Review: Ti2 - SentinelX

This beauty came to me as a Kickstarter (my initial pledge rewards got lost in the mail)just recently, and I've been thriiled to put it to some initial use.

From the makers of the Ti2-PB9 parabiner pulley and the Ti2 Sentinel S4S cache comes the the Sentinel X Cache. You may recall I wrote a wish-lust piece on it, a while ago, and am very pleased to finally have them in my hand.

Unlike the pocket sized Ti2 S4S cache, this is a large format, hard anodized aluminum cache.  It's internal dimensions are 51mm diameter x 153mm length (2" and 6"). Their  external dimensions 63mm x 204mm (2.5" and 8"). So around the size of a can of Coke around, and about the length of one, in the middle section. Empty, it weighs 400 g as it is made from aircraft grade 6061-T6 aluminium which has been strength optimized using "CAD parasolid modeling" giving it its unique ribbed / skeletonized design.

The tube is threaded at either end so you can access contents from either end, change out the end cap options, clean and empty it. The threads have a modified stub acme shape which is to say a trapezoidal cut, with twin Higbee blunt starts, so you don't get any cross-threading and better chances of a first-time screw.

Twin o-rings (white teflon rings shown here, orange food-grade silicone rings seen on the main project page) give redundancy and water-tightness. Both types of o-rings  are food grade  and able to withstand temperatures required to boil water. The teflon doesn't need greasing, which is an advantage in my books.

I really liked that the bottom cap has vent holes giving it a built in trivet  for boiling water or cooking in. I did a rough boil test, using an enamel camping mug, and the SentinelX was just a little quicker to boil. It also retained a lot of residual heat, with its thick walls, but its also worth noting that the entire container heated up. Even only lightly screwed on, the lid conducted enough heat to be barely touchable by the time the water boiled. I needed to use a wooden spoon to carry it off the flames.

The container holds 325 mL (11 fl oz), which is in keeping with its "less than a can f Coke dimensions, but to give you an idea of how much stuff you can store in it, I took this photo, of a fist-full of pens and pencils (23, but some mis-matched sizes).

I got one of each of the Type 3 Class 1 anodized coating. One in "regular" and one in the slicker looking "satin" finish.  This hard anodizing is typically used for military applications, but also on pots and frying pans offering excellent flame resistance. It's food grade finish was what I was most looking for, as  I wanted to be able to store and carry foodstuffs in it safely.

They also offer  Type 3, Class 2 anodized, NON food grade and available in black, olive drab and brown satin finish only.  Both Class 1 and Class 2 exhibit the same durability properties, so I wasn't trading off durability for food safety. Well worth it in my mind.

I haven't yet worked out what I will store in mine, long term, but I have carried it around in my Propper MultiPurpose Bag for some time now, with snacks and edibles.

I wanted to try making a up of tea with the hot water I had boiled, and found that it made a very passable brew, though the conducted heat I talked about earlier made it difficult to enjoy the drink, without wrapping in a towel first.

Those top lanyard holes make an excellent lanyard loop, for securing the cache, perhaps in a out-of-sight location, or perhaps as a hook point for when it is too hot to hold.

I am really pleased to have these in my collection, although as  I mentioned earlier, I still haven't decided what to fill mine with. I have been considering what item's from my Bug-Out-Jars would fit nicely, a line of thought that one of the beta-testers of the SentinelX shared.

As well as in my new bag, it's worth noting that the SentinelX also fits nicely into my Platatac FUP and would most likely fit into most double-mag pouches, like the Platatac 60Rnd or similar pouches.

This is a really cool product, and I certainly appreciate the modular and rugged performance that it offers. I'm looking forwards to keeping these on hand, filled with my needfuls.

Review: Kickstarter - Keystone

So in a brilliant turn of events, the prototype Keystone key-keeper that I did a wish-lust piece on last week, turned up this week, and I have been able to give it a go, just in time for the KickStarter to finish up.


What this means is that I can give you all some honest options about the kit in time for you to go and pledge to get one of your very own, should the idea appeal.


Here's the link to Abel's Kickstarter project .

