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Review: Steel Will Druid Knives

Posted on October 23, 2016 at 6:00 am.

In This Article

Steel Will Knives
Druid 230 Fixed Blade
Druid 291 Folding Knife
Testing the Steel Will Druids
Conclusions

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: when it comes to survival gear, two is one, and one is none. This mindset of redundancy leads us to carry backups of our most important survival tools, and there are few tools more essential than the knife. Survival experts around the world will agree that a trustworthy knife is one tool you won't want to do without, so in many circumstances, it makes sense to carry a pair of blades.

The question then becomes, what pair of blades is the most practical for survival purposes? Unless you want to look like a total mall ninja, dual-wielding two identical knives is not going to work. It's most practical to diversify your capabilities by choosing two different blades which complement each other. Usually, this means…

A large blade, for heavy-duty chopping, splitting wood, clearing vegetation, and extended reach.
A small blade, for precise slicing, skinning, carving, and peeling.

Beyond these general guidelines, there are many choices within each category. The large blade can come in the form of a machete, parang, kukri, axe, or simply a large and sturdy fixed blade. These will all enable the user to fell saplings, break down firewood, and hack through tough brush. The small blade can be fixed (such as a neck knife, boot knife, or dagger) or a folding pocket knife. Compact blades permit higher dexterity, and are used for delicate tasks where the large blade would become unwieldy.

Steel Will Knives

At Blade Show 2016, we stopped by the Steel Will Knives booth, and noticed that the company has been expanding its Druid line of Outdoor Series knives. This got us thinking about testing out a pair of Steel Will blades from this line, to see if they could serve as the complementary one-two punch we look for in a pair of survival knives.

So, after the show had passed, we requested a pair of blades from the Steel Will Druid series:

Druid 230 – a sleek fixed bushcraft knife with a 9-inch drop point blade
Druid 291 – a compact folding knife with a 3.7-inch clip point blade

Both of these Druids are designed with hunters, fishermen, hikers, and other outdoorsmen in mind. This is illustrated by the knives' simple but elegant design — there are no ostentatious notches, holes, colored coatings, or unconventional blade profiles to be found here. The handles come in any color you want, as long as it's black.

If you're the type who prefers simplicity and clean design, these blades should appeal to your aesthetic. That's certainly not to say they're visually unappealing, but they're not exactly flashy, either. This focus on purposeful design is ideal for a survival knife, as its function matters more than form.

While these two Druid knives share a similar appearance, their constructions and features differ significantly. We'll outline the specs of these knives below, then give our verdict for each blade at the end of this article.

Druid 230 Fixed Blade

The Druid 230 is the larger of the two blades, with an overall length of 14.6 inches. The drop-point blade is 9 inches long, 0.2 inches thick, and constructed of 9Cr18MoV stainless steel. With its high 18-percent chromium content, this steel offers strong corrosion resistance. The 230's tapered full tang extends slightly past the butt of the handle, forming an impact point for pounding, hammering, or breaking glass.

Speaking of the handle, it's formed around the tang from thermoplastic elastomer, also called TPE or thermoplastic rubber. This material offers a slight amount of give, cushioning your hand against hard impacts. It also has excellent grip characteristics in wet or dry environments, thanks in part to the cross-hatched groove pattern found on all Steel Will Druid handles. A lanyard hole is also present, for those who wish to add decorative paracord or a wrist retention strap.

The Druid 230 includes a black leather sheath, with a belt loop and upper and lower attachment points for thigh straps. The Steel Will logo is embossed into the leather. The sheath's slotted opening fits the blade rather loosely, so you'll need to massage the leather a bit to open it up enough to conform to the handle.

This fixed blade is available from Steel Will at an MSRP of $100.

Druid 291 Folding Knife

The smaller of the two blades, known as the Druid 291, is an 8.9-inch folding knife. Its 3.7-inch clip-point blade is constructed of satin-finished N690Co, an Austrian-made stainless steel. The N690Co steel is comparable to 440C or VG-10, but also contains cobalt for added hardness, and offers excellent corrosion resistance. This knife is manufactured in Italy, as noted on the flat of its blade.

