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Thyrm PyroVault Lighter Armor review

REVIEW – The Thyrm PyroVault Lighter Armor does what it says on the tin. The PyroVault is a rugged housing that accepts most Zippo-style inserts (either liquid fuel or butane).

What is it?

The Thyrm PryoVault is a ruggedized weather-resistant case for liquid and butane fueled Zippo®-compatible lighter inserts.

What’s in the box?

The PyroVault comes attached to a thick paper hang card which describes the features of the PyroVault. The PyroVault’s clip is slipped through two cutouts in the card and is secured with a small plastic zip tie. Cutting the tie and sliding the clip out of the card frees the PyroVault. Thank you, Thyrm, for simple, but effective packaging. The PyroVault is sold as just a shell to which you add your favorite Zippo-compatible lighter insert.

The Thyrm PyroVault is available in rescue (orange), urban gray, black, olive drab (green), and flat dark earth (dark tan). I received the rescue (orange) versions of the PyroVault to test.

Hardware specs

  • Height:   2.9″
  • Width:    2.2″
  • Thickness:  0.9″
  • Weight:  0.56 oz

Design and features

The PyroVault is constructed from rugged, heat-resistant, reinforced polymer with a rubberized gasket seal. The seal works to keep dirt and moisture out of the lighter mechanism, while simultaneously reducing the evaporation of liquid fuel from the lighter. The design includes a spring-loaded cap which is secured with an easy open latch. To help you keep track of your lighter, the Pyrovault includes both a lanyard loop in the latch housing and a MOLLE-compatible clip on the back side of the housing. While the housing does have a gasket to help seal the case, the PyroVault is not rated for prolonged submersion.

I tested the PyroVault with two different lighter inserts. A Zippo brand insert from my 30-year old brass Zippo lighter which uses standard lighter fluid and a new Z plus! 2.0 twin torch flame lighter insert from The LOTUS Group which is butane powered. I will not be reviewing the Z plus! as part of this review, it is merely being used an example of a compatible butane-fueled insert.

 

The PyroVault is about half the weight of an empty Zippo-brand case, but is slightly larger in all physical dimensions.

Elements resistance test

As the PyroVault is advertised as a weather and dirt resistant lighter case, I decided to test the PyroVault in submersion and “shake and bake” particulate tests. Although it is not rated for submersion, I decided to use a submersion test, rather than showering with the lighter (believe me, no one wants to see those test photos), as a worst-case-scenario test modeling falling out of a canoe or being caught in a rainstorm (both of which have happened to me causing my lighter to fail to work when needed). In the submersion test, a PyroVault was tied to a paving brick using the lanyard hole–for those who track such thing, the line was attached to the lighter with a bowline and secured to the brick with a two half-hitch–and suspended in a water bath at a depth of 4.75 inches to the top of the case for 30 minutes. I decided to use the lanyard hole to secure the PyroVault, so no mechanical stress other than water pressure would be placed on the gasket and case / lid joint. Ignore the bubbles in the photograph, those are from the paving brick.

Before dunking the case, I placed a small piece of absorbent material inside the case and made sure that the material was pressed up against the inside of the case. After 30 minutes, there was a small amount of moisture on the absorbent material. Although the PyroVault isn’t rated for submersion, it performed well, and the amount of moisture on the test material would not be enough to stop either of the inserts from functioning.

 

In the “shake and bake” test, I filled a plastic bag (an actual bag from a oven-fried chicken coating kit) with slightly moist sandy loam (and a few weeds) from my yard and dropped a PyroVault into the bag–I was spared having find a shovel by one of our neighborhood armadillos, who had been rooting for a meal the night before and had left a decent sized pile of loam piled up next to his dining spot.

I shook the bag for 2 minutes and then massaged the loam around the PyroVault for a further 2 minutes. At the end of this abuse, the  case was quite dirty.

 

I rinsed the PyroVault off with low-pressure running water from a garden hose.

The results of this test were that no particulates entered the interior of the case, but grinding could be heard in the hinge when opening and closing the case. This was remedied by a generous dose of Tuf-Glide dry lubricant and cycling the hinge 20 or 30 times.

Lighter fluid evaporation test

Another of the Thyrm’s claims about the PyroVault is that it reduces evaporation of lighter fluid from the insert. My informal testing showed that my lighter still had sufficient lighter fluid after 12 days to function reliably. Historically, my old-school Zippo needs to be refilled after seven or eight days. Both of these tests were done using exactly the same lighter insert.

