Say you will HELP THEM with their next project and you'll get a phone call in a bit. Expect to carry some stuff and do some other nugg work but you will learn stuff. Also once they see you care enough to put in the time and energy most folks will go out of their way to help you learn.


8. Avoid mistakes. Buying items that don't fit your needs/ wants must be avoided at all costs. I have a variety of stuff that has been purchased then cast off to be extras or backups or sold at a loss. Even if you research enough to find out an item is quality there is the ever unquantifiable ergonomics. If money was tight I would only buy items I could personally handle and ideally try out (like borrowing a friends for a week) before purchasing.

9. Trade. There are some balancing acts there as you have to be a bit flexible but can't lose sight of your real needs as you can't afford to get unneeded or significantly lower priority stuff.  On the other hand turning your unused guitar and amp (or whatever) into the backpack and sleeping bag you need is just irresistible. Sometimes, though rarely especially with vastly different types of stuff, you can trade strait across. However more often you end up selling the music stuff to get money which pays for the camping gear.

10. Gifts. This isn't exactly a savings but it does help. Instead of asking for stuff you don't really need for birthdays, Christmas, etc ask for preparedness stuff you can use. Many folks would be happy to get you a preparedness item of comparable price than whatever the usual gift might be.

That is about all I can think of right now. Anyway I hope these ideas help give people some ideas on how to become better prepared on lower budgets.

Edited to include: After Snoops comment I went back and put them in what I feel is rank order. 

Please Welcome Our Newest Advertiser- JP's Custom Knives

JP makes custom knives for every cutlery occasion in the kitchen, street or field. You can check out his face book page to look at a bunch of pictures of his work and talk to him about getting a knife made.

Tell him I sent you.

Current Results of EDC Contest Voting

The current results of the voting are:
 #1- CF entry #22 with 25 votes
#2- Tricia entry #26 with 23 votes
#3-Zombie Guy entry #10 with 20 votes
#4- Meister entry #20 with 17 votes
#5- Michael W entry #32 with 15 votes
#6- Brian Entry #6 with 14 votes

Voting will continue through tomorrow so plenty of time to vote for yourself or your favorite entry. After you vote feel free to mention the EDC contest as well as your favorite entry to the spouse, friends, family or web buddies.

 To recap here is what our contestants are playing for:
1st Place: 3 Sport Berkey Water Bottles donated by LPC Survival ($69 value)
2nd Place: 1 Blackhawk Holster donated by LuckyGunner.com ($50 value)
3rd Place:  1 Snare-Vival-Trap cough garote cough donated by Camping Survival ($17 value)
4th Place: A copy of The Blighted by Archer Garrett.
Wildcard: This one goes to whoever I want to give it to for whatever reason I feel like. It will be a grab bag donated by yours truly. ($30+  value).
Check out the details and my example post here. 

1 Long gun, 1 Pistol and 1 Knife

Saw this over at SHTF Blog and have been thinking about it ever since. We talked about our top 3 guns previously but the jump from 3 to 2 is a lot.

Pistol- Glock 19. A great compromise between conceal ability and capacity/ shootability. Also you just don't get any more common than a Glock 9mm. Though a Glock 17 would be fine also as the two aren't that different in size.

Long Gun- AR-15 with a CMMG .22 conversion kit. This is arguably gaming the question but since it is just a spare bolt and a magazine I don't think it is too ridiculous. I think arguing the technicality that the lower is the part and saying I would also have a 6.8 or 300 blackout upper would be gaming things. 

A narrow second place would be a Remington 870 with both long and short barrels. The Remington 870 is very versatile but the AR's ability to shoot .22lr gives a pretty good option to put meat into the pot. While you cannot LEGALLY hunt medium-large game with .223 I believe with decent shot placement and the right ammo it is a viable option.

Knife- I am sticking with knives as a discrete tool category and thus not slipping into machete's or hatchets or whatever. The knife would definitely be a fixed blade with a 4-5inch blade. The good old Ka Bar came into my mind but it is a bit too big for most tasks. Of knives I currently own the Pathfinder Trade Knife would be the best candidate. Of knives that are out there the new Benchmade Bushcrafter seems like a darn good candidate. I definitely want one and will eventually make the purchase.

