TOURNIQUETS

This is the ETQ (Everyday Carry Tourniquet) by Snake Staff Systems. This product quickly caught my attention. The ETQ is made in the USA, it is 65% smaller than the industry standard and is designed to be carried every day on your person. While I consider the CAT Tourniquet to be the gold standard in this category, I am always happy to see innovative products hit the market.

The size and bulk of a CAT tourniquet makes it difficult to carry on body. I keep one close by in my bag, but I never actually have it on my person. Should I be separated from my bag, I’m SOL. Statistics show you’re more likely to use a tourniquet than a pistol. Yet I hardly know anyone that regularly carries one. Ease of carry has been one of many hurdles, and Snake Staff Systems is providing a solution. This is a product that’s small enough to attach to your keyring. If you can carry a pistol on your hip every day, you no longer have an excuse for not carrying a tourniquet. Buy one, carry one.

Another draw is it’s ability to tighten down to a 1 inch diameter. This makes the ETQ an ideal trauma response product to use with small children. As a parent of a one year old, I’ve been searching for a product to keep on hand for my kid. The ETQ fits the bill. Considering all possibilities of application, I strongly believe elementary and middle schools should begin to stock these and have them on hand.

Now, in spite of how good I feel about this product, I will continue to carry my CAT tourniquet in my pack. The ETQ has a lot to prove. This is now an extra item I have to carry, but as we all know, two is one and one is none. Buy a tourniquet. Buy American.

SEAF

For the past couple of years, I have rotated between three knives for EDC. The Emerson Knives Roadhouse Mini, the Emerson Knives CQC7 Mini, and the Black Scout Survival TUSK Karambit. The knife laws in NYC prohibit folding knives that lock, and they prohibit any knife longer than four inches. I have carried the Emerson folding knives fully aware of the repercussions. However, for the sake of simplicity I have decided to move away from folding knives to fixed blades. If a knife is needed for defense, I do not want to waste precious moments opening one. Even for trained individuals, the need to draw and open a knife presents a risk for failure. A fixed blade lends it self to gross motor skills and can be deployed without additional measures. I will continue to use my Emerson knives in some capacity, but I no longer want to be dependent on a folding knife for defensive action. To fill this role along with the TUSK Karambit, I have acquired the SEAF from Forward Observations Group. It is designed by medically retired Navy Seal, Wolf Forty.

The SEAF is a fixed blade, 8 inches in overall length, with 4 inches of blade length. The knife is made from CPM 154 steel, not to be confused with 154CM. The difference is in the CPM production process. CPM 154 provides greater edge retention and higher corrosion resistance than 154CM. It has a Rockwell hardness of 60, and the knife weighs in at 3.8oz without the sheath. Outstanding specs aside, of fundamental importance is the design. With the knife in hand, the ergonomics blows me away. Dagger up or dagger down, my grip on the knife feels equally secure.

The dual grip capabilities of the SEAF remind me of two other popular knives on the market. The Dynamis Blade by Dynamis Alliance and the Darter designed by Haley Strategic and produced by Toor Knives. While those are great knives in their own respect, I find the SEAF to be the superior option. The Dynamis and Darter seem more regulated to fighting and defensive action. While still maintaining its qualities as a fighting knife, the spear point architecture of the SEAF provides more of a belly to allow for easier cutting and slicing than the other knives.

Wolf Forty has also designed a second knife, called the SEAF Jr., which maintains the qualities of the full sized SEAF, just smaller in stature. The knife has a 3.5 inch blade and is designed for everyday carry. The SEAF Jr. was actually first released last year, and produced by Half Face Blades. Another release of the SEAF Jr. will be happening in the next week or so. I think it would be awesome if different knife makers work with Wolf Forty to produce their own iteration of the SEAF. Time will tell. I am very happy with mine. Based on your own needs, I highly recommend picking up either the full size SEAF or the Jr. Be sure to follow Wolf Forty on Instagram and keep an eye on Forward Observations Group for future releases.

Survive Knives GSO 7/7: Initial Impression

Guy Seiferd is the owner and product designer at Survive! Knives. Upon starting the company, he quickly became known for his quality control. He ran a very lean operation to ensure each knife met his exact standard. That high standard, mixed with an intense demand and some unfortunate setbacks, led to extensive wait times to receive an order. They took on more orders than they could handle, and couldn’t provide accurate timelines for delivery. As you can imagine, this upset many of their customers. I knew of the demand when I placed the order and had already heard of the lengthy wait times. The GSO 5.1 and the GSO 7/7 appealed to me the most. I had been mulling the purchase for months. Living in New York City, a knife of that size would have been completely impractical, and beyond my needs. But, let’s be honest here, how many of us solely purchase gear out of a “need” for said gear? I loved the materials, and the simplicity of Guy’s designs. This was an unnecessary and frivolous purchase, and I don’t regret it. As ordering for the GSO 5.1 had closed by the time I made a decision, I placed an order for the GSO 7/7. I comfortably resigned to receive it whenever I received it.

Four years and three months later, with a GSO 7/7 in hand, I’m happy. It is large knife, made of CPM-3V steel. It has an overall blade length of 7.25 inches, with a cutting edge length of 6.50 inches. There are a few customization options available when ordering. I selected black oxide fasteners, black & red g10 scales, and a black kydex sheath. According to Survive!, this release has been completely redesigned. They made the blade and handle longer, and improved the overall ergonomics of the knife. It shows. The knife is incredibly well balanced. Knives of this size are often blade heavy and unwieldy for small tasks. That isn’t the case here, the GSO 7/7 has a fairly neutral balance, located right at the finger guard. The g10 scales and palm swell provide a solid grip. The finger choil allows for even greater control, while the handle provides enough length to lower your grip and use the knife for chopping. The damn thing is just a joy to hold.

Now much has changed in my life over the last four years. In a few months I will no longer be living in the city. I’m looking forward to taking this brute out and putting it to work. For those of you interested in Survive!, they released the following videos just a few days ago, discussing some of the setbacks they’ve had to work through over the past couple of years. I certainly appreciate the transparency, and I admire Guy’s uncompromising standards. In the last four years they have moved their shop and invested in equipment that should considerably accelerate production and therefore delivery. I can attest that they do in fact deliver, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.