Discussions
Reply to: Best no-touch keychain tool Posted September 13, 2020
Reply to: Best sharpening strops and compounds Posted September 13, 2020

So I should say I’m a complete beginner here. I’ve watched plenty of youtube videos and read discussions about strops on knife forums, but that’s it, besides my experiences with these strops. I ended up doing what I wrote in that post. I think it was the right decision, but the DLT strop is definitely easier to apply compound to than the Taytools, especially because I was applying the hardest compound (black) to the Taytools. I’ve applied black compound 3 times, maybe more, and used a heat gun a bit. Really went all out with the heat gun yesterday, the last time I added some. Basically, I’ve found it hard to get the black compound bonded to the leather on the Taytools. Like my strop is slowly (sometimes less slowly) shedding the compound as bits of powder. I still feel like I don’t have enough compound on it. There’s a change to the sound when the knife drags over the strop after adding more compound – I can hear the extra friction, and I get results much faster. I’ve had times when I’d be just practicing my technique on it for 20 minutes and not feel much of a difference. My knife arrived very not-sharp, and the Taytools is definitely a nicer surface (basically twice the width of the DLT) for stropping on. So it makes sense for the black compound to be on it, since the black is where I’m spending most of my time. Because my knife arrived so blunt, I probably could have gotten some lower grit sandpaper for the initial sharpening and saved a lot of time, but I’ve had plenty of time to work on my stropping technique at least. I’d just say, if you use the Taytools, use something to heat it up (hair dryer, heat gun, etc.) when you’re applying compound. Compared to the much rougher DLT leather, the friction on the Taytools is going to come mostly from the compound, so you need to really get it on. My knife still isn’t shaving sharp yet, but it’s getting closer. It’s starting to get to that sharpness where I’m a little afraid to cut myself, and it has a bit more bite now. Here’s a picture of the two strops (DLT top, Taytools on bottom). Probably should add bit more green but I’m still not ready to move off of black yet anyway. You can see I can put almost the whole blade of my knife on the Taytools at once (up to where it starts curving toward the tip). The shiny areas on both are just reflection from a light.

Reply to: Perpetual gear finds thread Posted August 26, 2020
Reply to: Perpetual gear finds thread Posted August 23, 2020
Reply to: Perpetual gear finds thread Posted August 9, 2020
Reply to: Perpetual gear finds thread Posted August 8, 2020

This product hits a pet peeve of mine. Immediately (and with most other LED lights these days) we see how white the light is – a great recipe for completely knocking out your night vision and screwing up your melatonin production. I get it when a flashlight has it, because I’d expect the bright light to disorient other people and animals somewhat, but with a lantern like this everyone’s a casualty. I’d really like to see more low kelvin (2700k or softer) portable LEDs, but of course going daylight (5000-6500 kelvin) is a cheat code for getting more lumens out of your lights. Probably has to do with LED technology. At least you’d think they could include a less bright, more warm option as part of the various brightness settings on these things. From what I saw of the video, it doesn’t seem like the dimmer settings are a warmer color. I really enjoy my Philips Sceneswitch lights for this reason. Where’s my Sceneswitch version of this lantern? :p I’d also like to know how the plastic handles being expanded and scrunched up over time… Whatever I’m buying should be as close to “buy it for life” as possible.

Reply to: Best sharpening strops and compounds Posted August 6, 2020

So I bought the Taytools French strop, forgetting that it has a rough and smooth side (I was somehow expecting it to be rough on both). I fixed the problem by buying the DLT XL strop recommended as an alternative, making sure it was rough on both sides. What a difference between these two paddles! The French strop is premium and on the softer side while the DLT strop’s leather is so rough, if I didn’t know better I wouldn’t identify it as leather. There’s also the difference in width… Now I have 4 possible surfaces and all three colors of compound, and I’m trying to figure out which compound I should put on which surfaces. Right now I’m thinking I’ll put the black on the Taytools French strop, since it has the most surface area, making it perhaps a better general surface for sharpening larger knives/hatchets, where the black might be best used. Then I’d put the green and white on the DLT strop, and leave the smooth/suede side of the Taytools strop without compound (though I could put white on?). Does that sound like a reasonable use of these 4 potential stropping surfaces?

Reply to: Dress like a prepper: the wonders of wool/nylon blends Posted August 6, 2020

Interested to know what you think of hemp and hemp blends for fabrics. Most of the time it’s blended with cotton, but there are also hemp/linen blends. Edit: looked a bit more into it and it looks like hemp is a good summer fabric but has the same issues as cotton in cold, wet conditions. Hmm, how about silk/wool blends though? It seems like taking a trade-off compared to wool/nylon – more cool in the heat, at the sacrifice of less abrasion resistance. Sigh, it does seem like the wool/nylon blend is the best. I occasionally see wool/polyester blends online (like https://www.makersandriders.com/collections/pants-1/products/washable-wool-jeans?variant=41342373764), but I really dislike polyester. I’ve been inspired by this article and looking around at some local stores that carry the sorts of brands that use these fabrics (usually just hoping to see one of the exotic brands there), but so far it’s been a disappointment. When I do find a button-up shirt suitable for the office it’s usually a cotton/polyester blend or 100% polyester. Unsurprisingly, survival clothing that doesn’t look like survival clothing is a tough niche…

