Movie Review: Mad Max: Fury Road

On our way in the BattleWagon to see Fury Road at the Drive-In

 As first seen on BreachBangClear (they've gotten a lot of content from me recently, yay)

I've been pondering what, if anything to write about this movie. I grew up mostly overseas, away from my native Australia. When Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome came out in 1985, I was 9 and living in the UK, about to move back to Australia for the second time. Being a 8-9 yo Australian ex-pat in the UK at the time I had this, the 1981 Galipoli movie, and pre-Crocodile Dundee Paul Hogan as my cultural identifiers. The Mad Max movies were rather seminal in my appreciation of what it meant to be Australian (read into that what you will), my views on prepping, survival and self-reliance. So, as you might imagine, I had high hopes, and expectations for the new movie.

I'm not so much going to critique its story or plotlines (which I enjoyed), its cinematography (amazing) or even the sets, props and setting (tremendous) although I will touch on them all. Instead, I'm going to write about the -cultures- portrayed. Hopefully, that will pretty much leave you with a spoiler-free review, rich with material to consider.

It's good to be part of the Gang

The World: The opening introduction sets the scene for the movie, and the setting. Oil Wars, then Water Wars as resources literally dried up, and were lost, first by the wars themselves, which escalated to nuclear exchanges, then the environmental disasters that followed. Fallout is not explicitly mentioned, but I'll get to that when it comes to the people.
Civilization - All regulated civilization, recognizable national governments and services are long gone by the time the movie begins. Cities are emptied and abandoned, roads and infrastructure are gone. Manufacturing is all but gone, salvage and recycling are the golden rules for materiel.
Weather - With the loss of potable and agricultural water, which appears to be a widespread and catastrophic, we see vast deserts and dust-bowl type conditions. Vast storm fronts roll over the land, with sufficient force to destroy medium sized vehicles outright, and with enough frequency that travelers have masks and goggles handy and use them with casual efficiency that tells of lots of practice.
Water - Water is almost, if not more a valuable resource in this world as fuel, much in the way that it is represented in Thunderdome, (and Tank Girl). It is the basis of the major antagonist's (Immortan Joe) power, and is used to great effect by the gratuitous display of turning it on and off for his followers.
Food - As I often say, where there is water, there is life. Where there is no water, there is no life. With no arable land and no water, where does the food come from? They grow it, very, very carefully and securely. This brings us to the Factions.


The Factions:

Swiped from Village Roadshow

The Citadel - Immortan Joe's Citadel is based around what appears to be the remnants of a aquifer pumping station. They have vast reserves of water, literally to tap, and we get a good look at the layout of their stronghold. High, virtually unassailable mesa honey-combed with tunnels and caverns, including hydroponic farms, controlled environment vaults and enough space to house an army. They have water, food and manpower. Throngs of peasants live outside the Citadel, dependent on the water and food provided, and also opportunities to improve their station in life. Soldiers, workers, breeders and "milkers". (yep, be on the look out for the hu-cows), and "Mothers-Milk" references. Without water and food, there are no people.
Guzzoline Town - Source of fuel for triumvirate of power, they produce the guzzoline (read petrol/gasoline) guzzled by all the various bikes, cars, trucks and rigs in the movie. They do trade with the other two major Factions with their valuable commodity, and presumably, have to import everything else. Without fuel, you can't move anything across this wasteland. You can't mobilize your armies, warbands or scouts.