Anyway those are my pistol, rifle and knife choices. What are yours?

EDC Contest Entry #6 Brian

Hey Folks, I am pleased to bring the another entry from our EDC Contest. First we will quickly recap what is going on. The broad strokes are this. I want to share and discuss the stuff we carry around every day AKA EDC. Taking pictures of our stuff and talking about it is my goal. Looking both at broad tools (pistol, folding knife, light, multi tool, etc all) and specifically digging into the this vs that of a Wambanger 29 vs a Doohickey A3.

The prizes will be as follows:
1st Place: 3 Sport Berkey Water Bottles donated by LPC Survival ($69 value)
2nd Place: 1 Blackhawk Holster donated by LuckyGunner.com ($50 value)
3rd Place:  1 Snare-Vival-Trap cough garote cough donated by Camping Survival ($17 value)

Wildcard: This one goes to whoever I want to give it to for whatever reason I feel like. It will be a grab bag donated by yours truly. The exact makeup is TBD depending on what I have lying around  and may include books, gear, medical stuff or even a couple silver dimes. ($30+  value)

Check out the details and my example post here. 

 Onto Entry #6

Thanks Ryan, this is a great idea! This is my EDC,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

We live at our retreat/farm where I work full time. Working here has its own requirements, as you will see. How and where I wear my EDCs is planned for sitting (desk, tractor and truck), working on my feet as well as working bent over for various chores. Hopefully some of this will be useful for others.

A few weeks ago I upgraded from a Kel-Tec P11 to a Glock 19. I was able to sell the P11 along with it's two holsters, 14 mags and packet of spare parts for enough to get the Glock and a start on gear for the G19. 

 

I got an Israeli tactical retention holster which I wear at 4 o'clock, adjusted to a 20 degree forward cant. I can get it out quickly, except in the truck. I've ordered a left handed Kydex holster to attach to the upper console of my pickup to solve that problem. I keep it loaded with Hornady XTP 124 grain, 14+ 1 chambered. 

My multi-tool is a Leatherman Super Tool 200. I use this many times everyday. It is on my belt at 8 o'clock. Its thinner than a Glock mag carrier so it is more comfortable at 8 o'clock than the mag when sitting. 

I bought a Glock mag carrier but I don't care for it. I'm going to try a Kydex mag carrier with cant adjustment. I wear my mag carrier with a G19 mag (fully loaded) at 9 o'clock, just in front of my Leatherman.

I use a Carhart 1.5" leather belt. It is good quality, I've used it daily for two years so far, and it still looks and works good.

On my keyring I have stainless steel tweezers. They have sharp points and can dig out just about any splinter or sliver, but I use them for other tiny tasks as well. My keys are carried in my left front pants pocket. 

Shooting around here is common, and no big deal. I carry a cheap pair of ear plugs for the occasion. 

My knife is an older 4" Tanto blade CRKT M16-14Z. This is closest to it. I've had trouble with the belt clips coming off every knife I've owned, then I discovered the new Costco (Kirkland) jeans have a very deep "change" pocket, which holds this knife perfectly, and is easy to pull out quickly.

I carry a plastic tooth pick stored in its own handle. This stays in my right front pants pocket.

I use small tools every day. I carry an assortment of screw driver bits to save a lot of time. These work in both my 18VDC drill or a 1/4" nut driver. These bits are loose in my right front pants pocket.

I've had a bunch of different flashlights, none of which were all that handy to carry, till I discovered the PakLite LED flashlight. It is barely longer than a 9 volt battery and is no hassle to carry in a pocket. I selected the Pak-Lite Super Glow with White LED Bulbs ($25), but there are lots of models. The recessed switch on the "Super" has three positions, low, off and high. It is bright enough for most of my needs, and it is always with me. So far it has not been inadvertently turned on in my pocket. The glow cap is perfect for my wife finding her PakLite in her purse. Battery life is amazing, with the lithium battery you get 1,200 hours continuous on low and 80 hours continuous on high. With an Alkaline battery you get 600 hours continuous use on low, 30 hours on high. This thing also has gold contacts in the switch which speaks to its longevity, as does its 5 year warranty. I am looking into rechargeable 9VDC batteries. This also lives in my right front pants pocket.

