Category: Review

Scot’s Product Review: Alien Gear Holsters

I am kind of crazy about holsters for some reason and love to study and experiment with different ones. Someone recently mentioned Alien Gear Holsters to me, and when I checked out their web site I was very surprised at their prices, which start at $29.88. They even have a special where your get two holsters starting at $49.88. I am used to spending quite a bit more for holsters, expecting a Kydex one to cost $75 or more. Leather costs even more. My all-time favorite leather concealment holster, the Sparks Versa Max 2 I reviewed a while back, goes …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review – Wellco USGI Boots

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I’m very particular when it comes to footwear. I’m not one to go to one of the big box stores and buy a cheap pair of shoes or boots. I wear hikers on a daily basis, and I demand waterproof hikers because we get a lot of rain in Oregon, and I’m out in the rain, sunshine or snow, when I do some shooting or hunting. By “waterproof” footwear, I mean with a waterproof lining, like Gore-Tex, not a spray-on sort of thing that some companies are attempting to pass off as “waterproofing”. That stuff doesn’t last, and it simply …


Scot’s Product Review: Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Application Sling and More

I’m not sure who first coined the phrase, but whoever it was suggested that we think of a sling as a holster for a long gun, and I’ve always rather liked that analogy. Some slings also help the shooter be more accurate by providing support in shooting positions. By and large, however, the main use of the sling is to carry a long arm while keeping one or both hands free for other purposes. There are a number of types of slings and ways to attach them to a rifle or shotgun. The most common is a simple carry strap …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Kershaw’s Emerson CQC-4KXL

I still remember the first time I toured the Kershaw Knives plant, some 20+ years ago. It was for an article in Knives Illustrated. I wrote for Knives Illustrated for many years, probably longer than any other writer at that time, and I was promoted to their West Coast Field Editor position, where I mostly covered knives made in the Pacific Northwest area. To be sure, Oregon alone houses numerous knife companies itself. It might just be the cutlery capitol of the USA. Back during my first Kershaw tour, if I recall, they only had, at best, a couple dozen …


Scot’s Product Review: Steiner 7×50 Marine Binoculars

Before I go into the review, I would like to compliment Armasight for replacing a small part on my Spark Core night vision monocular that I reviewed recently. I have been complaining about how I had been unable to get a response from either their information email address or their relations person, but when I needed a small part their service department replied promptly and sent me the part within a week of my request. I found that impressive. Since the service people are efficient, that takes away much of my reluctance to recommend their products. Getting back to the …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Zero Tolerance 0630 Folder

Not bragging, not in the least, but when I was in high school and beyond, everyone used to say I was the coolest guy they knew. Just about everyone who signed my high school year book said I was “cool”. Go figure? I guess that puts me in the same camp with “Fonzie” from the TV show “Happy Days”. Fonzie, from the show, and I had a couple of things in common, and one of the major things was that we both hated admitting we were wr…….., er, um, wro…..ohhhh, wron…..ok, ok, we hated admitting when we were wrong!! I …


KEL-TEC SU-16C: The Ultimate Prepper Rifle?, by R.S.

Calling the Kel-Tec SU-16C the ultimate prepper rifle is like calling a Leatherman the ultimate hand tool; I suppose you could drive a nail with a Leatherman, but it is certainly not the right tool for the job. In the same way there are tasks that are less well-suited to the SU-16C. If I was hunting squirrels for dinner, I would much prefer a .22 rifle and scope. If someone was breaking through my front door, they would be more likely to face a 12-gauge pump shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot. If I had to take down a zombie at …


Scot’s Product Review: Regulation Tactical Belt, Glide Panel, Magazine Pouches, and Load Bearing Brackets