Swiped from Village Roadshow

Producing fuel takes skill, and resources to produce, so their power base is secure and essential for all three Factions.
Bullet Farm- We don't see much about Bullet Farm, but from what we do see, and the name, we can assume that they are a weapons and munitions manufacturing facility. In the wasteland, we see that ammunition is precious, and not always reliable. Having a manufacturing base lets you arm your army, so the have a solid power-base as well, but are ultimately dependent on both the Citadel for food and water, and Guzzoline Town for fuel and transport. They can certainly arm and front a mighty force, but without fuel of food, they wouldn't be able to function. Nor could The Citadel or Guzzoline Town protect their interests without Bullet Town's bullets.
Raiders - Bands of scavengers, unaffiliated with any of the three Factions still roam the wasteland, preying on the convoys, picking off stragglers and no doubt raiding the three Factions from time to time. Highly mobile, poorly equipped and desperate They probably represent the most regular threats to the Factions or others in the Wilderness.
Loners - This is where Max falls. He's on his own, doing his own thing, surviving just for himself, and by himself. He is outside of civilisation, such as it is, and wants nothing more than to be alone. Who knows how many loners still exist out in the world, but odds are, they're few in number, given the hardship they face.

Swiped from Village Roadshow

Classes:

Swiped from Village Roadshow

Faction Head - The Triumvirate are lead in turn by Immortan Joe, The People Eater and The Bullet Farmer. They rule their own domains, and only by their truce, and personal history is their world held together. Immortan Joe has founded his own Valhalla cult to perpetuate his power, as well as Joe's own personal drive to keep a pure and un-fallout contaminated bloodline going, with his Wives.
Imperator - These are the commanders of the Factions, who are charged with overseeing operations and trusted with both secrets and access. They get the best equipment, vehicles and even cybernetic / prosthetic repairs.
Wives - Joe's prized breeding stock, and presumably parents (in some iteration) to some of the other members of Joe's Faction, (at least Rictus Erectus), they may also represent a breeding program to repopulate the world, or at least Immortan Joe's little part of it with mutation free offspring.

Swiped from Village Roadshow

WarBoyz / WarDogs - Joe has filled his Citadel with his followers the WarBoys who follow the Cult of the V8 (look for the clasped hands in prayer with eight fingers up) with their sacred wheel icons and brands), They also get called the Half-Life boys (probably due to radiations sickness) who are motivated by wanting to gain access to Valhalla by performing well, and dying in glory for Joe. They are all shaved-headed (or bald) and white-washed. Strange cultish behavior (like spraying their mouths with chrome paint to be "Shiny and Chrome" and calling for witnesses when they enact their final brave acts will the catch call of "Witness Me!" to ensure they get clear entry into Valhalla. Not bad for a loyal army of disposable soldiers.
WarPups - The Citadel is filled with too-young-to-fight kids done up like the WarBoys, doing tasks around the Citadel. They serve, earn their places and hope to eventually be promoted to WarBoy status.
Mechanics - The makers, repairers and resurrection artists of old and broken technology. Called "black-thumbs" they are a valuable and needed part of the community, and even other
The great unwashed - The peasants that live around the Citadel (and other Faction Towns) who try to gain entry, curry favour, beg for food and generally be pathetic hangers-on and potential workforce for the Factions. They also represent a breeding pool, and source of more specific resources (Mothers Milk, for one)

Swiped from Village Roadshow

BloodBags - This is one of the interesting aspects in Fury Road. Because the WarBoys/ HalfLife Boys are apparently chronically radiation poisoned, and suffer from what appears to be leukemia, they capture and harvest donors, to rejuvenate and refresh the ailing HalfLife boys. Early on, Max is found to be a universal donor marking him as a very valuable commodity, even given his savage reactions.

Gear:
The kit - Salvaged and many-times repaired is the order of the day. Nothing new, fresh or in fact "Shiny and Chrome" except for a very few precious items. Given the desire to reach Valhalla, the WarBoys forsake almost any kind of protective gear, other than masks and goggles, to ensure they are effective, capable and impressive to gain entry, and Joe's approval. Imperator Furiosa sports a prosthetic arm, and both Immortan Joe and his son, Rictus, sport lavish air-filtration systems, to keep them contaminant free.
The vehicles - Almost characters in their own right, the vehicles of Fury Road hold true to the legacy of the first thee movies. Heavily modified, performance and off-road capable, with arms and armour that you'd expect, as well as nitrous-enhanced and lots of turbo charging to boot.
The weapons - Guns are few and far between, with only bosses and hero's wielding them, with the majority of the fighters having the wrist-crossbows, spears and hand-weapons we've come to expect from the Mad Max movies. Ammunition is a critical resource, and you feel every bullet the main characters have (with the exception of the Bullet Town bosses party, but hey, they MAKE the bullets, why not go a bit overboard). Explosive tipped lances were a nice touch though, and the brutality of the world is really indicated by the way people fight.