A clean folded cloth handkerchief is incredibly handy. Not only for the obvious, but I also use other folds for wiping off (some) things like camera or flashlight lenses, glasses, etc. plus putting pressure on a nasty cut, and so forth. I fold it in half, then in half again, and again and then one last time so it is about a 4" square. This gives me many sides available for different uses during a day. I know this sounds gross, but it is very useful every day. I keep this in my right rear pants pocket where it easily stays folded.

My wallet holds IDs (particularly my CHL), plus cash, cards and has a separate place to put receipts during the day. It is kept in my left rear pants pocket unless I go into a ‎crowd, then I move it to my left front pants pocket to irritate pick pockets.

My left shirt pocket (with a flap) holds a spiral notebook (2.5"x4") and black medium point pen for making notes and reminders during the day. 

My Android cell phone rides in my right shirt pocket (with a flap). This very handy, including several calculators (math with memory, construction and financial), multiple alarm clocks, timers, a voice recorder, text messages, an appointment calender, weather forecasts, camera, and once in a while I use the map/GPS functions when I make a wrong turn. I do not use it for email or the internet. Oh, and I use it as a phone too.

My blue-tooth Jawbone is either in my right ear or in my right front pants pocket. Some times it rides in my left shirt pocket, depending on what I'm doing.

I have bic lighters stashed all over the place, including all our vehicles. So far this has worked for me, but I can see how carrying one is a good idea. 

I wear above the ankle boots with deep tread, blue jeans, a long sleeve flannel shirt and a ball cap most every day. 

Retread

 -End-

Ryan here: First of all I would like to thank Brian for his entry. It takes some guts to put yourself out there in front of others and some motivation to put an entry together. [Remember that before flaming anybody, lets keep the dialog constructive.] I will share my thoughts on this entry down the road.

As always everybody is welcome to leave their thoughts in the comments section.

EDC Contest Entry #5 J in Dallas

 Hey Folks, I am pleased to bring the first entry for our EDC Contest. First we will quickly recap what is going on. The broad strokes are this. I want to share and discuss the stuff we carry around every day AKA EDC. Taking pictures of our stuff and talking about it is my goal.

The prizes will be as follows:
1st Place: 3 Sport Berkey Water Bottles donated by LPC Survival ($69 value)
2nd Place: 1 Blackhawk Holster donated by LuckyGunner.com ($50 value)
3rd Place:  1 Snare-Vival-Trap cough garote cough donated by Camping Survival ($17 value)

Wildcard: This one goes to whoever I want to give it to for whatever reason I feel like. It will be a grab bag donated by yours truly. The exact makeup is TBD depending on what I have lying around  and may include books, gear, medical stuff or even a couple silver dimes. ($30+  value)

Check out the details and my example post here. 

 Onto Entry #5

Hey Ryan,

Here is my EDC load out entry.

·         GEN 4 GLOCK 26 9mm

·         SPARE G26 10-ROUND MAG

·         BLACKHAWK BE WHARNED FOLDER

·         STREAMLIGHT MICROSTREAM FLASHLIGHT

·         SAMSUNG GALAXY III

·         DPD BADGE AND CREDENTIALS

·         BURTS BEESWAX

·         BIANCHI 100 & DESANTIS CARGO NEMESIS HOLSTERS  

-J FROM DALLAS

Ryan here: First of all I would like to thank J for his entry. It takes some guts to put yourself out there in front of others and some motivation to put an entry together. [Remember that before flaming anybody, lets keep the dialog constructive.] I will share my thoughts on this entry down the road.

As always everybody is welcome to leave their thoughts in the comments section.

Also check out previous entries: EDC Contest entry #1 by Jacob and EDC Contest entry #2 by Max and EDC Contest entry #3 Mike in Wisconsin and EDC Contest entry #4 Thomas.

EDC Contest Entry #4 Thomas

Hey Folks, I am pleased to bring the first entry for our EDC Contest. First we will quickly recap what is going on. The broad strokes are this. I want to share and discuss the stuff we carry around every day AKA EDC. Taking pictures of our stuff and talking about it is my goal.

