So this is survival Christmas number two! Sorry I couldn't get this one out sooner, been a busy few weeks. Well it seems we have all
survived the 2012 apocalypse then, oh well, I think we were all
secretly hoping for it. Those who know me well enough to buy me a gift,
I'm sure you've noticed my Amazon wishlist has a bit of a theme. Pretty
much an even mix of survival gear and vinyl records. Apparently even
with the survival gear I still qualify as a hipster. For the most part I
have about all I need (or can afford) for gear. I certainly have way
more than I can carry, so why more? It just seems like every time I feel
like I have it all, I find out about some awesome new thing that must be
mine.
My first gift this year was from my dad, a Smith &
Wesson tactical pen. (Pictured right) There are a few of these types of pens out there,
but I haven't really heard to much about them. The basic idea is an
aluminum pen with a decent point at one end that can be used as a
stabbing implement in a defensive situation. Now hopefully I won't have
to resort to my pen for self defense, but you never know. Ideally I
carry a firearm on my person at all times, but there are dozens of times
a month I would say, where this is not an option. For instance when I
head down to the city, or when at work. Now usually at these times I do
have some kind of weapon on me, generally a knife at all times and the
addition of my Kimber pepper blaster when visiting the five boroughs.
Now the very few times that I would be without either I would say is if I
left my knife at home by accident when I headed to work. This is a
pretty rare occurrence. Being a mechanic I utilize a pocket knife dozens
of times in a day, making my lockback as important to carry as my
wallet. This being said, I like to have at least one backup for every
piece of gear I own, and dual purpose items are a plus. I need a pen at
work anyway, so it might as well have a tactical purpose. Now I know all
of these factors are extremely unlikely to occur all at once, but I
prefer to hedge my bets. So lets assume I head to work and forget my
knife, then head to lunch with some of the guys. For the most part the
guys at work are all into this kinda stuff, but there are a few that
would be unnerved by "lemme just run out to the car and grab my gun." So
in these situations, the weapon is safely locked away (unloaded and
cable locked) in the glove box. In this highly unlikely situation, I
would be completely unarmed. In my youth I would never have had a
problem with this, but a couple pulled back muscles and an old ankle
injury have made me question how well I could really handle myself in a
fight nowadays. Something solid to defend myself with is just as much a
sense of security as it is a real asset, so I'll take it.
First impressions of it are that it feels pretty solid,
with a nice clip that is bolted on with two torx screws. This was one
reason that this model caught my eye. Many of them have a clip that is
attached with a semi-circle of metal that can easily pop loose when
snagged. An issue I constantly run into with Streamlight pen lights.
(more on that in a bit) One surprise was that it had a screw on top,
making the "stabby" end the bottom of the pen. The top unscrews from the
main body of the pen and sits on the pointy bit while writing. At first
glance on the internet it looked like a click or screw type
retractable. Not really an issue that affects performance, but with
daily use it is a little more annoying to be constantly unscrewing the
top to use it. As far as quality it is akin to a decent quality aluminum
flashlight. The screw doesn't have a seal of any kind so submersion in
water probably wouldn't be an option. Though all that would be damaged
is the refill, I won't be checking how well the machined aluminum seals
until I have a refill in hand. The only major disappointment in the pen I
would say is that it's kind of a crappy pen. For stabbing, seems great,
pen part not so much. Writing feels like a cheap-o bic. Admittedly I am
a bit of a snob in this regard, preferring Uni-ball or Pilot Precise
for daily use. Hopefully the refill is a common type, allowing for the
option to upgrade to a fountain or higher quality roller ball.
Overall seems like a good deal, especially since it it only costs about
20 dollars on Amazon. For something like this the thing you need to
consider is that you can't plan for everything, and sometimes you cannot
justify paying a lot for something you will hopefully never use. Until I
hear of someone actually having to use this, there is just no way to
know what the performance will be. All I can put forward is that it's a
working pen, and I would not want someone to stab me with it.
Another
gift I got (also from Dad) Is the Streamlight ProTac 2AA LED
flashlight. (Pictured above) I have owned one in the past but had lost it. I am extremely
happy with pretty much any Streamlight product I have used. I believe I have reviewed them before so I won't be too long
winded with this one. Solid, durable and reliable, you really can't go
wrong with this light. With a 120 lumen max output it is really bright. It has a 1.75
hour run time on the highest setting, 4 hours on the low setting. It
also has a strobe feature and a rubber push button tail cap. Excellent
tactical flashlight and small enough for everyday carry in your pocket.
The only real down side to this light is the clip, if it gets snagged on
something it goes flying. I have had this issue with all of my
penlights from Streamlight. I think I have four or five AAA versions
missing the clip. If you were to use the included nylon holster this
wouldn't be an issue I suppose, but I just have too much crap strapped
to myself already.
With the help of Christmas money I was able
to finally purchase a decent bicycle, something I have wanted for a long
time. A bike is something everyone really should have, It's great
exercise, (something I certainly need) as well as a gasoline free form
of transportation. Just seeing the panic that ensued at the pumps after
hurricane Sandy, I can only wonder what would happen if there was a
national fuel crisis. With my bike I could get back and forth to work
and the store, albeit much more slowly. At about 10 miles it will be a
bit of a haul to work but it is doable. I look forward to giving it a
shot when it gets a bit warmer. When I went to get my bike I had a
Cannondale Quick CX in mind. Msrp was around the 600 dollar mark. What I
really wanted was the higher end one with disc brakes, unfortunately
way out of my price range. So while at the store I asked about some of
the other brands to see if there was something comparable in my price
range. The salesperson suggested a Specialized Crosstrail. All the same
features of the Cannondale I wanted, but below the 600 dollar mark. I
felt the disc brakes were more important than the brand, so after some
quick Googling of reviews on my phone, I went with his suggestion and I
am very happy with it. Riding around the city of Poughkeepsie, the
ability to stop on a dime makes me feel much safer. When selecting a
model, front suspension and slightly aggressive tires were important to
me. I like being able to cut through parks and hop up and over curbs
easily. Though I don't think this particular model would be great on the
trail, it works well for mild off road use. Today after work will be my
first long distance ride, hoping to get 20 miles in before dark.
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