I liked the smooth lines  of the keeper, and the built in cut-aways allowing me to use one set of keys to push out the other side, to retrieve the key I was after.

I swapped out my keys, and the associated keychain tools from my Tactical Keychains TiKeY keeper, which has served me well since last December to give it a true comparison.

One interesting design difference is the use of steel washers over nylon and rubber tubing. I had initially thought this would lead o a more jangly, slippier keeper, but it seems to have don the opposite, locked it down tight.

The steel screw-heads, even with their thin threading and thin overall pin diameter haven't caused me any of the worried I had had about the keys sliding about with either. In fact, if anything, the fit is TOO tight, and I have to really push to get my keys or tools out and ready to use.

That steel screw-head does take a lot more punishment than the more subtle aluminium heads seen on the TiKeY, and that durability is probably one thing really in its favour.

I put a steel face-plate on one side, and the black powder coated aluminium facing on the other, with no discernible difference at this stage. the steel will resist wear and tear better.

The nice thing about this system is that it is modular. Extra pegs mean you can add additional pegs to expand your key carriage by simply just adding one or two of those extra pegs, along with the extra included steel washers.

 Overall, I think I prefer the steel over the aluminium, in this case, I noticed no appreciable diference in weight in the time I've had it on hand.

I only had enough keys to warrant the single peg, but it was really nice to see the extra pegs be available to use. Between the extra pegs, and a sufficient washers to add as many keys as I'd want, its a really nice package.

This is certainly everything it advertises itself to be, and its rugged, secure and modular.

Go check it out, if you're in the market for a new key keeper.

Less jingle-jangle is less unwanted attention coming your way!

Wish-Lust: Kickstarter - Keystone

I had one of my epic Kickstarting fanatic buddies drop me a line suggesting that he'd been contacted by a maker who was interested in a review. I got in touch, and here are the technical specifications for another key-keeper, with industrial lines ...

This is the Keystone, being Kickstarted.

You may recall that I have a couple of this kind of thing, in the form of the large and small TiKeY holders. So I am very keen to see how these perform once they go into production. Offered in two materials: 304 stainless steel in its "raw" colouration, and in 5052 aluminium in "raw", "gunmetal" and "black"

The hardware material, in the form of 2 male screw posts, 2 female screw posts, 4 extension screw posts and 30 spacers are all also made of 304 stainless steel. The Keystones are designed to take up to 20 keys, for those who have a keychain like a mace or a high school janitor. To carry 20 keys, you're adding 21g worth of hardware.

The steel Keystone frames weigh about 44g and the
aluminium frames weigh about 15g. Both types measure: 85mm x 20mm x 2mm per side.

The ultra thin screw posts are 3mm in diameter to fit all flat keys and by adding extension screw posts and adjusting the number of spacers used you can to customise the number of keys carried. The Screw Posts are adjustable with just a coin, a very handy feature.

I also liked the way the keys appear to be "ejected" for use, by squeezing the hand-divots from below.

I'm looking forwards to seeing what these are like in the hand, and both pocketed and hung from my EDC harness,
 and if they appeal, I'd certainly recommend checking out the Kickstarter, before it reaches the end of its campaign.

Review: Propper Liberty bottle

First published on BreachBangClear here.
Many thanks to the Mad Duo and team for adding me as an auxiliary ... 'roo's on the barbie any time you rock up ...

My first item from a bundle of goodies from Propper that I am going to cover is their nicely branded "Limited Edition" Liberty Bottle. I've seen these good looking bottles in the past, but so far, had stuck to either my much loved but slightly unreliable 1L SIGG or the very reliable widemouthed 1L Nalgene.

The Propper Liberty Bottle makes a very nice addition to my collection, and let me tell you why.

Made from 100% recycled metal aluminium, with 100% recylcalable materials in the cap and bottle, the Liberty Bottles are both light, strong and friendly to the environment. Like the SIGG bottles, the Liberty bottles are formed from billet plugs, giving a seamless construction and are lined with a flexible and food grade coating, which ensures no flaking or chipping when the bottle itself is dinged and dented (as may happen with the hard wear some of us are guilty of putting our hydration systems through.

