Review: Rose Kuli hammer multitool

Multitools have a special place in the heart of all preppers. They make for a resource rich bundle that can provide a lot pf utility in a small package. whilst the ubiquitous Swiss Army Knife is probably the first multi-tool for many ( it certainly was for me), the Leatherman or Gerber belt tool has taken the place in the eyes and EDC of many and whilst these paragons of utility assuredly have their place, they don't do everything. That's were something like  the Rose Kuli hammer tool comes in. 

Prominently featuring a split hatchet head and a hammer head, the jaws opening up to expose pliers and cutters, with a spring assist for the plier arm. The Rose Kuli tool features red wood scaled handles, screws recessed in at the high end and riveted at the bottom end, the plyer-arm retaining loop seats into a notch in the bottom of the plyer arm, preventing the plyer head from opening up unexpectedly. 

The hammer-head sits directly in line behind the hatchet head to maximize impact efficiency for both tools. I found that the small hatchet head being only 4cm (1 1/4") broad but was plenty enough tool to carve a notch in some logs i have seasoning at the back door. You wont be felling any mast logs with it, but it'll work nicely delimbing small logs, and even baton splitting, the hammer head providing a good strike face. I worried that the hatchet head appeared riveted in place and would come loose but it turns out that top rivet only holds the sides in place and the hammer/hatchet pieces were secured by the pivot rivet and marry up tightly when the plyer arm is closed. 

The plyer jaws have both a fine toothed and a broad toothed section, for both fine and coarse tasks as well as a 1cm (2/5") cutting jaw, for wire or nail cuttings. 

The hammer itself drives nails quite well, for such a light tool at 400g (14oz), and I could tap one into my new treated-pine fence-posts with ease. The wood scales and plyer arm make for a comfortable grip on the palm and fingers. the hammer-side handle-face holds a surprise in the form of a selection of folded tools.There are 5 fold-out "blades" to further supplement the tools over-all utility.  From left to right there is a simple leaf-point single edge blade, a Phillips head screw-driver, a wood-saw with fish-hook disgorger tip, a 4-size hex nut wrench (5,6,7,10mm) with bottle-opener and pry head, and a serrated blade  with a file and flat-head driver tip. I would have liked a can-opener, and none of the tools lock, but each are functional.

As Corb Lund would sing "Well it's a vise grips for pliers, and pliers for a wrench
A wrench for a hammer, hammers everything else"

It came in a flimsy nylon sheath with a hook and loop flap that barely covers the heads, leaving the edge of the hatchet somewhat exposed. 

For a light-weight tool, it certainly bridges the gap between belt-multitool and camp-hatchet.

 

Review: Stilletto titanium nail puller

I do love a  good salvage. Whether it be road-side junk-swap, flea market bargain or dump-harvest the idea of junk salvage strikes a deep chord in me from both a 

post-apocalypse survivor point of view  and 80's kids sci-fi. That said, sometimes having the right tool for the job, especially if you're working with aged or non standard materials. I do like to recycle timber, for garden-beds and storage shelf construction, and getting the nails out can sometimes be a real pain, especially in well seasoned hardwood pallets.  

Previously I have made do with my pair of  demolition hammers (the Dead-On Annihilator and the Stanley Fat-MAX FUBAR) which are brute force tools, even when paired with pry tools such as Jimmy and the ever rugged Breacher bar. I've had a lot of success with this combination of tools but they're inelegant. I'm also a sucker for titanium. I know its not a miracle metal, neither mithril nor vibranium/ adamantium but its pretty rad.

Now on to the tool!

This is the original Stiletto Titanium framing nail puller with the Patented nail removal feature! In essence it is a 30.48cm ( 11.5") pry bar, made of one piece of titanium. It has an open-truss design to cut weight but retain rigidity, weighing in at 300g (8.5 Oz)

One end features a standard cloven hoof pry edge, which is quite pointy, for aggressive purchase finding, and the other end its a cat's paw, 90 degree pry bar, with a similarly pointy tined  cloven end, and a smooth, rounded fulcrum for mark-free nail-pulling. The key feature of the cats-paw end is the perpendicular dimpler. This open-ended conical protrusion is used to punch a circular indentation into the wood,below the level of the head of the nail, in order to allow either of the pry ends to find purchase and pull them out. This is achieved by centering the open end of the dimpler around the had of the nail and striking the back face with a hammer, hard enough to drive a dimple into the wood around the nail-head. 