The effect Mad Max Fury Road had on us when we went to see it; two parent types who grew up with the end of the Cold War and all the Apocalyptic cinema that came with it, two young adults who were fresh to the genre , and Tactical Baby who didn't think it was funny when I laughed at the car-crashes, all at the drive-in, all in costume, was evident, we loved it, and were captivated by the cinematography, the action, and the impact of it all. We were left with just one question... "Who killed the world?"

We did.

WITNESS!

Wish-Lust: Fogo Adventure Gadget: GPS+Flashlight+Walkie Talkie+Charger

[EDIT: Promo-code to get 10% discount on their store!]
[EDIT: another 10% code .... ]

I do love my Kickstarter projects, my flashlights, and alternate power sources,  so when the Fogo project came up, I jumped right onto it. Alas, its first iteration didnt make the target goal, but the Fogo team have gone bak to he drawing board, and have come back with a second version, which looks to be going strong.

I wanted to give you all my thoughts on it, because I think it has some real potential, but needs some explanation before you go right in and back it. Caveat Emptor.

The base level light has a programmable flashlight, USB charger, accelerometer, digital compass and a charging system for other devices.

I've covered a multi-functional flashlight before, in the Hexbright FLEX and charging systems like the Snow Lizard SLXtreme case but the Fogo has a few more built in features that sets it apart.
 
Constructed predominantly of Type III Hard Anodized 6061 aluminum for the body, end cap, and bezel, with an acrylic lens protector, and a polycarbonate protector for the built in 168x144 crisp, low power LCD screen (with backlight), and all together holds a IPX7 Waterproof rating.

It measures 14cm (5.56") x 4.5cm (1.78") in diameter and weighs 285g (10oz) when fully loaded up with the twin 18650 protected Li-Ion batteries (up to 3400mAh each).
The USB Charger which has a 1.8A at 5V output power (Micro USB OTG Adapter required for charging external devices) allows charging of up to 1.8A.

The really interesting features that the Fogo can have added are a  Bluetooth connection, GPS circuitry, Walkie-Talkie Smartcap and Text Messaging over radio.

The Radio cap offers a wireless network between other Fogo users allowing you to send digital voice and text messages, including GPS data such as waypoints, as well as real-time communication from 1.6 to 11.2km, depending on terrain.

The Text-Messaging-Over Radio option requires the Radio-Tail-Cap option in order to work, so be sure to bear that in mind when building your own, and you need two of them to communicate like this.

I haven't gone as far as pledging for those upgrades, because I unfortunately don't have the funds to put in for two or more complete models, but I can see the appeal of off-cell-grid communications in a rugged an easy to use unit like these.

For my money, I'm looking forwards to the Kickstarter to surpass its Stretch Goal of $80k to achieve an upgrade of the Cree LED's. The higher efficiency XP-L outputs up to 1226 lumens compared to 1058 for the XM-L2. Plus the XP-L gives the Fogo a 10% improvement in battery life.

With its Battery Voltage, Current, and State of Charge sensors, automatic light control to save battery life and protect your night vision (point to the ground for dim and far away for bright)  and off-course notification, the Fogo is a pretty advanced flashlight on its own. With the addition of the GPS and bluetooth options, and being able to track your speed, distance, elevation, rate of ascent/decent and see your stats on the Fogo or download them for later use, tracking your heart rate or cadence or even use the crash detection feature which alerts nearby Fogos (if any) of your situation. It's a pretty special system, all told.

