PalmBlaze K2 Flashlight

This is a K2 luxeon LED flashlight powered by two C123 lithium batteries. The light is 4.8'' long with a 1'' diameter. It is quite slim for a two cell light, the body is made of anodized aluminium with a knurled body to aid the grip.

The switch is a clickie with momentary activation possible pressing lightly. The light uses a collimator lens to focus the beam in a very tight spot, this makes the beam appear like a square at close distances it is a light designed for throw with very little sidespill.

The runtime is about 1 hour at maximum brightness and then 3 or 4 extra hours at reduced brightness, how usable this dimmer light is depends on every user, after 4 hours the LED is still on but very dim so we wouldn't say it has any real use except as maybe a locator. If it is used in constant on mode the flashlight body will get very very hot after 10 or 15 minutes of use.

Advertised as a tactical flashlight with 130 lumen we have to say this is not a tactical light and it is not 130 lumen either, our calculations reach about 80 to 85 lumen. To be a tactical light the switch would have to be silent and turn off if the light is dropped, there will have to be an anti-roll mechanism and the body would have to be a stronger aluminium not just simple anodization. This doesn't mean we don't like the light, it is probably a very nice light and for $39 getting a 80 lumen light designed for throw is probably a good deal. It would be even nicer if it wasn't advertised as it is but manufacturers have a strange way to understand their public.

With the new Cree LED lights in the market the PalmBlaze K2 is probably a little outdated it is good thrower light designed to illuminate distant objects with aceptable runtime and a reasonable price but for just a few extra dollars you can get something brighter and with multiple brightness levels.

You can order for $39 from Battery Junction.

Atwood's Mini Son of PryThing

This is a very small tool that can be used as a knife, a pry bar, bottle opener, scraper and nail remover, other uses are possible depending on your imagination.

The MSOPT is about 3 inches long and it's made of S30V steel with a satin finish. As the picture shows the tool is really very small and cute. The blade is sharp and can be used to open boxes, cut wire and other jobs. The bottle opener works perfectly and the front of the tool can be used to pry, scrape, clean and remove nails. The only small detail to remember is not to put your thumb over the blade when you use the bottle opener, unless your thumb is very thick or the blade very dull but the blade comes very sharp from Peter's shop.

The MSOPT comes with a cord handle, either rubber or paracord and it has a hole that can be used for a lanyard. They come with a kydex sheath that is setup for neck carry but can also be used in your keychain, in your backpack or dropped inside one of your pockets.

The blade being sharp means you need to store your MSOPT in the kydex sheath to carry it and while the tool is really small it is not so small with the sheath so it may be a little bulky for your keychain.

In short words this is a very very nice and useful little tool that is not only beautiful and cute but also very strong and does many things very well.

You can read more and order for $80 from Peter Atwood's website.

Scuba Capsule

These are spy/survival capsules with a shape similar to a scuba oxygen tank. They are wider than other capsules being 2'' long with a 3/4'' diameter.

As other capsules this one can be used to store cash, pills, thread and other small items, they are very common for small items when geocaching; the wide body makes them useful for pills that won't fit other capsules and for other round items with a diameter as big as 3/4''.

They are made of aluminium with a rubber o-ring for sealing, so they will be water proof and dunkable. The capsule wall is quite thick so impacts and falls won't damage the capsule and its contents. They are slightly bulky for a keyring but that depends on personal preferences. They come with a split ring and a couple of extra o-rings, if you are going to take them underwater using two o-rings instead of one might be a good idea for extra safety.

If you think about using them as C123 battery holders please check some of the capsules fit a 123 battery and others don't due to minimal finishing details. One detail we liked is that since the capsule is opened near the bottom you can use almost all the volume of the capsule to store mini kits without anything dropping when you open it.

You can order them in red, blue or gun metal silver for $5 each from this website.

Spyderco Spin

The spin is a very small keychain/EDC knife by Spyderco it measures 2 7/16'' (63mm) when closed and it has a 5/8'' (41mm) blade, the total length when opened being 4 1/8'' (105 mm). The total weight is 1.35oz (38gr).

The blade is VG-10 steel with a wharncliff profile maximizing cutting surface for its size. The slightly rounded tip is good for precision cutting and can even work to clean small places or fingernails.

The handle is stainless steel with a laser engraved spider web, grip is good due to the very ergonomic shape of the handle your fingers will be safe from the blade even if you have to put some pressure in the knife. The lock is called an Integral Lock. This is basically a Liner Lock with a twist created by Chris Reeve it uses the the handle scale as the lock’s liner in this way the back of the handle is used as the lock removing the need for internal liners and making the knife very very slim.