An oblong thumb disc yields plenty of leverage to flip open the blade, and also provides leverage while cutting. A liner lock keeps the blade locked in place. The Druid 291's handle color and texture are nearly identical to that of the larger Druid 230, but its composition differs. This folder's handle scales are formed from fiber-reinforced nylon (FRN), which is harder than the TPE handle material used on the fixed blade.

You may notice the Druid 291 has both a pocket clip and a leather holster. Steel Will tells us that during initial testing, the deep-carry clip and textured handle made the knife difficult to remove quickly from some pockets—it's so grippy that it dragged on and wore down thicker fabrics. So, the company added a belt holster as an additional method of carrying the knife. It's nice to have the extra option, depending on your preference.

The 291 folder is available from Steel Will at an MSRP of $120.

Testing the Steel Will Druids

We spent some time testing out each of these blades, and wrote down our general impressions, as well as a list of pros and cons for each.

First, the Druid 230 — its light weight and excellent balance makes it feel like a natural extension of the hand. Given its straight and slender blade, it behaves a lot like a hybrid between a machete and a large knife. It's easy to swing quickly, and excels at slashing cuts.

The handle material is nicely textured, but our real gripe with the Druid 230 is the handle shape. It feels like it belongs on a 7- or 8-inch knife, like some of the smaller fixed-blades in the Druid family, rather than a 14-inch chopper. Also, it lacks a proper forefinger guard to prevent your fingers from slipping onto the blade (or off the end of the handle). That's not reassuring for a knife this size, and we'd say it's this blade's biggest flaw.

The affordable 9Cr18MoV steel resists corrosion well, and held its edge admirably. However, most stainless steel in this family originates from China, and the fact that this blade's country of manufacture is unlisted (unlike the Italian-made Druid 291) leads us to believe it may be made in China as well. If you're planning on lots of extremely hard chopping and batoning wood, you may be better off with a tough yet less corrosion-resistant high-carbon blade. The Druid 230 is better suited for users who don't plan to hammer it mercilessly.

Pros – Druid 230:

Wonderfully balanced and lightweight (11.5 oz)
Included high-quality leather sheath
Good value for under $100

Cons – Druid 230:

Handle lacks a substantial forefinger guard
9Cr18MoV stainless steel wouldn't be our first choice for heavy and repeated chopping

Now, on to the recently-released Druid 291 folding knife. The fit and finish of this knife really impressed us. The blade pivots smoothly, and its liner lock clicks firmly into place. The clip point blade shape is timeless, and this knife is also offered in a drop point style (the Druid 290). Austrian-sourced Bohler-Uddeholm N690 is one of our favorite steels for folding knives, due to its hardness and edge retention.

The handle is what we'd call chunky, but that's not a flaw per se — it works well for those with larger hands due to its substantial thickness and 5.2-inch folded length. As far as the carry options, we'd agree with Steel Will's statement that “using the included holster is ideal”. The deep pocket clip is a nice backup option, but we found that it's rather awkward in most cases. Unless your pants have thin seams and taut fabric, this knife is almost guaranteed to provide resistance as you yank it from your pocket. Forget about trying to draw it quickly from a pair of jeans.

That said, the leather holster is quite well-made, and we found ourselves growing to like it. We will mention that it's less subtle than a pocket-carried knife, if discretion is a priority.

Pros – Druid 291:

N690Co steel is excellent for this application
Thick handle design and thumb disc provide tons of grip while cutting
Nice fit and finish

Cons – Druid 291:

Not ideal for pocket carry — expect to use the holster in most cases

Conclusions

To return to our original question, do these two Steel Will Druid knives form a cohesive pair? After testing, we'd say that they do. The fixed-blade Druid 230 works well for clearing brush, and the folding Druid 291 provides the precision needed for smaller cuts. Neither knife is without flaws — specifically, the lackluster finger guards on the 230, and the 291's reliance on an external holster. But looking at the bigger picture, they complement each other well, and both Druid knives would be strong assets in any outdoor situation.

