Micro Jet Torch

The Micro-Jet is a buthane torch with piezoelectric ignition. The really interesting thing is that this torch can use a disposable buthane lighter as a cartridge if no lighter is available it can use a refillable cartridge also included.

Not all the disposable lighter brands will fit but the following ones do: Scripto/Toaki (Mighty Match, Ultralite, Vesta, Graffiti) or Calico (Jeweltones) and others might fit if they have the same size. Bic lighters do not fit.

Using the buthane in the disposable lighter as fuel the micro-jet will produce a very hot blue flame that will be wind resistant and will be able to light and melt many different things.

The torch can be used in any application where a strong flame is needed, cooking, melting, paint removal, hobbies, jewelry etc. It is also good for camping and outdoor activities since the strong wind resistant flame will be able to light a fire with less effort than a normal disposable lighter. Refills are as cheap and easy to get as getting a lighter that fits.

We liked the ability to use the torch for projects and hobbies without worrying about fuel running out, you can always have some lighters as cheap refills.

The runtime is aproximately 20 minutes with a normal "charge" and the flame burns at about 1300C (2400F) the size is 4.3" x 2.6" x 1" (11 x 6.6 x 2.5 cm). It works great to fuse paracord and melt plastic.

You can order for $20 from Cabelas.

Grundig Mini 300 Portable Radio

This is a portable tri-band radio capable of receiving SW, AM and FM transmissions.

The radio has a LCD display to show the selected band and station, this display does not have a backlight. The antenna is telescoping. Short Wave reception is very good, you can pick most of the World Wide SW stations without any problems including clock signals and others, AM reception is also very good and FM is fine.

You can listen using the built-in mono speaker or for FM radio you can listen in stereo using the included earbuds.

The 6.6 x 2.5 cm radio radio uses two AA batteries and weights only 4.7 oz. Besides the radio it has a sleeping timer to auto turn off the radio after a programmed time and also a radio alarm that will turn the radio on on your preferred station at a given time. The package includes earbuds a carrying pouch and a SW listening guide.

The radio has nice features and very good reception, SW reception can be improved adding a coil antenna clipped to the telescoping antenna but we don't think that is a need unless your station of choice has very bad reception, for most SW stations tried the radio was clear, sometimes the frequency that you have to tune in the LCD display is not exactly the frequency of the station so keep trying.

You can order online from REI for $30.

Fenix L1DCE

The Fenix L1DCE is a Cree LED flashlight powered by a single AA battery, the switch is a reverse clickie in the tailcap. This light has different levels of operations and a particular dual-mode operation.

There are two modes of operation for this flashlight: Normal and Turbo selected by twisting the head of the light from one position to the other. In normal mode you can use the light in 4 different modes: low, medium, high and SOS you switch modes pressing the tailcap switch halfway going from low to medium, then high and then SOS. In Turbo mode there are two modes: turbo and strobe, switching between modes in the same way as before: with a light press of the tailcap switch.

The light is made of grade III anodized aluminium, excellent to resist hits and impacts of any kind and to avoid getting scratched if carried in a keychain. It can stand on its tail to be used in candle mode for room illumination. O-rings make the light water resistant and dunkable. The lens is coated with an anti-reflective treatment. With 9.7 cm is not exactly a keychain light but can be used in a keychain if you want.

The brightness and runtime depends on the mode of operation, from 9 lumen and 25 hours of runtime in low to 90 lumen and 1.5 hours of runtime using the turbo mode. An electronic circuit provides regulation so the brightness of the light will be constant for the selected mode regardless of the state of the battery.

There is a version of this light: the L2DCE that takes 2 AA batteries using the same head so the L1DCE can be used with a rechargeable 3.7v 14500 battery. With the 14500 battery the light can reach up to 130 lumen and it is still a single cell battery but you will lose some of the low level modes until the battery voltage drops and the regulation circuit kicks back. This incredible output shows the amazing efficiency of the Cree LED able to produce an incredible amount of light with a single battery and very respectable runtime performance.

The beam is a combination of throw and sidespill with some noticeable rings so it won't be a pure white beam when shined over a wall. Due to the many modes and the brightness this light is both useful for outdoor and indoor activities doubling as a light that can reach far when outside and as a nice tasklight in low mode inside.

An amazing light capable of producing a lot of light with a single AA battery and capable of producing an incredible amount of light with a 14500 battery.

You can order for $52.50 from Fenix-Store.

HighGear Adventure Plus

This is a multipurpose tool that can be used as a mini survival kit. It has several elements; the two sliding orange wings have a 5x magnifying glass in one wing and a mirror in the other.

The front of the tool is a white LED flashlight, next to it there is a digital thermometer that can display temperature in Celcius or Farenheit. The next element is a liquid filled floating dial compass, at the end opposite the LED light there is a whistle.

