The folks over at Tiny Inconspicuous Handcuff Key have developed what they call the EvadeClip, intended as an all-in-one solution for escape, evasion, and survival in an urban environment. The EvadeClip features an integrated clip for attachment to one’s person, and consists of a stainless steel mini saw, carbide grit rod saw, and stainless steel 3-piece lock pick set.
Bastion introduced their new Partizan folder at Blade Show and since it was Blade Show they had quite a few different versions available for sale, all with the same slim, minimalist blade made from D2. In addition to the variations of Titanium slabs, there was also a version with Carbon Fiber scales seen at the bottom of this photo. It was like holding a feather.
Triple Aught Design displayed this hatchet from British custom knife maker Ben Orford. It’s called the Nordic Carver and combines Scandinavian styling with modern materials. It’s made from either 4.6mm, 5.6mm or 7mm unground 01 carbon tool steel with a 5.5″ cutting edge. The different blade thicknesses give a range of weights for the application.
TAD is considering doing a special collaboration with Ben. What do you think?
DPx Gear’s HEST/F Urban is an American made folder which was initially offered as a Kickstarter campaign but is now entering commerical production.
American bearing pivot hardware. Stainless steel caged bearing pivot hardware allows for rapid deployment and effortless closing.
American aerospace grade titanium frame. A frame and lock made of U.S. made aerospace grade 6Al4v titanium in “battleship grey” heavy bead blast finish. Upgraded options include bronze anodized titanium or a three-dimensional Mr. DP pattern milled into the frame.
The world’s finest U.S. forged blade steel. A blade forged from U.S. made S30V stainless steel. We are selecting a hollow grind for maximum slicing capability and to be shaver sharp. All finished using a soft stonewash vibration.
Patented DPx Gear blade notch doubles as bottle opener and quick open feature. Designed to allow the knife to open faster than an automatic and to deploy the blade to the rear of the holder, keeping it safe from the assailant. This feature was also designed to open bottles and function as a pot lifter. Every feature on a DPx Gear knife is expected to do double duty.
Integral Hex drive. DPx Gear believes if you are going to carry around a quality knife, it better earn its keep. Our inclusion of a ¼” standard hex driver in the knife’s frame can be easily paired with a commonly available hex tool and turn your DPx HEST/F Urban into a multi tool.
Glass breaker. Our DPx HEST/F Urban has a glass breaker made from 440c stainless steel hardened to 62 Rockwell (HRC). A potential life saving tool in the event of an auto accident or fire. Pelton designs his knives to be ergonomically held in the hand as a non-lethal deterrent.
Tri-gauge wire stripper jimping. The thumb grip (jimping) features three notches in the exact gauges to strip household, auto and timer wire for blasting or electronics. This patented DPx Gear design feature also provides an exact but comfortable grip for your thumb, with gloves or with bare hands, so there is no slipping when using your knife.
Deep carry pocket clip. A deep pocket clip means your pocket knife rides as low and unobtrusively as possible in your pocket. The angle of the clip over the frame lock adds additional support to the lock. The DPx HEST/F Urban is made from not just durable materials, but stain free materials. Even the clip, screws and hardware are designed to take harsh environments with ease.
A U.S. invented, tested and proven frame lock. The U.S. invented frame lock for bulletproof lockup. First used in Chris Reeves famous Sebenza® knives, it has become the standard locking feature for high-end custom knives. We added a stainless steel cap to reduce wear on the lock face.
www.dpxgear.com/shop/knives/dpx-hest/hest-f-urban
During SOFIC we gave you a sneak peek of Direct Action Gear’s new Assault Shirt and Pant. They’ve done a great job and in spite of the assertions of some who haven’t actually seen the garment but insist on making declarations about it, the suit is not tight fitting. All Direct Action Gear products are designed and developed with input from experienced special operations personnel and are extensively field-tested and “approved” by special operations units before they go into production and go on sale. If anything, they overdevelop their products, refining and refining the designs.
The Direct Action Assault Shirt (or ‘Bluza Szturmowa’ in Polish) was designed with the goal of being as comfortable as a long-sleeved base layer t-shirt, but at the same time to retain the functionality and durability of an outerwear garment.
Features:
– full woven FR fabric body and sleeves (Polartec® fabric currently)
– arm pockets made from 2-way-stretch fabric (non-FR) for reduced weight and increased functionality
– arm pockets can also take pads made from a proprietary combination of foam and 3D mesh for increased comfort, or soft armor inserts (compatible with the planned ‘up-armor’ ensemble for SPITFIRE® Plate Carrier)
– elbow protection pockets also made from 2-way-stretch fabric (non-FR)
– removable elbow pads made from a proprietary combination of foam and 3D mesh for increased comfort
– removable elbow pads wrap partially around the elbow joint for increased protection
– forearm reinforcing panel made from no-melt/no-drip ripstop Nylon-Cotton fabric
– sleeves can be pulled / rolled up partially when elbow pads are removed
The Direct Action Assault Pants (or ‘Spodnie Szturmowe’ in Polish) was designed with the goal of being as comfortable, non-restrictive / non-irritating and lightweight as possible, but at the same time to retain the functionality and durability needed for hard-core field and tactical use.