The Spin comes with a stainless steel pocket clip that is used to clip the knife tip-down to your pockets and can also work as a money clip if you prefer to use it in that way. There is also a lanyard hole for a wrist lanyard or neck carrying.

A very small knife with an excelent design, solid construction and a surprising ability to cut the spin is a great little knife with a low profile that won't scare anyone. It can look like a stylish accesory or money clip and be used as a serious cutting tool when needed.

You can read more or order for $80 from Spyderco's website.

Titanium Key Tool

This is a very small tool made of Titanium, it is shaped as a door key measuring 2 1/2 inches in length and about 1 inch wide.

The tool can be used as a flat head screwdriver, as a bottle opener and to bend wire. The screwdriver works well. Since the top side of the bottle opener is the screwdriver the suface in contact with the bottle cap will be thin so a little extra force is needed compared to other bottle openers but of course this is not an issue since opening a bottle isn't a task that demans a lot of strength.

Made of titanium the tool is very light and stronger than steel with incredible resistance to corrosion. This property makes this a good tool for boating or environments near the sea where corrosion due to salt water may be a big problem. You can put this tool in your keychain and it won't get rusty. It is a little pricey but Titanium is not a cheap material.

You can order for $25 from this site.

Keychain Lock Picker

This is a very small keychain lock-picking tool measuring just 2.25 inches in length it can go in a keychain and won't be noticed among all the normal keys.

The tool has 3 picks and a mini tension tool. The first pick is a car lock pick, a double sided jiggler pick. The second pick is a double bump rake pick that is good for drawers, padlocks and doors the double bump makes the work faster since the chances of hitting the correct pin are doubled when raking.

The third pick is a feeler pick, with just a single bump to set pins individually, this can be used in more difficult locks or for training to detect the individually setting pins.

The tool comes with a small tension tool that can be removed turning a screw, it is good for tension in small locks but won't work with big sturdy locks. Make sure you don't lose the tension tool because otherwise all the picks become useless.

This small tool can be ordered for $6 from this site.

Boker Trance

The Trance is a folder designed by Chad Los Banos for Boker USA following the succesful line of the Subcom and Rescom folders. The Trance is the big brother in the Los Banos family with a 2.75in blade and a total length of 6.25 inches. The total weight is 3.2 ounces.

The trance follows the Subcom design with a handle that is half zytel and half steel the zytel has a good texture and helps the grip, the half-steel is slippery but I don't think the grip is a problem even when only half of the handle is textured.

To open it the Trance has round metal thumbstuds and a flipper, you can use either the thumbstuds or the flipper to assist the opening. The flipper when opened offers a surface where your index finger can rest and be protected from the blade if you need to push hard on the knife. It's particularly easy to open the knife in a wrist-flick movement using the flipper and closing it is a smooth movement. Users that are familiar with the thumbstuds can of course just ignore the flipper.

The blade made of AUS8 steel is very sharp from the factory and sustains the edge very well after most normal cutting jobs. Sharpening is not a problem with this type of steel.

The lock is a framelock mechanism that holds very well and can be operated with one hand if needed. The Trance has a pocket clip that can be moved for tip-up or tip-down carry, the clip is very strong and long enough to avoid losing the knife but as in the subcom model clipping it to a pocket can be a little harder due to the tension of the clip.

Summarizing the Trance is a very nicely designed folder small enough to be an EDC knife and big enough to perform excellent in typical cutting jobs, the construction is very solid and everything works as expected a great option for its price range.

You can get the Trance from EDCdepot for $30.

SOG CrossGrip

The CrossGrip is a small keychain multi-tool from SOG. When closed the tool is just 2 1/2 inches long. It features SOG's compound leverage coupled with two springs, so the pliers will keep springing back every time you use them.

The pliers are a very particular design not seen in other tools, they work like a powerful lobster clip being a hybrid between needle nose pliers and regular pliers. They have a wire cutter that is quite strong and can also be used as a wire stripper. With the leverage system and the springs you can apply a lot of force to this small pliers and they will resist, we can say they are really excellent for their size.

To access the tools you have to open the CrossGrip. In one of the hanldes it has tweezers, a flat style screwdriver and a small knife with a chisel style grind. These tools work very well, the screwdriver being strong enough for some light prying and scrapping jobs. The second handle features a nail file, bottle opener, eyeglass screwdriver and philips screwdriver. These tools are all very good except the philips screwdriver that is too small and the head is too round to be used effectively. Finally the tool also has a lanyard hole and a ruler.

The CrossGrip offers a very particular set of pliers of excellent quality and a nice set of additional tools in a very small package, a very interesting option as a keychain multitool. It has many similarities with the leatherman micra, changing the scissors for pliers in the SOG.

You can read more at SOG's website and order for $28 from KnifeCenter.