Home 2019 February

The Trayvax Trek Field Knife is an elegant knife for a more civilized age

NEWS – Trayvax, a purveyor of extraordinary wallets, belts, and other accessories, has recently opened a Kickstarter project for their newest creation, the Trek Field Knife. The Trek Field Knife is a unusual beast in that it is CNC milled from a high-quality stainless steel blank rather than being stamped, cut, or forged from raw stock.The Trek is a minimalist design with a skeletonized frame. The knife has a 3.5 inch blade with a 40º leading tip and a swept main edge. The overall length of the Trek is 7.9 inches. The blade’s spine has thumb jimping (I had to look that one up) to help with knife control when needed. The spine is strong enough that the knife may be used as a froe when splitting kindling (also known as batoning).  This stainless steel knife has a bead blasted finish to complement the minimalist design and has a 3/4 flat bevel grind to provide predictable cutting.

Trayvax is offering the Trek in either 440C (standard) or CPM S35VN (premium) stainless steel. For those, like me, who are not metallurgists (I forward those questions to my father, who has a doctorate specializing in ferrous metallurgy), 440C is a high carbon stainless steel with 16-18% chromium added for corrosion resistance. It is an industry-standard alloy that is used wherever precisely hardened steel with good corrosion resistance is needed. 440C steel can be found everywhere from high-end knives to industrial valves. S35VN steel is a premium alloy that was developed by Crucible Industries and knife maker Chris Reeve specifically for knife making. S35VN alloy steel is used almost exclusively in premium knives. Trayvax performs all of their milling in-house to maintain the highest levels of quality control and to minimize waste.

A Kickstarter pledge will get you a knife (or multiples if you choose) in your choice of stainless steels and your choice of a traditional, vertical carry holster (upper) or a combo (horizontal or vertical) carry holster (lower). Pledges for the 440C knives start at $90 for early bird supporters and the S35Vn knives start at $120.

Trayvax has mentioned the possibility of stretch goals to add scales or paracord wrapping to the handle, but have not announced anything official on the campaign page. You are of course free to modify your knife once it is in your possession.

You may find more details about the Trek Field Knife and make a pledge on Kickstarter. Those of you of a nervous disposition or who have an aversion to the intentional destruction of fine tools may wish to skip some of the testing videos.

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The Trayvax Trek Field Knife is an elegant knife for a more civilized age originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 22, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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Julie’s gadget diary – I’m finally upgrading to a new phone

ARTICLE – My track record for upgrading phones has been bad the past year and half but that’s finally going to change. Really, I promise this time guys!

First some background… I bought the Pixel 2 XL back in the fall of 2017 which feels like forever ago, but I’ve been using that phone since the day I bought it and even though I’ve tried to upgrade multiple times, I always ended up returning the Pixel for some reason or another.


First I bought the Essential Phone PH-1. There was a lot to like about the Essential phone like the amazing price! But my dislikes outweighed the likes. Mainly the fingerprint sensor which wasn’t compatible with my alien fingertips. I also found it to be smaller than what I’d become used to after using the Pixel 2 XL. So I boxed it up and shipped it back for a refund.

Then I got all excited about the iPhone XS Max and ordered one only to send it back within a few weeks. It was nice enough, but every time I try an iPhone, I end up missing the Android OS.

Let’s see… then there was the Pixel 3 XL which I thought for sure I’d keep, but…. nope. Sent it back because it felt identical to my Pixel 2 XL.

In between those phones which I bought on my own dime, I reviewed other phones like the Samsung Galaxy S9, LG V40, and Sony Xperia XZ2. None of them made me want to part with the cash to update. But now I’m ready to literally say goodbye to my Pixel 2 XL because I’m trading it for a $300 credit towards the Samsung Galaxy S10+ which I pre-ordered this morning. I opted for a blue S10+ with 128GB. Why the S10+? I figured bigger is better and the overall dimensions are actually ever so slightly smaller than the Pixel 2 XL.

