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.

Lumapower F1

The F1 is a stylish single cell light using a Seoul P4 LED powered by a single AA battery.

The F1 is constructed using a aluminium body and reflector and over this another strong aluminium layer with inserts. This makes the light good looking and helps dispate heat.

The F1 can use any AA battery including alkaline, lithium, NiMh rechargeable and 3.7v 14550 batteries as well. The brightness is around 60 lumen with a normal AA and might go up to 70 using a 14550 rechargeable battery.

The body is very well constructed with knurling near the head and a glow ring that helps finding the light in the darkness after exposure to a light source. The reflector is made of aluminium and produces a very smooth beam. The lens is a saphire window with anti-reflective coating.

The light is not regulated it will last for about 1 hour at full brightness and then drop down being usable for about 3 to 4 hours getting dimmer as the battery is consumed. The switch is a twisty, twist to turn on and untwist to turn it off. The total length is 3.39'' (8.6cm) with a hole in the tailcap to add a lanyard or a split ring. The light can stand on its tail for candle mode and surprisingly the head and reflector can be removed to use it as a lantern providing 360 degree illumination in a room.

We have the impression that the F1 is a light designed and manufactured with a lot of quality, there are little nice details in terms of design and usability everywhere. It is probably not the Ferrari of AA lights but a good formula 1 car.

You can order the F1 from BatteryJunction for $47.45

Princeton Tec EOS Headlamp

The EOS is a LED headlamp using a 1 watt luxeon LED powered by 3 AAA batteries.

It has 4 modes of operation, maximum brightness, medium, low and blinking mode. The modes are selected using a single switch at the top of the lamp head, press once to turn on in maximum mode, press again for medium, press again for low mode, again for blinking mode and again to turn off. If you let the light on for about 2 seconds a press will just turn it off, it won't switch modes.

The EOS can load either alkaline, rechargeable NiMh or lithium batteries, the runtime is 6 hours in maximum brightness, 12 hours in medium and 60 hours in the low mode. The blinking mode is useful for signaling or attracting attention and can be used for 50 hours.

One of the nice things about the EOS is that the output is regulated, regardless of the battery status the brightness will be constant at each selected level. A heat control mechanism prevents the LED from overheating if that happens the EOS automatically goes down to a lower brightness level.

The beam is strongly focused for throw, so even with a 1 watt LED the EOS will perform very well outdoors being able to illuminate your path and reach distant objects, for indoors activities or camping you will probably be better with a lower brightness setting since a strong hotspot will not be needed. According to the manufacturer the EOS is weather resistant and can be used up to 1 meter below water.

The headlamp is very easy to use and confortable weighting only 105gr you put it on and forget it is there, can run for a long time and is bright enough to compete with bigger and bulkier lamps in outdoor hiking and other activities. Definitively a very good option if you need a headlamp.

You can read more and order for about $35 from Princetontec's website.

Maxpedition Three by Five

The three by five is a small pouch by Maxpedition measuring as it name suggests 5'' by 3'' with 1.5'' of depth. The pouch is designed to be carried and attached as an accesory pouch to a backpack or a bigger bag but it can also be certainly be used as a standalone element.

The 3x5 has two compartments accesible via zippers, there is also a flat small unzippered pocket at the front that can be good for a card or some cash.

The main compartment's zipper can be secured with a button-lock to avoid unintentional opening of the pouch. At the back of the pouch there are modular attachment loops for a belt or to attach the pouch to something else using Malice clips.

The construction in reinforced Nylon is extremely strong, the zippers run very well and seem to be extremely strong. The pouch is good to carry a GPS, a small digital camera or some accesories that need quick access from outside of a backpack. It can also be used to carry accesories from a belt loop.

It is available in black, green, khaki and ACU camo for $20. Check it or order from Maxpedition.

Nalgene Travel Kit

This is a small travel kit from Nalgene designed to carry some personal items such as shampoo, perfume or maybe your preferred sauce complying to air travel regulations.

The kit contains 6 flasks, the blue cap bottle fills 1/2 ounze, the red cap is 2 ounces, the green cap is also 2 ounzes, the square flask is 1 ounces and the two straight sided bottles hold 1 ounce each.

The bottles are made of very strong plastic and are tested to be leak proof even with changes of pressure as expected when traveling by plane.

Each bottle in the kit can withstand temperatures from -100ºC (-148ºF) to 120ºC (248ºF) and they can be cleaned in the dishwasher without problems.

A good kit for travelers and a good set of flasks or bottles for your EDC kits.
You can read more and order for $8 from Nalgene.

GP-4L Shortwave Digital Radio

The GPL4 is a very small multi-band radio. It features AM, FM and 2 bands of Shortwave (SW) reception.

The radio has a digital display that shows the time when the radio is off or the selected radio station in digital mode when the radio is on, you can also program an alarm that will turn on the radio at the specified time so it works as an alarm clock or travel clock.

There is also a small LED at the top that can be used as a flashlight if you need some light at night or in an emergency.
The station is selected with a knob on the side and displayed in the small LCD display, a red led turns on when the reception is clear, another knob controls the volume.

The internal speaker is ok but you can also use headphones and then FM can be listened in stereo mode. The antenna is telescopic and works in the reception of both FM and SW bands, for AM the internal ferrite antenna does the job.

The dimensions are 3.4" X 2.55" X .83" and the total weight without the batteris is 85 grams. Small enough for a shirt pocket. The radio can use two AA batteries or be plugged to a 3.5v powersource (not included). The runtime is about 150 hours for the radio and about 70 hours for the flashlight (mutually exclusive).

It is a very small radio with nice features and good reception, there is also an optional larger antenna for improved SW reception if needed. The construction quality and performance are really good from our tests.

You can get it from CountyComm for $25.