For more information on these and other Steel Will blades, visit SteelWillKnives.com.

Primitive Technology: Making a Spear-Thrower

Posted on October 22, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Hunting large wild animals without any modern tools can seem like an impossible task to many survivalists. Sure, you can rig up some snares to catch rabbits or squirrels, or attempt to shoot down birds with a small bow constructed from a branch and some natural cordage. However, these improvised weapons may lack the power to take down a large animal, such as a deer or wild boar. For bigger game, and for self-defense purposes, a spear makes an excellent weapon.

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A diagram of an Australian Aboriginal woomera spear-thrower from “The Outline of History” by H.G. Wells...

The upsides to a spear are its simplicity and piercing power, but its downside is a lack of range. You can throw the spear, but unless you've accumulated lots of upper-body strength and practice, it's not going to go very far. Fortunately, native cultures across the globe developed a device that amplifies the spear's range through leverage. The Aztecs called it an atlatl; the Australian Aboriginals called it a woomera. Today, we call it a spear-thrower.

In his latest YouTube video, the silent host of Primitive Technology shows how to construct a spear and spear thrower, using no modern tools whatsoever. All it takes is a straight, thin, and flexible tree sapling, a sharp rock, and fire-starting materials (the host uses the hand drill method). Check out the video below:

The result is impressive, producing enough power to strike a target at 15 meters (49 feet) and embed the charred tip of the spear. In the Primitive Technology video description, the host writes:

“The throws in the video show what can be done in one afternoon of practice (my arm got sore and I wanted to start on other projects). I hit the target a few times at a distance 15 m. It is more powerful than a spear thrown by hand alone but is difficult to learn. … It's easy to make (this took less than a day) but requires lots of training to become accurate.”

For more great bushcraft videos, check out our previous features on How to Build a Grass Hut and Improving a Hand Drill Fire Starter, or visit the Primitive Technology YouTube channel.

New Mechanix Tactical Specialty Gloves for Military & Police

Posted on October 20, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Mechanix Wear has announced the introduction of a new line of Tactical Specialty (T/S) gloves designed for members of the military and law enforcement agencies. The new Tactical Specialty gloves are “designed to perform in a range of high-risk scenarios”, so five unique styles are offered for a variety of purposes.

Before we discuss each of these new models, we should look at what they have in common. All Mechanix Wear T/S gloves are equipped with touchscreen-compatible material throughout the fingertips and the palm, enabling the wearer to access smartphones and tablets without removing the gloves. All gloves also offer a form-fitting design and index finger profile intended for use with firearms.

Mechanix Tactical Specialty gloves recon leather

Mechanix Wear Tactical Specialty (T/S) Recon

The Recon model is constructed with 0.6mm hair sheep leather, allowing for maximum dexterity and grip. Three-dimensional patterning fits the hand's natural curvature. MSRP: $43

Mechanix Tactical Specialty gloves pursuit

Mechanix Wear Tactical Specialty (T/S) Pursuit CR5

The Pursuit CR5 glove offers cut resistance on the palm and fingers, thanks to an internal layer of Armortex material. This meets the requirements of the CE Level 5 standard for blade-cut resistance, and protects the wearer from sharp objects. MSRP: $36

Mechanix Wear Tactical Specialty (T/S) Tempest

The Tempest glove offers flame-resistant goatskin leather and Nomex construction, meeting ASTM D6413 & NFPA 1971-07 ratings for flame and heat resistance (as required by the U.S. Military). MSRP: $70

Mechanix Wear Tactical Specialty (T/S) Breacher

The Breacher is molded with a one-piece Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) knuckle guard for impact protection, as well as smaller guards on three of the fingers. The trigger finger lacks these reinforcements, so it can fit smoothly through a weapon's trigger guard. MSRP: $85

Mechanix Wear Tactical Specialty (T/S) Azimuth

Similar to the Tempest, the Azimuth is constructed with flame-resistant goatskin leather and Nomex, and meets ASTM D6413 & NFPA 1971-07 ratings. Unlike the Tempest, the Azimuth features an extra-long fire-resistant gauntlet cuff, as well as EVA foam padding to protect against impacts on the knuckles. MSRP: $80

For more information on the Mechanix Wear T/S gloves, visit Mechanix.com.

