Page 188 – RECOIL OFFGRID

New from Surefire: Auto-Adjusting IntelliBeam Weapon Light

Posted on September 2, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Have you ever pulled out a flashlight to inspect a nearby object, only to temporarily blind yourself when the light reflects back in your face? Lots of flashlights offer adjustable brightness modes, so you can avoid this problem by selecting the low-power mode—but that's only if you remember to do so ahead of time. When you quickly turn on your light in a dark room, it's easy to forget which brightness mode your light is set to, or simply fumble with the controls and select the wrong one. That's far from ideal, especially in a tense situation, since it will quickly obliterate your night vision and leave you disoriented.

Surefire has developed a clever solution to this problem, by developing a light that can automatically adjust its brightness level to your surroundings. This new light is known as the M600IB Scout Light, and the built-in proprietary auto-adjustment system is called IntelliBeam. Each M600IB light contains a sensor and microprocessor, which continuously evaluates the beam's target area. Based on the sensor's feedback, the flashlight adjusts between 100 and 600 lumens. Surefire says it can do so in a matter of milliseconds—faster than the human eye can detect.

The new M600IB Scout Light uses a high-output LED that can produce 600 lumens for up to 1.5 hours, or run for a maximum of 5 hours (per ANSI standard testing). It uses two CR123A batteries, contained in a hard-anodized aluminum body with O-ring seals and a tempered glass window. The tailcap switch offers partial-press for momentary activation, full click for constant activation, and a patented lockout feature. An included thumbscrew mount attaches the light to MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny weapon rails.

Here are the rest of the key specs for this flashlight:

Output (high): 600 lumens
Output (low): 100 lumens
Runtime: 5 hours (per ANSI standard)
Length: 5.8 inches
Bezel Diameter: 1.37 inches
Weight with Batteries: 6.2 oz
Battery Type: CR123A (two)
MSRP: $299

For more information on the new Surefire M600IB Scout Light with IntelliBeam Technology, visit Surefire.com. We're looking forward to getting our hands on one of these lights and doing some thorough testing in the future.

How to Make a PVC Pipe Bow

Posted on September 1, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

When it comes to selecting a projectile weapon for a survival situation, it's pretty hard to beat a modern rifle. Just take a look at our Ruger 10/22 takedown survival rifle build if you don't believe us. However, there are plenty of instances when a rifle is not practical, or simply is not available. Maybe you have a weapon but ran out of ammunition, or maybe your firearm was left behind, damaged, or destroyed during a survival scenario. What sort of projectile weapon can you build from everyday materials?

There's an obvious choice, and that's a bow. This tried-and-true weapon has been used effectively for millennia, and it requires no complex materials or expensive tools. In fact, it's possible to construct a powerful bow with a piece of PVC pipe from a local hardware store, and you don't even need power tools or a heat source.

The following video from ZNA Productions on YouTube shows how it's done. You may recognize the host from another video we shared, where he improvises a karambit knife from an old wrench.

Here's a recap of the items used in the video to construct the basic PVC pipe bow:

5 feet of 3/4-inch schedule 40 PVC pipe
3 fiberglass driveway marker rods
550 paracord
Duct tape
Basic tools: tape measure, permanent marker, rat tail file, small hacksaw, gloves (to protect against fiberglass dust)

Later in the video, the host shows some other PVC bow designs he has used, which range from larger straight bows, to recurve bows, to a compound bow with pulleys. As for arrows, you'll be best off using proper arrows from a sporting goods store. But, if those aren't available, not to worry—you can make your own arrows as well. Here's another video from ZNA Productions that shows how to do it:

Obviously, we're not saying that it's ideal to chuck all your firearms in the dumpster and adopt a bow for all your survival needs. But a DIY bow and arrows can provide an excellent backup weapon that's silent, reliable, and can even be fun to make.

Survival Lilly: Woman Builds a Shelter in the Woods

Posted on August 30, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Envision an expert survivalist, and think about what that individual looks like. It's likely that your vision included a burly bearded “mountain man”, or perhaps a younger guy with a clean-cut military look. While many survivalists fit that general description, it's important to remember that this stereotype is not always the case, and that we shouldn't judge any book by its cover.

For example, take Survival Lilly. This Austrian YouTuber has posted dozens of survival videos on topics ranging from eating grubs to making an urban get-home bag. And, unlike the stereotype, this expert survivalist is a young woman.

