Month: August 2022

When I published my Deka review, I mentioned at the end of that review rumors of a forthcoming version with Magnacut steel. This is my review for that version. It is most excellent, but has one glaring tradeoff you need to be aware of.

That said, those who want a knife and don’t want to think about which to get or spend a bunch of money — this is that knife. It’s great.

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I don’t talk about cars too often here, but I love cars. I love to drive, and I love everything silly about cars. I had hoped that when I leased my last car (2019 BMW 540i) by the time I would get my next car, EVs would be viable. They were not, at least not for me, and I think not for many people — they are certainly at a turning point, perhaps next cycle.

So instead of an EV I got one of the most non-EV cars out there: a 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 with 6.2L V8. Yeah.

Thing is, this is one of my favorite cars I have ever owned, and I want to share with you why.

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Note: Mystery Ranch provided this backpack for review.

I’ve had the Blitz 30 for quite some time now, and I’ve used it in a wide variety of scenarios. It’s a bag which really surprised me for how versatile it can be. While this is a new offering it is along the same lines of the popular 2 Day Assault — which means it has many of the lessons Mystery Ranch has learned in all its various military bags, but distilled into a more affordable offering for those not going to literal war zones.

I really like a lot of things about this bag, but there are nuances and caveats here. Like the 2 Day Assault, you’ll need to first be good with the military vibes, but if you are, then you are left with a really nice bag and one which more easily spans a wide gambit of use than the 2 Day Assault.

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It’s no secret I love Filson gear, I’ve been buying and reviewing their stuff for years now. Current Filson gear has two lines these days, and one of those lines is the Dryden lineup of bags/accessories. These are Filson designs made overseas, and primarily with Nylon materials and only small touches of the classic Filson materials.

They are less expensive, but in the same way the the entry level Porsche is less expensive — factually correct, practically not worth being the reason alone to purchase. Here, I have been testing a Filson Dryden Backpack which I picked up in great condition second hand.

I’m torn on this bag. It’s quite good, even very nice in many ways, and yet at the same time it is not at all for me. This is a quick look as I didn’t spend extended time with this bag, but publishing because it is worth considering for some.

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I had an older Preon (P2) for years, and it was one of those lights that I never really loved, never really hated, but always found useful. I snagged the current Preon P1 mkIII in HAIII Black to check out with the goal of trying to find something which walks a fine line: small, tail switch, and nice to carry. That’s not as easy to find as you might think, but this light might have perfected it.

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This is a special edition version of the Terrain 365 Caiman Slipjoint, done in partnership with the SPD part of Prometheus Design Werx, here’s the product page. I’ve always thought these were cool knives, and I snagged this knife second hand to try out.

The big thing about these knives is that the blade isn’t steel. It’s cobalt. And it, well the marketing is a lot, this is my first go with something like this. Let’s talk about it all.

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