Reply to: (Multi-tools) Victorinox Spirit X, am I missing something? Posted August 3, 2020
Reply to: Best survival & EDC multitool Posted August 3, 2020

While researching for multitools, the primary ones I identified were the Leatherman Wave+ and Charge+ TTi, Victorinox SwissTool Spirit X, and Victorinox Hercules. The Hercules has some advantages over Leathermans – a large knife, [probably] better saw, better awl/reamer for poking holes in wood, toothpick, tweezers (good for ticks, splinters)… But it’s a multitool based around a knife, and I already have a field knife. And I want to be able to lock my tools in place, not do that thing I’ve always done with Swiss Army knives where I don’t wrap my whole hand around it in case the tool were to swing back towards my fingers. So that one is out, even though there’s a lot of good stuff there. But the Spirit X looks like it really could replace a Charge+ or Wave+ just fine. According to what I’ve read, the pliers are better engineered, don’t put the user at risk of getting pinched, and the whole thing is more ergonomic and solidly constructed. Looking at the tools the Spirit X has, the only thing I feel like I’m missing compared to the Charge/Wave is the diamond file and serrated blade. If I have a field knife and separate sharpener, it doesn’t seem like that much of a downside. So this is all to ask, was there a reason the Spirit X wasn’t considered for review? I got a Skeletool CX in the meantime, but I’ll be looking for a full-service multi-tool at some point. At this moment, the Spirit X is looking like the one, unless there’s something I’m missing.

Reply to: Online survival/prepping courses? Posted July 30, 2020

This is going to be a bit out of left field, but Rewilding Portland did their Echoes in Time conference online this year (wrapping up today, I think) and it includes a number of online classes on “ancestral skills.” Some of it will be specific to the Portland area (re: plants, edible fruits). Full disclosure, I have not watched them – I’m going to wait for the archived videos. I don’t know if it will require a donation to the conference to watch them – they’re on a “pay what you can” model. I did attend another conference pre-corona and the people there are serious about what they do. It’s connected to Rewilding of course, which is a philosophy of living and a whole subject in itself. Probably not exactly what you’re looking for but it is novel and you’re almost guaranteed to have never heard of it otherwise. You can see the schedule here https://echoes-in-time.com/?page_id=2266 Edit: looks like the videos are up, have to be found through the Facebook page.

Reply to: Best no-touch keychain tool Posted September 13, 2020
Reply to: Best sharpening strops and compounds Posted September 13, 2020

So I should say I’m a complete beginner here. I’ve watched plenty of youtube videos and read discussions about strops on knife forums, but that’s it, besides my experiences with these strops. I ended up doing what I wrote in that post. I think it was the right decision, but the DLT strop is definitely easier to apply compound to than the Taytools, especially because I was applying the hardest compound (black) to the Taytools. I’ve applied black compound 3 times, maybe more, and used a heat gun a bit. Really went all out with the heat gun yesterday, the last time I added some. Basically, I’ve found it hard to get the black compound bonded to the leather on the Taytools. Like my strop is slowly (sometimes less slowly) shedding the compound as bits of powder. I still feel like I don’t have enough compound on it. There’s a change to the sound when the knife drags over the strop after adding more compound – I can hear the extra friction, and I get results much faster. I’ve had times when I’d be just practicing my technique on it for 20 minutes and not feel much of a difference. My knife arrived very not-sharp, and the Taytools is definitely a nicer surface (basically twice the width of the DLT) for stropping on. So it makes sense for the black compound to be on it, since the black is where I’m spending most of my time. Because my knife arrived so blunt, I probably could have gotten some lower grit sandpaper for the initial sharpening and saved a lot of time, but I’ve had plenty of time to work on my stropping technique at least. I’d just say, if you use the Taytools, use something to heat it up (hair dryer, heat gun, etc.) when you’re applying compound. Compared to the much rougher DLT leather, the friction on the Taytools is going to come mostly from the compound, so you need to really get it on. My knife still isn’t shaving sharp yet, but it’s getting closer. It’s starting to get to that sharpness where I’m a little afraid to cut myself, and it has a bit more bite now. Here’s a picture of the two strops (DLT top, Taytools on bottom). Probably should add bit more green but I’m still not ready to move off of black yet anyway. You can see I can put almost the whole blade of my knife on the Taytools at once (up to where it starts curving toward the tip). The shiny areas on both are just reflection from a light.

