TAD Gear Folding Ti Spork

9/21/06 - Another neat item from TAD Gear for the everyday adventurer is their Folding Titanium Spork. It's made out of CP (Commercially Pure) Titanium for light weight, strength and corrosion resistance. Folded, it's 3.625" long, and 6.25" open. The mechanism is very much like that of a non-locking folding knife. The handle is comprised of two 'scales' approximately .030" thick which sandwich the 'blade' (spork end) and the backspring. The backspring provides tension on the spork when it rotates and 'locks' it in the open and closed positions. A pocket clip is secured to the handle with two torx screws. The handle also has a lanyard hole. A subdued TAD Gear logo and the word 'Titanium' are laser engraved on the fine matte finish.

The only issue I found is that the small gap (about .030") between the two handle scales can get tiny bits of food in it, if you submerge the spork handle in oatmeal, chili or some other gooey, saucy food. A quick rinse is all that's needed to wash it, but if food gets stuck and allowed to dry, you'll have to go in with something flat to poke the bits out, or let it soak it for a bit. Under normal use with most foods, it's not an issue. While there are other Ti sporks out there that are lighter weight or easier to clean; folding and non-folding, none of them incorporate all the different features into one product.

Now, who is this product aimed at? Ultra-lightweight backpacking nuts (the ones who cut their plastic toothbrush handle in half) might find it heavier than a non-folding spork. But that's really splitting hairs. In fact, you'll save more weight by taking a piss before you set out. After using it for a few days, it occurred to me that it's not really a specialized item - it's aimed at just about everyone. I found myself using it instead of the crappy plastic fork and spoon off the lunch truck or cafeteria. It's for people who might have to get their food to go. People on travel. Hiker, backpackers, campers, cops, engineers etc. People who have to sometimes eat with plastic utensils. No more - the tines on this spork won't break off when you're trying to poke it through that piece of fried chicken.
It's compact enough when folded so that it won't poke you when it's in your pocket when you sit down. It's light enough to forget about it after two seconds. The pocket clip prevents holds it secure at the top of your pocket (or anywhere it'll fit) so it's not rattling around with your change or lint. Pull it out from your pocket, eat, wipe it with a napkin, and stick it back in your pocket - that's all there is to it. Wash it more thoroughly at home if needed.

I 'field tested' it in the concrete jungle (okay, at work), and the immediate reaction from my co-workers was 'that's WAY cool!' when I showed them how it worked and 'it's TITANIUM?', as they struggled with their plastic forks. So if you want to be the guy with the coolest utensils at the fast food stand or cafeteria, get one of these. Hell, I might even use it at a nice restaurant. If the wife lets me, that is.

INKA pen

5/27/07 - The Inka pen is a write-anywhere pen that always catches the eye of gadget-lovers whenever I pull it out. When closed, the pen is 3.15" long, with a stainless steel split ring for attaching to keys, bags, D-rings etc. It's O-ring sealed and watertight in this configuration. I have it attached to the neck lanyard of my ID badge for work, and have been using it every day for the past 8 months. My wife has one that she's attached to the outside of her bag, and found that other women have commented on it as well. It's the perfect companion for her Rite-in-the-rain notebook.

The main barrel of the pen is machined out of 304 stainless steel with a laser-engraved 'Inka' logo on it and a centerless ground finish. The carbon fiber 'Quick-use' pen is stored inside the barrel, and to use it, you simply pull it out. It's held securely inside with a viton O-ring that sits in a machined groove inside the stainless tube. Unscrewing the back endcap of the Quick-use pen reveals a yellow delrin PDA stylus for touch-screens. The Quick-use pen can be used as-is, or the stainless tube can be unscrewed from the split ring and the components assembled into a smart-looking full sized pen. It's funny to do that in meetings and have people pay more attention to what you're doing than listen to the meeting. 'Hey, let me see that thing - that's cool!' is the typical reaction.

The tungsten-carbide tipped Inka refill is manufactured for Inka by Fisher, who make the famous 'space pen'. It's pressurized, and the pen will write wet or dry, upside down and at any angle, at any temperature and altitude. I've not had one skip or blot in the past 8 months of continuous usage and it's still going strong.

ZULU Watchbands

3/5/05 - CountyComm offers replacement watch bands for military watches (including a digital woodland camo band as shown below), along with Zulu watchbands. The Zulu bands come in 20mm and 22mm widths to fit most watches, in variety of colours, including maroon, Coast Guard orange, OD green, grey ACU, desert sand/coyote, or black nylon.

