Category: Review

Pat’s Product Review: Silver Fire Rocket Stove

I’ve stressed, in previous articles, the importance of having safe drinking water for your survival. Also, you have to have some type of food to feed your calorie-burning body. We can go a long time without food, but let’s be honest, we’d rather have a good hot meal to eat. I’ve reviewed several different types of small, compact camp stoves that easily fold up and fit inside your bug out bag (BOB). I reviewed a rocket stove, and was impressed with how easy it was to cook on. I’ve made a few “hobo” stoves in the past; this is a …


Pat’s Product Review: The Ultimate Knife – Karmabit

When we were all children and Christmas rolled around or our birthday, we would normally reach for the biggest present with our name on it. Of course, everyone just knew that the bigger the package, the better the present. Right? Well, not so fast Did you ever hear that good things come in small packages? Well, quite often, the smaller the package, the better the item inside. I’m a big knife fan, and I don’t mean that I’m a big “knife” fan (although I am rather big). Instead, I like knives that are big. More often than not, a bigger …


Pat’s Product Review – LED LENSER M7RX Flashlight

It seems the older I get the more I think about being young and all the things I did in my life. Now, if you were to ask my daughters how old I am, they’d probably tell you that when I was younger I hunted dinosaurs with spears. Well, I’m not quite that old, but I am getting there. I spent a great deal of time in law enforcement and private security and I still remember old fashioned flashlights. You know the ones I’m talking about. They held two large “D” sized batteries that didn’t last long, and the light …


Pat’s Product Review: Titan Straps

In another life, I worked as a truck driver. I drove different types of trucks– dump trucks, “straight jobs”, and even pick-up trucks– delivering all manner of cargo. Today, my deliveries are made using an SUV. If I have to haul something, it’s usually on the luggage rack on top or inside. If I have anything bigger to haul, I’ll call a friend with a pick-up truck. There’s one thread common in hauling anything, and that is that you have to secure it to keep it from moving around. For hauling anything on top of my SUV, I keep some …


Pat’s Product Review – SurvivAMINO Protein Tablets

When I’m out hunting, and a lot of hunting in my neck of the woods is via logging roads that you drive on, or out for a hike, I like to have a little something to munch on. Quite often, I’ll take some beef jerky or granola bars, as well as high-protein bars. It’s just a good pick-me-up to have something to eat – instead of running home, when I’m a little hungry. Only problem I have with beef jerky is that, while it is quite tasty, it promotes thirst – a lot of thirst. Granola bars and high-protein bars …


Pat’s Product Review: Glock 27 .40 S&W Pistol

Many years ago, when I worked for the late Col. Rex Applegate. We worked with Paladin Press, on the very first video they produced, titled “Manstoppers.” In this video a large selection of semiauto handguns were tested and fired by Tom Campbell, who at one time was Smith and Wesson’s top shooter. I acted as range officer and a consultant on the video, that was shot at the old Applegate pioneer homestead outside of Yoncolla, Oregon. For this video, Col. Applegate obtained a prototype Glock 23 handgun, and we were all impressed with it, albeit there were many malfunctions, due …


Pat’s Product Review: Maxxeon 330 Pocket Floodlights

I still recall the days when most folks owned and used some type of D-cell flashlights, that held 2 of the big D sized batteries. And, while they were better than walking around in the dark, they didn’t throw a very bright light, nor was the light bright white – at best, they were yellow in color. And, to be sure, those old flashlight – that are still sold today – really used up the battery power in short order. I remember working as a cop, and using the Mag-Lite “police” flashlight, and the model I used (and I still own …


Pat’s Product Review: Signal Armor

These days, many people are concerned about their privacy, and I admit to being somewhat concerned myself. I recently took down my Facebook page – after it was hacked three times this year. So, if anyone sees a Facebook page with my name on it – it’s not my Facebook page – someone hacked my original page, and made one false Facebook page that looks similar to the real one, and the second one doesn’t even come close to being like my original. Additionally, I found that it was too time-consuming keeping up with everyone’s newest Facebook page posts. Also, …


Pat’s Product Review: Benchmade’s 810BK Contego Folder

I love pocket knives! I carry one or two on my person every single day. A pocket knife gets used almost daily, whereas, my handgun on my right hip, is there for when really bad things happen. I couldn’t get along with some kind of folding knife in my pocket – UPS, FedEx and USPS bring packages to me almost daily, and a good sharp knife does the job of opening the boxes in short order. I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t carry some kind of pocket knife – even as a kid back in Chicago, as …


Pat’s Product Review: Leatherman Surge – Improved

If you don’t know about Leatherman multi-tools, you must have had your head in the sand for a lot of years. Today, we’re taking a look at the improved Surge  multi-tool. To be sure, if you are serious about Prepping, Survival, hunting or working around your homestead – you absolutely, should have a multi-tool on-hand. My “Blast” Leatherman (sadly, now discontinued) is on my belt every single day, right there, next to my spare magazine, for whatever handgun I’m packing. And, it goes without saying, the multi-tool is used a lot more than my handgun is. The Leatherman “Surge” is …


Pat’s Product Review: Warrior Trail Training Body Armor

Many firearms instructors, myself included, have a saying that goes something like this “train the way you fight.” Meaning that, if you’re training isn’t related to real-life scenarios, you’re doing something wrong. Outside of my basic NRA handgun classes, my other (limited) firearms training classes are geared to real-life training. When on the range, we don’t train you to stand there, squared off to a target, at a pre-determined range, and just stand there and shoot. No! Instead, my training consists of on-the-move training, as well as firing at a 180-degree area. We shoot right to left, and front to …


Pat’s Product Review: CRKT Redemption Knife

Back in the 1980s it seemed like every knife company was producing some sort of hollow handle “survival” knife, and the truth is, most were just junk – plain and simple. Oh sure, there were some good ones, however if you wanted a really good hollow handle survival knife, you had to go to one of the custom knife makers – and at that, there weren’t that many really producing this type of knife. I remember being at an auction one time in Colorado Springs, Colorado – and there was all manner of stuff up for auction. There was one …


Pat’s Product Review: CMMG Mk9 T 9mm M4 Carbine

Every once in a while, I’m fortunate, in that, I get a gun sample, that no one else has, and when that happens, I jump on testing it, and follow-up with an article. Such is the case with the new CMMG Mk9 T – and you won’t find this one on their web site yet, it’s not due to be released until the SHOT Show at the end of January 2014. I’ve owned a couple of the CMMG M4gery carbines over the years, and I still have one, and found them to be great shooters, and priced below what other …


Pat’s Product Review – Infidel Body Armor Goes Soft

One of the best pieces of kit for law enforcement, military and civilians, in the 20th century, has been, in my humble opinion, body armor. While many believe body armor to be a fairly recent invention, it is not! I know body armor – the type that stops bullets, has been around since the 1920s – armor for stopping swords and arrows has been around for centuries. I had my first experience with soft body armor in 1980, when I owned a gun shop, and bid on a contract to provide soft body armor to a fairly large police department in …


Pat’s Product Review – Cold Steel’s Talwar Fighting Folder

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t carry some kind of folding knife in my pocket – and I’m now eligible to collect social security benefits. I do know that back when I was a kid, there weren’t any lock-back folding knives that I ever recall seeing. I carried a folder for everyday chores, as well as self-defense. And, more importantly, at least when I was around 6-10 years old, I had a folding knife for whittling – a long lost pastime that was sure a lot of fun when I was a kid. A person could spend all …