In the bottom the tool has a dry storage compartment, that is long and flat so it is useful for matches, some very thin tinder and maybe a folder bill or some paper. Pills may or may not fit depending on their size.

The tool weights 2 oz (56g) and measures 4 3/8'' x 1 1/2'' x 3/4'' (11.1 x 3.8 x 1.9 cm). The flashlight and thermometer are powered by two CR1616 coin cell batteries.

Compared to other similar tools with several elements this seems to be a of a higher quality, the compass is very good, the thermometer works perfectly and the dry compartment is very useful. The whistle is ok to signal for attention and the magnifier works fine and can be used to start a fire if aimed carefully. The mirror is not really suitable for serious signaling.

This is a nice tool offering a good selection of tools, most of them will be probably used as backups for your bigger more serious tools but they can certainly work if needed.

You can read more at the product page or order for $20 from REI.

Fred Perrin Concepts Defensive Pen

This is a pen created by Knife maker Fred perrin to double as a defensive weapon.

When the pen is closed the metal body can be inmediately used as a kubaton or impact device, this is also valid for other pens but this one is built and designed not to break in pieces if you use it as a impact tool. The pen weights 25 grams if that is important to you.

If you open the pen removing the cap you will see that the cap has a very acute angle of contact with the body, this acute angle can be used as a cutting weapon and might really produce a lot of damage, this is affectionly known as a DNA sampler.

When you are not trying to save yourself from a fight with the bad guys you can use the pen to write notes, it writes well and it uses standard ink cartridges that are easy to get for refills.

The pocket clip is short but strong, not good for a jeans pocket but certainly fine for a shirt pocket or a notepad.

You can get it for $20 from this site.

Sister Clips

Sister Clips are simple attaching devices commonly used in boating for ropes but also interesting for keychains and EDC items.

Each clip has two holes, one of them with a small opening in the side, you can match the openings of two clips to attach them, once attached the clips will not dettach unless someone specifically moves the clip to make the holes match again. They are very easy to attach and dettach but very secure since accidental release is almost impossible.

The clips are made of grade 316 and 305 stainless steel the bigger one has a ferruled attaching hole, measures 1 7/16'' and weights just .4 oz, the eye diameter is 13/32 inch, this clip is able to resist up to 550lbs of weight. The small one is 15/16 inch with an eye of 9/32 inch and works up to 150lbs.

These clips are very practical to attach items to a keychain or other places, you just have to put one of the clips attached to your device and the other attached to the keychain, backpack or other attachment point.

You can get them for $2.10 (small one) or $3.40 (big one) from this site.

Trascend USB Drives

This is a new line of very thin and small USB drives, available in 1Gb, 2Gb and 4Gb of storage space.

The drive is 42.6 x 16mm and it's only 3.1mm thin. The total weight is less than 2gr so the drive is virtually weightless. The drive as many others connects directly to a USB 2.0 port without needing drivers in modern operating systems (XP, etc). It comes with a hole to attach a neck strap or lanyard.

It comes with some pre-installed software like PC-Lock, Zip, AES encryption, Email, Autologin and backup a good set of useful utilities for this type of drive. The transfer rate is 10Mb/sec reading and 2MB/sec writing, the manufacturer ensures data retention up to 10 years.

The 1gb model is $16, the 2gb model $25 and the 4gb model $43 and you can order from Trascend.

Microfix Personal PLB

The Microfix is a portable and small PLB, a PLB is a personal locator beacon, an emergency device to get located and rescued in case of emergency.

The PLB works transmitting a message in the 406Mhz frequency with a registered digital distress signal along with a 121.5MHZ SAR homing frequency. The signal can be picked up by satellites and transmited to a mission control center, the signal is then localized and a Search and rescue operation is organized. The SAR team use the 121.5mhz or the 406mhz signal to locate the PLB precisely.

As you can see a PLB is only to be used in real emergencies and not for any non-emergency purpose every time you activate the PLB a Search and Rescue operation will be organized spending time and money to save you.

Activation is easy, deploy the antenna to reveal on/off activation button and hold it for one second. The runtime is about 40 hours, more than enough to transmit the signal. The case is waterproof and built of highly resistant plastic to survive impacts.

For people that are frequently in risky locations or that need to work alone in the outdoors a PLB is the most effective way to get located and rescued in an emergency, some time ago PLBs were very bulky and expensive but today as we can see in this model they are getting to a very reasonable size. This unit is 1.25 x 5.81 x 2.31 in (3.71 x 14.75 x 5.8 cm) and weights 10oz (285gr) price is still expensive but this is a device that can certainly save your life.

You can read more at ACR's website.