I’m pretty jazzed to finally upgrade to a new phone and I am looking forward to having wireless charging again, a microSD card slot, and screen mirroring. I’m also excited to try DEX again because I’m always thinking about turning my phone into my only computer. Yeah, I know it probably won’t work, but it’s always fun to give it a shot and let all of you know my thoughts about trying.

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ might not be as new tech drool worthy as the Samsung Fold (which I want to try when it becomes available) but it has enough features to make me finally upgrade – at least until this fall with the Pixel 4 XL comes out! Just kidding… Ok, probably not kidding. But we’ll just have to wait and see. Head over to Samsung.com to read about the S10e, S10, and S10+.

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Julie’s gadget diary – I’m finally upgrading to a new phone originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 21, 2019 at 12:55 pm.

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CountyComm’s Survival Titanium Fishing Card is a pocket-sized fishing kit that isn’t sold by Ron Popeil

NEWS – If you’ve ever found yourself far from the nearest tackle shop and wanted to test your skill at the local fishing hole, or you’ve found yourself lost in the wilderness and needing to catch a fish for your next meal, the CountyComm Survival Titanium Fishing Card may be just the tool you need. The Survival Titanium Fishing Card is a limited-run EDC / emergency fishing kit that includes a selection of hooks (14) and spoons (3) that may be combined with some locally sourced line (say a gutted piece of paracord) and a pole (the included saw can help with building a suitable pole from local materials).

The card is laser cut from a single sheet of Grade 4 titanium and is backed with a piece of adhesive neoprene to allow for the removal of individual pieces while allowing the rest to remain securely attached to the card. The backing also allows you to return a used piece of gear to the card for storage. The card may also be secured to the back of another EDC card, such as a fishing license, credit card, or membership card for slimmer and more discrete carry options.

The card with the adhesive neoprene backing is roughly the same thickness as a US quarter dollar coin and is the same footprint as the average credit/debit card. The specifications of the Fishing Card are

  • 3.35″ x 2.12″ x 0.24″
  • 0.3 ounces

The Survival Titanium Fishing Card list for $13.95 and may be purchased through the CountyComm website at www.countycomm.com.

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CountyComm’s Survival Titanium Fishing Card is a pocket-sized fishing kit that isn’t sold by Ron Popeil originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 21, 2019 at 10:00 am.

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AceBeam H40 headlamp review


REVIEW – Headlamps, or flashlights that are worn on the head, are invaluable when working or traveling in dimly lit areas. They may be judged on their brightness, battery life, beam spread, robustness, size, and weight. The H40 by Acebeam combines several features to make it a useful gadget. Read on to see what I think!

What is it?

The Acebeam H40 is a small lightweight headlamp that features a bright LED. The brightness can be fine tuned between 20 and 230 lumens. The light also features a low-power mode of 5 lumens, a turbo mode of 1050 lumens, and an SOS signaling mode at 1050 lumens. All of these brightness and control options are made using a single rubberized button. The Housing is made of aircraft aluminum and is IP68 rated. The housing opens to allow replacement of the single AA battery.

What’s in the box?


H40
Headband
Spare O ring
User Manual
Warranty card

Design and features

Specifications


The specifications chart is a little confusing and would benefit from an additional column of the color rendering index (CRI). The CREE-HD XP-L HD has a color rendering index (CRI) between 70 and 80, while the SST-20 CRI 95+ has a CRI of 95 or greater. This means that colors appear to be more natural under the SST LED than under the CREE LED. While the SST LED has better color reproduction, it is not as bright as CREE LED. People who work all day under a headlamp would benefit from the SST LED. The light of the lamp is focused into about a 70 degree arc, based on the relationship between candela and lumens.

Unboxing

The headlamp is packaged in a foam-lined matte cardboard telescopic box designed for retail display.

The front of the box shows the projector in perspective and some of the performance characteristics. The sides of the box identify the unit serial number, UPC code, QR codes for the website and Facebook page, and applications: Mountaineering, cycling, camping, first aid, construction, and adventure.

The back of the unit includes the specifications displayed above, description, features, the address of the manufacturer and some compliance codes.

