Review: KA-BAR Zombie "Famine" Tanto

This is the second piece from my
Ka-Bar Zombie Killer Knives set, which I got for my birthday. I hinted at the set and started my ride with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse yesterday with the Death Dagger and now I will have a look at the next one up on my list. Prepare for yourself for the coming of the "Famine" Tanto. This is a hefty knife. It shares the same toxic/radioactive green GFN-PA66 scales as the other knives in this set, which is a nice feature, being totally interchangeable, and likewise, shares the matte-black scale option, shipping with its own set.

The first thing that caught my attention about this blade was its size. At 430g (0.95 lbs) this is a significant jump up from the Death Dagger. 90g heavier may not seem a lot, but when you consider the Hibben-esque thrower beside it weighs about 140g all up, the CRKT Stiff KISS that has been my previous tanto go-to knife weighs in at only 55g, it puts this into perspective.

I had mentioned that I would be reviewing is set in ascending size order, but the Famine Tanto is in fact slightly shorter Than the Death Dagger, sitting at 33cm (13-1/8" ) overall with a fixed blade 19cm (7-5/8") long. The difference is the breadth. The tanto is a broad blade, which makes it heavy. Brutally so in fact. Made from the same SK5 steel as the Death Dagger, there is substantially more steel in this blade, making it seem a lot bigger in the hand. It certainly has a bigger presence, something to be aware of. The blade geometry is essentially a "classic" modern tanto style, albeit a chunky and big design. The primary grind begins a bit less than half way from the cutting edge, giving a very solid spine, before meeting the tapered, 20 degree cutting edge, as seen in the Death Dagger. Technical specifications from KA-BAR indicate the edge holds a Rockwell hardness of 52-54.



As well as the formidable "Americanised tanto" point, the Famine Tanto also features a couple of very interesting elements. First is the row of 6 deep scalloped serrations which rise up from the base of the edge, just off the edge of the slight hand guard. This placement worried me a little bit, not wanting to saw my fingers in the event of a slippery thrust. Upon further handling, given the protruding knuckle of the handle, this seems unlikely. The crenelated thumb grips on the back of the blade, as with the Death Dagger, give a positive grip for when holding the blade choked up close, for finer work.

The last feature of this blade I wanted to cover is the hooked spike jutting forwards from the butt of the handle. This unsharpened spike could act as a impact weapon, or as a guard for the bottom of the hand, but I'm uncertain of its value. I don't think this would be a design feature I would have asked for, and am unsure if I'd ever find much use for it.

So, a very hefty, very solid and very tough blade, It's hungry, just as you would expect Famine to be, and yearns for the taste of flesh. The serrated bottom of the blade is a great addition, and adds some more functionality to what would obviously be a very purposeful addition to your kit.

Click to go to ThinkGeek

Review: KA-BAR Zombie "Death" Dagger

For my birthday, I was lucky enough to receive the full set of KA-BAR's Zombie Killer fixed blades, which I hinted at a little while ago. This set we ordered from ThinkGeek, and seemed the be the best way to get the whole set in one hit. I'll be covering each of the blades in turn, but for now, have a look at them here: Ka-Bar Zombie Killer Knives Pretty epic, even to look at. Each of the main blades is named after one of the Four Riders of the Apocalypse. I decided to go in reverse order, and look at each blade by size, rather than biblical standard. That's how I roll.

So, first up, here is the Death Dagger, ( which I've lined up against one of the Hibben-esque throwers I reviewed a little while ago for scale) and the skeletonised Charon companion knife that comes with each of the Zombie Killer line. You can see right away that this is a BIG knife, and this is the smallest of the four.

Weighing in at 0.75 lb. and boasting a 35cm (13-7/8") length overall, 21cm (8-1/2") of which is a triangular drop-point blade. Steel of the full-tang blade is a hefty 0.5cm (0.205") for most of its length, but features a gentle distal taper as it reaches the drop-point. The blade geometry gives the sharpened edge a 20 degree angle, beyond the primary grind. This makes for a sturdy edge, which is still sharp, but also easy to maintain. The SK5 steel is reported to come with a Rockwell hardness of between 52-54, which is nice for a high-carbon steel knife, without getting into the brittle side of things. Essentially this means this blade can take a beating but still stay sharp. I like the sounds of that.

The blade is powder coated with a black bead, for rust-prevention and glare-reduction. I was very happy with the finish, and the branding was nicely counter-pointed in the finish.

The handle scales are made of the mysterious GFN-PA66 plastic, and features a very aggressive pebbled texture, not unlike ray or shark. The whole Zombie Tool line features the toxic/radioactive green seen here, but have no fear, it also ships with plain matte-black scales for those "don't light up the neighborhood" situations. For the moment I'm going to leave the green scales on, because whilst not glow-in-the-dark, they are easy to find if dropped, or hanging off my wall late at night.