I hope it gets picked up widely, it would be good to see it out there getting its full exposure and coverage.

[EDIT: Promo-code to get 10% discount on their store!]
[EDIT: another 10% code .... ] 

Review: McNett - Gruntline

The Gruntline - braided rubber goodness

As first seen on BreachBangClear. Inexpensive and useful they say, just like me!

Here's an unusual bit of kit that I've recently added to my regular load. I've covered a number of uses for paracord previously, and it's pretty ubiquitous in the preparedness world, but it lacks in some areas. It has very little give, over short lengths, but has a minimum 30% elasticity over long lengths

Usually for smaller elastic jobs
you could use shock-cord
but it's usually not up to big tasks in small diameter cords seen on gear. The usual alternative is to use the metal hook-ended bungee ocky-straps but these have a long history of being flying eye-ball gouging flails of doom.

The Gruntline - Boots, blades and baggies

The good folks at McNett have come up with a solution, the GruntLine. Consisting of braided natural dry rubber tubing, with cords affixed at either end which in turn end with plastic clip hooks. The line is 1.10m (43") long, all told but when stretched out, it will reach up to 2.15m (7'), when all played out.

The braiding gives you as many no-peg points where you can feed and bind up whatever you are wanting to hang. It's just a matter of feeding a part through the braid, and it will bind it up and hold it pretty tight.

The Gruntline - MOLLE storable

The Gruntline is rated for up to 9kg (20lbs) of gear, although the braid-feeding of any single items wont come near to bearing that load, (but when taut they hold tighter). It will hold as many items as you can fit it with, up to that weight limit. I don't know how well the cords are attached to the webbing, as they are secured under loops of rubber, so might be a potential weak point.

As well as acting as a clothesline, and a gear suspender the Gruntline could be put to any number of other uses. McNett also suggest it can be used as a lanyard, and gear retention, but also as a tie-down strap, pack strap. I have been keeping mine fed through three loops of PALS/MOLLE on the side of my pack, so I can have it on-hand wherever I go. They also suggest it could work as an emergency medical tool, for use as an arm sling, I.V. support and even as a tourniquet.

The Gruntline - wrap that hat and conceal your melon

You could also use it as a slingshot elastic, an animal snare and as a natural camouflage holder, much like the netting on a helmet or as part of a ghillie suit.

Those same braids that can be used to secure foliage and other materials to break up your silhouette and conceal yourself. It loops nicely around a hat, so should serve this use well. Even crisscrossed over a pack, or the like, it would give good purchase to attach your foliage coverage. The downsides of the GruntLine are only few; the plastic clips on the ends are pretty narrow, and don't open wide enough to clip over some of the points I tried to use, and there is always the worry that it might give out, or the cord used might give out. However, I've had no such trouble so far, and kept both my eyes, so there is that.

Review: Therm-a-rest Sleeping bag

I've talked about what I take camping here and there; tents, cookware, hammocks and the like, but I haven't really covered the sleeping bags I use.

I tend to pack pretty lightly when it comes to bedding if I am by my self, as I wear a microfleece combination  like the Platatac Half-zip jacket and the matching microfleece sniper pants which keep me pretty toasty, and a light sleeping bag like my Aurora Wanderer, and maybe the Tribe Provisions Go-Anywhere woobie for comfort. With company, I usually zip two of the Wanderers together, or make a nest of combinations of blankets and bags.

However, when it gets really cold, and you're on your lonesome in the bush there is certainly room for a good high-loft sleeping bag in everyones kit.

I have a fairly dated Therm-a-Rest brand sleeping bag, so old it's no longer listed and I cant remember what the ID of it is, but the bag is BIG, and very warm.

Filled with Polarguard HV - high void continuous filament, which is a  durable synthetic insulation made from hollow, uncut polyester filaments, it maintains high loft even when wet and is apparently 25% lighter than standard Polarguard.

