KAC T-1 Mount
November 17th, 2009 | Photo Recon Product Announcement Product Preview | Posted by Stickman
The past ten years have turned most Military and Police units away from iron sights, and into the world of optics. There is no question that shooting scores and real world hit percentages have gone up with the use of red dot and magnified optics. We’ve all used them, and while iron sights are still a solid fundamental to be familiar with, I’ll bet there are very few of us who are interested in going back to them. Battery life, and reliability are the first topics brought up when we think of optics, but how often do we consider the optic mount itself?
Stanley’s new flasks are not for the fancy at heart
November 13th, 2009 | Product Announcement Review | Posted by Matthew Cox
I love hip flasks, but they’re usually too fancy for practical use. I’ve owned a handsome little stainless steel flask for years. It’s very slim but too heavy. And I always worry about losing the cap. It’s now in the gadget drawer gathering dust.
I don’t have a flask fetish or anything; I just like my gin — even if I’m on the road. Is that so wrong?
Anyway, Stanley is coming out with three new styles of flasks in its NINETEEN13 line. I recently had the chance to try one of them out. Its flat, leaf green color blends well in any camp, field or ballgame setting. The screw-off cap stays attached to the flask by a black rubber arm that’s sturdier than it looks. It prevents the cap from being dropped in the dirt, and it helps the flask stand up when it’s turned upside down to dry.
It holds 8 ounces of your favorite poison and doesn’t appear to taint the taste. The Beefeater gin I kept in it for four days tasted like I poured it out of the glass bottle. The stainless steel body weighs just 4.75 ounces, that’s about half the weight many traditional flasks. It’s made in China, but most things are these days.
In addition to the green, the new flasks also come in black with a cool scull and dark gray with “UNBREAKABLE” written on it. The green model features the standard, nineteen13 star logo. Stanley’s new flasks will be available sometime this fall at www.stanley-pmi.com for about $20 bucks.
Surefire Saint Unboxed – GearScout Exclusive
November 11th, 2009 | Photo Recon Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
GearScout received the Surfire Saint last night. We brought it to the studio to give our readers an exclusive first look in a huge SFW flashlight porno shoot.
The unboxing isn’t a meme I quite understand, but we’re not here to judge. So if you’re a flashlight guy, turn the lights down low, get a box of tissues and enjoy the 62 image photo gallery after the jump. We’ll be back with a review and beamshots before you know it.
SF units getting Land Warrior in 2011
November 9th, 2009 | Product Announcement Programatics | Posted by Rob Curtis
Matt Cox is reporting over at Army Times that Special Forces is getting an updated Land Warrior kit. The Army hasn’t chosen the unit, but plans to equip an SF battalion next fall.
Operators will get an updated version that adds satellite communications to supplement the system’s current digital radio network. With the current system, Long range comms are only possible when units use high-powered, vehicle based repeaters within the CNRS/EPLRS network. This update could pave the way for light units without Stryker Combat Vehicles to use the system.
Oakley’s Elite Assault Boot Stomps Bad Guys, Wallets
October 29th, 2009 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Leave it to Oakley to combine stainless steel and carbon fiber to make a fabric that can withstand a blowtorch. When they say the Elite Assault Boot is flame resistant, they mean it. Check out the intro video on the product page that shows a penny melting on the fabric. The stuff appears totally unimpressed by the heat.
Other features that come with the $500 price tag include a tread pattern specifically designed for stealth, puncture resistant sole. slash resistant upper and some high-grade leather to keep them from looking like a the 22nd century boots they so clearly are.
I’m thinking these may add something to your awesomely expensive Arc’teryx Veilance outfit (which is on sale now.)
Sog Fusion Tactical Tomahawk
October 15th, 2009 | Cordon & Review Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
SOG Fusion Tactical Tomahawk $62.00
Some times it’s about the value. Manufactured overseas and based on the Vietnam Tomahawk, the SOG Fusion Tactical Tomahawk is an update of the battle axe optimized for breaching operations, excavation, obstacle removal, extraction, and other utility applications. The 420 stainless steel head is mounted to the fiberglass reinforced nylon handle with heavy-duty bolts and a steel ferrule for stability. Just under 16″ and 24 oz, the Fusion ‘hawk can get you though some tough spots without breaking the bank. Comes with a simple nylon sheath.