The dimpler has an internal diameter of 1cm (0.4") which should be plenty big enough for common nails found in timber. Stiletto specifically state it be used for "common nails" only

 

The divot allows the tines of the nail pullers to be worked under the nail-head without gouging the wood too much ( divot aside). I found that for especially stubborn or embedded nails ( or punched down, or otherwise deep) that the tines can be driven in by hammering in the tool from the other end. It should be worth noting that Stilleto claim the titanium strike faces outlast steel bars 3X longer - doesn't spall, crack & mushroom like steel bars. I also use the back face of the cats-paw to drive some nails, and though it took some transfer marks, the satin matte finish was un-marred. It's a bit light to act as a hammer effectively but in a pinch, just fine. 

The open truss body is clean edged and smooth to the hand, allowing a strong grip be taken without roughing up your hand.

The shaft of the tool is slim enough to be threaded through PALS/MOLLE channels, for belt, pack or carrier  carry, but I wnt through my leather scraps bag and whipped up a quick holster with a belt loop for my use. I look forward to easy break-down of pallets and furniture for firewood or lumber needs.

Its a great tool, multi-functional, rugged and fit for purpose. 

Review: Aldi - Tomohammer

Been a while since my last post, but I have content again!

We like to shop at Aldi from time to time. They have an eclectic range and reasonable prices. They might not be a reliable place to get the same things week after week (as their range shifts with the tides) but there's always good stuff to be had to fill a pantry and add to your preps. One thing I like is the middle isles are always filled with neat items like tools, hardware and adventure-wear. Every six months or so they do a big sale and lots of their odd-ball stock goes on deep discount. At one such sale, I picked up this item; The Aldi Camp Hatchet with Hammer.

It looks like a straight-up clone of the redoubtable Mk 48 Rangerhawk, but with a hammer face replacing the spike end. The form of the Tomohammer mirrors the MK 48 almost exactly, from the geometry of the axe-face to the design of the handle. It's vital statistics are as follows: it comes with a blade pouch with Velcro strap and a strap with button snap on fastener, it weighs 605g and has a total length of 377mm. 

The head is stainless steel and appears to be either anodized or coated but the kind of steel is not listed, so I'm guessing its something like a 440C or some such. The handle material is some kind of glass reinforced polymer. More on that later. The head is fixed by a set of three screws on each side, exactly like the Mk 48, down the length of the tang of the head. The handle has a series of rings moulded into it to give gripping texture and a hole for a lanyard at the base.

It also shares the half-way point double sided knuckle up the shaft, which is a nice addition to keep but I've yet to find myself so elbow deep in gore that I've needed the haptic feedback it provides. Perhaps shoring up the beaver-dam during a storm after fending off Zombeavers. We'll see.

My original Mk 48 has taken some punishment, requiring me to regrind tips of the horns after chipping them off. Looking up close also points out the three bolts fixing the head to the shaft. The Tommohammer uses much broader headed bolts, still reset in the handle material but bigger and deeper.

One difference I noted was the jimping on the back of the beard of the axe head. Initially I wasn't very keen on this as it seemed prone to gouging my knuckles when I held the axe all choked up for fine chopping. However what did occur to me was that I could grip the whole head and use the blade much like an Inuit ulu knife, for skinning, mincing or slicing.

 As a tomahawk it worked well enough, the weight of head, length of shaft and blade geometry made for a good swing and a decent chopping power. The forward balance was much the same as that of the  Mk48 but the hammer head brings the center of mass closer to the center for a quicker turning circle. Good if you have to switch between choppy choppy and happy hammertime in a hurry, maybe to fend off the more insistent zombeavers.

