Category: Review

SecureIt HG-02 Pistol Case, by Thomas Christianson

The SecureIt HG-02 Pistol Case offers secure handgun storage which can be mounted in a variety of locations throughout the home to provide quick and reliable access. Available for $129 at the time of this writing, it presents a good value for the money. Background I have been searching for an American-made two-handgun lockbox for a while now. So when I ran across the SecureIt HG-02 Pistol Case, I was quite interested. I requested a sample from SecureIt for testing and evaluation, and they were kind enough to provide one. Before long, FedEx delivered a package to my doorstep. First …


Stihl MSE250C Corded Electric Chainsaw, by Thomas Christianson

The Bottom Line, Up Front The Stihl MSE250C corded electric chainsaw is a rugged workhorse of a saw that is well suited for professional or for farm and ranch-level work. Although the unit that I own has an 18 inch bar and chain, I agree with Stihl’s recommendation that this saw is best suited for a 16 inch bar and chain. With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $629.99 it is relatively expensive for a corded electric chainsaw, but it has the high quality and extreme durability that is worthy of its high price. If you are as hard on corded …


TOPS Fieldcraft 154 Stainless Fixed Blade Knife, by Thomas Christianson

BLUF The TOPS Fieldcraft 154 Stainless fixed blade knife is a rugged tool for use in the field or around the yard. It has a 4.75 inch, full-tang, Scandi-grind blade made of 154CM stainless steel. With a price of $295 at the time of this writing, it is not cheap in terms of either price or quality. It has earned a place among my gear as my go-to camping knife. Background A little more than a year ago, I tested the TOPS Mini Scandi Folder 4. The resulting review was later published in SurvivalBlog. I liked the Mini Scandi Folder …


Uberti 1866 Yellowboy Short Rifle in .45 Colt, by Thomas Christianson

Looking more like a work of art than a highly functional firearm, the Uberti 1866 Yellowboy Short Rifle in .45 Colt is an elegant combination of both art and function. With a distinctive brass receiver, a 20-inch octagonal barrel, walnut furniture, a tubular magazine capable of holding 12 rounds, and a smoothly operating lever action, the Uberti Yellowboy Short Rifle is a fitting tribute to the very first Winchester rifle, of which it is a replica. With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $1,329 it is not the cheapest rifle on the market, but it is one of the prettiest. Background …


Tapix Mil-Spec Green Sandbags, by Thomas Christianson

I have a makeshift shooting range behind my pole barn. In the backstop behind the target stand, I had used a sloping wall of sand to absorb the energy of the bullets entering the backstop. The major problem with a sloping wall of sand is that it is thinner at the top than it is at the bottom. This leaves the top of the wall of sand weaker than the bottom. With that in mind, I usually only used the targets near the bottom of the target stand when I was shooting a more powerful firearm, like a centerfire rifle. …


Changing the Blade in a Leatherman Skeletool, by Thomas Christianson

My favorite everyday carry (EDC) knife is actually a multi-tool: the Leatherman Skeletool. I like the convenience of carrying a combination tool that includes a pair of pliers and several screwdrivers with, as well as a blade. I first acquired the Skeletool in 2021, and reviewed it in an article published in SurvivalBlog at that time. I have never been fully satisfied with the part-plain/part-serrated combi blade that came with my Skeletool. This is a matter of personal preference, but I like fully plain blades on my EDC knives more than combi blades. I know that there are some situations …


Therma Max Waffle Base Layer, by Thomas Christianson

Recently, I have been testing a Therma Max Waffle Base Layer. I have found it to be warm and comfortable for everyday wear during cold weather. It is one of many excellent modern base layer options. Rodney Dangerfield, The Great Escape, and The Maquis For a couple of hundred years or more, base-layer-like garments in cotton or wool were popular among people who actually had to work outside during cold weather. Of course, they weren’t called a “base layer.” They were called “long johns” or “long underwear.” People wealthy enough to stay inside near the fire were less enthused about …