WikiHow Fail: “How to Escape Dangerous Forest Animals”

Posted on October 19, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

The Internet is an extremely useful resource for any survivalist, since it provides more information than you could possibly hope to absorb in an entire lifetime. You can learn about virtually any topic, from fire-starting to astrophysics, and most of the time you won't have to spend a cent to do so. Unfortunately, there's one major drawback: misinformation. On the Internet, anyone can share their unfounded theories, and it becomes difficult to distinguish truth from fiction.

WikiHow can be a good source for DIY guides, such as this paracord bracelet guide.

Sites with crowdsourced or user-submitted content are especially vulnerable to the spread of myths and misinformation. WikiHow is one such example. On one hand, it's a great source for illustrated DIY guides, such as How to Make a 550 Paracord Bracelet. On the other hand, it's packed with ridiculously inaccurate or obvious guides (e.g. How to Make a Glass of Ice Water). It's up to the reader to filter and fact-check this content.

Recently, we came across a WikiHow article on How to Escape from Dangerous Forest Animals. Since it's a topic we've written about in the past, we decided to check it out, and we're glad we did. Surprisingly, there is some accurate information to be found, such as avoiding eye contact with animals and slowly backing away to safety. Unfortunately, there's also a lot of confusing, inaccurate, and outright hilarious misinformation. Here are a few of our favorite examples:

This photo's WikiHow caption recommends “backing away diagonally”, but the illustration appears to show a man jogging directly past an alarmed bear. Needless to say, you should never turn your back on a bear. Running away is also a bad idea, as later stated in the very same WikiHow article.

“Shhh, don't mention Harambe. Gorillas hate played-out memes.”

Keeping your voice down around a gorilla — good idea. Turning your back on a 300-pound highly territorial and intelligent wild animal — bad idea.

Confuse gators with your sweet dance moves.

The WikiHow article recommends running in zigzags to avoid crocodiles. This is a complete falsehood, but don't take our word for it. Alligator expert Frank Mazzotti told the L.A. Times, “Run away in a straight line. Everything you hear about running in a zigzag line is untrue.” MythBusters even busted this zigzag myth on national TV.

Easy there, Count Dracula. It's not socially acceptable to suck victims' blood in broad daylight. Seriously though, it's true that sucking venom out of a snakebite wound is a waste of time, so we'll give the author some credit for this one.

Have you ever been so mad you wanted to fistfight a mountain lion?

We'll leave you with the crown jewel of this article: an illustration of someone punching a cougar in the face. Unless you're Chuck Norris, please don't try this at home.

If you need a good laugh, check out the rest of the article on WikiHow.

Trails Found: A Horse is a Village

Posted on October 18, 2016 at 4:50 pm.

Written by Offgrid Staff

“A horse is a village,” says Jim Grasky. “You earn its trust and cooperation with consideration — which is not necessarily kindness — and consistency, firmness and fairness.”

The principles of leadership, he tells his students, are also those of horsemanship. Most of his pupils could easily be his grandchildren or even great-grandchildren, but he can still outride them. Likely he could still outfight and outshoot them. He likens such skills to counter-insurgency operations because that's something many of his students from USASOC (like Army SF “Green Berets”) can identify with.

Several RECOIL and RECOIL OFFGRID contributors spent a few days with Grasky in the Dragoon Mountains recently (see Saddle Up With Jim Grasky) at a Breach-Bang-Clear organized event called Trails Found. Horses being the original all terrain vehicle, and still relevant in many ways, we looked forward to this training opportunity more eagerly than most. Although focusing primarily on equitation, we also touched on survival skills (as applicable to the Arizona backcountry or any other environment) and tracking. You never know what you don't know, the saying goes, and although many of us already had a tracking background, it was equally apropos here.

