Review: Makershed -HPC lockpick set

One of my good friends got me started with LockSports, when he asked me casually "so,do you HAVE a set of lockpicks?" When I replied in the negative, he disappeared for a moment, came back and handed me a little package "now you do". That set was the Beginners Lockpick Set from the MakerShed.


I did some research, and it turns out that the MakerShed sources their picks from the well established LockSmith tool supply company HPC World. This is a great set, and really comfortable to work with. 

I thought I might go over the types of picks:
1) Hook
2) Snake Rake
3) Half Diamond
These first three are in Spring Steel, and are 0.022" thick. The handles are stainless steel.

4) Hook
5) Bogata Rake
6) Half Diamond
These three are all stainless steel, and are 0.020" thick. The difference between the two is that the stainless is very springy, and the spring steel is very stiff. (Go figure)

7) Tension Wrench
8) Tension Wrench with a twist
Tension tools are what give you the "twist" to bind the lock pins, and open the lock, once its set.

Here's this set up against the Ti Bogata set I got through Oscar Delta
This might give you an idea of the size difference achievable between a "SERE set", and a "working set". the broad handles of the MakerShed/HPC set made working locks a very comfortable task, with lots of purchase to maneuver the tools into delicate locks. I think I prefer the feel of the titanium tool though. The SERE feel of the Oscar Delta set lends to the idea I could secrete them on my person. If I really needed to ...

I'm really enjoying messing with locks that I am allowed to mess with, and building my skill sets for a time that may come when I need to open an unknown lock in an emergency.

Review: Boker-American Kami MidTech Colubris

I was very fortunate to be able to take part in the Boker-American Kami pass-around program, after responding to a call by D.J. Urbanovsky. This was for the production level Colubris MidTech, the smaller sibling of the American Kami Super Colubris, which I reviewed recently. D.J. teamed up with German knife-making company Boker to "upscale" his bespoke knives, and they came up with this as their cooperative piece.

Here you can see it above the Super Colubris, on my Hazard4 Launch Pad iPad sleeve

The Boker - American Kami MidTech features the same G10 scales, with the American Kami logo formed into the scales to act as a very functional gripping surface, along with the hollow bolts that were also a feature of the Super Colubris. As is the protruding butt-end of the full tang construction. Nothing like an impact tool to make your displeasure known.

My pass-around was individually numbered 0074, and arrived in a lovely display case from Boker, along with a note for the fellow who had the blade before me, apologizing for the broken belt clip and furniture. The loss of that clip was moderated by some lovely stickers they had included. I got straight into testing.

Without the belt loop, I rigged a cord lashing system, inspired by D.J's own YouTube safety and carry clips. I wanted an "outside the pants" carry, to have on hand as a utility knife as I worked around the house.

The blade itself is tremendous. Rather than the CPM S35VN
steel of the American Kami version, the Boker is from 440C, a very serviceable steel.  The difference between the MidTech and the Souper is almost entirely in the blade section, with the MidTech having a 10.8cm (4 1/4") edge, with the same modified Wharncliffe geometry, just shortened. It has an overall length of 22.5cm (8 7/8") and weighs in at 225g (8 oz). Two inches less blade than the Super Colubris, but still a capable and impressive tool.



I had a great time testing this blade, I ran it though all my usual knife tasks; I did kitchen things, I cut cords and rope, opened boxes, I even wrapped my families Giftmas presents with it. The stonewashed finish gave the blade a nice sheen, and stacked up nicely against the finish of the Super Colubris nicely. It cuts well, and the width of the blade was still suitable for medium delicacy tasks.



I also took the knife out into my back yard to give it a workout in a more stressful setting, namely hacking back the noxious vines that were invading my kids trampoline. You can see here the effect it had on those vines, with both slashing cuts, and pulling cuts being effective. I was able to maintain a very good positive grip on the blade, and it went right where I wanted, every time.

I also took it out hiking with my family, when we visited a scenic National Park, to give it a carry-test. Now, before anyone gets all concerned, no, there isn't anything to be afraid of in our National Parks here (not if you've liberally applied Vegemite to your heads, to ward off Drop Bears. I just wanted to go hiking and see how it felt. I fitted it to my Hill People Gear Runners bag and off we went. It wore like a treat. It's length molded nicely to my chest, and the weight was insignificant. I carried both Tactical Baby and Triceratops Girl up and over boulders and across creeks with it on me, and never a pinch or poke.

This is a really nice, very affordable addition to anyone fixed-blade collection. Super functional, sharp and rugged, with great geometry, hand-fitting and with a variety of carry-options.

Home Front: help Brad out! WTFs, TiKeY, TiPik sets!