The blade is quick in the hand, and balanced lightly enough to flick and slash, as well as thrust, even being a lot more knife than I am used to waving around. The handle offers a couple of different grips, with the large protruding element governing where you can place your hands. I have long hands, and found that I could happily have my fingers wrapped around the handle with either my index finger forward, thumb in the crenelated grip provided, in almost a "drop the hammer" pistol grip or with a "two up-two down" fist grip. Either way was comfortable. The guard at the top of the handle seemed quite adequate to prevent my hand slipping over and forwards onto the blade, especially combined with the handles built in protruding "knuckle". A lanyard hole in the butt-end rounds this off to be a very solid piece, and the misgivings I had with its size evaporated once I had a chance to put it through its paces.

This piece, with its "up high on the back of the hilt" geometry, and lightness was very reminiscent of a bayonet and I liked it in the hand. Not as hungry as I would have thought, nor fully sick, or bad-ass, but I'll leave that to the other three Horsemen. The Death Dagger, everything I would expect from my first KA-BAR, solid, tough, brutal and with a plain efficiency that I had lead to believe this brand would give.

The range comes with a very cool scabbard, which I will feature separately, it's that good.

The Zombie Killer Death Dagger: putting an end to what needs ending. With extreme prejudice.

Click to go to ThinkGeek

Review: colours, cams and gear

A little while ago, I mentioned I might do a review of my variety of cams and colours. Here goes I suppose! I gathered my collection of kit and clothes, and made a pile, sorting out the different cam patterns and this is what I came up with. I have placed them against each other so you can get an idea of what works with what, and where one might wear them.

(1) Desert AUSCAM/ DPCU "bunnies behind a rock" shirt.
(2) Desert Camouflage Uniform "coffee stain cam" shirt
(3) AUSCAM/DPCU "hearts and bunnies" Raven pack accessory bag
(4) M81 Woodland on my Stargate LRP pants
(5) Multicam "scorpion cam" on my Half-Med kit

I was gifted both the desert patten shirts, and don't have matching pants. Would love to get some in DCU, nostalgic to my years living in Dubai.



Then I noticed that my Woodland pattern things were slightly different, notably the pants I wear at Stargate LRP lasertag(4) were different to the (6) 3x30rdn Mag Pouch I reviewed, which is again different to the (7) Lazy Patch Duvet suit I have. I don't know how much of a difference this would make in effect, I suspect the differences are slight enough not to matter.
My colour preference for kit is khaki, because being a soft green, and not "camouflage", I feel I can wear it in social and urban settings without standing out too badly like a mall-ninja, but I have a collection so here is some more to compare and contrast....

(8) Platatac CSI folder in their Khaki
(9) AUSCAM pistol holster, appears to be "larger" print than the pack or jacket.
(10) Hill People Runner Bag prototype in Khaki
(11)  BlackHawk! Advanced Kneepads in Coyote Tan
(12) SCAR mini chest rig (review pending)in Tan
(13) my Drop-leg holster in Woodland
(14) my fathers OD boonie-hat from Vietnam (1969-1970)

As you can see, the differences between khakis/tans/ODs  and how each of them sit against the cammo patterns can be quite striking. Having made the choice to wear the once-common and standard Woodland to fit in with the Stargate LRP idea I've been running with, it would still be easy to transition to the now popular and apparently very effective Multicam, which is probably much more suitable to the Australian scrub, whilst still sensibly utilising my extensive khaki kit.

Home Front: My Precious!

Photo yoinked from my Aunts Facebook page of the view she had

I have family in Colorado Springs who were threatened by the recent fires there and being way over this side of the planet, there was bugger all I could physically do to help, except offer some advice based on my experiences in the Black Saturday Fires. They didn't really have a lot of preparation time, and the fires were fairly unusual, where as here we have a "Bushfire Season"  so all I could do was give them some strategy to escape and avoid, and what to pack when they did.  My Aunt and her husband are no fools, neither is my Uncle, and I had no intention of teaching any of them to suck eggs, but this is kind of my schtick.

 
I recommended my Aunt pack 72 hours of clothes, food and supplies for her pets (if she was taking them), water, as well as extra fuel, her important documents, maps and phone chargers. Being what they were, fires are something you can "go back home, after" even if there isn't much left of home. Once everything is burnt, it won't burn a second time, which sets these events apart from floods or other natural disasters, which leave an area wrecked AND dangerous for a while after the event. Once they were clear of the fire-danger, life would have gone on nicely, and society carries on. You can buy nappies, pet food, and more clothes. Hotels are still open, Credit Cards and online banking still works.

 It reminded me though, of the need to know where all my own precious things were, in the event of a "bug-out, your home is about to go away" emergency. I know I have some difficult to re-obtain documentation: my passports (yes, 2), my weapons collectors permits, divorce papers, financial settlement papers, birth certificates for myself and my daughters. Fortunately, these are in a file that can pretty easily be grabbed and stuffed. It then occurred to me, as it did when preparing to evacuate from the Black Saturday Fires (and to some extent, from my home in Dubai in the lead up to Desert Storm) "What precious things would I hate to loose if all of this was destroyed?". This was not a "society ending" or "head for the hills" evacuation and survival decision, more a "this house may be gone tomorrow, take what you love" one. The list was something like this: my family heirloom American Civil War sword from Gettysburg, our external HDD farm, which holds a lot of our combined music and many of my photos, and my crocheted Godzilla, who's been with me since I was a toddler. Everything else could burn, and be replaced, or is already part of my EDC and/or bug-out loadout.