Fast drying, moisture resistant yet machine washable, it's a really good filling, and I haven't noticed it shifting, clumping or having any of those cold-spots I recall from childhood back-yard sleeping-bags. 

It's also considered highly compressible, as well as being odor, mildew, fungus and allergen free.

Mind you, it's an old model, and I have no doubt more modern bags, with modern fillings blow this out of the water.

Here it is beside my lightweight Aurora Wanderer Superdown sleeping bag. The Therm-a-Rest bag is standard rectangular in shape, 86cm (34") x 193cm (76") but feels even longer. I'm 6'4" and you can see it stretching higher than me. The Wanderer is a more modest  75cm (30")x 180cm (63") but it has a hood, in the mummy-style, to keep me in, even so I often find myself popped out, and cold-shouldered on chilly nights.

The Therm-a-Rest bag has a 100% nylon outer shell, and a 65% polyester 35% cotton liner for breathablity. It is rated down to -5oC (20oF) where the Wanderer is only a 0oc (30oF) bag. The difference in size and bulk of the fill however, make that difference noticeable.

Both have tape-covered, double ended zippers, to shut out drafts as well as giving you feet-openings. ((Don't wear boots to bed people!)).

At 1.2kg (2lbs 10oz) it isn't that much heavier than the 900g (just shy of 2lbs), there is not much difference in the load when hiking, but the difference is in bulk.

The Therm-a-Rest packs down to a considerable 85cm (34") x 105cm (41") bundle where as the Wanderer only measures 51cm (21") x 61cm (24"), MUCH smaller and that equates to easier carriage, but at the expense of cold-weather comfort ... You'd have to make the call, how cold is it going to get, and how much do you need to lug around.

I look forwards to upgrading at some stage to an even more modern, hopefully more compressible sleeping bag, but for now I have options.

Review: MTECH XTREME TACTICAL - Tactical cleaver

As first seen on BreachBangClear, makin' fun o' me accent ....

I do so love my knives, and I am always on the look out for new and excellent blades  to add to my collection. This was no exception to that. I was browsing through my email newsletter from Global Gear (who have supplied me with a number of other things in the past, from my M48 Walking Axe to the Zombie Outbreak series of nylon costume gear, to Mainstay foot rations) and up popped a rather tacti-cool looking cleaver.

One of my ladies was looking over my shoulder and exclaimed "oh, you need THAT" and as it happened, I was thinking the same thing.  I placed an order, and shortly there after, this arrived in the mail for me.

This is the MTech xTreme Tactical cleaver.


Sitting about 30cm (12") in length overall, 15cm (6") of that is the heavy chopping 440 stainless blade, which is black finished, that extends as a full tang with integrated finger ring the entire length of the piece. The textured black G10 handle is affixed with a large nut at the throat of the handle, and with several others along the length, to ensure a really firm attachment. 440 steel is a middling steel for high-end knives, but bear in mind, this is a cleaver.

The knife weighs 525g (18.5oz) but it very nicely balanced, especially important for any blade I intend to make use of extensively. This one in particular has found a lasting place in both my household kitchen knife collection, but also as a camping and adventure camp knife.

The rugged construction, with G10 being waterproof and resistant to cuts and scratches, its very hard-wearing. The black finish on the metal parts hasn't shown any significant wear either, which is nice.


The blade is very sharp out of the box, and has a gentle curve to it, so it is easy to maintain.  The edge is neither too fine, nor too shallow to be both an effective cutting and slicing tool, and allows it to be a resilient chopper. It is fluted in six places on either side to ensure an easy cutting action is achievable, by providing airflow along the surface. Like a big cheese knife. A very, very big cheese knife. For big cheese.

I've had no problems cutting vegetables,  frozen items, or even slicing steaks from a haunch of beef, Gangs of New York style.

