Zippo Hand Warmer

This is a handwarmer from the world famous lighter company Zippo. It is a reusable warmer based in the Zippo lighter fluid.

To use it you fill it with the lighter fluid, then light it up with a lighter (Zippo for example) and close it; you store it in a pouch that comes with the warmer and put it in your pockets. The warmer will quickly start producing heat and it will continue working for about 24 hours per refill.

The refilling process is simple and the fluid is widely available for Zippo lighters and that makes this really reusable compared to other warmers that need a special fuel or more preparation to work.

The amount of heat generated is quite good without being hot enough to produce burns or problems, the way the warmer burns the fuel without the generation of flames and fumes is a mistery but we can say it works perfectly well.

You can read more and order for $30 from Zippo.

GI Angle Head Flashlight

This is a new version of the classic military angle head flashlight. The light is powered by two lithium C123 batteries and has a Xenon incandescent lamp as the primary ilumination source, it also has a secondary light source consisting on two white 5mm Leds below the bezel in the light body.

The switch is used to activate either the incandescent beam, the LEDs or both at the same time. Runtime is about 1 hour with the incandescent and 10 hours with the LEDs. The light is not regulated so the incandescent beam becomes dimmer as the batteries are used.

At the bottom of the light you can find three retractable stand legs. The legs can be used to make the light stand over a flat surface for ambient ilumination, reading, etc.

There is a pocket clip in the back that is strong and can be used to clip the light from a shoulder strap, vest, belt or a backpack.

The light is provided with 3 filters, red, blue and yellow but they can't be stored in the light itself and that is a disadvantage compared to other angle-head lights. The body is constructed in aluminium and plastic, the construction is good without being outstanding. The light is 6.5'' long and weights 6.6oz so.

The beam focus can be adjusted from a tight spot to a more floody beam useful as a task light, it is bright enough for the usual tasks for an angle-head light, illuminates well the path when walking and is also useful as a task light inside a tent or a building. The LEDs are particularly useful when the main beam is not needed to save battery power and lifetime from the incandescent bulb.

An interesting angle-head light that is probably a very good option if you are looking for this kind of flashlight. You can read more and order from Brigade Quartermasters for $59.

JezeBra Pill Fobs

This pillfob is one from the many available designs at Jazebra. The fob is made of medical grade stainless steel. The fob we tested was 12mm in diameter by 50mm long, enough for about 6 or 7 standard sized aspiring tablets.

The fob has o-ring seals to make it water proof and airtight, the construction is very solid and sleek. The stainless steel attachment point is good for a keychain or neck carry, there is no paint to wear if carried in a keychain.

There are models ranging from mini fobs for neck carry to larger capsules that can be used for survival kits or as a water tight container for different things.

You can read more and check the different models following this link. Prices from $18.

Cyber Snipa Dog Tags

This novelty item combines a USB pendrive with a flashlight and a multi-tool in the shape of a dogtag chain.

The tool comes shaped as a dogtag with a chain, intended for neck carry but can certainly be used in a keychain with a shorter chain or a splitring.

The USB drive has 512MB of capacity and slides in and out from the tag. It has a normal transfer rate, nothing exceptional but is not bad either.

From the "case" sides 3 small tools can be opened, a small set of pliers, a flat screwdriver and a bottle opener. The small tools are fine, a little fragile but they are not intended as power tools.

The flashlight is activated pushing a button, it is not very bright but works if you need a light in a hurry and have this handy.

You can read more and order for $54 from this site.

JetScream Whistle

The JetScream is a survival whistle from Ultimate Survival, a company that has created and designed several interesting survival products.

The Jetscream is big (2.3 inches long) and flat, it has two holes to thread a cord thru like the picture shows so, it is a very good whistle for neck carry, but it is probably a little big for a keychain. It can also be carried from a backpack, a shoulder strap or just in your pocket. As a zipper pull it is too big. Remember the whole idea of carrying a whistle is to have it available in an emergency situation so neck carry is probably the best approach.

In order to produce the sound you don't need to use a lot of force, the harder you blow the louder it will sound so while it can certainly be used by small children it will not sound as loud as what an adult can do. The sound is quite acute and piercing, the frequency when tested resulted particularly good in windy situations and it was also good enough to be noticeable in an urban noisy scenario.