Regulation Tactical is a California-based company that sells U.S.-made tactical gear. It was founded by a Marine who, “after three combat tours, got tired of the problems his issue gear created and wanted to create solutions for them.” I have not used Marine issued gear nor done combat tours, but I think Regulation has definitely created some interesting and useful solutions to some of the difficulties caused by carrying handguns and magazines and wearing hard body armor. Glide Instructor Belt The first item in the review is the $29.99 Glide Instructor Belt, which solves the problem of removing and then …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Double Tap Defense Derringer

Back in early 1974, I worked as a plain clothes store detective for a chain called Wieboldt’s Department Stores. If I recall correctly, they had about 16 stores in and around the Chicago area. Sadly, they went out of business in 1986. I was moved around, several times, from one store to another, and ultimately I ended-up on the tactical team. We traveled around to different stores, mostly working on employee thefts, because the employees didn’t know who we were. Prior to this, I was the assistant security manager, which again was a plain clothes, armed store detective, at a …


Scot’s Product Review: Survival Skills DVD Set Sigma 3 Survival School

I was very impressed with this $49.95 two DVD set. It was well produced and the material clearly presented. There were perhaps three times I wished for captions to identify some of the gear and once a drawing would have helped me understand a point about knife blade grinds, but those are small nits to pick out of an excellent video. It even explained and showed knots so well that I could make them, which is no small task as I am knot deprived. I am going to jump to almost the end of the two DVD’s to get a …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: CRKT Hootenanny Folder

One of the most prolific knife designers that I’m aware of is Ken Onion, who resides in Hawaii. Ken actually got started designing and making knives as a result of working on a motorcycle. He knew there was “something” there that he could use. It’s been many years since I interviewed Onion for an article I was doing for Knives Illustrated magazine, back when I was the West Coast Field Editor. Ken and I spoke for more than an hour via phone, and he is an absolute wildman, to put it lightly. It was great fun interviewing him about a …


Scot’s Product Review: Armasight Night Vision Accessories

I recently reviewed the $549 Russian-made Armasight Spark Core night vision device and promised to do an update on some of the accessories that can be used with it. If you recall, I liked the monocular unit (which was $90 less when I bought it) and felt it offered a lot of bang for the buck, enough so that I purchased it on my own and then reviewed it. I still like it, but I am very concerned about not being able to get a response from Armasight on several questions. I contacted them both as a purchaser looking for …


Ruger Mini-14, .300 AAC Blackout Tactical Rifle, by Pat Cascio

I still remember the very first Ruger Mini-14 I owned. It was in .223– the only caliber available at that time. It was 1983, and I really didn’t get a chance to shoot the little Mini-14 until a vacation from Chicago back to Oregon to my brother-in-law’s ranch a few months later. Some unforeseen circumstances found my wife and I stuck in the Chicago, IL area from 1982-1984. My stepfather and mother made the trip with us to Oregon, and my stepfather brought along his Universal M-1 Carbine. We had a lot of fun shooting, but my stepfather was blown …


Mike Williamson’s Review: Benjamin Blatt, Firearm Attorney in Indiana

Benjamin Blatt is licensed in Indiana only at this point, so this review will unfortunately have a limited market. https://www.facebook.com/hoosierattorney My own knowledge of firearms law is extensive, for a layman and activist who has been at this since 1986. So, coming across a professional with detailed knowledge of the fine points is a great find. Ben recently set me up with two firearms trusts– one trust for NFA items specifically and one for my valuable antiques and collectibles. The price for each was exceptionally reasonable. The process for both was simple and straightforward. I provided him with information on …


Ruger P-Series Bargain Handguns, by R.S.

Several weeks ago during a visit to my favorite gun shop I noticed a used Ruger semi-automatic handgun on the bottom shelf of the display. It had a lengthy model number that was unfamiliar, but then it has only been the last several years (coincidental with my newfound interest in prepping) that I have taken a serious interest in firearms. I could see that it had a stainless steel upper assembly with a gray (presumably metal rather than polymer) frame. I could also see that it had an exposed hammer, so I assumed it was an older design rather than …