This coating exceeds FDA requirements and provides a non-toxic and non-leaching surface that ensures no heavy metal leaching or porous surface are present for bacteria to build up on, keeping them sanitary for longer.

The bottles are independently lab certified to by 100% BPA free, for those worried about that kind of thing.

The fact that that coating is white means that visual inspection of your bottle for both fullness, and skunge buildup is a lot easier than if it were a darker colour. I really liked this.

Three locking lugs on the rim of the bottle are not obtrusive enough to be a bother when either filling up the bottle, or drinking directly from the lip.

The taper of the bottle also acts to smooth out the pour, much like a wine bottle, all part of the design


The sports cap that came with my Propper Liberty bottle has some very nice design features too. The all-around silicone rubber plug fits both into the neck and also against the lip of the bottle giving a really good seal. I've had not a single drip from the neck once I worked out the "click" feel that indicated a full seal. The three inset channels take the locking lugs, and feature a slope and notch type system to hold the lugs snugly in place, with a 1/4 turn being all that's required to open and close the bottle securely.

At 700ml (24oz) this is a good sized bottle for me when I don't feel the need to carry a whole liter around.

That sports cap has a couple of other neat features. The circular dome just offset from the straw port is a vent. This means that the negative pressure put on your bottle by sucking on it doesn't pull that back through the mouth-piece (and your back-washing mouth...) further adding to the longevity of the contents, as well as making drinking much easier and more free. The straw itself is removable, and can be left out entirely, if you don't mind the "tilt-back" drinking style.

The silicone rubber nipple fits snugly against a ridge on the cap to keep it crud-free, and covers the vent hole when depressed. The lever also acts as a carry handle, and the whole assembly can be broken down to clean all the parts.

The only drawback I've found is that if I've let a cold drink warm up, or hold the bottle around any air-space, the heat of my hand can expand the air inside enough to make it spurt my drink up out of the straw when I flip the top.

Liberty Bottles cutting-edge cylindrical printers have done a great job on Propper's design, laying down graphics you can feel. I really liked that tactile diamondplate addition, and the surface material has taken a few drops and knocks already with no sign of wear.

Review: Cybernetic Research Labs - Tactical Pen

I've had a few good occasions to make use of this particular item, and thought I should give it a review.I covered the Tactical Pen a while back. I misplaced that pen but 2 is 1 and 1 is none ...

This was another Kickstarter item from the folks at Cybernetic Research Laboratories who previously produced the Tactical Whistle and the Tactical Cache. I wanted to "collect the set" of their products, because that's how I like to test not only the items, but the brand itself. More on that later.

This is a modular pen / hex-tool / stylus / glass-breaker with aggressive knurling and grips.

Machined from aircraft aluminium (with stainless steel and titanium options, too), I had my pen anodised in their "OD green" which matched the OD green their Whistle and Cache, which I must say, is a long way off what I expected Olive Drab to be. This could just be due to the sheen of it, (rather than being a matte finish). I think I should have gotten black.

The pen itself comes in four parts; The end cap, with a lanyard hole and a titanium clip. The main body, which is threaded internally, with three deep gripping groves. It is bored to accept a Fisher Space Pen cartridge from one end only.

Either end of the body can accept one of the various heads, in my case I have; the stylus end, the pen end, the tungsten carbide glass-breaker and the hex-bit driver (which I opted to get in titanium for additional resistance to wear).

Each of the heads have two different threads, one for attaching the head to the body, and the other for securing the cap to the head.

Interestingly, the cap can also take the tool-tips, including the pen with its cartridge.

This modularity makes this tool quite appealing, I tend to keep the glass breaker tip out and exposed, both for potential escape requirements I might have in punching out a window, but also for being a rather unpleasant pointy end to make my displeasure known. I've also used the carbide tip to scribe things onto metal.

The stylus tip is not very effective on my iPhone and iPad, but they did state this would be the case during the Kickstarter.

It's a functional tool, it makes senses as a backup item.