PRO: Value, no tears if 1st Sgt takes it away
CON: Two piece design, may come loose someday
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The REF at work: New MicroDAGR GPS Coming in January
October 9th, 2009 | Product Announcement Programatics | Posted by Rob Curtis
Rockwell-Collins’ new baby-DAGR finally drags the military handheld GPS into 2008 featuring a touch screen, built in camera and MP3 player.
“Designed in response to feedback from soldiers in the field, the
MicroDAGR also incorporates several new features including vibration alert, an MP3 player and a digital camera. These features will allow soldiers to record geo-rectified images of the battlefield for after-action review and analysis, listen to foreign language translations of important commands and phrases and get silent alerts from their MicroDAGR when they reach preprogrammed waypoints and/or danger areas”.
No word on price, but anything that uses the secure GPS bands is going to be on the Gucci end of military gadgets. With the original DAGR running about $1600 a pop for almost new millennium tech, it’s no wonder Rockwell-Collins has been pleading with soldiers not to use commercial GPS units that cost 1/10 the price and offer performance and features that soldiers value more than the military specific features of the clunky DAGR.
Looking at the press release, it looks like Rockwell-Collins and the Army have listened to soldiers and brought their new handheld GPS receiver into feature parity with the commercial market. But, there is a big difference between reality and marketing. We’ll have to wait until units start getting these early next year to hear how well they work in the real world. Regardless of the price, if the MicroDAGR is as easy to use as a Garmin, units won’t shelve them in favor of commercial GPS receivers.
UltraCell XX55 Fuel Cell
October 7th, 2009 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Ultracell’s new XX55 Fuel Cell is a 5.5 lb.(with fuel and external battery pack) generator that can power an Air Force JTAC’s Battlefield Air Operations (BAO) gear quietly for days using only a handful of methanol cartridges. The fuel cell puts out 55 watts at 4 amps (10-30 volts) so by itself, it can run battlefield electronics of all flavors without breaking a sweat. Over the course of a 72-hour mission, the XX55 could reduce battery weight up to 70% since it can run for days, or even weeks, on a single fuel cartridge.
Where the system shines, though, is when it’s teamed up with a power-managing module, like the BPM-602 from Protonex, that automatically manages outgoing and incoming power from its 6 ports. For example, with a PM box the fuel cell can run a laptop, satcom radio, laser designator and a battery charger while supplementing its output from a solar panel, 12v auto adapter and/or some 5590/2590/8180 military batteries.
The liquid methanol fuel cartridges can be refilled in the field and are light and clean, off gassing only water vapor and a trace amount of methanol. The XX55 has an external AA battery instead of an internal power pack (a little power is needed to start the generator) as requested by the military. This is so they don’t have to be concerned with the charge state of an internal, rechargeable battery.
The fuel cell costs $10,000 and the fuel cartridges are $35 a pop from UltraCell.
Mystery Ranch Big Horn
October 7th, 2009 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
The new Mystery Ranch Big Horn is the 3-Day-Assault pack’s big brother. Similar to their recreational Big Sky pack, the militarized bag is decked-out with a “stuffit” pocket (a.k.a. beaver tail), a beefed up suspension system and about 1000 more cubic inches inside for a total of 3000 cubes.
X-Frame is MR’s internal frame system. It consists of a couple of bars that cross and form a stressed frame, holding the pack and it’s contents up. There are a few pockets and a hydration bladder sleeve in the otherwise wide-open main compartment.
Outside, the removable waist pads slip over the waist strap and lock in place with a combination of Velcro and a tri-glide on the pack’s waist belt. The waist belt can be folded and stowed neatly up inside the pack when not needed, but you’ll have to pull the waist pads off to make this happen. As on the 3DA, there’s also PALS webbing on the sides for a couple of extra pouches, water bottle pockets and water resistant zippers.
Weighing in at 5 3/4 pounds, it’s a beefy pack. But, it’s bomber built up in Bozeman, Montana, and backed by a no BS lifetime warranty. The $390 pack just shipped and is available in Multicam, coyote and foliage.
More pics, including the guts, after the jump.
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Ops-Core 2010 Helmet Rail
October 6th, 2009 | Product Announcement | Posted by Rob Curtis
Ops-Core introduced an update to their helmet-mounted rail, so far dubbing it the 2010 Ops-Core Rail. They are aiming to keep the price the same as their older model, around $85, but adding a few more features.
The new rail, shown as a prototype above, has a retractable bungie, Oxygen mask attachment points, chem-bio attachment points, mandible attachment anchors and an auxiliary rear rail for other items like goggles and comm gear.