BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

From SHOT Show 2008
4 February 2008

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It’s SHOT Show: what would you expect? The Las Vegas Convention Center isn’t apparently big enough to hold all the exhibitors as there is the “Gold Hall” set up out in the parking lot. I had to laugh: “Gold Hall”: a huge tent in the parking lot. But it’s a testament to how big SHOT Show has grown. Last year (’07) I walked between 15 and 20 miles each day. This year I think I’m going to easily beat that. But it’s everything you would expect SHOT to be and then some. Let’s take a look...

(I will edit in pictures as time and circumstances permit):

First on my list of not necessarily "new" but definitely updated is the BlackHawk SERPA Level III Duty Holster. Long time readers know that I like the SERPA holster but I wasn't originally sure about the placement of the thumb release and how it worked with the ergonomics of the human body. To address that (I thought non-existant) issue, BlackHawk has modified the design to make the thumb release easier to activate. While the modification they've designed in makes it quicker and easier to get the gun out, I'm thinking I can develop a fairly easy method to use the lever to lock the holster shut in weapon retention situations. At any rate, a small modification that makes the holster even slicker (in my opinion). Also from BlackHawk Night-Ops are a couple of new flashlights that I'll talk about a little further down.

From Brigade Quartermasters comes a few new toys that are cool... The Tick Rail Mount is an accessory rail that mounts to a pistol using the take down lever or slide stop pin. Attachment is about a 30 second (or less) process that gives you rails for a light, laser or other accessory. Second item from Brigade is the Triton M2 Water Filtration system. An in-line filter that is compatible with most popular drinking tube diameters, the Triton M2 is about 8" long and weighs about four ounces (1/4 pound). The promotional material says that the M2 can filter as much as a half-quart of water per minute.

Now let's talk flashlights...

From Night-Ops is coming a new flashlight that is modular... of sorts. The bezel / lamp assembly and the tail cap stay the same. The body is a plain tube that accepts sleeves enabling four different carry or mounting options. The tailcap doesn't offer quite as much versatility as the now-famous Gladius, but it offers a great deal more than on / off. It has a dimming and strobe capability in a more streamlined assembly. I think it's going to become fairly popular. Oh, and lest I forget... it's LED driven. Good light output with decent run time and hellaciously hard to break.

From Polarion comes a High Intensity Discharge (HID) light that pumps out an incredible 5,000 lumens of light. Much of the technical data about this light is language too complicated for me to interpret. However, this light is HAND HELD and rechargeable. It also has the necessary cable port to be powered from an outside source and a built-in meter to show remaining battery life. Overall length is 12.5" with a diameter of 4.25". 5,000 lumens.

PentagonLight is introducing a number of new flashlights as well. The R20 is an induction rechargeable light that provides two levels of light: High is 150 lumens with low being 20 lumens. PentagonLight's publication says 90 minutes of run time from a fully charged battery on high power. There are also R10 and R5 models, both providing reduced levels of light with approximately the same run times. On a slightly different track PentagonLight offers the K2 Porcupine, a 70-lumen 60-minute Xenon driven light with teeth around the bezel that can be covered/ hidden. Just like a porcupine, those teeth / sharp edges can be exposed when you need them.

Last "cool / neat" piece of kit is a new tactical camera from Pacific Concepts. This item was being displayed in the booth for the National Correction and Law Enforcement Training and Technology Center (NCLETTC). Promoted as wireless and waterproof, the Advanced Tactical Camera is ideally suited to mount on a helmet, long gun or appendage. On the interior 2 gigabyte memory card, digital video is captured at varying levels of size, clarity and frame-rate depending on how many hours of material you want to capture. The good guys at Pacific Concepts remind us that it's just as important to have video capability for less-lethal force deployments as for lethal. That's exactly why TASER has the TASER-cam on their X26 available. The Advanced Tactical Camera has lots of potential.

That's all for now. More next week (guns and knives).

Stay Safe!!

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Don't forget to check out our Recreational Equipment Review from the SHOT Show floor.

This week's Feature Article discussing hypothetical links between illegal immigration and terrorism in a fictional future.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

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