Reply to: Perpetual gear finds thread Posted August 26, 2020
Reply to: Perpetual gear finds thread Posted August 23, 2020
Reply to: Perpetual gear finds thread Posted August 9, 2020
Reply to: Perpetual gear finds thread Posted August 8, 2020

This product hits a pet peeve of mine. Immediately (and with most other LED lights these days) we see how white the light is – a great recipe for completely knocking out your night vision and screwing up your melatonin production. I get it when a flashlight has it, because I’d expect the bright light to disorient other people and animals somewhat, but with a lantern like this everyone’s a casualty. I’d really like to see more low kelvin (2700k or softer) portable LEDs, but of course going daylight (5000-6500 kelvin) is a cheat code for getting more lumens out of your lights. Probably has to do with LED technology. At least you’d think they could include a less bright, more warm option as part of the various brightness settings on these things. From what I saw of the video, it doesn’t seem like the dimmer settings are a warmer color. I really enjoy my Philips Sceneswitch lights for this reason. Where’s my Sceneswitch version of this lantern? :p I’d also like to know how the plastic handles being expanded and scrunched up over time… Whatever I’m buying should be as close to “buy it for life” as possible.

Reply to: Best sharpening strops and compounds Posted August 6, 2020

So I bought the Taytools French strop, forgetting that it has a rough and smooth side (I was somehow expecting it to be rough on both). I fixed the problem by buying the DLT XL strop recommended as an alternative, making sure it was rough on both sides. What a difference between these two paddles! The French strop is premium and on the softer side while the DLT strop’s leather is so rough, if I didn’t know better I wouldn’t identify it as leather. There’s also the difference in width… Now I have 4 possible surfaces and all three colors of compound, and I’m trying to figure out which compound I should put on which surfaces. Right now I’m thinking I’ll put the black on the Taytools French strop, since it has the most surface area, making it perhaps a better general surface for sharpening larger knives/hatchets, where the black might be best used. Then I’d put the green and white on the DLT strop, and leave the smooth/suede side of the Taytools strop without compound (though I could put white on?). Does that sound like a reasonable use of these 4 potential stropping surfaces?

Reply to: Dress like a prepper: the wonders of wool/nylon blends Posted August 6, 2020

Interested to know what you think of hemp and hemp blends for fabrics. Most of the time it’s blended with cotton, but there are also hemp/linen blends. Edit: looked a bit more into it and it looks like hemp is a good summer fabric but has the same issues as cotton in cold, wet conditions. Hmm, how about silk/wool blends though? It seems like taking a trade-off compared to wool/nylon – more cool in the heat, at the sacrifice of less abrasion resistance. Sigh, it does seem like the wool/nylon blend is the best. I occasionally see wool/polyester blends online (like https://www.makersandriders.com/collections/pants-1/products/washable-wool-jeans?variant=41342373764), but I really dislike polyester. I’ve been inspired by this article and looking around at some local stores that carry the sorts of brands that use these fabrics (usually just hoping to see one of the exotic brands there), but so far it’s been a disappointment. When I do find a button-up shirt suitable for the office it’s usually a cotton/polyester blend or 100% polyester. Unsurprisingly, survival clothing that doesn’t look like survival clothing is a tough niche…

Reply to: (Multi-tools) Victorinox Spirit X, am I missing something? Posted August 3, 2020
Reply to: Best survival & EDC multitool Posted August 3, 2020

While researching for multitools, the primary ones I identified were the Leatherman Wave+ and Charge+ TTi, Victorinox SwissTool Spirit X, and Victorinox Hercules. The Hercules has some advantages over Leathermans – a large knife, [probably] better saw, better awl/reamer for poking holes in wood, toothpick, tweezers (good for ticks, splinters)… But it’s a multitool based around a knife, and I already have a field knife. And I want to be able to lock my tools in place, not do that thing I’ve always done with Swiss Army knives where I don’t wrap my whole hand around it in case the tool were to swing back towards my fingers. So that one is out, even though there’s a lot of good stuff there. But the Spirit X looks like it really could replace a Charge+ or Wave+ just fine. According to what I’ve read, the pliers are better engineered, don’t put the user at risk of getting pinched, and the whole thing is more ergonomic and solidly constructed. Looking at the tools the Spirit X has, the only thing I feel like I’m missing compared to the Charge/Wave is the diamond file and serrated blade. If I have a field knife and separate sharpener, it doesn’t seem like that much of a downside. So this is all to ask, was there a reason the Spirit X wasn’t considered for review? I got a Skeletool CX in the meantime, but I’ll be looking for a full-service multi-tool at some point. At this moment, the Spirit X is looking like the one, unless there’s something I’m missing.

Reply to: Online survival/prepping courses? Posted July 30, 2020

This is going to be a bit out of left field, but Rewilding Portland did their Echoes in Time conference online this year (wrapping up today, I think) and it includes a number of online classes on “ancestral skills.” Some of it will be specific to the Portland area (re: plants, edible fruits). Full disclosure, I have not watched them – I’m going to wait for the archived videos. I don’t know if it will require a donation to the conference to watch them – they’re on a “pay what you can” model. I did attend another conference pre-corona and the people there are serious about what they do. It’s connected to Rewilding of course, which is a philosophy of living and a whole subject in itself. Probably not exactly what you’re looking for but it is novel and you’re almost guaranteed to have never heard of it otherwise. You can see the schedule here https://echoes-in-time.com/?page_id=2266 Edit: looks like the videos are up, have to be found through the Facebook page.