In the YouTube video below, Lilly shows off her survival skills by creating a impressively sophisticated lean-to shelter. It starts out pretty straightforward, with some logs leaned against a pair of trees, and cross-beams lashed in place horizontally. She then adds a tarp for waterproofing, and some smaller branches to hold it in place.

It doesn't stop there, though—Lilly goes on to build a sleeping platform, fire pit, shelves, a fence, hinged gate, and even a lawn chair. All of this is done with simple materials, like a hacksaw, axe, nails, and twine. Even the gate hinges could easily be scavenged from an abandoned building or shed.

Needless to say, this shelter is designed for long-term survival, or else it wouldn't be worth expending so much time and materials. However, it's definitely a pretty cool setup. The fence will keep predators at bay, the central fire pit will radiate heat to the sleeping platform, and there's plenty of storage space for supplies. And yes, it's built by a girl who is clearly a talented survivalist—that's encouraging to see, and we hope it inspires other young women to try learning survival techniques.

What do you think of this shelter design? Add a comment below and let us know how you'd change the shelter, or if you'd leave it exactly as-is.

If you liked this video, check out the Survival Lilly channel on YouTube and consider subscribing. She has quite a few other videos on a wide range of useful topics.

Review: Gerber Ghoststrike Fixed Blade Knives

Posted on August 28, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

In This Article

The Gerber Ghoststrike Series
Technical Specifications
Gerber Ghoststrike Punch Knife
Gerber Ghoststrike Fixed Blade
Gerber Ghoststrike Fixed Blade Deluxe Kit
Conclusions

Backup plans are essential to any survival situation. As the saying goes, two is one and one is none—if you don't have anything to fall back on, the first mishap you encounter may be your last. This philosophy is especially applicable to your core survival gear, such as your shelter, fire-starter, means of water purification, food source, and your knife. You can get away with losing your toothbrush, or forgetting to pack an extra pair of socks, but you won't survive long without shelter from the elements, nutrition, or tools.

Speaking of backup gear, it's wise to diversify. You may use a water filter as your primary means of hydration, but store a small bottle of chlorine dioxide tablets as your Plan B. You may have a warm sleeping bag, but keep a Mylar emergency blanket on hand in case you need it. This allows you to adapt more easily to changing circumstances.

hammering-wood-split-with-knife-and-wooden-club

You'll need a large blade for heavy tasks, and a smaller blade for delicate ones.

Applying this logic to survival knives, it's usually a good idea to have a large workhorse fixed-blade for heavy-duty tasks like chopping wood. This might take the form of a machete, parang, kukri, hatchet, or even just a 6-inch fixed blade on your hip. This means that your secondary knife can be something smaller, lighter, and possibly even concealable elsewhere on your body. Such a blade could be used for skinning game, carving traps, or as a last-resort self-defense tool.

Disclaimer: This should be common sense, but know your local and state laws before carrying any knife, especially a concealed fixed blade. Knife concealment laws vary, so we recommend double-checking them for your region before making any purchases.

The Gerber Ghoststrike Series

Left: Ghoststrike Deluxe Kit. Top right: Ghoststrike Fixed Blade. Bottom right: Ghoststrike Punch Knife.

With over 70 years of experience producing knives and tools, Gerber understands the need for an ultra-light and discreet fixed-blade knife. Given this philosophy, the company recently launched a line of blades called the Gerber Ghoststrike series. The blades are described as “a three-piece self-defense system designed for discreet carry in any environment.” This sounded ideal for our secondary blade needs described above, so we requested a set to test and review.

The Ghoststrike series is composed of three models:

Ghoststrike Punch Knife – A short push dagger with a sheath designed to be worn around the neck or on a belt.
Ghoststrike Fixed Blade – A longer knife with a full-grip handle, which includes a traditional belt sheath.
Ghoststrike Deluxe Kit – The same fixed blade above, but with an additional neoprene ankle wrap for use as a boot knife.

Technically, it's a three-piece system, but with two blade designs: push dagger or fixed blade. The Deluxe option simply provides a different carry style, which we'll discuss more later on.

Technical Specifications

Unsurprisingly, the three models in the Ghoststrike family have a lot in common, so we'll address these shared qualities first before moving on to differences.

