gear – Page 11 – Jay Lagare

Apeks DS4

By Jay Lagare on Saturday, January 21, 2006

Since I seem to be on a scuba phase of my preoccupation cycle, I’ll post some scuba related reviews. I’ll start with the Apeks DS4. This 1st stage regulator is a no-nonsense device. It has a dry-sealed (DS) system which means it has a sealing outer diaphragm which transmits pressure over the primary diaphragm. The water doesn’t get in contact with internals and freeze things in cold water. It is also overbalanced. This means the deeper you get, slightly more pressure is delivered to the 2nd stage regulator. It has 4 medium-pressure ports, and 1 high-pressure port. It came with a DIN fitting so I needed a yoke adapter for using it with the tanks that are commonly available locally.

I haven’t really used too many other 1st stages so all I can say is that it works and it works well. The fact that many advanced divers recommend it is testament to its capabilities.

Rating: 5/5

Uncategorized

Knives and Me

By Jay Lagare on Sunday, September 11, 2005

The knife was one of the greatest inventions of man. Next to fire, it was probably the next in line. It allowed man to cut up meat, fruits, roots, and leaves for cooking. It allowed him to craft his more advanced weapons: the spear and the bow. In a pinch he can even use it for hunting and self-defense. For the next hundreds of years he carried it, changing in form and function, but always fixed bladed.

A revolution in knives was the invention of the folding pocket knife concept. With its concept, you can now carry a knife without having to carry a bulky sheath. You simply fold it and put it in your pocket. And to make things even better, people started adding various other tools into the pocket knife. Now that is function and convenience all in one and millions of people started carrying pocket knives. I am one of them.

I got my first pocket knife when I was still in grade school. It was a small folder with a 1 inch sheepsfoot blade. It also came with one other tool: a bottle opener. That’s it. But it was marvelous to me… for a time.

Soon I wanted more and it was replaced by another China made pocket knife. It had a 2 inch blade and a few other tools. But still I wanted more: a larger blade and more tools. So I sold it to my brother and bought another knife.

The knife I bought was a red-handled Swiss Army Knife knock-off from China. It had a 2-1/2 inch blade and a few other tools, including one which I now realize was a prying tool. I lost it to the sea when it slipped off my shorts’ waistband while swimming at the beach (yes I was carrying a knife while swimming).

The lost Swiss Army Knife knock-off was replaced by a genuine Victorinox Champ Swiss Army Knife that my dad gave me as a graduation gift. Swiss Army knives are not famous for nothing: This pocket knife was great! I still have it less the red handle covers and it is still providing great service opening bottles and cans in the kitchen.

During college, I switched to a Buck Hunter knock-off from China. Quality was pretty good for a Chinese manufactured good at that time. I gave it away but I’m sure it’s still sharp and functional to this day.

I switched to the Gerber EZ-Out which I still carry on a daily basis. I don’t know if it was made in China, but with everyone outsourcing manufacturing operations to China, it could just well be. I also carried it while swimming and even while diving. Saltwater is not very friendly to steel, even stainless steel, so I got a fixed-blade Gerber River Shorty specifically for water activities. But I still carry it during water activities when the River Shorty is not available.

I also used to carry a Leatherman Wave pocket multi-tool in addition to the EZ-out. But it’s a bit heavy so these days it usually stays in the glove compartment of the car ready for possible auto problems.

Knives have proven useful through the ages and they will continue to do so even in this modern world. I’ll continue carrying them if I can help it.

General

Surefire G2 Nitrolon

By Jay Lagare on Friday, August 26, 2005

Surefire is known for one thing: personal tactical lights. The G2 is the economy version of the classic 6P. Unlike the 6P, which is made of aircraft-grade aluminum, the G2 is made of Nitrolon, a lightweight, corrosion-proof and non-conductive synthetic material. So although it is less durable than the 6P, it comes quite close. You still get the same bright pre-focused beam Surefire is known for. In fact, they share the same lamp assembly. Very good for activities in the dark. Of course, there is a price to pay for the bright light: The 2 CR123 battery cells last only an hour and can be quite expensive. But then again, tactical lights were never meant for searching. That’s why the primary way to activate it is via a tailcap button that you press and hold for momentary illumination. You can have constant illumination by twisting the tailcap though. Lastly, this light is only splash-proof and not waterproof so don’t go around scuba diving with it.

Rating: 4/5

General

Leatherman Wave

By Jay Lagare on Sunday, August 14, 2005

One of the most useful tools you can carry around is a knife. But not too far in running would be pliers. And pliers are exactly the main selling point of the Leatherman Wave. This 100% stainless steel multi-tool has long-nose pliers that you can access by simply opening the handle. The grip edges are rounded for a comfortable grip which fixes a problem with earlier Leatherman models. In addition, it has 4 locking blades that are accessible without having to open the handle: A plain-edge clip-point blade, a serrated sheepsfoot blade, a wood saw, and a metal saw with nail and metal files on each side. These blades have liner locks to prevent inadvertent closing. Inside the handle you get a few more goodies: a Philips screwdriver, a can/bottle opener, scissors, and 4(!) flat screwdrivers of various sizes. My only complaint is that the Wave seems to have overly many flat screwdrivers. Replacing on of those with maybe a smaller Philips screwdriver would have been better. But I guess you can get the separately available tool adapter which gives you a few more screwdrivers. All in all, it’s a neat little package. It may be a bit heavy and big for pocket carry, so you will most probably be using the included belt-mountable sheath.

Rating: 5/5

Gadgets

Garmin Foretrex 101

By Jay Lagare on Tuesday, May 3, 2005

I was able to test the Garmin Foretrex 101, a nifty lightweight wrist-mounted GPS (Global Positioning System) unit, under actual conditions for the first time during the recent Makiling climb. Although it doesn’t have loadable maps, it does have most of the features of bigger GPS units: track recording, waypoint recording, navigating the tracks and waypoints, and trip log. It also has user replaceable AAA batteries. A similar model, the Foretrex 201 has a built-in rechargeable battery which doesn’t really make sense for an outdoors device.

My main complaint is that it loses track of GPS signals when there’s thick forest cover above. But then, that’s typical of most GPS units. Oliver, who was carrying a higher-end Garmin GPS unit during the climb, encountered the same problem. In any case, this didn’t hamper the usefulness of the device all that much.