The prizes will be as follows:
1st Place: 3 Sport Berkey Water Bottles donated by LPC Survival ($69 value)
2nd Place: 1 Blackhawk Holster donated by LuckyGunner.com ($50 value)
3rd Place:  1 Snare-Vival-Trap cough garote cough donated by Camping Survival ($17 value)

Wildcard: This one goes to whoever I want to give it to for whatever reason I feel like. It will be a grab bag donated by yours truly. The exact makeup is TBD depending on what I have lying around  and may include books, gear, medical stuff or even a couple silver dimes. ($30+  value)

Check out the details and my example post here. 







 Onto Entry #4

Since I am a 16 year old high school student I can't take the knives or fire starting gear into the school during regular school days but i leave them in my moms car and i carry them every where else.

On the upper left I have my Columbia hiking boots that i always wear just in case my parents cant pick me up or I can't use one of there cars (when I borrow them to drive to school). they are comfortable and light, waterproof, oil protected, and a discreet color.

Next is my Swiss Army (Wenger) belt that I have had for years. I use it to carry my flashlight and my fire steel. I have also read and seen many other uses for a strong belt.

Underneath the belt is my Patagonia waterproof wind breaking jacket that is great in all the conditions I have been in. It is small and light but does the job right.

Below the jacket is a Klarus xt11 cree led flashlight that will pump out 600 lumens for 2.2 hours 150 lumens for 7.3 hours, 10 lumens for 12.3 days (295 hours)m and a tactical strobe mode. All of this on One Rechargeable 18650 which I carry an extra one (shown left to the flash drive).

Next to the klarus is a 32 g flash drive with important documents and it gives me the ability to put any important software on it. (plus a few games).

my wallet carries a small about of assorted cash just in case, my ID, and a few cotton balls/matches.

One the right of the wallet is my Swiss army knife that has a big and small knife, wood and metal saw/file, bottle and can opener, wine opener, scissors,  chisel, parcel carrier, a reamer, and 3 different screw driver sizes.

To the right is my fire starting gear for well fire starting

 Last but not least is my iPhone 4 in a nice case that is great for emergency calling and listening to Led Zeppelin.

Thank you for your great blog that people of all ages can read.
 -End-

Ryan here. Please thank Thomas for his entry. I think it is pleasantly surprising every time I see teenagers with their stuff together. I had some outdoor skills then but didn't have any sort of thought out EDC or survival type kits.

Also check out previous contest entries:  EDC Contest entry #1 by Jacob and EDC Contest entry #2 by Max and EDC Contest entry #3 Mike in Wisconsin.

EDC Contest Entry #1 Jacob

Hey Folks, I am pleased to bring the first entry for our EDC Contest. First we will quickly recap what is going on. The broad strokes are this. I want to share and discuss the stuff we carry around every day AKA EDC. Taking pictures of our stuff and talking about it is my goal. Looking both at broad tools (pistol, folding knife, light, multi tool, etc all) and specifically digging into the this vs that of a Wambanger 29 vs a Doohickey A3.

The prizes will be as follows:
1st Place: 3 Sport Berkey Water Bottles donated by LPC Survival ($69 value)
2nd Place: 1 Blackhawk Holster donated by LuckyGunner.com ($50 value)
3rd Place:  1 Snare-Vival-Trap cough garote cough donated by Camping Survival ($17 value)

Wildcard: This one goes to whoever I want to give it to for whatever reason I feel like. It will be a grab bag donated by yours truly. The exact makeup is TBD depending on what I have lying around  and may include books, gear, medical stuff or even a couple silver dimes. ($30+  value)

Check out the details and my example post here. 

 Onto Entry #1

This is my full EDC. It should be noted that I work undercover and can’t wear my “ideal” clothing, so some of the items get left out or replaced with other (smaller) items depending on my uniform of the day. However, this represents what I carry on days when I get to wear whatever I want.

