First Monkey's Fist!

I just finished my first ever monkey's fist!  I followed Stormdrane's video on YouTube.  Though it was all visual (Stormdrane didn't speak or anything), it was the only video where I could actually see where the rope was being looped through.  10 minutes later, I have my first monkey's fist!

Yay!  :)

Smith and Wesson Extreme Ops CK113S

It's Presidents' Day weekend.  So by all means, sales all around!  This weekend, Big 5 had a sale on a few of their Smith and Wesson knives.  I decided to stop in for a peek (the ad didn't really specify which models, or rather, I didn't look closely enough).  I've been quite happy with my S.W.A.T. for a light to medium duty knife so I figured, at $10.00, why not check out what they have to offer.

When I came in, I wasn't really impressed with any of the knives until the Extreme Ops one twinkled in the corner of my eye.  Yep.  It twinkled.  :P  That's 'cause it's got a stainless steel handle covered in black aluminum.  I'd asked the guy at the counter if I could handle it and I was very surprised at how lightweight it is.  I don't have a scale so I can't comment on that.  But it's really light.

It also features a liner lock, which I really like.  I've been playing with frame locks recently and I'm not sure if it's a feature of /all/ frame locks or not, but I found them hard to close, though very sturdy.

These are bad pictures and I'll need to retake them in better lighting... but you can make out the colors there.  :)

The other thing that caught my attention was the small blade size.  I've been looking for a nice EDC knife that would stay below most if not all of my state and local (including university) knife carry laws and will also take care of light-medium duty work.  This one fits the bill, falling at about 3" long.  It's also got dual thumb studs and a nice pocket clip.

I was a little sad that they didn't have the plain edged one (model CK113), but that's okay.  This drop point (?) blade with the half serration looks pretty cool.

I'd like to note here that the blade wasn't sharp out of the box.  But after running it through the ceramic sharpener a couple of times, it was razor sharp and cut through paper like there's no tomorrow.  Maybe not sharp enough to shave, but I don't believe I've ever gotten a blade that sharp yet...

Upon checking it out online, most of the stores carry these for about $10.00 and a couple dollars for shipping.  So it wasn't truly a bargain.  I know Big 5 always runs "sales" and the MSRP really isn't the MSRP.  But I do like frequenting their sales simply because of instant gratification.  I really hate shipping times.

I don't know if it's because of the light-weight-ness of the knife overall or not, but I'm not QUITE as happy with this knife as I am with the S.W.A.T.  Somehow the S.W.A.T. just feels more robust.  Even the blade - maybe because even that weighs more?  I think the blade on the S.W.A.T. is thicker too, but I'll have to check another day.  But I'm still fairly satisfied with it.  I'm particularly happy that this knife flicks open with such ease!  I've never had a knife that flicks open this easily before.  :)  And it's wicked fast too.

UPDATE (20 February 2012):
Now that I've been playing with it for a while... I still like it.  However, I think I'm going to need to tighten the screw at the pivot point.  It's nice that the blade flips out so easily.  And the liner lock does a remarkable job at keeping the blade locked.  And there is no blade play whatsoever.  BUT.  For whatever reason, when pushing the liner lock out of the way to close, I think the blade's a little too loose and just falls.  There's no friction between it and the handle as I'm used to on my S.W.A.T.

UPDATE (02 March 2012):
I think I'm a little over this knife now.  It's still a nice little knife to have around, but I'm not impressed by the blade material.  It doesn't hold an edge very well.  S.W.A.T. does a better job at that.

New Micro Pocket Knife! :)

haha I was just hanging around in my room when my dad came in, held out his hand (fist? it was closed), and told me to put out my hand.  I was scared (thinking it was a bug or something!) and hesitated.  But finally I put out my hand.  He dropped a teeny tiny pocket knife into my hand!  It's so cute!

Closed, it's about 1.5 inches.

Opened, its about 2.5 inches with a 1 inch blade.  :D  Adorable!

I think this one's actually smaller than the Spyderco but, which measures 2.8-ish opened with a 1.3 inch blade.  I still want the Spyderco Bug, but this one's too cute not to post about it.  :P  I have no idea what brand this is (if any) but I'm pretty sure it was a "salvage" from the local swap meet.  My dad's always going out there on weekends just to walk around and see what he can find.

Gerber Essentials Kit Review

So I got some good news the other day... I'm graduating from junior college at the end of this semester with two degrees - one in Natural Sciences and another in Chemistry.  :D  And to celebrate?  I looked into some new knives (I'm thinking of grabbing the Smith and Wesson S.O.R.T. from Budk.  My brother actually came home with this kit for me yesterday while I was sick in bed.

For a measly $24.95 and CA tax (from Frys), the Gerber Essentials Kit comes with the Gerber Paraframe I (silver, half serrated/half plain), the Tempo keychain flashlight, and a sheath for everything to go in.

I like the Suspension multitool/scissors.  It has got the same setup as the Clutch, but with scissors instead of pliers.  I like the size of these multitools - they're small enough to do most jobs and easily fits into my purse without taking up too much space or adding too much weight.  

The Tempo flashlight is pretty bright for something that runs on only 1 AAA battery.  It actually didn't come with a jumpring at the end; I'd taken that off of my Maglite Solitaire.  The Tempo has definitely taken the place of that damned Solitaire.  I know there are better keychain flashlights out there, but this one's good enough.  I don't really plan on getting anything "better" (or more expensive) so long as this one holds up.  The body is 2.75".  I wish they had the twist on/off mechanism at the head of the light rather than at the end - I have a feeling that it may turn on on its own from bumping into my keys and drain the battery without my knowledge.