Performance

The PyroVault has survived two weeks of daily carry in either my trousers, shirt, or jacket pocket and a weekend of outdoor carry hooked to the MOLLE webbing on the outside of my backpack. I never had a problem with getting either of the inserts to light during this time. However, after about 6 or 7 uses of the traditional fuel insert in the PyroVault, I found that the case became slow to open when I released the latch, and the lid was not swinging open as far as it first did. I do not know if this was due to the insert pressing on the sides of the case (my Zippo insert is slightly wider than the butane insert and takes some effort to insert into the PyroVault), some sort of deformation due to the lid experiencing heating and cooling cycles when extinguishing the flame, or just wear-and-tear. The case always opened, but it was just delayed. I attempted to ameliorate this by re-lubricating the hinge and applying some o-ring lubricant (from a scuba shop) to the gasket. This did help but did not eliminate the problem.

A persistent annoyance was that after a week or so of routine use with the butane insert, the lid on the case stopped opening to its fullest extent with just the hinge spring driving the movement. The use of Tuf-Glide as in the two aforementioned scenarios helped with this problem.  The next generation of the PyroVault may benefit from a stronger hinge spring.

What I like

  • Water and dirt / dust resistance
  • Ease of use
  • Light weight
  • MOLLE clip
  • Helps keep lighter fluid in the lighter

What needs to be improved

  • Not so much an improvement as something that I miss: the trademark “click” of a Zippo lighter opening and closing
  • It would be nice if the spring opened the lid a bit further. I noticed that when the butane insert is on maximum flame that the ends of the flames are precariously close the the lip of the lid if I haven’t manually pushed the lid open all the way. Perhaps a stronger spring would solve this problem.
  • The latch is slightly in the way of operating the striker wheel when using the liquid fuel insert.
  • The rubber gasket that seals the PyroVault sometimes causes the lid to stick. This seems to happen with the official Zippo lighter insert after sitting closed overnight

Final thoughts

I found that I liked using the PyroVault with a butane insert more than using a traditional insert. Several factors influenced this opinion. First the overhang of the latch which requires you to raise your thumb up and over before using the striker wheel. This interferes with my muscle memory from 30 years of using a traditional Zippo lighter. Second, the flame seems to heat up the lid a bit more than I would like when extinguishing the flame from the traditional insert. I also notice this heating with my metal Zippo lighter, but I don’t worry about it as much with the metal. Third,  I miss the classic Zippo lighter sound (this is something for which I have great nostalgia as my grandfather’s lighter of choice was a Zippo, and a Zippo has been my utility lighter of choice for 3 decades). When I know that I’m carrying a butane lighter, I don’t seem to mind the silent operation, but my brain just expects the case spring click when using a liquid fuel lighter.

I have added a PyroVault to my EDC kit and my camping gear. I will also be purchasing additional PyroVaults and inserts as gifts this holiday season for friends and family.

Price: $ 19.99
Where to buy: Thyrm online store and Amazon
Source: The samples of this product were provided by Thyrm LLC.

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Thyrm PyroVault Lighter Armor review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 25, 2019 at 10:05 am.

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NITECORE TUP 1000 lumen EDC flashlight review

REVIEW – Do you love EDC flashlights but hate feeding them batteries? If so, then I have a flashlight you’ll want to check out. It’s the NITECORE TUP and it packs some nice features into a very pocket-friendly package. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The NITECORE TUP is a 1000 lumen USB rechargeable flashlight that is the perfect size for EDC/pocket carry.

Specs

LED: CREE XP-L HD V6
Maximum Brightness: 1000 lumens
Peak Beam Distance: 197 yards
Peak Beam Intensity: 8130 cd
IP Rating: IP54
Impact Resistance: 1 m
Battery: 1200 mAh lithium-ion battery
Dimensions: 2.76″L x 1.16″W x 1.16″H
Weight: 1.87oz

What’s in the box?

  • NITECORE TUP flashlight
  • Keyring
  • micro USB charging cable
  • Instructions

Design and features

The NITECORE TUP doesn’t really look like a flashlight when you first take a look at it. First of all, it’s small at not even 3 inches long. Then it has a square shaped aluminum case which isn’t typical of most flashlights. And finally, it has two control buttons and a built-in OLED display that shows you the lumen setting and time left at that setting before the battery needs to be recharged.


The NITECORE TUP flashlight has a strong clip that you can use to clip the NITECORE TUP to your belt, pocket, or even the brim of your cap. If clips aren’t your thing, you can attach the included keyring and use that instead.

The left side of the TUP has a micro USB charging port that is protected by a rubber seal. The flashlight has an intelligent charging system that includes overcharge protection and indicators that alert you when the 4.2V battery needs to be recharged.

While charging, the power and mode buttons will blink Blue. When the battery is fully charged (it can take 3.5hrs to fully recharge), the status LEDs will stop blinking and will glow steadily.

The TUP has 5 brightness modes that you can cycle through with the mode button when the light is powered on. Info about the mode will show up on the display for a couple of seconds.