Putting that hammer to the test, I used it to  reseat the nails in our rickety gate. It made short work of the timber nails, right down to the cast iron fittings, without a scratch on the strike face. I also used it to drive both steel and wrought iron tent pegs to no ill effect. As hammers go, the 40cm handle was a bit much and having an axe face was a little disconcerting but no great issue. It struck well, and had a good resonance when striking, something one comes to appreciate in a hammer if you use it long enough.

And them I went and did something dumb. I'm generally of a school of mind that says "don't throw your weapon, dummy!" but at an event I was going to there was to be an axe throwing contest, so I wanted to get some practice in. After finding a suitably remote location with a clear line od sight and a suitable target tree, I set to practicing throwing my two most closely matched tomahawks, the Mk48 Rangerhawk and the Aldi Tomohammer. I quickly got my range in and was successfully sinking blade into tree when an awkward release saw the Tommohammer striking off-true, and with a disheartening "crack" become quite permanently detatched.

You reap what you sow. I threw my tomahawk, no doubt voiding a warranty and broke it. Interestingly, testing to destruction is useful in that it showed that the internal cross section was NOT glass fiber reinforced. Just a single material polymer. Also, it broke at the point of the recessed attachment bolts. So much for bigger is better huh?

 Odds are that if I hadn't been abusing it it wouldn't have had its catastrophic failure as it did, but better like it did rather than in an alley outside of Detroit or off the coast of Mombasa.  I should be able to re-haft the head onto some nice Tasmanian oak I have kicking around or even onto the Mk48 shaft, should I irrevocably screw that one up too. All in all, it was a good piece, part chopper, part hammer but what it wasn't was quality. you get what you pay for.

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 : Klecker KLAX Lumberjack axe

I finally received my KLAX Kickstarter axe-head in the mail, after languishing I development hell for a while, getting the engineering tweeked. The KLAX is a multi-tool built into the head of an ax.  It allows you to attach the ax head to a handle quickly in the field.  It uses the nested clamping system shown here.   The clamps rotate out from the handle for use. The multifunction options are what really drew to me to the KLAX, and I was very curious to see how the fold-away stow-away option worked.

The Lumberjack is the Klecker high-end stainless steel model with the most features. The first three models are all made from heat treated SUS420J2 stainless steel which is perfectly balanced for keeping an edge and maintaining strength. Klecker do offer a Gucci, titanium version of the Lumberjack model as well, but I wanted to stick to steel for a hatchet head.

The Lumberjack features, as well as a fairly broad axe head, an Ulu knife blade, a hammer head,
cutting/gut hook, a set of skeletonized hex wrench set (19mm, 15mm, 13mm, 12mm, 10mm, 8mm), as well as a 1/4” hex bit driver socket, an inch ruler along the hammer-head, a lanyard hole and an inset wire-gate carabiner (which can be used to clip the sheathed axe-head to the outside of a pack) and a bottle-opener (mate!), all coupled with their Patent Pending clamping system.

The hardness of the axe is around 48-52 HRc. The purpose of this hardness level is to give it the strength it needs to work as an axe but keep it from being too hard. Too hard, and you risk chipping and shattering. 

The clamps are centered on a 1/4"-28 threaded bolt shaft which requires over 450kg (1000lbs) of load to shear it, so you're talking a fair amount of chopping to risk that.

The "front" clamp is threaded and rides along the threaded section of the bolt shaft. It is activated from its stowed position by rotating the nut at the back. When the head is inserted into the handle, it is screwed down and clamped in place by turning the knob the other way.

The "rear" clamp rotates out of the handle and is spring loaded to drop into a notch specially shaped to hold it in place. Once the clamp is tightened, it cannot be turned, bent, or otherwise moved until you loosen the system with the nut.

The KLAX is cut from a 5/16" thick SUS420J2 piece of steel plate with a water jet and then machined to add the side bevels, the caribiner pocket and the cutting edges on axe blade.