You may remember the TiKeY that I recently covered (the article was picked up by Recoil Magazine, awesome, thanks guys) and the titanium WTF tool I covered a while back.

After being inundated with hits, and requests for product, it sounds like his lathe has up and died.
For those who don't know, as well as the WTF, TiKey sets and the TiPiK's (review to come this week, I hope), Brad is also the creator of the Bottle Grenade and has his fully funded TiPen project in the midst of production.

Brad needs your help need help! His lathe is going to cost 4-6k to fix, so he is doing a massdrop.

MassDrop link for the mini-TiKeY & TiPiK sets
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/tikey-tipik

also one for the WTF's
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/wrench-that-fits

Review: Loop Alien cord attachment devices

I just can't get enough of these shiny titanium cord-attachment devices.
I've already shown you the Piranha and Fishbone, both by Fishbones which are both awesome, and I have them on my person almost every day.

Whilst they were underway on Kickstarter, another kind of device came up, and I jumped on that as well. I have neglected to cover them until now, but have been spurred on by progress (and another Kickstarter by the same folks. From Canny Designs, comes the Loop Alien Original (small) and Loop Alien Ultra Fast Attatchment (large)

The original Loop Alien (small) is only 33mm x 22mm x 3mm (1.25" x 0.9" x 0.125") in size, I was surprised at just how small they were, but there is a lot of grunt in a little package. Made of Grade 5 titanium, these weigh only 4g. Canny Designs offer these in 6061-T6 aluminium (2.6g) , and 316L stainless steel. Three different metals to suit your different needs and budgets.

The smallest hole of the two "eyestalks" will -just- take paracord, if the end is finished to a point, but bear in mind the stresses this tight fit will put on the cord. Canny Designs recommends 1.75mm Dyneema (400lbs test) cord. Great stuff.

The NEW large LoopAlien UFA is 49mm x 32mm x 5.2mm (1.93" x 1.26" x 0.1875") in size and weighs 16g. It is about 1.5x larger in length and width and twice as thick as the small version. It's paracord friendly too!


The main difference in the UFA versions are the hole cut in the "body" of the device. This means that cord need not be threaded through the hole in the "body" as in the originals, but can rather be slipped through the gap, and over either of the "eyestalk".

Here is one of the UFA's, with paracord lashed through its large eyestalk, and looped through the body as a tensioned slider. Through the little eye, I had fed one of the lengths of 7/64 (2.5mm) silver Amsteel rope through the small eye, giving you an indication of the dynamics you can achieve with these little guys.

There are lots of ways you can fit the cords, either with knots, or self-knitting, in the same styles as those seen on the Fishbones. These however, lend themselves to doing guy-wire securing, and adjustable tensioning of loads of up to 45kg (100lbs).
Here's the small Original, also lashed with paracord, the slant of the eyestalks snags the cord nicely, securing the loop neatly, and with enough room to allow it to slide without rubbing on the opposing line.

I have not used the small Originals as much as I might have liked, not being fully paracord friendly limited my imagination a little, but I have been thinking of using them with shock-cord, to rig things to my kayak.

The larger ones the newer UFA's, which I got through Kickstarter as "super fast early delivery" are likely to go in my car with a spool of paracord, for emergency lashing options

These are very cool pieces of kit, and well worth a look in, especially if you are looking to replace your existing tensioning devices for camping or rigging.

I have been wondering if I could set up shade cloth over the whole of my backyard, (which is concreted over, and radiated heat like no ones business) to help with this summers heatwave.

These might just do the trick in adjusting the sails, to stand up to the hot winds.

Check these out, they are elegant and beautifully designed, as well as being very for for purpose.

Here's just a comparison with the two kinds of Loop Alien, and the two kinds of Fishbones

Lastly, to reiterate the manufacturers warnings:

*** The LoopAlien(TM) and LoopAlien UFA are not designed to support human weight. They must not be used as life saving devices, fall protection or in any manner where failure could cause property damage, injury or loss of life. ***

Posted with Blogsy

Events: The Valhalla Project

 My friend D.b. Watkins posted this, and I wanted to share it.

A place for combat Veterans to decompress.

The Valhalla Project aims to "establish modest training and educational programs – or facilitate access and participation in already established programs – in order to give Soldiers new skill sets and a sense of productivity that can be translated either into a new career field or simply a valuable hobby or pastime. Some learning/residence centers where stays vary from a long weekend to several months already exist in difference parts of the country, and Valhalla would apply some of their lessons in its own unique programs."

 Please consider supporting this, and other projects like it.