Made with 316L stainless hardware, they're a 1-piece, drop-in replacement strap that won't rot or fall apart. Laser-burnt holes in the strap eliminate burrs. Besides the buckle, there are two stainless loops/keepers. For those with smaller wrists like mine, the loose end can be double-backed through the loops (as shown below). I only have an old, beat-up Timex Expedition that has lasted at least 10 years. I've been through about 3 or 4 watch bands, each time the leather strap disintegrating from sweat etc. I've spent more on bands than I paid for the original watch, but it just won't quit. It took about a minute to ditch the current band and install the 20mm Zulu. The Zulu is comfy, simple, and rugged. Finally, a strap to last as long as the Timex.

For those of you who own G-Shock watches and the original resin straps are cracking or have broken, or you just want to upgrade to a more comfortable Zulu strap, you can get an adapter kit that allows you to use a Zulu from County Comm here.

3/25/06 - Having used a couple of these Zulu bands for a little over a year every single day, they pretty much look as they did new. No elongation of the holes or visible wear on the band. They're also a snap to change out to a different colour.

Maratac ACQ Compass Watch

3/25/06 - The Maratac ACQ (Analog Quartz Compass) watch offered by CountyComm is made by Timex (essentially the same model as the Timex Expedition E-compass model), specially for Maratac (who make the Zulu watchbands shown above). A miniaturized digital sensor detects the earth's magnetic field and also allows the user to adjust for local declination. The ACQ comes in a black watch 'taco' case, and is supplied with a black Zulu two-ring watchband. The watchband bars are solid and non-removable, and designed to be used with the Zulu bands.

The ACQ case is made from 316L stainless with a satin finish and is water-resistant to 100m. However, it's not water-PROOF, and is not meant as a dive watch, so buttons should not be pressed when it's submerged. The white face has large, easy to read markings, with one-second tics around the dial. It's powered by a 'proprietary four hand movement', referring to the hour, minute and second hands, plus the skeletonized compass needle/hand. A small date window is located at 4:30 on the face. The two buttons above and below the crown are for activation and adjustment of the compass. The crown does not unscrew, but is pulled straight out for time, date and compass adjustments. Depressing the crown activates the Indiglo light for reading the face in the dark.
The bezel turns smoothly in both directions. North is marked by a luminous triangular insert at the top, and the other directions are marked in large letters. The bezel has 'notches' around its perimeter spaced every 10°. Using the notches, compass reading accuracy is about +/- 5°. Fine graduations at the top are for declination angle setting.

Compass - The compass hand is orange on one end and black at the other. The orange end normally points towards 12 'o'clock. Before using the ACQ, the compass has to be calibrated. This is done by placing the watch on a level, hard surface. Removing the watch band is recommended. The crown is then pulled out to the middle position and either button is pressed. The compass hand rotates two revolutions to indicate it's in the calibration mode. Then, the user rotates the watch slowly, taking at least 15 seconds per revolution, two full revolutions. The compass hand then moves back and forth to acknowledge end of the calibration, then moves to the declination angle. Using the fine scale on the top of the bezel, the declination angle is then set, which ends the calibration. To find out your local declination angle, go here. From then on, when either button is pressed, the orange hand will swing around and point to true North, and you don't have to compensate for declination.
To use the compass, you hold the watch as level as possible, and point 12 o'clock in the direction of travel. Press either button, and the orange compass hand will indicate true North. Turn the bezel so that North is aligned to the compass hand, and your heading will be at 12 o'clock, which you can estimate from the bezel. The compass hand goes back to its 12 o'clock position after 20 seconds. The strap is easily removed for using the watch body on a map.
I compared the accuracy of the electronic compass to a couple of other compasses that I have (seen in the right hand picture). The map is pointed at true North (declination has been dialed into the compasses), and you can see the orange watch compass hand also pointing towards the top of the map. Like other compasses, it's important to keep the ACQ as level as possible, when taking a compass reading. Tilting the watch causes the hand to move back and forth about +/- 10°.
Having a compass in a watch is a feature I didn't think I needed for daily use, but find myself using it to navigate in buildings with no reference to the outside. For the hiker, LE or soldier, it's a good looking dual-purpose watch that can give you a quick bearing when needed.

Marathon Tritium SAR (TSAR) H3 Diver's Watch

3/27/06 - This is the TSAR (Tritium Search and Rescue) watch, designed and manufactured for diving or SAR (Search and Rescue) use by the Marathon Watch Company (a Canadian company). It is the latest version of the Canadian SAR watch and was manufactured under contract to the Canadian and U.S. governments (NSN: 6645-21-558-0133Q) for issue to SAR personnel. It's in use by NASA divers (NSN: 6645-20-001-9382). Marathon has been around since 1939 supplies government, commercial and military clients worldwide and is currently the only contracted manufacturer of gaseous tritium watches to the U.S. government. Their manufacturing plant is in Switzerland, where the TSAR is made. The TSAR, and other government-issue watches is available through County Comm. It is made in limited quantities and each watch is serial numbered.