The display shows the current lumen setting and runtime remaining in that setting. If you press the mode button while the flashlight is off, the TUP’s display will show the real-time voltage level so you can get an idea of how much longer the flashlight will continue providing light or how long it needs to charge if it’s recharging.

Performance

Using the NITECORE TUP is easy. Just make sure it’s fully charged and then press the power button to turn it on and the mode button to cycle through ultralow, low, mid, and high settings which go from 1 lumen up to 200 lumens. The flashlight will remember the brightness setting last used and will use that setting the next time that you power it on.

Here’s a table that gives you an idea of how long you can expect to use the NITECORE TUP before the batteries need to be recharged and how far the beam will shine at that setting and the intensity.

But how do you use the 1000 lumen turbo mode you’re wondering? With the flashlight on or off, just hold down the mode button for a couple of seconds and the flashlight will turn on in turbo/1000 lumen mode for as long as you’re holding down the button. You can’t lock the flashlight on in that mode since it uses a lot of power and the flashlight can overheat in turbo mode.

Here are some images that show the brightness levels in my Gadgeteer HQ office at night with all the lights off.






The room was completely dark with just LEDs from my monitor and some other gadget glowing on the desk. I had my smartphone on a tripod about 10 ft away. Indoors, I find that the 65-lumen setting works fine for most things.

This flashlight works great but the only small issue I had was that it’s a little too easy to toggle on the half lockout mode. The NITECORE TUP has two lockout modes. The half lockout mode just locks the power button and the full lockout mode locks out both the power and mode buttons so that pressing them has no effect. These modes are there to prevent the flashlight from turning on while in a bag or pocket if you run into that issue.

The half lockout mode is turned on by holding down the power button for more than a few seconds while the light is on. I have a habit accidentally of pressing and holding that button instead of the mode button when I want to use the turbo/1000 lumens mode. Luckily turning off the half lockout mode is just a quick press of the power button followed by a longer press. But I do wish that the buttons on the flashlight were reversed so that the power button was on top instead of the other way around.

What I like

  • Bright
  • Small
  • Rechargeable battery
  • The display shows the battery charge level

What needs to be improved

  • Put the power button on top of the mode button instead of the other way around for better ergonomics

Final thoughts

I’ve really enjoyed using the NITECORE TUP. I like the small size and easy user interface. Although I rarely need more than 65 or 200 lumens, I like that I can use 1000 lumens if I need to.

Price: $64.95
Where to buy: Nitecorestore.com
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nitecore Store.

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NITECORE TUP 1000 lumen EDC flashlight review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 19, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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Schon DSGN Classic Machined pen review

REVIEW – In today’s world of our nonstop keyboard clicking, the written note is definitely the anomaly versus the standard anymore. Even our signatures are digital these days, involving a smart-chip, fingerprint, special code, etc. But the ballpoint pen endures…I would guess most of those reading this review have a nice writing instrument in their EDC bag right now. I am always looking to improve my EDC gear, tweaking it and trying new items in my quest for tech-Zen. In this case, Schon DSGN sent me one of their Classic Machined Pens, in brass to review. Let’s see if it is worthy enough to make it into my EDC lineup.

The Schon DSGN Classic Machined pen began as a Kickstarter project back in 2017. It was successfully launched by 741 backers who ultimately pledged $58,548 to bring this project to life. Schon DSGN was founded by Ian Schon with “the idea of creating objects without compromises”.

What is it?

The Schon DSGN Classic pen is a small compact ballpoint pen machined from a single piece of metal. Each pen is turned from solid barstock and finished to give each specific material a distinct look.  SchonDSGN pens are 100% made in the USA.

Design and features

Schon DSGN writing instruments are simple, dependable, high quality ball point pens. Each pen comes with a matching screw-on cap with threads on both sides of the pen, hopefully making the cap less losable. The machining and finish are excellent. Overall, the pen feels very substantial, great to hold and write with.

Specifications:

The Classic Machined pen is ½ an inch in diameter and 4” long when capped.

The threads are well done and the cap screws on and off the pen easily. Though once screwed onto either end, the cap stays attached and in place.

When the cap is screwed on the back, the pen is 5-3/4” long giving it a nice grippable length for writing.

The Classic Machined pen has a set screw on its tail end for accessing/changing the ink cartridge.

The clip is made from stainless steel and is robust yet not too thick. The length of the clip is optimized for a visually balanced look while also being able to hold a 1″ length of material inside of it.

Each pen comes with a PR4 Medium Black Fisher Space pen ink cartridge, easily replaced through the set screw in the back of the pen.

The Schon DSGN Classic Pen travels extremely well in the coin pocket of your jeans or pants. The stainless steel clip is strong and does a great job keeping the Schon DSGN pen securely in place. I have been using this pen for about a month and typically keep/carry it just like you see in this picture…where I do not always have my Navigator bag with me but still want a writing instrument by my side.

