Review: Platatac - Tactical Crate

This just in from Platatac in a recent press release via their FaceBook page ...:
 

"After the recent unveiling by 2nd Commando Regiment during a training activity, we can proudly announce the release of our NSN'd Assaulters Milk Crate (patent pending).



Build from carbon fibre bonded with inconel this bad boy can withstand over 16kn of force, 2000 Degrees Celsius, 10 sticks of TNT and pretty much anything a triple figure digger can throw at it.

The recently declassified Assaulters Milk Crate is a team essential item. With multiple lashing points for the Tuff Tactical Quick Release


Tactical Tie Off Point (TTQRTTOP) and light weight modularity the Assaulters Milk Crate is a must for all DA's.



Supplied with Two pieces of core flute and 4 black zip ties.



Available in 3 colours. (Blackout 1000x, Tactical Tan, Killer Wolf Grey)

Weighs just 6 grams.

RRP $499.00

Available for preorder 1st April 2016"









I've noted on the forums there may well also be a Blue Force Gear force-on-force trainer in the works as well, but reports also suggest that Multicam just wont stick to the frame. It's too high-speed.

Presumably you can add other modular features, but that may well come with package inserts

 

 

 

 

I was fortunate enough to have a couple come my way as well, and can tell you though mine were pre-release (note the unreleased Blaze Orange range-officer option peeking out underneath) and a possible SF/ SASR aquatic version in Blackout there.

These are some serious pieces of kit, with numerous uses around the bunker, in the field, and for all kinds of bug-out or bug-in use. They're so tough you could even transport perishable items like milk in them!

I'm hanging out for a possible titanium version, but I'm always a sucker for over-engineering.

Review: Hardcore Hardware Australia - TWI-02

I signed up for, and was one of four winners in a Hardcore Hardware Australia Facebook competition to take home their new and improved Tactical Writing Implement, the TWI-02. His has been a nice addition to my tactical pen collection. Currently I have the Cybernetic Research labs Tactical pen in my Hazard4 harness, and the Ti2 magnetic pen as part of my daily pocket collection the HHA TWI-02 is a very substantial competitor to what goes in my EDC.

The shaft of the pen is constructed from 6000 series, non-reflective, black anodized aluminium for extreme longevity and wearability, and features a recessed crown for positive thumb control with integrated steel pocket clip. The crown recession is via a series of stepped rings, which gives a very nicely textured grip, without leaving sharp edges to catch on anything. It is 147mm (5.78") long and 14mm (0.55") at its widest, and weighs in at
51g (1.8oz).

At the opposing end of the capped pen, they have incorporated a 46-48 HRC steel ‘ball’ tip for emergency glass breaking and impact applications. 

I've pounded a few things with this, and so far it's held up very well to my tentative testing, with no damage to either the ball, or the housing on the body of the pen. The cap screws down onto the body of the pen at the writing end, giving a very secure connection for when you want to deal out some percussive or pressure point based persuasion, but HHA avoid putting machined threads on the "outside" of the pen, by having a "clip-on" connection when you use the writing end.

There is an O-ring at the writing end to give a full seal making it completely waterproof when the cap is screwed down.

Knurling at key points along the pen aids a positive grip, as does the differing profile through the piece. Coupled with the recessed crown, you can get some really good gripping angles from this, whether you are writing or using the glass-breaker.

A steel clip fixed onto the side around the crown end of the pen is well sculpted and gives a really positive grip to a pocket notepad or wherever you stash your pen.

When it comes time to replace the refill the TWI-02, it will accept standard Parker and Fisher Space Pen refills, but for the life of me I haven't yet worked out how to do this. I think it must be the very tight tolerances that it is put together with, and I'll have to get in touch with the HHA guys when I run out of ink. 

Putting the TWI-02 up against a couple of my other "tactical" pens, the Cybernetic Research Labs pen
and the Ti2 Techliner pen the TWI-02 certainly comes up on top when it comes to imposing presence and size.

I had one attentive reader noted in my Sneak Peak post that the TWI-02 looks considerably like one of the Boker tactical pens and whilst they are very similar I don't think the resemblance is anything other than coincidental, the Tactical Pen world isn't very big.

I really like the feel of it as a pen, and also as an impact tool.

Wish Lust: Rhino Ropework - MAD Stick pouches

My mate Shane from Rhino Ropework (note: they're going to be going through a branding change soon, stay tuned) have teamed up with my friend over at SORD Australia to put together a line of pouches for the most excellent and useful MADSticks by Rhino Ropeworks. You'll recall the MAD Sticks are a compact solid breaching and pry bar, and be pleased to note that they've gone through some more design iterations and are even madder! Here are some pictures of the prototype SORD made up for him.