I have had a perfectly serviceable Chinese cleaver on my knife-block almost since I left home, and they come in very handy when breaking down carcasses, or even big veggies like pumpkins and the like, but the MTech Tactical cleaver does it with modern flare.

The skeletonised handle lets juices and any other muck through to keep your grip solid and well placed. The gentle contour of the handle is well suited to carry the the index finger and gives very careful control over both cutting AND chopping action.

I trusted the edge and handling that I used it to dispatch a rooster from the most recent batch of chookens. The last thing I want is to make a mess of ending any of my creatures, especially if I'm then going to be eating them (he was delicious). The MTech didn't disappoint, made a clean cut, trimming feathers on either side.

I can't say that the finger ring really does anything for me, I suppose if I had hands like a hill-troll they might, but its just  too big, and too far for it to be of any practical use for me.

The Cleaver comes with a black nylon belt sheath, with utility pocket, and includes both a press-stud retention strap, and a three press-stud spine closure, but also a single loop to sling the knife, if needed. I was a bit disappointed by this, because it neither offers much in the way of protection from the pointy corner edges of the blade, or the edge itself, but it also lacks any really secure attachment options.

That all said, this is a very functional blade, in a rugged and modern style, and I find it very useful both in the home, and in the field.

Wish Lust: HHA new range. LFK and ASOT

I wanted to get the news out there that the fine folks at Hardcore Hardware Australia have released five new blades to their inventory.

I bought Omega one of their original LFK01 knives a few years back, and it is much beloved, and they have come up with a new handle design, as well as four new blade shapes as well. Check them out! I'm particularly partial to the LFK-07, I don't have any knives in that particular grind

"Good things come in small packages".
Based on the success of the original LFK-01 we have created a NEW & IMPROVED RANGE of compact fix blades. The LFK Series is AVAILABLE NOW through our shop for $129.00 visit http://hardcorehardware.com.au
Features inc:
- Full tang construction (6mm) D2 Tool steel
- Bevelled edging
- Robust Teflon coating
- Ergonomic G10 handle scales
- Ambidextrous friction lock sheath system
- TecLok belt attachment
- Available in Black and Desert colour coding

AND, just in the nick of time to replace my lost Benchmade SOCP CQB dagger, the HHA ASOT-01 has been released, both in its Black and Desert colours, (with a Slate gray version pending) and in the blue Trainer version too.

ASOT-01
Thanks for waiting out on this everyone! Our 1st production run has gone to our mates at PLATATAC Australia and to our International network. PLATATAC have the ASOT in 2 mounting options, in 2 live blade colours (black/desert) and the trainer (blue), so please visit their website or Melbourne retail store - all options are available as listed on their web site. For our International customers, the ASOT is available through the usual outlets - note Graphite Grey is exclusive to export sales at this time.

We’ve jammed a load of features into the ASOT whilst keeping it compliant with the Special Operations Combative Program (SOCP), we hope everyone likes the design enhancements and understands our legal limitations in Victoria manufacturing a tool of this type. For those of you that like to read, following are all the details on the how and why. If you have further questions, please drop us a line. 

The Hardcore Hardware Australia® ASOT-01 is designed as a fast access, multi-purpose CQB tool.
The distinct bevelled ring design of the ASOT-01 enhances the tool's accessibility and comfort, making it exceptionally fast and easy to draw. This feature also enables transition to a rifle or hand gun with no disconnection between the tool and firearm. The concave thumb recess at the top of the ring supports a positive grip and the application of downward force.
Unique to the ASOT-01 is its live edge identifier at the three quarter length of the handle. This characteristic enables the user to quickly identify the position of the single-sided cutting edge by feel. Ergonomic, textured G10 scales enhance the feel for a superior Grip, and are equally comfortable in either master or support hand.
 