The clamps themselves are also 5/16" thick and are extremely rugged as well. Like the head, the clamps are heat treated in order to increase their strength considerably.

The clamps are working correctly when they are seated in the handle notches and have been fully "seated".

To seat the clamps into the handle,   its just a matter of tightening the nut, hitting the axe a few times (blade or hammer, it doesn't matter,) the first few times you use it, and tighten the clamps as tight as you can by hand.

Repeating the process, until the head is secure and then it is ready to go. Given the transitory nature of the attachment, it makes good sense to  to check the head periodically and re-tighten as needed.

Kleker suggest that typically it will no longer loosen after about five minutes of use, but make sure to check it anyway.

I've had some fun chopping wood and things with it thus far, and it certainly seems like a great back-up axe to stow in the outside pockets of a hiking pack, and even without the custom fitted hardwood handle, taking the Lumberjack into the field allows you to use a locally sourced piece of wood,trimmed and split with the ulu blade, and then slid over the head. The clamps just need the roughest of notches for the clamps to seat into, and the self-compressing nature of the clamps will pinch down a split log to give an extra tight grip.

I haven't had a chance to try this out yet, and Klecker recommend only using filed-expedient handles when needed, as they can't be readily depended on, but it sounds like a fun activity.

So, all in all, the KLAX succeeds in providing a very useful tool to use in a pinch. It will do a good job at a lot of small tasks, but won't replace a full sized dedicated tool but packs a lot into a small package. Just my kind of multi-function tool.Check them out at this years NSSF SHOT show, on right now.

Find one on Amazon here:

Review: SpiffyLab - Tactical Marker

I back a lot of Kickstarter projects, and sometimes they're just on a whim. I have plenty of tactical pens, I like the metal body construction, and the durability that comes with that, not to mention the ability to increase the tool-bearing nature of an every day item like the common pen, so when the chance to get a tactical pen that is built around a Sharpie permanent marker, I jumped at it.

The Tactical Marker upgrades the Sharpie refill from a simple writing implement into a rugged multi-function writing tool, making it a value-added item for camping, work or using as part of your EDC.

As well as the casing for the Sharpie Refill pen, the Tactical Marker includes 3 tool tips machined from  7075 alloy different to the more lightweight but durable 6061 alloy the barrel is made from. The cap and tip tools are made from super tough 7075 alloy (7075 is even used in the M16 series of rifles), which is useful, given the intended uses.

The smaller "Tapper" is fine great for little tasks such as dislodging items, or tack-driving and other small tasks. The "Hammer" is especially handy when you want to leave the house without dragging your tool box along. Neither are especially weighty, and won't effectively drive nails into timber, but for breaking small things, and dislodging items, defrosting a freezer or the like. If you need a proper hammer, get a proper hammer.

The “Spike" end works for punching leather, plastic and sheet metal or using as an awl, breaking hard ground, breaking and gripping ice, boating, prying, rope work and the like. Even being a hard-wearing alloy, the 7075 is still just aluminium however, and the end will bur and bend under hard use.  Again, if you intend to do hard punching work, get a hardened steel tool.

Without the cap, it measures about 145mm (5.75") in the standard configuration and about 165mm (6.5") with cap in the standard configuration. The "Spike" adds and is about 2.30" making the tool a fairly sizable 215mm (8.5") long. The “Hammer” end puts it at around 195mm (7.75") long. The TM weighs in at about  60g, for the "Tapper" 70g, for the "Spike" and 80g for the "Hammer". 80g isn't much for a hammer, but it's not bad for a tactical pen.
 
The Tactical Marker pen cap attaches with a screw cap requires two hands, but holds very tightly, with o-rings at both cap and tool ends, to ensure the ends stay snug, without putting undue strain on he threads. One problem I had with the tool is that the tool-ends and pen-cap ends are not interchangeable, and their threads are not compatible. It would have been nice if the cap and tool could have been combined into a smaller tool.