One aspect that Shane wanted to address, is their very pointyness, which even when looped through PALS/MOLLE, can jab and scrape, and the pen-clip type retaining clip sometimes just weren't up to the rugged outdoor needs of some folks, so he and SORD Australia have come up with this 1000d Cordura pouch. You'll remember the SORD 870 back scabbard I have reviewed in past, well, this is it's littler, sleeker cousin.

Able to be looped though PALS/MOLLE on packs, or plate carriers, or worn on the hip and thigh, the MAD Stick pouch will be fastened with a Fastex style buckle, with a wide flap to allow ease of access, and secure carriage. A steel drainage grommet at the bottom seats the glass-breaker tip, so you don't get undue poke-age, and they are snug enough to not require the pen-clip, but can accommodate them if your MAD Stick has one.

SORD used scrap MultiCam to make the prototype, but RhinoRopeworks is likely to stock Sniper Grey tools with black sheaths for urban usage and  Olive Drab tools and Khaki sheaths for field use.

There is even some talk about Kryptek if there is enough interest (minimum 20 per pattern, I'm told).

Review: Gerber - Crisis Hook knife

Here is another new addition to my collection that comes out of my need to replace items lost when my car was broken into.

I had been keeping a Benchmade 8med Rescue-hook in the sun-visor MOLLE keeper from Zulu Nylon Gear in case of in-car emergencies, which in turn was an addition along with the Benchmade Figure 5 after I lost my original rescue hook, the Gerber Strap Cutter.

So, now I've come full circle with the Gerber Crisis Hook.

I really like this kind of tool. I go to events where fixed blade knives are restricted, but having a blade that can be used to get myself, or others out of trouble without being a big bad pig-sticker.

The Crisis Hook is fitted out with an even bigger handle than any of the previous cutter's which is covered with a textured, skeletonised  rubberized coating. This is shaped with finger groves on the inside, and crenelations for gripping both back and front. The steel that runs through the entirety of the tool is 420HC stainless steel.

The cutting edge is a single bevel housed within a blunt hook as you would expect from this kind of cutter. The entire tool, with its long handle, it a considerable improvement over the three previous rescue tools I've had.

Fitted with an oxygen wrench and a glass breaker point on the pommel with a loop hole for a dummy-cord, this is a robust and hefty tool, and it comes with an appropriately sturdy
friction locking clip sheath, made from the same 499 ballistic molded plastic as the handle.

The sheath is fitted out with a buckle strap, and can take either the included MALICE clip or, as seen here, a single PALS/MOLLE gripping clasp. It held secure to both my chest and on my hip for a weekends camping adventure recently, but was simple enough to shift in the field, even on the go without all the fiddling needed with the MALICE clips. It cuts like a treat, going through seat belt webbing, heavy strapping, 550 paracord and with a little more effort, thick cable-ties with single solid pulls.

I have no doubt that I could cut someone from belt to boot in a few simple, quick cuts if needs be with this. The over-sized handle affords a really solid grip, even with gloves on, and even when wet. It's not a subtle tool, but then again, its not meant to be. This is for getting you and your buddies, or loved ones, out of a jam. So far, it's done nothing but winning.

Review: RhinoRopework - MAD Stick

Image from RhinoRopework

Here is a brilliant bit of kit that I've managed to scoop up just in time for OCONUS Week on BreachBangClear, in a world exclusive.

I've been buying a few things from the Rhino Ropeworks, like their tritium equipped fobs, and just recently one of their Saber ropeworking spikes. When I heard that this weeks topic was things done by foreigners, by foreigners, I dropped my mate Shane a line, and he sent me a prototype in the mail!

Shane is no stranger to making tools that are up for some hard yakka, and I was only too happy to get RR's newest tool in my hands. Check out their Facebook page for all the latest work-in-progress.
The MAD Stick is a 400mm (15.7") long, 12.7 mm (0.50" yeah, fifty cal!) length of 4140 high tensile tool steel, commonly used in pry bars. It weighs in at 340g (12oz). Very lightweight for what it is.

The steel is heat treated to have a Rockwell 45-46 in the body, 60 at the breaker tip. That gives you all the flex you need for doing heavy prying tasks you might have on hand, without deforming the working ends.

The two different ends give you two different functionalities. The double sided chisel point comes to a second, finer edge for the last 2mm or so, giving a nice robust wedge to use to work into gaps and crevices without the fear of chipping your tip. The primary grind is about 3.5cm (1.5").
The opposite end is rounded to about the same length, and also features a primary and secondary grind. Good for all kinds of probing and hole punching.