DSC_7159-Offgridweb-JimGrasky1-TrailsFound16

At age 76, retired BORTAC founder and former Green Beret Jim Grasky can still outride, outwalk, and outshoot the...

In addition to offering a chance to learn new skills, the trip provided us a great opportunity to try out a wide variety of equipment under rather different circumstances. It's not always you get the chance to see how body armor or a particular brand of jeans wears in the saddle in rough country for hours, but that's what we did, riding great distances clad in Crye Precision's brand new (unreleased) Low Visibility System Armor and the Tactical Distributors SYG (Stand Your Ground) jeans. We took all manner of Sig Electro Optics into the field with us, using it to play the “Range Game” and to run observation drills in Bisbee, and at least one person there learned that while Salomon boots are superbly made, they're not particularly well suited to use in stirrups.

DSC02793-OFFGRID-DragoonMountains2-TrailsFound16

RECOILweb editor and RECOIL OFFGRID contributor David Reeder in the saddle near a remote stretch of I-10. Spending many...

In the coming weeks we'll be running some lesson-learned articles and equipment reviews. We'll also post op-eds on how the things we learned from A Horse is a Village in the desert and in Cochise's Stronghold can be just as valuable to someone walking in downtown Chicago or riding the D.C. Metro.

More to follow. In the meantime, watch for the hashtag #TrailsFound16 on Instagram and on Facebook to see a continuing stream of imagery and information.

You can find Grasky's school online at TrailsFound.com.

DSC02855-OFFGRID-DragoonMountains-TrailsFound16

Part of the training area near Triangle T Ranch. Triangle T is as much an unsung training location as it is a relaxing...

The ManCan Portable Beer Keg

Posted on October 18, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

While living through a real disaster would be no walk in the park, practicing those survival skills doesn't have to be a total drag. In normal circumstances, it can be a lot of fun to gather some friends and head out into the woods to practice fire-starting or shelter-building. A crackling campfire, hot meal, and some cold beers make the experience all the more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, transporting beer to remote locations isn't exactly a simple task. You can lug around a heavy cooler full of ice, but that's no fun, and it's certainly impractical to transport a full-size beer keg in a wheelbarrow or cart to your off-grid campsite. Bottles break and cans get crushed, both take up lots of pack space, and neither keeps the liquid inside cold for very long.

ManCan is a Denver, Colorado-based start-up that has developed a compact and portable beer keg for use in the outdoors. The ManCan design retains the advantages of a full-size beer keg—substantial capacity, maximum freshness, and easy dispensing—without the tremendous size and weight. It's also said to be extremely durable, and fits in a refrigerator door so you can chill it before your adventure.

The ManCan 128 contains the equivalent of about 10.7 standard U.S. beer bottles.

The ManCan is powered by standard CO2 canisters and a built-in pressure regulator, and dispenses beer (or any other cold beverage) through the flexible tap hose and nozzle. It's certainly not what we'd call light, weighing in at about 6 pounds dry, but it's a heck of a lot lighter than the 29.7-pound dry weight of a standard empty beer keg. When filled to the brim with 128 ounces (one gallon) of beer, it should tip the scales at about 14 pounds, which is relatively manageable for hiking and backpacking. A regular keg would weigh over 150 pounds—good luck carrying that on your back.

The 128-ounce ManCan seen here is available for $199 with flex dispensing kit and CO2 cartidges. You can also order it without the dispenser for $70, or get a smaller 64-ounce ManCan for $40. To learn more about the ManCan line of portable kegs, go to ManCan.beer (yes, that's the real web address).

Infographic: Cognitive Biases & Decision Making

Posted on October 17, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In order to deal with a life-and-death survival situation, or any important decision, it's essential to stay calm, collected, and logical. If you panic, act impulsively, or allow your subconscious to control your decision-making abilities, you could make the wrong choice when it matters most. This is why understanding the psychology of survival is crucial—in many cases, your mindset is just as important as your physical condition, if not more so.