What about you?

Review: Platatac/Gerber branded cap

Ok, here's a quick one, to keep you interested, and keep me in practice.

This is a promotional item that came with a deal when I purchased my Gerber Strap Cutter and I must say, it's pretty cool. Ok, so it's just a cap, there isn't all that much to it. Yet, there are a couple of things still to say. As well as being well made and solidly put together, with a nice fit on my hairy head, and a good bill-geometry, the front of the cap features a hook-and-look loop field which has Gerber branded embroidery directly sewn through it into the body of the cap. Great for morale patches, or in fact, attaching laser-tag sensors for when I go Stargate lasertag LRPing. Along the sides of the cap, in subdued colours are the Playtpus Outdoors  and Platatac logos and an Australian (and/or New Zealand) flag on the back. All beautifully embroidered. The cap itself is a darker green than their usual khaki, but still a nice shade, I thought.

So, why does a hat matter? Several reasons spring to mind. Head covers reduce your exposure, to the elements, be they sun, snow or rain, and also to unfriendly eyes. Shiny foreheads, bright flowing locks, distinctive faces and the like can give your away at times where not being seen is an advantage, get in the way or just let the sun rain or dust get in your face when you need to be "eyes-on".

I always pack a hat, it's a little thought of element of your EDC, serves a variety of functions and rarely draws unwanted attention.

Review: LazerBrite magnetic tail cap

I was fortunate to win a Single-Mode LazerBrite recently, the MultiLux version of which I reviewed a while back, but shipping my booty over from the US wasn't especially economical, by itself that is. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to add to my collection of kit and exciting modularity, I threw one of their Micro-Magnet tail caps into my order. I already have the tail cap loops, for attaching lanyards to the LazerBrites, and reviewed one of their "Tactical Pouches" which included an iris tube accessory.


Each of the lights comes with one of the glow-dome caps, so adding a Micro-Magnet cap just added a level of versatility to my load-out. So, what makes up the Micro-Magnet tailcap?

A 17mm (10/16") diameter neodymium alloy magnet is glued into the base of a screw threaded tail-cap, which mates withe the base-plate of the LaserBrite head. The magnet is reported to have a holding power equivalent to 5 lbs when attached to 1/4" plate steel, but with all magnets, actual results may vary. I took mine and fitted it to just the head-and-dome and let it dangle off the steel frame of my desk, which is did happily, and firmly, and as a more stringent test, I placed a full LazerBrite horizontally, then seeing how rigidly it held, daisy-chained a second tube to the end, forming a light-baton. This also held up really well. I have used this to stick to the side of my car, as well as doors and wall-fittings whilst working in awkward spots, and figure it could also provide a means of dangling a light from inside a tent with the addition of a washer or the like.

This is a cool addition to my kit, and gives me additional attachment methods for my lights, which whilst not quite up to being a giant Throwie, could easily be used as a marker to track, trace or illuminate an unfriendly neighborhood killdozer

Review: HyTest Metatarsal Guard Boot

It's been a while since I've covered some purely hard-core survival gear, rather than militaristic or camping gear, so I have dug out my zombie-kickin' boots. I found these at a St Vincent's Second hand shop, by chance, and was immediately smitten. These hefty boots are made by the HyTest boot company, a division of Wolverine World Wide who specialise in safety footwear, for industry and trade. Their range covers mining, electrical, foundry and all manner of hard tasks for hard people. I had never seen them until coming across them in that thrift shop, but I'm dead impressed.

What makes them so special? well, they have a well shaped steel cap toe, which meets a variety of safety standards, which is pretty cool.   I've not been a frequent wearer of steel-caps, except the occasion I had to join a paleontology dig one summer, which gave me a taste for smashing chunks off the planet with sledgehammers (I avoided the jack-hammers).


A good steel-cap boot will save your toes from pillow sized rocks falling on them, but they wont protect the rest of your foot. Pity, because thats how your toes attach to your leg. That is where boots like these come in. On top pf the steel-cap, lies a hard polycarbonate metatarsal plate, extending all the way up to the top of the ankle. Bolted to the toe and looped through the top laces, this neoprene backed plate armours the top of your foot from all manner of crushing and penetrating risks.

I frequently employ these when I do a lot of wood chopping (having bounced an axe off my boots more than once) and also when I do any serious smashing. They also feature a very aggressive tread which is reported to be oil, water, abrasion, chemical and slip resistant. The outers themselves are waterproof, with sealed seams, and are electrical hazard protected. Perfect for live-wire house-clearing situations or zapping giant rat-Satan monster in flooded London.

These boons come at a cost though, each boot weighs 1150g (2 1/2 lbs) so you probably wont want to go swimming with them, and running a marathon wouldn't be fun. That said, they are very well padded, and comfortable to wear day-in and day-out. I am quite happy to swap them for my other day-to-day boots on occasion, when I feel the need for a change, and clean enough to take to work.

These are bad-assed boots, good for bug-stomping, door-kicking and smashing "anything that has more than two legs"