Review: Oscar Delta - Ti pick set

I have been getting into lock picking recently. and wanted to show you some of the sets that I have acquired. I have had some experience over the years with locked doors, and different means of defeating them, Leaving my keys in the house, locking my keys in my car, a locked filing cabinet at work with critical medical records trapped inside, and no one knowing where the keys were.

Knowing how to open doors quietly and neatly is a really important skillset, especially in a disaster or survival situation when the usual resources are unavailable (ie: locksmiths). A smashed down door is no longer a door, a broken window is no longer a window.

I got in touch with my friends over at Oscar Delta who specialize in this kind of thing, and they were kind enough to ship me this very cool set of picks from their "Restricted Products" catalog, the Titanium Euro Bogota Picks, which arrived in one of their excellent GO-Tubes, very similar to their Deep Carry Tube that I have previously covered

The Bogata picks (a multi toothed "rake" and a single toothed "pick") both feature a twist midway, making the tensor end easy to grip when working the tools.

Having each tool end with a tensor (the part of a set used to apply pressure to the inside of the lock plug) means that the two tools make a full set, when you use one type of head, the others tail is used as the tensor.

The smooth titanium of these picks make them both comfortable to hold and manipulate, but also give them a very nice feel when working a lock.

I also found that the rounded, smooth edges of the picks, and along their lengths held their shape nicely. The flex that titanium offers, as well as its resistance to wear has meant that these tool have retained their finish even with my rather crude picking technique. This also would be of help not dinging up the inside of the locks I work on either, an essential aspect when teaching myself around the house.

As well as the tools themselves being nicely made, and working well (rakes, they really work!) The kit itself was a nice package.

The two tools were held together in a length of thick black PVC tubing, so they didn't rattle around within the GO-Tube, and there is still plenty of room inside the tube to store other needfuls.

I wrapped my set in a couple of meters worth of paracord, which I happened to have in my pocket when I last used the tools, and promptly dropped it into he helmet carrier of my Platatac Bullock Echo daypack and promptly "lost" it. It just vanished into the folds of my bag, and carried kit. Took some real searching to dig it up again. This first worried me (where are my damn picks?) then impressed me (these suckers are hard to find..).

I'm really pleased to have added these tools to my collection, and look forwards to using them, and my other sets, and improving my skills. How about you?

Review: Eagles Nest Outfitters - DoubleNest hammock

 Summertime brings hot winds and hot houses here in Melbourne, and having some options to escape the heat are always welcome.

Several years ago, in the lead up to a camping expedition, my partner Anstia gave me a hammock, which I have subsequently set up in my back yard for when the weather is good.

I've enjoyed hammocks whenever I've had the chance to make use of one, but until now, had never owned a production one myself.

This particular model is the charmingly named Double Nest by Eagles Nest Outfitters.

Made of a breathable, quick drying nylon and constructed with heavy duty triple stitched seams, this is a sturdy piece, even for all its light weight material.


This model has a carrying capacity of 180kg (400lbs) and is designed to accommodate two people.

When set up, it measures 2.85m x 1.85m (9' 4" x 6' 2") which gives plenty of space to stretch out, even for a long body like me, and the width has made it possible for me to swing happily, even with one or two of the offspring in with me. I can well imagine being able to squeeze another adult sized person in with me, or if I were fully kitted out, give myself a place to get some rest.

When folded up, the hammock stows in its own sewn-in stuff sack, with a built-in compression strap,
and packs down to a 10cm diameter, 12 cm high bundle (4" x 5")and weighs only 565g (20 oz). This is small enough that it can sit in almost any bag, and even a few larger pouches (like the Tactical Tailor Joey hydration pouch) with ease.

The hammock comes with sturdy rope loops at each end, and a carabiner attached on to those. Eagles Nest Outfitters offers a range of lashing straps, and attachment kits, but I simply use regular poly rope.

At home I have it secured it to my verandah's steel superstructure, mounted very low so Tactical baby and Triceratops Girl can clamber into it unassisted. Out in the field, I would use reclaimed seat-belt webbing (as it would give good surface connection to trees, rocks and the like, without the rough treatment rope might give tree bark). You can see here that being a double sized hammock, there was plenty of material to wrap myself with, when in it myself.

The trick is to be sure that the attachment method is safe and secure, and fit to bear the load you are intending to suspend. Given a second line, and a poncho, it would be possible to easily make a rain shelter, as well as a bug-screen, with some mesh, which would also ball up into a tiny space. Perfect for catching some rack time, especially in inclement conditions, post disaster when regular accommodation becomes unavailable.

I've often though that being able to sleep safe, dry and secure is a luxury that everyone should work towards, and if you are able to do so, sleeping up off the ground is always my preference.