One of the biggest barriers to making rational decisions is cognitive bias. Cognitive bias is a systematic tendency to make undesirable choices or errors in logical thought. In simpler terms, it's when our brain distorts incoming information to make us believe something that's untrue or irrational. Many of the various types of cognitive biases arise from mental shortcuts (also known as heuristics). The brain tries to “connect the dots” to improve efficiency, but ends up leading us astray.

Fortunately, all is not lost—we can fight back against our cognitive biases by understanding them. The following infographic from Business Insider shows 20 of the most common cognitive biases, and explains how they negatively impact our decision-making skills. For a larger and easier-to-read version, click on the image, then select the “Download” button in the top right corner. Alternatively, you can click here for a direct link.

Next time you're faced with a difficult choice, consider these biases, and ask yourself: Am I making a decision based on the facts, or am I allowing bias to skew my perception? For more information on real-life instances of cognitive bias having catastrophic effects, check out this list of “Real-World Effects of Cognitive Bias”.

Nuclear Near-Miss: Draining the Chernobyl Reactor

Posted on October 16, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In This Article

The Chernobyl Disaster
Preventing a Steam Explosion
The Aftermath

Even if you've never taken an interest in studying world history, you've surely heard the name Chernobyl. It's linked to one of the most catastrophic manmade disasters of all time, the explosion of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine (at the time part of the Soviet Union).

With frequent modern-day references in movies, TV shows, and books, as well as comparisons to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, it's easy to assume that the destruction caused by the Chernobyl event and its radioactive fallout has been greatly exaggerated. As with most disasters, it's true that some exaggerations have been made over the years, but make no mistake—the reality of the Chernobyl accident was truly staggering.

Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster radiation ukraine 1

A view of the Chernobyl plant, taken from a rooftop in the abandoned city of Pripyat. Source: Wikipedia / Jason Minshull

Still, the event was nearly much worse. If not for the brave actions of three men, the Chernobyl disaster would almost certainly have spread throughout the power plant's other reactors and taken more lives. But, before we get to those three men, let's first take a historical look at the events that led to their selfless choice.

The Chernobyl Disaster

It all started in April 1986, in the remote city of Pripyat, on the northern border of what is now Ukraine. Pripyat was constructed in the 1970s, along with a facility that was officially known as the V. I. Lenin Nuclear Power Station. We now refer to this plant as Chernobyl, due to its proximity to the pre-existing Ukrainian small town of the same name.

This power plant was the third RBMK nuclear power plant constructed in the Soviet Union, and the first power plant constructed within the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Despite its remote location, the plant and its newly-built city of Pripyat attracted a support staff of 50,000 individuals. It was also one of the “youngest” cities in the USSR, with a high percentage of recent college graduates and an average age of 26.

Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster radiation ukraine 9

Compared to other cities in the Soviet Union, the recently-built city of Pripyat must have seemed like a utopia....

On Friday, April 25th, engineers began testing an emergency cooling function on reactor number four. This was the most recently-completed unit, although construction was still in progress on a fifth reactor, and there were additional plans to build two more blocks in the near future. The test that day was intended to demonstrate a technique for bridging the gap between the reactor's two cooling systems: primary steam turbine cooling pumps, and emergency backup diesel generators. If you'd like to read more about the technical aspects of the test, you can find a detailed explanation here.

A diagram of reactor 4 shows the immense complexity of its design. Source: Andrew Leatherbarrow

Needless to say, something went very wrong. A subsequent report by the International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group (INSAG) stated the following: “During preparation and testing of the turbine generator under run-down conditions using the auxiliary load, personnel disconnected a series of technical protection systems and breached the most important operational safety provisions for conducting a technical exercise.”

In other words, corners were cut in order to expedite the test, and this led to the situation spiraling out of control. This was compounded by the fact that Soviet authorities refused to allow reactor power to be reduced to 30% as per protocol, as it would result in mass power outages. By 1:23 AM on April 26th, an emergency shutdown procedure was initiated, but a massive power spike caused the core to reach 120 times its maximum output. The overheating reactor also overheated the water-cooling system, leading to a powerful steam explosion which severely damaged the reactor and started a chain reaction we commonly refer to as a meltdown.

Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster radiation ukraine 10

A photo of the corium “elephant's foot”, taken 10 years after the Chernobyl disaster. Source: U.S....

The so-called meltdown literally melted everything surrounding the reactor core—uranium fuel rods, graphite control rods, and even the concrete floor beneath the reactor. This highly-radioactive material is known as corium, and can maintain a temperature of 1,200°C (or 2,192°F). Corium behaves much like radioactive lava, slowly flowing down the path of least resistance, and liquefying virtually everything in its path.

Preventing a Steam Explosion

This is where the next part of our story begins. The corium lava was making its slow descent through the reactor floor, and would inevitably reach the basement. Since the reactor explosion had severed cooling pipes, this basement had partially flooded.

Corium lava flows formed in this steam relief valve beneath the reactor core.

Corium lava flows formed in this steam relief valve beneath the damaged reactor core. Source: Wikipedia / insp.pnl.gov

To the uninformed, this may not seem like a problem—after all, you might think the water would cool off the molten corium sludge. In reality, the corium was so hot that it would have instantly flashed the cold water into steam, causing a powerful underground explosion. This in turn would have destroyed the remains of the reactor, scattered radioactive material, and potentially led to meltdowns in the other three active nuclear reactors at the Chernobyl plant.

Author and Chernobyl disaster expert Andrew Leatherbarrow wrote, “If [the corium reached the water] it would have triggered a second steam explosion that would have done unimaginable damage and destroyed the entire power station, including the three other reactors.”

Engineers at reactor number four knew that this radioactive steam explosion would surely occur unless the water was removed. However, in a cruel twist, the drainage valves were located in a flooded corridor in the basement, and the entire area (including the water itself) was contaminated with potentially-deadly levels of radiation. The only way to drain the water was to open the valves, and the only way to reach the valves was to enter the flooded basement corridor.

Rather than draw straws or evacuate to save themselves, three men volunteered for this duty, knowing that it might be a suicide mission. Those men were Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bezpalov, and Boris Baranov. The first two were engineers who knew the location of the valve, while the third was a shift supervisor at the reactor. The men donned the best protective gear they had—wetsuits and respirators—and waded into the dark basement. Amazingly, the three men successfully opened the valves, drained the water, and emerged alive.

The Aftermath

A photo of the damage to reactor number four.

A photo of the above-ground damage to the building surrounding reactor number four.

Some reports have claimed that Ananenko, Bezpalov, and Baranov died of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) shortly after their brave mission. Other official reports from the Soviet government tried to downplay the severity of the disaster. According to Andrew Leatherbarrow, none of the three men died of ARS. In fact, Ananenko and Bezpalov were still alive in 2015, while Baranov died of a heart attack in 2005.

This radiation dose chart gives perspective to the immense amounts of radiation released by the Chernobyl disaster. Source: XKCD.com/radiation

This chart gives perspective to the immense amounts of radiation released by the Chernobyl disaster. Source:...

While the men survived that day, it certainly doesn't diminish their heroism. If they hadn't bravely and selflessly opened those valves, it's likely that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster would have been far worse, and taken many more lives. Thirty years later, we still haven't seen anything like it.

To see 150 more photos from before and after the Chernobyl accident, check out The Complete Story of the Chernobyl Accident in Photographs.

Conceal Your Electronics with the SCOTTeVEST Off the Grid Jacket

Posted on October 15, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

If you travel frequently for work, you likely know the hassle of carrying a bag or backpack full of electronics. This usually includes a laptop for typing out emails and documents, a smartphone for business calls and navigation on the road, and possibly a tablet for quick access or watching movies on long flights. You may even have two smartphones—one for personal use and one for business. Then, of course, there are all the required cables and accessories.