The Tactical Marker is also available in 'non-sparking’ Aluminum-Bronze, for use in high risk work environments, which is a nice thought, as well as a carbon-fiber barrel option, for extra fancy flair. I mostly got this tool to help with rope-work and rough and ready hole-punching in sacks and hags and the like when camping, but it's a well thought out tool for what it is. Good for hobby-use and workshop tasks when a light touch is needed. 

Wish-Lust: Kickstarter- SPARtool

I caught the scent of a new hardcore multi-tool being crowd-sourced on Kickstarter. Contacting the designer, Stewart Yeoh , I got some pictures to share with you, and the text behind the ideas.

I've covered a couple of tools like this in the past; the famous Crovel, the ubiquitous e-tool , and the Bosse Tools shovel. Then there are the Dead-On Superhammer and the Stanley FUBAR.

Stewart put a very thorough description of the SPARtool up on the Kickstarter, so this is going to mostly be a repeat of his words. So, here they are:

 The SPARtool needed to be able to:

• Dig in both soft and hard ground.
• Chop through branches and split logs.
• Saw through wood, plastic, bone, or sheet metal.
• Hammer tent stakes, nails, or rocks.
• Open a cold bottle of something refreshing after all that work!

A common gripe with multi-tools is that many of their mechanisms are awkward and difficult to use, and inferior to a dedicated tool for the job.  We strive to create a design that shifts smoothly and safely between functions, and is comfortable for all its uses.

Shovel 

The SPARtool features a 6"x 8" shovel head with integrated chopping edge, saw blade, and bottle opener.  The 1075 carbon steel and Zytel handle is topped with a flat pry bar, hammer, and 4" pick that functions as a handle for digging and sawing.  the total tool length is 22", and the weight is 2 lbs 15 oz. 

Shovels derive much of their strength through smoothly transitioning concave and convex geometry, which distributes stresses evenly and allows them to be thin and light. 

The SPARtool shovel reflects these principles in its shovel head design.  Sturdy tempered carbon steel provides the cutting edge, which is both hard enough to hold an edge, and tough enough to absorb impact. The face is gently curved to increase the angle of repose of loose soil, and gather more in each scoop.  Our shovel provides the foundation for other tools while remaining an efficient digging machine.

Axe

One side of the hardened and tempered steel shovel head is ground scary sharp, giving a generous 9-inch cutting surface.  When used against small branches the thin edge acts like a machete, passing through with minimal resistance. When employed to split logs, the curvature of the shovel head acts more like an ax, forcing the wood apart cleanly. The edge of the shovel is carefully aligned parallel along the center of the handle, creating the most direct transmission of force, and reducing the chance for dangerous glancing blows.  

Saw 

Sometimes a chopper is not the right tool for a job. When you need to make a clean cut, separate bones in game, or neatly trim pipe or tubing a saw is the answer. Saws are often one of the weakest links in multi-tools due to disregard for their mechanical and design principles. Our saw teeth are an aggressive 4/inch, 60° tooth layout, cut at a 15° rake.  Our saw is laid out as a crosscut saw, with a 15° fleam and a wide alternating offset tooth pattern to clear a wide kerf. Once again the saw edge is parallel to the handle to allow pure single axis motion.  

Hammer and Pick

Our 1.5" hammer head provides a large and forgiving striking surface; while its thick plate steel construction makes damaging it a near impossibility. 

The 4 inch pick spike can break hard earth and rocks, forcefully open padlocks, and might save your life if the zombies ever do decide to rise.  The curved pick also serves as a convenient and comfortable handle when digging or sawing. The top end of the SPARtool is inspired by the Halligan bar, a tool used by firefighters and first responders for forcible entry and rescue. We have maintained the layout so that Halligan techniques can be used with the SPARtool.

The SPARtool handle ends in a flat pry bar with a rounded, shepherds-crook curve. Useful not just for prying open doors or crates but also pulling nails, splitting wood, chiseling, and other demolition tasks. The improved bottle opener now fits a variety of sizes, and the 0.25" plate steel construction will never wear out.