This tool, as my partner Omega said "is a metal stick of great evil. I like it" (and she knows a thing or two about evil ...). To top it off, the whole piece is covered in a black Cerakote finish although RhinoRopework can also get it coated in a variety of colours.

The middle 5cm (2") of the bar is left smooth, but the rest of the surface is covered in a really bitey knurling. So bitey, in fact it is possible to use as a striker for Ferrocerium. Bloody brilliant.
I generally prefer a ridged finish personally, which as it happens, RhinoRopeworks can put on one of these instead of the knurling, but I have to say, it's a pretty aggressive grip. I had no feeling of this coming loose in my hands, or in fact where I stowed it.

This is helped along by the ripper little pen clip that is fixed to the MAD Stick, about half way.
That little clip meant that I was able to slip the stick down the side of my PALS/MOLLE equipped pack, and even clip it to my Hazard4 RG Harness, and wander around the city with it slung under my vest, along my torso.
That same portability would mean that this could be worn on a plate carrier, on an assaulters pack, or secured pretty much anywhere with a loop or lip.
I'm no stranger to breaking things, and would stack the MAD Stick up against my Stanley FUBAR, the Dead-On Superhammer and the CountyComm Breacher Bar happily. They are all different tools, and this is no hammer, but it sure is a problem solver.

Shane tells me that the MAD Stick was "inspired by digging tool used by foragers and the splitter bar used in AMC's The Walking Dead to kill walkers through the fence". Now, this isn't a spear by a long shot, but it's not meant to be. More like a MILSPEC Kali stick. I haven't had a chance to put it in the hands of my escrima practicing friends yet, but I can imagine they could bring a metric fuckton of hurt down with this.

Besides being just small enough to secrete on your person (if that's your thing)  its compact size means another thing. If you are already wearing a fairly rigid set up, it's slim design will keep if from getting in the way, especially if you have 6 to 8 rows of PALS/MOLLE to slip it into. It virtually disappears down the side of a pack, and only pokes out a little on the front face of one.

Once I got it home, I set to bashing, jabbing, prying and generally looking for things to test it on. I stabbed it into logs, and hit them, found cracks in brickwork behind the house and old woodwork to prise apart. Not a mark on the tool, and everything I tried it on succumbed. As expected, when used as a striking tool, length-ways, it resonated a fair bit, but it was manageable. 
Without gloves on for my first round of tests, the knurling held fast, and I had great grip throughout my swathe of destruction. One thing I found was the pen-clip made for an uncomfortable place to hold the tool, and I needed to rotate it out of the way a couple of times, especially when I wanted to exert some more force.  Gloves sorted this right out however, and gave me the added padding to ignore this.

Given its ease of storage, light weight and high functionality, I can see these being quickly being found in the hands and cars of EMT's, and other first responders, as well as anyone who might need "Method of Entry" tools in their regular loadout, without having to call out the big-boys like a Halligan Bar.

For me, having a tool like the MAD Stick close to hand means that I can overcome a variety of problems in or around the house when I don't want to snap the tip off a knife or bend a screw-driver breaking up pallets to fortify the bunker.

The MAD Sticks are only just now going into small-batch production, and the heat-treating and Cerakote process is time consuming, but any day now the first production models will be in the hands of the early purchasers. I have a feeling we might be seeing a lot more of these in the hands of rough men, standing ready.

Review: CountyComm Breacher Bar sheath

Here is another part of my recent haul of gear from CountyComm, a kydex sheath also made by CountyComm to fit their very rugged Breacher Bar. I have been so happy with my Breacher that I wanted to get this piece to compliment it. Up until this point, I have mounted mine on a PALS/MOLLE panel on the front of my MAC plate carrier.

The opportunity to have  a purpose built sheath was too good to miss, and these hand-made kydex sheathes by EOD/ CountyComm, which come equipped with not only a tight friction lock of the Breacher Bar, but also offers several different attachment options. The sheath is designed to fit the Blade Tech line of TekLoK systems as well as being able to accept lacing and other means of attachment. The two bottom holes, the six along the sides, two at the top and three through the middle give ample options to lash with paracord, or fit a variety of other attachment options.

I have attached a short MALICE clip to mine, which will enable me to mount mine to the MOLLE of both my chest rig, and also to any of the bags of belts that I may have in play at any given time.

The fitting hardware that came with the EOD sheath consisted of four screws and threaded eyelets as well as a spacer ring, deep enough to match up against the depth of the sheath itself from the edge holes.
A drainage hole at the bottom finishes the package.



The sheath itself is a very good fit, taking some vigorous bouncing to shake the breacher loose, and more to pull it free. I'll still be mounting it in a "upwards draw" just to be sure, but it pleases me no end to have a purpose made, and properly fitted sheath for this very useful piece of kit.






















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