 

From top to bottom, left to right:

 

Riggers belt. Holds my pants up. Also holds me up, should the need arise. I’ve done it. Not comfortable, but I rappelled out of a tree with some dyneema cordage once and didn’t die. Beats trying to wear a rappelling harness everywhere I go. (Note: when I am undercover, I trade this one out for a stout leather belt. Less conspicuous but will still hold my weight in a pinch, just without all the convenient places to hook stuff.)

 

Wallet. Full of typical wallety type stuff. Also have some quick-fix medicine tucked inside (Sudafed, Tylenol, Dramamine, etc.). (Note: Yes, I am a brony. Yes, I will love and tolerate the shit out of you. In fact, if you break into my house, I’ll show you my shotgun, and help you lovingly and tolerantly repaint my walls.)

 

Lip Balm. I prefer good ‘ole Burt’s Bees. Gets the job done without all the chemicals. Also has peppermint oil, which calms upset stomachs (just rub some under your nose). Used it to waterproof a repaired seam on a tent, once, during a camping trip.

 

Listerine breath strips. I have a girlfriend. ‘Nuf said.

 

Recruit Lawnmower. Aka nail clippers. Works as a pair of not pokey-in-my-pocket scissors. Cuts about anything you can stuff inside (if you have a good set), and keeps my nails looking neat.

 

Two personal talismans. The top one is a medallion which represents “The Original 6 and Company”; the name my high school friends (slash group of trouble makers) and I gave ourselves (with the “and company” part being added when we started getting married). It was cast in a homemade forge from scrapped computer parts. The bottom one is a piece of seashell which my ex-girlfriend’s little sister gave me, the day she stopped hating me (her words). Makes her happy when I can pull it out and show that I still have it.

 

Handkerchief. Girls cry about stuff. Guys slice themselves open doing stupid things. Someone always forgets to bring a coffee pot. Trust me, it’s useful.

 

5.11 Tarani hook-blade knife. Not the most useful tool in my pockets, but it cuts cordage like a champ, looks scary when I use it to clean my nails in front of hooligans, and makes one hell of a letter opener.

 

HTC Evo 4G. Gotta maintain those lines of communication. It’s also in a hard plastic Otter Box, so I can hide a couple bucks inside.

 

Pens. This one varies the most. I lose more pens than should be humanly possible. I gave up on buying nice Space Pens because I was losing fifty bucks a month replacing them. I try to carry a permanent marker just because it’s fun to tag my friends when they are being complacent.

 

Keys. I try to keep the number of keys I carry to a minimum. House, car, bike, work.

 

Lighter. Just a plain old Bic lighter with the child safety taken off (so I can work it with cold/gloved hands).

 

Change. Sales tax makes certain there’s always a handful of loose change in my pocket.

 

Carabiner. Mostly just use it to clip stuff to when my hands are full. Great for carrying grocery bags and rappelling out of helicopters.

 

Ferro rod. Like the pens, this one is probably more in and out than anything else. For the longest time, I carried this instead of a lighter (because I spent more time building campfires than lighting cigars). Now, I usually carry it if I think I’ll be out in the woods, instead of just tooling around the city.

 

Notepad. A carryover from my Navy days. Mostly full of song lyrics, girls’ phone numbers, and shopping lists. Probably redundant, but notepads burn better than smart phones.

 

Multitool. Do I even need to explain why I carry this?

 

Tracker T1 Knife. I don’t have a CCW, so this is my substitute. Some people recognize it and want to have a day long conversation about Tom Brown Jr. Others see it and decide standing behind me at the ATM is a bad idea. Works as a hatchet, filet blade, chain link breaker, saw, ferro rod striker, conversation starter, and conversation ender. 

 

  -End-

 

Ryan here: First of all I would like to thank Jacob for his entry. It takes some guts to put yourself out there in front of others and some motivation to put an entry together. [Remember that before flaming anybody, lets keep the dialog constructive.] I will share my thoughts on this entry down the road.

As always everybody is welcome to leave their thoughts in the comments section.

Happy New Years!

Pathfinder Trade Knife Review

The way I test knives is to use them for all sorts of everyday tasks. Cooking and eating, opening boxes cutting cord/ rope, cutting on whatever wood I find an excuse for and who knows what else. Some of these tasks inevitably fall into the knifes concept of use/ niche and others do not. This kind of lets me see what it is suited for and less suited for even if that stuff falls outside of what I would think the knifes role is.