On every pocket and key chain multi-tool I have ever owned the second most used item is always the bottle opener. Maybe I just like beer, but this tool was a necessity to me.

Handle

SPARtool's handle is designed for strength and comfort. The backbone of the tool is a .20" thick carbon steel bar, forged half round (think of a tape measure vs. a floppy metal ribbon of the same thickness) to fit in your hand. Inside the half round's curvature is an impact grade Zytel© polymer insert; which provides stiffness in the secondary direction, and is textured to give a secure grip.

The SPARtool sheath is built from 1050 denier ballistic nylon with MOLLE-compatible strapping and belt loop. The cutting surfaces on the shovel head are protected by a nylon and Kydex sheath which is fully detachable from the backbone of the sheath. The cutting surfaces of the prybar and pick are similarly protected with a Kydex guard, and are freely detachable with secure snaps. When in use, the cover guard for the opposite end is left in place and protects the user from accidental injury.  

So, it's a great looking tool, and certainly covers a whole bunch of options; a shovel, an axe, a saw, a pry-bar, a pick-axe and a hammer. It looks like a really serious and well put together tool. I can see a whole bunch of applications for both survival, breaching and entry, and even disaster survival. You'd do well to look at it and perhaps add one to your collection too.

Review: Dead-On Annililator 18inch Superhammer

As first seen on BreachBangClear,  and now on to you.

I wanted to get a full-on gift for a friend, one of the fantastic Dead-On Annihilator superhammers and due to a failure to read the details on my part, I accidentally ordered the 18" version, not the 14" version, like the one I already had. To make things right, I simply gave my friend the 14" he was already trialling, and kept the monstrous 18" for myself. It really is a beast.

Probably too much tool for most people, at 1.9kg (3.7lbs) and 30cm (12") shaft with a 45cm (18") overall length. All the features of the 14" are replicated in the 18", just "bigger".
Between the striking face and the "Nail Puller" the "Board Straightener" sits ready to grip and twist.

The two sets of teeth are just over 4cm (1 5/8") and just under 3cm (1 1/8") in width, respectively, which fits standard board sizes for wrenching or adjusting.To be honest, I haven't had much use for this other than occasionally levering at a frame here or there. The hammer is good though, the face is wide and beveled giving both a good nail-driving action, without messing up the surface you're pounding on.

Below the chisel edged Nail Puller/Tile Ripper lies the frightfully formed Demolition Axe, which curves down almost to the edge of the rubberised grip. This is not a shaving-sharp axe, rather that the steel of the haft is formed to a triangular ridge to an angle of around 45 degrees to the full width of the haft. This leaves a very hardy working edge, and is intended for drywall, thin wooden structures, shingles and conduit.

The drywall-only labeled demolition axe seems to work well on particle board, and would probably make short work of errant wrists too. 

The middle of the curve is notched with what appears to be a wire-stripper, but could also be used as a nail-puller as well. As the 18" version is just a heftier version of the 14", the angles are steeper, so it's not really sharp at all, but it is wicked solid. I can imagine that the warning is there for the same reason that coffee lids read "Caution: contents hot". For idiots who try to chop wood, or cut wiring with it. It wont do that, or at least, not well, or safely. Use the right tool for the job. It will make a mess of whatever you want to make a mess of though, so in that, its perfect.

The pointy-end of the tool features several other interesting combination tools. The tip is a rugged ridged point, which could be used for penetration, or scoring as needed. Within the tip is the "Multi Purpose Wrench/Nail Puller", which as suggested includes a hex-bolt socket, and a wide feeding nail puller. The head of the hammer fits nicely in the palm of the hand to drive the spike home.

 The manufacturers suggest using the wrench for releasing concrete forms and other general uses and the tip for smashing, cracking and chipping away at tile, brick or other things deemed "to go away".  I like using it to punch holes in things for old fashioned "Here's Johnny" moments. Again, it makes a mess where needed.