What I like

  • Excellent material and build quality
  • Smooth writing
  • Nice weight and feel
  • Cap screws onto each end
  • Made from a variety of metals
  • Available in multiple weights

What needs to be improved

  • None

The Classic Machined pen is available in a multitude of metals from titanium to copper, each with its individual weights and characteristics.

Black Anodized Aluminum ($80) – 1oz – 1.1oz (w/clip)
Polished Aluminum Pen ($78)- 1oz – 1.1oz (w/clip)
Polished Titanium ($188) -1.8oz – 1.9oz (w/clip)
Tumbled Stainless ($108) – 2.8oz – 2.9oz (w/clip)
Polished Copper ($158) – 3.2oz -3.3oz (w/clip)
Polished Brass Pen ($138) – 3 oz -3.1oz (w/clip)

As I mentioned above, all Schon DSGN pens are 100% made in the USA, specifically Massachusetts.

According to his website, Ian has…

always had a fascination with heirloom objects or objects built so solidly that they could potentially outlast the user. I hope you enjoy this pen, forever.

As an interesting (@least for the watch-guy I am) side note, Ian also creates handmade watches @Schon Horology, a new division of Schon DSGN.

Final thoughts

I initially considered the stainless steel and titanium options but ultimately requested the brass version of the Classic Machine pen. And I am glad I did…I love the hefty weight and feel the pen has. I have many aluminum and titanium pens but none are this substantial. Add in the fact, the brass has already started to patina nicely and will continue to do so as it ages. I totally envision myself continuing to carry this pen with me in my coin pocket. The build, material, and design quality is meant to last a lifetime and agree this pen could easily be passed on when you’re gone 😉 .

Price: Brass – $138 ($70 – $288)
Where to buy: The Classic Machine Pen is available at Schon DSGN.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Schon DSGN.

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Schon DSGN Classic Machined pen review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 17, 2019 at 9:00 am.

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This EDC knife is not too big and not too small. It’s just right

NEWS – If you’re obsessed with EDC products like I am, you probably spend way too much time on Pinterest and sites like Best Damn EDC where people like to show off their collections of everyday carry items. I am always confused as to why some people like to carry multiple knives with them each day. Me, I only need one and I don’t want it to be too big or too small. I want it to be just right and I think the SOG KeyTron looks pretty close.

The KeyTron by SOG is a 3.5 inch long (closed) knife that has a stainless steel handle with a large latching keyring on the end that allows you to use the knife as your primary keyring or use it to clip the knife to other gear. Open up the KeyTron and you have a 5.3 inch long knife with a locking blade that’s a good size for most day to day tasks like opening packages, cutting twine, etc. The KeyTron even has a built-in bottle opener so you can pop the top on a cold one.

The SOG KeyTron is priced at $21.95 and is available from Sogknives.com and Amazon.

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This EDC knife is not too big and not too small. It’s just right originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 14, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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REFYNE – EP1: The Essential EDC Titanium Bolt-Action Pen – Notable crowdfunding campaign

CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Of late, there has been a surge in really cool-looking crowdfunded pen campaigns on Kickstarter.  Here’s another one: the REFYNE – EP1.  Its a minimalist bolt-action pen made from either stainless steel or titanium that looks like it would fit in with your EDC as well as become your favorite desk pen.  Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The REFYNE – EP1: The Essential EDC Titanium Bolt-Action Pen’s name nearly says it all!

Why do I like it?

In general prefer pens that are minimalist and sleek, and I’ve always thought that bolt-action deployment mechanisms look like they would be really fun to use, but I’ve not yet actually tried one.  The REFYNE – EP1 pen combines both of these features.  Made from either black PVD-coated stainless steel or polished titanium, it comes the Schmidt easyFLOW 9000 refill for smooth writing, but will accept any Parker-style refill.  The bolt-action mechanism slides up and down into a sort of “v channel” with a quick finger flick, and copper has been used for the internal sliding component to give a subtle bit of design flair.  Each pen includes a pocket clip that can be removed with a standard Torx T6 bit, so you can go even more minimalist if you prefer.

Where can I find more info?

REFYNE – EP1: The Essential EDC Titanium Bolt-Action Pen campaign ends on April 11, 2019 and they have already met their funding goal of $12,000. Pledge packages start at $39 for a black PVD-coated Stainless Steel pen and increase from there depending on the options selected.  After the end of the campaign period, rewards are expected to start shipping in June 2019. Visit the REFYNE – EP1.  It’s a Titanium Bolt-Action Pen campaign site for more information or to become a backer.

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REFYNE – EP1: The Essential EDC Titanium Bolt-Action Pen – Notable crowdfunding campaign originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 13, 2019 at 11:29 am.

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