In some cases, carrying these items in a backpack or over-the-shoulder messenger bag can be very functional. However, this can also draw attention from opportunistic criminals and muggers. If you walk the streets of an unfamiliar city at night with a laptop bag in hand, you might as well be wearing a sign that says “rob me”.

SCOTTeVEST has developed a streamlined solution to this conundrum. It's called the Off the Grid Jacket, or OTG Jacket for short, and it comes packed with 29 pockets. Now, you may be thinking that it must look like a bulky fly fishing cargo vest with all those pockets, but that's not the case. It's actually impressively sleek, and the company claims it can conceal a full-size laptop without showing bumps or bulges.

Check out the video below to see it in action:

The SCOTTeVEST OTG Jacket doesn't just scatter the pockets willy-nilly, either. They're designed for specific functionality with a variety of items, including a digital camera, touch-screen phone, RFID-sensitive credit cards, headphones, and hand warmers. The ripstop nylon fabric is treated for water- and stain-resistance, and it's machine-washable for easy cleaning—just don't forget to remove your electronics first!

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Clear touchscreen-compatible pockets allow quick access to your smartphone.

The OTG Jacket is available for both men and women, with a variety of color and size choices. Currently, it's available through SCOTTeVEST's web site for $215. If you're looking for a different exterior appearance with similar features, you can go to SCOTTeVEST.com to view some of the company's other apparel options.

Understanding Steel: The Rockwell Hardness Scale

Posted on October 14, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

If you've ever compared and cross-shopped knives, you've likely noticed that there's a lot of terminology to understand. In the past, we've talked about blade grinds and profiles, knife steel types, and even the complete anatomy of a fixed-blade knife. There's still lots more that we haven't covered, however. Steel hardness is one such topic, and it's an extremely important concept to wrap your head around if you want to know more about knives.

The Zero Tolerance 0630 is made of S35VN steel hardened to approximately 60 HRC.

In order to explain steel hardness correctly, we reached out to the team at KnifeArt.com. KnifeArt has nearly 20 years of experience as an online knife retailer, and offers blades ranging from affordable EDC workhorses to exotic custom designs. Site founder Larry Connelley wrote the following guide on steel hardness, and shared it with us:

“Knives are immensely versatile tools that with proper care and maintenance, can last an extremely long time. If you're in the market for a new, high-quality knife, you've probably come across mentions of the Rockwell Hardness scale and ratings. But what is this scale, and why is it important?

Generally, knives are described as having an HRC rating of X. “HR” stands for the Rockwell Scale of Hardness, and the “C” represents part C of the scale. The Rockwell Scale is used to determine the hardness of a material, and part C specifically refers to steel. The hardness of a steel is determined by the heat treatment of the blade.

In simple terms, the higher the number, the harder the steel. However, one steel is not better than another simply because it is harder. While a harder steel generally holds an edge longer than a softer steel, harder steel can be more brittle; some steel alloys can even shatter or crack because they are too hard!

Rockwell HRC hardness knife steel chart 2

Optimum hardness is a balance between toughness and edge retention.

Steel with a high number on the Rockwell scale will have higher edge retention but lower toughness. Likewise, steel with a lower Rockwell Hardness rating will not hold its edge for as long, but will be tougher. Axes and survival blades may tend to have low HRC ratings, making them tough enough to function well under frequent abuse and hard work. Folding knives tend to have higher ratings, because they are expected to hold sharp edges longer and are not typically used for heavy striking like an axe would.

A chart showing the HRC values for various common knife steels.

When you're buying a new knife, take into account the primary purpose that knife will serve. If you want something that will retain its edge sharpness for a long time without a need for extreme toughness look for a knife with a higher Rockwell rating. If you need something that will be tough and survive hard jobs but may require more frequent sharpening, look for a knife with a lower Rockwell rating. Most often, knives are heat treated to a Rockwell hardness range that balances the needs of edge retention and toughness under a normal range of use for that individual knife.”

To learn more about the Rockwell hardness scale and other knife characteristics, check out KnifeArt's Knife Articles & Information section.