The inside of the box has everything nicely packaged. The unit also contains a silica gel packet.

Design and features

Hardware

The design of the AceBeam H40 is tactically inspired. Batman would be proud to wear this on his head. The design features each serve a function. The knurled grip on the battery cover, the cooling fins on the back of the headlamp, the grooves into which the headband fit, the easy to feel operating button are all designed for functionality.

The design is also backed by a five-year warranty, which attests to the confidence the manufacturer has in its design and construction. As an added bonus, and to make warranty claims easier, the serial number is etched and painted onto the glass lens retainer. There are two improvements I would love to see: adding knurling on the end opposite the battery cover so that it is easier to position the lamp up and down in the headband, and adding a retaining lock on the battery cover so that the cover is not accidentally opened when re-positioning the lamp in the headband.

The reflector does a great job in dispersing the light. The picture below is of the lamp in the lowest power mode.

The headband has two adjustments; one for the circumference and one for across the top of the head. The circumference fits 26″ unstretched, so will fit hard hats and bike helmets.

The inside of the headband is coated in two zig-zag beads of silicone to provide exceptional traction even on slick or sweaty surfaces.

The outside of the headband features 3M reflective paint to enhance the visibility of the wearer at night.

Operation

The operation of the lamp is intricate because all of the functions are accessed by one button but the commands are easy to learn and are intuitive after a short while. The lamp is operated by the sequences below:

Single click – turns the lamp on at the previously set intensity.
Double click – toggles the lamp from high intensity (350 lumens) to turbo intensity (1050 lumens). This mode can be reset by a long press when on or by turning the lamp off and then back on.
triple click – starts the SOS Morse code mode (use single click or double click to exit)

long press when off
1 second – turn on ultra-low mode
3 seconds – toggles button lock mode (acknowledged with three blinks of the light)

long press when on
adjusts the intensity from 20 to 230 lumens.

You can see what the lamp looks like as I’m wearing it in the pictures below. Alas, a headlamp will never be the most glamorous accessory.

 

Performance

The following video shows the view at a local town park on a moonless night in a slight rain. It’s about the worst-case conditions to test the performance of the lamp.

The video is barely able to detect what the naked eye could see, but there was some of the green painted swing set visible at night, lit up by the lamp. Plugging my location into https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/. I determined that the what I saw is actually very close to the stated beam distance of 106 m (0.106 km).

It is difficult to test the other parameters of the lamp. Fortunately, AceBeam is a member of The Portable Lights American Trade Organization (PLATO), which allows member companies to publish verified specifications and performance ratings of their products. Because AceBeam is a member of PLATO, comparing the lamps parameters with other PLATO member products is straightforward and reliable.

What I like

  • lightweight
  • bright
  • secure fitting

What needs to be improved

  • unintentional loosening of the battery cover
  • the grip on barrel opposite battery cover

Final thoughts

The AceBeam headlamp will effectively and reliably cut through the darkness and still leave two hands-free. I give it two (flashlight-free) thumbs up.

Price: $34.90
Where to buy: Acebeam and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Acebeam.

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AceBeam H40 headlamp review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 21, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Rakōt75 reusable cloth towels will change the way clean

NEWS – I don’t know about you but I use paper towels for EVERYTHING, and I’m always running out. It can get pretty expensive not to mention wasteful. The Rackōt75 cloth paper towels caught my attention because they come on a roll just like paper towels you buy at the store. However, unlike paper towels, they last a lot longer.

The reusable cloths are basically a tougher more durable version of paper towels. They’re made of tear-resistant cloth that is both lint-free and washable so you can use one over and over. The towels can be used either wet or dry. Perfect for common household tasks like wiping and dusting to tougher projects like dry mopping floors or washing and waxing cars.

A single roll of 75 perforated sheets can last up to six months, depending on what you use them for. You can purchase a roll of Rakōt75 cloth towels for $19.95 from The Grommet.

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Rakōt75 reusable cloth towels will change the way clean originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 21, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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