The watch measures approximately 1.7" from the top of the crown to the other side of the case. The case itself is hefty; cut out of 316L stainless steel, with a fine brushed finish. Maximum thickness of the watch (from dial to back) is about .53". The relatively tall screw-down crown is knurled for use with gloves and is about .2" long and .25" in diameter. It's very easy to get a grip on and manipulate. The crown guards extend about half-way up the crown. The lugs are 20mm wide and utilize conventional spring-bars to retain the band.
The engraved markings on the back of the watch list some of the specs. Swiss made, with a High Torque Quartz movement (ISA 1198 Swiss movement accurate to approx 10 seconds per month). It's rated to a depth of 30 ATM (300m or 1000ft). NSN number, government codes, date of manufacture and serial number. It also lists the total amount of millicuries of tritium as 26.

The black face is protected by a thick sapphire crystal. The dial has one second tick marks, and both standard (large numbers) and supplemental time (small numbers). The date window is at 4:30. The white baton/stick-type hands, numbers and markings are clear and legible, as the black face provides excellent contrast. The TSAR uses the unique feature of tritium vials for luminescence (instead of tritium paint), at the hour marks and on the hour and minute hands. The 12 o'clock vials glows orange. The second hand is a small red arrow at the end filled with luminous MaraGlo (non-tritium). In the dark, the markings glow brightly and are easy to read.

TSAR with rubber watch band

Face

Back

Side view

Rubber band

Bezel rotated and crown unscrewed

The uni-directional 120 click bezel is an elapsed time ring (120 clicks = 60 minutes) with white minute hash marks and numbered every 10 minutes. I noticed that for each positive half-minute 'click', there's another smaller, less distinct 'click' in between, so it's actually one large and one small click per half-minute increment - I guess they could be used as quarter minute increments if you counted the smaller clicks as well. The bezel can be used to indicate elapsed time, used by divers to see how much air they have in their tanks and only rotates counter-clockwise. If it's accidently rotated by brushing against something, it'll indicate less time left instead of more. Better to err on the side of caution. To use, the luminous zero indicator/ MaraGlo triangle on the bezel is rotated to line up with the minute hand. Elapsed time can be read off the clear, white bezel minute markings by looking at the position of the minute hand anytime afterwards (up to 60 minutes of course). You don't have to be a diver to use it; it's useful as a rudimentary stopwatch for timing any number of daily activities or remembering when a short task was started. The side of the bezel is slotted/grooved for a secure grip with gloved fingers.

On wrist with rubber strap

Tritium at night

Desert sand Zulu band

ACU grey band

Size comparison

The TSAR is supplied with a great two-piece natural rubber strap, which I found surprisingly comfortable and pliable. It has a smooth but matte, non-glare texture and a stainless steel buckle. While the rubber strap is fully functional, comfortable and looks good, I'm partial to the Zulu watchbands reviewed above, and like the ability to switch colours in a few seconds. One-piece bands also give me an additional sense of comfort knowing that if one of the watchband bars fails, the watch is still attached to the wrist by one bar and won't be lost.
For a dressier look, a custom, Swiss-made stainless steel bracelet is also available separately. The bracelet is made of the same 316L stainless steel as the watch case, and has 14 solid links (no hollow links), which will accomodate a maximum wrist circumference of about 8-1/8". The end links are also solid. Machining and fit on all components are precise. The clasp has the Canadian Maple Leaf logo embossed on it - a nice touch. The flip-lock and connecting components are mirror polished and contrast nicely with the brushed finish on the rest of the bracelet. There's also a diver's extension, for wearing the watch over a wetsuit (or outside your clothing). Opening the extension lengthens the bracelet by about 0.9". The bracelet is simple to install and it snaps smartly into place with no play in the end links. Six of the links are adjustable/removable, and are held together by a double screw system. The double screw is actually a pin that's internally threaded at one end where a tiny screw forms the other end of the pin. I have girly wrists, so I had to remove some links to size the bracelet. All it took were two small watch/jeweller's screwdrivers (pictured below) and a few minutes and I had it sized.

TSAR stainless bracelet

Clasp and diver's extension

Flip lock and Maple leaf

Adjustable links

Just a damn good looking watch

The TSAR is a large, very solid-feeling, darn good-looking wristwatch. At about 3.3 ounces, its heft is definitely more noticeable than my lightweight plastic Timex explorer when comparing them in my hands, but on the wrist, it goes unnoticed after only a while. For people who need a reliable timepiece robust enough to stand up to their jobs, the TSAR will fit the bill. For those who don't dive nor need something built to withstand such extreme conditions, it's just nice to know that it can. Just like many Rolex Submariner owners don't buy them for diving, the allure and appreciation of a rugged, well-made, precisely crafted and manufactured piece of equipment is enough reason for getting one.