The Paraframe I is nothing particularly special.  I already do own the Paraframe Mini.  The skeletal design makes it very lightweight - but may be prone to snagging onto items if you toss it in your bag or have other items in your pocket..  The framelock mechanism allows the entire knife to be very thin.  When I'd first gotten it out of the package, it was VERY hard to get the blade out.  I definitely will not be able to flick it open for quite some time.  After watching an hour of House M.D. and mindlessly opening and closing it though, I can at least now open it with the thumbstub.

I hadn't yet played with the blade itself.  But it seems alright.  The mini's kinda sucks - I had used it to open the clamshell packaging of the Essentials Kit and had some trouble.  On the other hand, my 10 year old Victorinox Classic (which resides on my keyring/carabiner) hasn't been sharpened since day one and can still glide through clamshell packaging like butter.

When I'd first gotten the Paraframe Mini, the clip was EXTREMELY tight.  I couldn't even get a piece of paper under it let alone clip it on my pocket.  It was even hard to lift it with my finger.  So by all means, I had left it on my SAR Go-Bag untouched this past year as a backup knife.  Yesterday though, my dad took a look at it and pried the clip up with a flathead.  Now I can clip it onto my pants pocket with ease but it's still strong enough that I can go about my business without worrying that it'll unclip itself and get lost.  Since the clip is now usable, I'm thinking of carrying the Mini around as my EDC knife since it's the perfect size for my use.  I've yet to ever need a larger blade - heck, I've done pretty well with just the Victorinox Classic for some number of years now.  :)

All in all, I'm pretty happy with it.  We'll see how the blade holds up.  I'm not quite sure if I'd use any of these as an EDC knife, but we'll see.  :)  Some people seem happy with it.  I hope it lives up to what little expectations I have for it though; the Paraframe looks nice, is lightweight, and is of legal carrying limit in my state and county.

My Current EDC :)

It's been some time since my last post now.  I believe previously I'd written about my mini pocket first aid kit.  :D  Well, I'd always been interested in the idea of "EDC" (Every Day Carry) and making those PFAKs just made me go back and research more into it.

School's started, so my EDC is a bit different, but I think I'd finally narrowed down to a true (albeit, "urban") EDC that works for me.

Housed within an old makeup bag, I have:

Ziplock #1 (3x5"):  OTC Medications

• Advil - 1 packet (2 ct tablets)
• Pepto Bismol (chewable) - 4 tabs
• Benadryl (liquid gels) - 2 tabs
• Claritin, 10 mg - 2 tabs
• Zyrtec - 2 tabs
• Tums - 1 roll (8 ct chewables)

Along with these medications are scans their Drug Facts just in case I forget the dosage.  And why the selection of allergy medications?  Some people, including myself, react to each type differently.  Some don't affect me whatsoever and others are quite effective.  Because Benadryl does make me drowsy, I keep that on hand in the case that I have allergies at night when I'm staying away from home.

Ziplock #2 (3x3"):  Super Glue

• gel - 1 ct
• liquid - 1 ct

Why super glue?  It comes in pretty handy!  Just yesterday, my brother showed up during lunch time with a broken flash diffuser on our Nikon D40.  Super glue to the rescue!  It's also great for small cuts where a bandage can't get to (surgeons even use this stuff for sealing minor cuts), though I've never actually done so.  The gel and liquid types are best for different materials, so be sure to check that out.  The packages I get from the Dollar Tree have that information on the back of each baggie.  By the way, they're only $1.00 for a pack of 3 there.  :)  They haven't failed me yet!  They work just as well as others, I've noticed.

Ziplock #3 (3x5"):  PFAK (Pocket First Aid Kit)

• antibacterial wipe - 1 ct
• alcohol wipes - 2 ct
• antibacterial bandage (standard size) - 1 ct
• fabric bandage (standard size) - 1 ct
• bacitracin (sealed in straws) - 1 ct (and again, made by way of Brian)

Ziplock #4 (3x3"):  Feminine Products

• liners - 2 ct
• tampons - 3 ct (one of each, ladies)

And the final items housed in the makeup bag is a package of pocket tissues and a small case of floss picks and interdental brushes.  :D

I love having everything in separate ziplock baggies since it makes it easier to find items since they're more or less "categorized."  And then all of those items are stored in the larger makeup bag for easy access rather than sprawled in my bag or backpack.  Plus, the modular goodness of it all makes it easier to transfer said items between bags.  :D  Admittedly, there are still some items I can pack in there (so far the whole thing takes up only a space of less than 5x7x1"), but a lot of it would be redundant considering the other things I'd need in a typical day is already carried on my person in one form or another... such as having a small bottle of hand sanitizer clipped to the outside of my bag.  :)

I have no doubt that this setup will change time and time again.  But for now, I think those are my basics and I'm quite happy with what I've got so far.  :)

PICTURES SOON!  :)


UPDATE (17 February 2012):

It's a long weekend and I'm sick in bed.  Gives me all the more time to update, right?  :)  And here is the picture of my current EDC set up, minus the bag that everything is contained in:

I'd also taken the liberty of adding a full 0.5 ounce tube of ointment rather than dealing with the little straw containers.  I figured for this bag, there's no need to minimize it.