The JetScream doesn't have a pea so it will work without a problem if wet and the plastic material won't be a problem if the weather is very cold. The construction is very strong, we don't think the whistle can be damaged by hits or scratches and pressure will not crush it due to the flat design. It is a real solid whistle.

In conclusion the Jetscream is a loud whistle, bigger than other whistles we have tested but the flat design makes it useful. The sound is very good and met our expectations.

You can read more from UltimateSurvival or order for $5 from EDC depot.

Nite Ize S-Biner

The S-Biner is a double gated thin carabiner from Nite-Ize, the biner is available in 3 sizes. Size 2 "small" is 2 x 7/8 inches and can load up to 10lb (4.5k). Size 3 is 2 5/8 x 1 1/8 inches and can load up to 25lb (11k). Size 4 is 3 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches and can load up to 75lb (33k).

The gates operate smoothly enough to be easy to open and close but have enough strength to prevent being opened by accident. The double gate is useful in several ways, you can use one gate for your keychain items and the other as an attachment point or you can use the s-biner to connect items together.

The biggest problem we had with the s-biners is that even the smallest one is a little bulky for what we like in a keychain or to hang from a belt loop, they are quite noticeable. A smaller version would probably be better for a keychain, since the sizes offered are 2, 3 and 4 maybe there is a size 1 planned for a near future.

If the sizes are good to you the product is nice, works as expected and seems to be solid enough to live up to the specifications. Remember this is not a climbing product, just an accesory.

You can read more in Nite-Ize's website and you can get them from $2.99 in black, silver or spectrum colors from ZBattery.

NiteIze 1Watt LED Upgrade and IQ switch

NiteIze is popular for their Led dropin upgrade kit for MiniMags, the old version used 3 5mm LEDs, this new kit uses a single 1 watt LED. The IQ switch replaces the tailcap and provides a tailcap button and many new modes for your minimag.

Installation of the kit is fairly simple. For the LED upgrade you replace the bulb with the led, then you also have to replace the reflector with the included new reflector, both things are very easy. The switch just replaces the tailcap.

Once installed the IQ switch provides the following modes: maximum brightness (1 click), 50% brightness (2 clicks), 25% brightness (3 clicks), fast strobe (4 clicks) and slow strobe (5 clicks). The switch can also be used for momentary operation (press switch and hold,release to turn off). With the switch installed the light will turn off automatically after 15 minutes without a button pressed, this can be very good or very bad depending on your personal taste. The last interesting feature of the switch is that it has a locator red led that blinks every couple of seconds to locate the light in the dark, this is always on unless you "lock" the flashlight unscrewing the bezel partially. When the light is locked the switch does not operate.

The 1 watt LED is a lot brighter than the old NiteIze upgrade kit and is also brighter than other upgrade kits we have tested, it is certainly not near the brightness of the new MiniMag Led since the new light is a 3 watt led and this one is just 1 watt. The beam can still be adjusted/focused with the light bezel.

This is a good upgrade kit for a MiniMag, the LED upgrade is good and bright and the IQ switch adds some useful modes to the light.

You can read more and order for $20 from Nite-Ize's website.

Swiss Army Watches Night Vision Line

The Night Vision line of Swiss Army watches is a flashlight-watch hybrid. The small bulge you see in the 12 position is a LED flashlight activated by the button at the left of the watch.

One press of the left button illuminates the dial, a second quick press activates the frontal flashlight for 2 and a half minutes, you can turn it off pressing the button at any time, a third quick press activates a strobe mode for signaling. If you press and hold from off the flashlight will be on for 2 and a half minutes, this is called a quick search mode. Finally there is a very small red LED at the 6 o'clock marker that blinks every 10 seconds, this helps finding your watch in the dark if it is not on your wrist, or finding your wrist if you lose it.

The watch has two batteries, one for the watch and another one for the flashlight so if you use the flashlight a lot your watch won't be affected. There is also a LED light for the dial and the hands are luminous. The rest is just a simple quartz movement watch with date. Water resistance is up to 3atm the band is rubber integrated to the watch dial so it may be hard to replace.

You can browse SwissArmy.com or yur preferred watch dealer for different models and prices of this line.