Personalised mounting is critical for an instinctive and swift deployment. Therefore the ASOT-01 Kydex® ambidextrous sheath is available in both Tek-Lok™ and Molle-Lok™ mounting options. These can be customised for vertical, horizontal or angled wear. The provision of eyelet holes along both sides of the blade carrier facilitate alternative attachment to the body or gear via paracord or cable ties. A low profile design also allows the tool to be sandwiched between magazine/accessory pouches, or horizontally along the belt line to maintain optimum concealment and retention.
Advantages of the ASOT-01 over conventional blades are its balance, size, versatility and strength. It’s superior power and reliability comes from the 6mm (0.236”) D2 tool steel stock, which can withstand impact without loss of sharpness. The razor sharp, partial serrations will also aid more demanding cutting tasks. The ASOT-01 is also available as a soft-edge Training model in HIVIZ Blue.

Home Front: Impact testing

I wanted to do a bit of a demonstration on the effects of some of the impact tools I have been covering of late, and throughout my reviews.

Here's the lineup:
1)Cybernetic Research Labs Tactical Pen
2)Ti2 Techliner pen
3)RaidOps MF Delta
4)RaidOps TM Joe
5)Sharp Shooter keychain




I asked a group of my hitting and hacking peers and came up with "pumpkin" as as good a target for testing as any.

I wanted a good solid target, which would offer a fleshy impact simulation, not be pulped, but also not shatter on impact. I happened to have a butternut pumpkin handy and it being winter here, wanted some with dinner.

For good repeatability of the tests, I chose a downwards punch from about chest height for each strike. I didn't put any hip into the strike, nor follow through, just a static jab type punch. For the pen type tools I used a downward stab, from the heel of the fist. I braced the pumpkin with a pencil, just to stop it rolling, and turned it for each strike to hit a fresh surface 

The CRL. Tactical Pen sunk in only to the depth of the tool tip, stopping at the body of the pen. It collected a lot of material on the way out. In fact, my pen still has pumpkin wedged into the fluting.

The Ti2 TechLiner pen sunk in further than I would have expected for a blunt tool, but it's sleek lining offered little resistance. It also cored some pumpkin, but not nearly as aggressively as the CRL pen.

The MF -Delta had a fairly shallow penetration, with the flat head giving a regular indentation and the bottle opener head giving a shallower, but jagged indentation. I wasn't surprised that the Delta didn't dig in more, but it did feel very comfortable in the hand. 

The TM -Joe dug in a surprising amount, all the way to the "jaw" of the tool, which upon reflection, shouldn't have been surprising, given the chisel-wedge shape of the teeth of this tool.  

The SharpShooter was an interesting test. I did two, one from the key-end as a flail. Again with my hand held around chest height, and the second as a pen-strike as with the CRL and Ti2 pens. 

The flail end of the SharpShooter left a very shallow, but messy set of intends, one for each key, as well as the shackle, and even one from the ring (which I accidentally had left loose, rather than around my finger as per the instructions).






The pen end of the SharpShooter was fairly disappointing, but not unexpected, mostly because of the combination of the rubber stopper and the paracord knot. It left a bit of a bruise on the skin, but no discernible penetration. 

I then started cutting up my pumpkin, and got to see the trauma dished out by each tool.

The CRT and Ti2 pens showed their depth of penetration and the tissue trauma really nicely.

The MF-Delta's shallow penetration belayed the broad spread of trauma beneath the skin, which was quite pervasive all around the penetration, to a respectable depth

The TM-Joe offered a comparable amount of trauma, but deeper and wider. This is definitely the nastier of the two tools to strike with. I shudder to consider the combined effects of skin and flesh and bone when struck by this titanium tool.


The Sharp Shooter didn't display any significant penetration, nor trauma beneath the rind of the pumpkin (which was delicious, I might add).

All in all I'd say that the RaidOps TM-Joe was the most devastating tool to make a mess of a pumpkin with, and perhaps I will move on to some meat-tests with it, like I did with the SuperHammer and KA-BAR knives ...