 So, I felt it was a good idea to put the 18" Annihilator up against the mighty Stanley Fatmax Fubar to give a good comparison. However, at 1900g vs 1300g it already comes up significantly heftier. More so again than the 800g 14" Annihilator. This is a big tool, for people with big hands and big tasks. It's probably too much tool for me.  If you're in-field and cutting back every weight counts, you might want to consider the 14" over the 18", but if you are able to keep it in a vehicle, it would be a perfect  multi-function wrecker.

They are really inexpensive, rugged and well designed. When it comes time for me to break my way into an abandoned warehouse, bust my plucky crew out of a cannibal mutants larder, or even just pop open packing crates and 44 gallon drums of fuel for the gyrocopter, the 18" Dead-On Annililator might well be the way to go.

There is also fact that Shaddox Tactical make a Tactical Pouch for it, so I'm hooked.

Review: RaidOps - TM-Joe & MF-Delta

Check out these bad boys! I got in touch with a long time source of Wish-Lust for me from RaidOps out of Korea.

They make a wide range of titanium impact tools, knives and hard-wearing and multi-function pieces of wearable art. The two items that I got are the triangular MF-Delta and the evil platypus skull shaped TM-Joe.

Both are made of grade 5 titanium, and are double heat-treated to over 500oC to achieve HRC 50-52. They are finished in a dark-brown patina.

The TM-Joe is 84mm (3.31") x 58mm (2.2") x 5mm (0.2"), weighs in at 42g (1.5oz) and features 11mm (5/16") nut holes in the "ears" and nose" with a smaller, 9mm nut hole adjacent to the larger one in the nose. The very tip of the tool is shaped to act as a pry-bar, with nail-pull at the center. The pry-bar is not chisel edged, so there is no fear of cutting things accidentally, but will limit that "first bite" width needed to get a pry happening.

As well as the mean looking eye-holes, there is a lanyard hole in the middle of the top of the piece which mates with the RaidOps Quick Release attachment clip, a small piece of polycarbonate plastic with two rounded pinching surfaces that fill the lanyard hole, and hold with sufficient force to prevent any accidental dislodging.

A quick forceful tug and the tool comes away in the hand, ready for action. Both tools feature attachment points for the Quick Release mount, and come with a standard ball-and link chain.

The MF-Delta is made from the same Grade 5 titanium alloy with it's dark brown finish.It measures  61mm (2.4") x 70mm (2.76") x 5mm (0.2"), and weighs 31g (1.09oz), 31g (1.09oz). It features two hex driver cutouts, one of which also doubles as a bottle opener. It also features a single 7mm bolt hole, but has four lanyard holes in its middle, and another at one tip.

The MF-Delta, being shorter and more evenly dimensioned is a little less obtrusive to the eye, where as the TM-Joe is more stylized to look like a piece of art. Neither are bladed, with all the edges being rounded if not fully milled. Even compared to the NukoTool Skully or the Nuko ACDT they look more like jewelry or abstract art than an impact weapon.
When snapped off their neck-lanyards, both the MF-Delta and TM-Joe fit both snugly and safely in a palmed fist, those rounded edges don't dig, nick or snag.

The rounded "necks" of both tools quickly slip around the inter digital gaps between fingers, giving you a really secure grip, and bracing against the palm to let you drive them with considerable force into whatever you felt the need to. I put some pretty effortless divots into furniture around the house, with a very satisfying sound. I found that the grips were probably the smoothest and best fitting for my hands that I've encountered for this kind of tool. Great thickness and width of contact points and sufficient aperture to be held naturally.

Worn around the neck, or attached to a keychain, these innocuous tools are both elegant to look at, have a beautiful finish and even a "chime" when struck, I have been really pleased to add them to my collection, and will probably keep one on me whenever I travel, not to mention visit anywhere that regular defensive items might be frowned on.












Be sure to check with local regulations and legislation when it comes to this kind of item. It would be an easy enough thing to confirm, rather than falling foul of LEO's just doing their job. Being booked, fined or incarcerated won't help your ability to respond to an emergency, so be smart.


But be smart with gorgeous looking items that work well and are robust, like the RaidOps tools!