Anyway I have testing the Pathfinder Trade Knife for about 3 weeks. I still want to fiddle with it some more but certainly have enough of an impression to do a review. It is a nice looking knife. The handle is nice looking and functional which I appreciate. The finish had a couple little rough spots but nothing too bad. I would say in terms of design and materials it does a good job of having that old traditional look which is part of Dave Canterberry's thing. The sheath is simple but well made and seemingly quite durable.

The blade is 5 inches long. That is about the right width for a good all purpose hard but reasonable use kind of knife. This trend to make 'knives' that are stupidly thick basically pry bars with a sharpened edge. I like that the curve of the bottom of the blade lets you "choke up" on it for delicate work and also functions as a decent stop for the hand to prevent slipping onto the blade.  The blade is 1/8th of an inch thick which is a good width. [Too many knives these days are basically sharpened pry bars. These knives seem to forget the whole point of a knife is to cut stuff not to pry things.]

The knife cuts quite well. It is handy at a variety of tasks around the house and kitchen. It sliced tomatoes well which is not a given with a thicker knife. The blade is rather curved such that the primary cutting surface is about 3/4's of the way up the blade, sort of like on a Tanto. Something about the blades curve tends to draw it deeper into material which isn't a bad thing parse.

Also of course it is full tang, really a blade with some G-10 slabs stuck onto it which is how knifes should be made.  The G-10 is held on by brass rivets which are a nice traditional touch. It has two holes running through the handle and blade with brass inserts. Good for making the thing into a spear I guess or using the back one to stick a wrist thong through.

This does bring us to the one ugly point of this knife. In my testing to date the point of this knife sucks. The way the curve of the spine comes to the point seems to be the culprit. There is a lot of material at various angles coming together at the point. The good news is that I suspect this makes the point very strong. The bad news is that it means the point does not cut particularly well. As I often use the point for small tasks this is problematic. I am going to make sure the tip of the blade is plenty sharp and fiddle with it some more. Worst case it is an issue I can live with.

The concept of use I see for this knife is as an all around belt knife. Preparing food, cutting cord, small wood processing tasks and such. This knife paired with a hawk/ hatchet/ kukuri depending on your inclination and environment would make for a real nice setup for field craft and sustainment. [In a more martial context I would probably have a smaller knife like the RAT 3 on my kit and this in my ruck. Yeah one could argue that is a bit redundant but when you balance weight vs utility I feel good about the trade off.]

As to the inevitable question of if this knife is a good purchase. I paid $99 on special and the normal price is $110. It is a good tool at and will definitely have a key place in one of my kits. The market for medium (say 3.6-5.5in blade) knives in the $110ish price range has some good stuff. If you play a bit fast and loose with the budget and knock it to more like $130 there are really a lot of good options. Some folks might choose differently and that is just fine. In any case I am pretty happy with this knife.

What Did You Do To Prepare This Week?

In addition to kicking butt at the weight pile I am feeling better than I have in a long time. Looks like I may have finally kicked that cough. I am excited to start kicking butt at running. Some other good stuff happened this week.

I ordered a Benchmade Griptillian as part of my birthday.

From Chinook Medical

*ITEMS ORDERED:

Qty: 4 Item: 02122 Price: $3.67 - Nasopharyngeal Airway, 32Fr

Qty: 4 Item: 05157 Price: $5.55 - Tourni-Kwik TK-4 Combat Tourniquet
Qty: 4 Item: 05131 Price: $6.01 - Israeli Emergency Bandage - 6"
Qty: 3 Item: 02189 Price: $12.71 - Tension Pneumothorax Decompression Needle, 3.25"
Qty: 4 Item: 05143 Price: $1.45 - PriMed Compressed Gauze Bandage

Qty: 1 Item: 05166 Price: $39.99 - QuikClot 1st Response 50g (3 pack)

If the contents didn't show I am putting some IFAK's together. Anyway it was a good week here.

What did you do to prepare this week?