Glock FM81 Field Knife, by Thomas Christianson

Before Gaston Glock ever designed his first handgun, his company made knives and other equipment for the Austrian Army. One day in 1980, Glock was at the Austrian Ministry of Defense to talk about the sale of some of his products. While he was there, Glock overheard a conversation about the need for a new handgun design to replace the aging, World-War-II-era P38s that the Austrian Army was still using. He decided to design a handgun to meet that need. He bought samples of all the semi-auto handguns that he could find. He disassembled them, and studied how they functioned. …


Kershaw Launch 15, by Pat Cascio

I can often see myself, in my mind, going back in time, to when I would be on the front stoop, with my grandfather, spending many hours, just whitling on an old stick or a tree branch. Those were the days, in memories that still come to my mind. We didn’t waste those hours, on the contrary, they created memories of a much simpler time – long before any such thing as video games – that people play on their cell phones today – by themselves. It honestly was a great time to be alive as a child. I don’t …


ESEE Zancudo Framelock Folder in D2, by Thomas Christianson

Imagine that you are in the jungle of Peru. It is 1997. You are tired. You are hungry. You are dirty. You are wet. You are a client of Randall’s Adventure & Training School of Survival. They are working with the Peruvian Air Force’s School of Jungle Survival to prepare you for situations you might face if you are ever stranded in the jungle. During the ensuing decades, Randall’s Adventure & Training has continued to train outdoorsmen, law enforcement officers, military contractors, search and rescue personnel, and a host of others in survival skills. Along the way, they have designed …


Ruger M77 Hawkeye African in 6.5x55mm Swedish, by Thomas Christianson

A half-century ago, in the days of my youth, most rifles had wood furniture, blued steel, and iron sights. In those days of long ago, the 6.5x55mm Swedish cartridge had already had a long and storied career, having been first adopted in 1894 by the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. In the years that followed, it was used to hunt elephants in Africa, to hunt moose in Scandinavia, and to resist the German invasion of Norway. The strengths of the cartridge were so significant, that it is prominently featured in the plot of Stephen Hunter’s novel, The Bullet Garden. …


Siege Belts, by Thomas Christianson

I recently tested three Siege Belts: the standard-sized Fury buckle with the “Gray Man” finish, the large oval Frenzy buckle with the “Cloudburst” finish, and the large rectangular Ferocious buckle with the “Gray Man” finish. I found all three belts to be comfortable, versatile, attractive, and strong. The heavy buckles and extra strong straps of all three belts were also perfectly suited to allow the belts to be used as improvised tools for self defense in situations where other more suitable tools might not be available. The belts are all handcrafted in the USA. They were priced at $149 for …


Springfield Armory Echelon Pistol, by Pat Cascio

If memory serves me correctly, I purchased my first Glock in 1987. This was an early-production Glock 17 – the only handgun model that Glock had yet produced, back then. It was a 17-shot 9mm pistol and the frame was made out of “plastic” – today we call it “polymer” instead. I felt sure that the gun wouldn’t last, after a lot of shooting. I was wrong! Since owning that first Glock, I’ve probably owned almost every model they produced over the years, and I still own more Glocks than any one person should…guess I’m a Glock-a-holic. A long, long …


Three Pairs of Gloves, by Thomas Christainson

Gloves protect hands. When I am cleaning the outside wood boiler, gloves protect my hands from burns. When I am clearing snow, gloves protect my hands from frostbite. When I am using a chainsaw, gloves protect my hands from cuts and scrapes. Overview In recent months, I have had the opportunity to test three different pairs of gloves under a variety of different conditions. Mechanix FastFit Coyote Gloves and Gardenline Heavy Duty Work Gloves protected my hands from abrasion, laceration, and cold. Igloos Men’s Leather Driving Gloves protected my hands primarily from cold. The Mechanix gloves were on sale for …


Ruger Single-Ten Stainless, by Thomas Christianson

The very first handgun that I ever fired was a Ruger Single-Six chambered in .22 Long Rifle (“.22LR”). I was then in junior high school. Our church had a group for boys my age. The men who led that group took us on an outing one time in a nearby state forest area. One of the men took along his Single-Six. When we came to a sandbank that could be used as a backstop, he placed a soda can on a stick stuck into the ground. Then he let us take turns shooting at the can. My major takeaway from …