Features:
– 4-way-stretch fabric (non-FR) inserts in the seat and in the crotch and thigh areas provides maximum ‘give’ and comfort during dynamic physical activity with no binding or pinching
– no seams in the crotch of between the legs reduces the possibility of getting fabric burns or rubbing irritation, and the risk of infection, during prolonged tactical movements
– 4-way-stretch fabric (non-FR) inserts above the knees ensure that knee protection pads stay in the right position when kneeling or going prone
– knee protection panels / pockets are made from DWR-treated 500D Cordura® nylon (non-FR)
– remainder of garment is made from no-melt/no-drip ripstop NyCo fabric
– knee protection consists of removable pads made from a proprietary combination of foam and 3D mesh for increased comfort, with a separate polymer outer shell for additional protection
– knee protection fit and position can be adjusted with Velcro® fastening tabs
– cargo pockets are made from 2-way-stretch fabric (non-FR) for reduced weight and increased functionality
– cargo pockets also feature Velcro® panels inside for attaching blade charges or other pouches or inserts – the Velcro® also allows the user to tuck the pocket flap inside and use the cargo pocket as a provisional dump pouch
– zipper-sealed front flat pockets made from 2-way-stretch fabric feature a micro-organizer inside
– the pants also feature slash hip pockets, zippered back pockets and small Velcro® fastened calf pockets
Direct Action Gear’s Assault Shirt and Assault Pants will be offered in all of Direct Actions standard camouflage patterns and solid colors.
ADDITIONAL GARMENTS
Plans for additional garment types / layers include:
– intermediate weight combat shirt for use during cooler weather months
– cold / wet weather protection outer garments
– specialist camouflage outer / over garments
Update: We understand Lalo turned himself in this morning.
As you may have heard, former Navy SEAL Nathaniel ‘Lalo’ Roberti is currently wanted by the Long Beach, New York Police Department for a variety of alleged crimes. After his arrest and release, he failed to appear before the court. As he was a founder of Lalo Tactical and the company is named after him, I spoke with the company. They offered me this statement.
San Diego, Ca. (June 7, 2016) – LALO LLC, dba LALO Tactical, a San Diego, California footwear company, wishes to express its sympathies for the victim(s) of the crimes allegedly committed by former LALO Tactical founder, Nathaniel Roberti, who is currently wanted by law enforcement across the country. Mr. Roberti was one of the original five founders of LALO Tactical, but parted ways with the company in early 2014, and has not had a role with, nor been connected with the entity since his departure.
The recent warrant issued for Roberti’s arrest came to the attention of the LALO Tactical management team after being directly contacted by the Long Beach, New York Police Department.
The team at LALO Tactical was discouraged to hear of the recent developments with Mr. Roberti, and would like to emphasize their full support and cooperation with the authorities in this matter.
For any inquires regarding the relationship between Mr. Roberti and LALO LLC, dba LALO Tactical, please contact Shannon Baker via email at: shannon@lalotactical.com
Recently I started hearing about major interest in Arc’teryx clothing by Law Enforcement in Norway. Earlier today, Politiforum.no made an announcement about the purchase of a three jacket system for Norway’s Police. Police Director Odd Reidar Humlegård signed the agreement just after the noon hour.
I’d say “congratulations!” to Arc’teryx but the real winners for the Norwegians. These new jackets will replace the old model which is leather and has been in service since 1994. This selection is the culmination of almost three years and the participation of nine different suppliers with 135 officers testing the garments. It also puts all Norwegian Police, Corrections and Customs in a common uniform.
Although the deal is more expensive than other options (50-60 million Kroner), the General Police Services chose the system the Police liked best. Specifically, Norwegian Police will receive the Alpha Jacket, Drac and Atom LT and fielding will begin in 2017.
Screen caps all from Politiforum.no.
This is the first installment in a series, being prepared with the assistance of DEP, the US subsidiary of Photonis, which will discuss how a standard AN/PVS-14 Night Vision Monocular can be upgraded to be not only lighter, but more powerful and more robust. Potential upgrades also integrate improved optic lenses as well as tubes, which not only work during the day, but also see out of band. By the time we are finished, you’ll see how you can upgrade the standard PVS-14 seen on the left of this photo to the PVS-14+ to the right, at a lower cost than purchasing yet another new NVG.
The last 15 years or so have brought significant and well needed improvements to the US service arsenal, in the form of both new as well as the improved versions of the various instruments of combat/survival.
Terminology such as multi-role, multi-mission and the modularity axiom are widely used, along with the “SWaP-C” acronym, nearly to the point of fault in many instances. Surface ships are in-fact now modular, as are sub-surface craft. Airframes are now in a sense modular (or common) as are the most individually focused articles such as weapons, holsters and of course personal issue items. Adding to the concept of modular or configurable is that of scalable. More so than modular, moving things around or taking components on/off, scaling allows one to use what’s most required without the potential grief of having too much, or too little, capability or functionality. This is the KISS-effect, in action.
One of the areas that has traditionally not been modularized is individual optics. Optics are a little tougher to contend with in a non-permanent format, particularly Electro-Optics (EO). EO, and even Day View Optics (DVO) have evolved to be very versatile, and multi-mission, adapted to applications in various environments. What they tend to lack is much of the aforementioned modularity, and surely scalability. More troublesome is repairability. If it breaks, it’s generally going home; a long way away. There is very little an armorer or operator can do locally for sick EO, or DVO devices. Fortunately, DVOs in most cases are very robust and usually affordable enough to replace in the AOR, that they provide a useful, affordable lifespan. Additionally, if push comes to shove, operators can rely on back up iron sights or an aiming light.
An exception, the individual night vision workhorse of the US military (and many others) is the legacy AN/PVS-14 Night Vision Monocular. An interesting study, this monocular was fielded just before the Global War On Terror began. As of today, it remains in service in many of the same organizations whom early adopted it, but without the upgrades, enhancements or modifications other equipment has received.
In the next few weeks the descriptives of modularity, scaling, multi-mission and near-to-user repair will be addressed to evaluate if the over 1,000,000 service PVS-14s can be improved and utilized in ways other systems have been over the last decade.