The heart of each one of these blades is a piece of 420HC. It's a good steel with excellent corrosion resistance, but honestly wouldn't be our first choice due to its mediocre edge retention. The Ghoststrike blades are all designed here in the USA, the steel is produced in the USA, and the blades are manufactured in the USA. Right off the bat, that's a good sign. Better yet, Gerber offers a Full Lifetime Warranty against defects in materials or workmanship. Knowing each blade is American-made and warrantied for life goes a long way to build our confidence in the product.

Nevertheless, these knives are much more than just plain steel. Each features a full-tang handle, which has been skeletonized to reduce weight as much as possible. The entire blade is coated with a corrosion-resistant and scratch-resistant black ceramic coating. Next, the handles are then coated again with a black rubberized overmold, which has a diamond texture and jimping along the finger grooves for improved grip.

Each Ghoststrike knife comes with a glass-filled nylon sheath, which is ambidextrous, allowing the knife to be inserted while facing either direction. Each blade also has a pair of small notches on the spine and belly, just forward of the end of the handle. These notches serve as part of a dual detent mechanism when the knife is inserted into the sheath, locking in place with a firm and audible click. The detents provide plenty of resistance to keep the blade in place, but also release quickly with a firm pull on the handle. There's no fiddling with a lock button or release lever—just pull the handle to draw.

Here are the remainder of the technical specs for each blade design:

Punch Knife:

Blade Length: 2.5 in
Overall Length: 4.8 in
Weight (with sheath): 3.0 oz
Weight (knife only): 1.8 oz
MSRP: $53

Fixed Blade & Deluxe Fixed Blade:

Blade Length: 3.3 in
Overall Length: 6.9 in
Weight (with sheath and ankle wrap): 5.5 oz
Weight (with sheath): 3.5 oz
Weight (knife only): 1.8 oz
MSRP: $59 (standard) or $83 (deluxe)

Note: These weights are less than those listed on Gerber's web site. We weighed each knife on a scale, and found them to be slightly lighter than advertised.

Gerber Ghoststrike Punch Knife

After removing the Ghoststrike punch dagger from its packaging, we placed the included 13.5-inch-long paracord lanyard around our necks, suspending the knife comfortably atop the sternum bone. Grasping the handle between one's fingers and giving it a quick downward tug unsheaths the blade, producing an audible click as the detent snaps out of place.

The dagger is surprisingly light and comfortable in hand, with the semi-circular handle providing leverage against the palm. It's easy enough to manipulate for cutting and slicing tasks, but the true purpose of this design is a firm forward thrust. When used in this manner, the blade easily punctured targets, and didn't leave the user with a sore or bruised palm.

Ergonomically, this blade is solid, and it does exactly what you'd expect of a push dagger. However, it's worth noting that it is only a single-edged design, where a majority of other push daggers are double-edged. While this may be a small drawback for directional slashing motions, it also keeps the knife from being prohibited in states that disallow carrying certain double-edged blades (for example, Michigan).

As for the sheath, we honestly couldn't ask for a better retention mechanism for a neck knife. It's secure enough to stay in place while running, and has zero rattle, wiggle, or play. When you need the blade, it can be drawn easily at a moment's notice. The sheath is definitely better-suited for use on the neck lanyard, but it can be mounted vertically on a belt.

Gerber Ghoststrike Fixed Blade

The Ghoststrike fixed blade is longer and narrower than the punch knife, with an overall length of just under 7 inches. The handle features a large forefinger groove, and a guard that prevents your fingers from slipping forward onto the edge. As with all Gerber Ghoststrike blades, the rubberized handle coating also reduces the risk of fumbling the knife with wet hands.

There's also a slight depression on the blade's spine, which creates a flat spot for thumb placement. In combat, this “thumbs-up”-style grip is often called the Filipino grip, and it's used extensively by martial artists. Outside of combat, it provides extra leverage, and leaves the user feeling as though the blade is a natural extension of the hand. For both these reasons, we're glad to see Gerber clearly accommodating this well-known grip in the Ghoststrike blade design.

The fixed blade's glass-reinforced nylon sheath includes the same great dual-detent retention as the push dagger. It could still conceivably be worn as a neck knife, since it's extremely slim and lightweight, but we preferred wearing it on a belt. By re-configuring the included belt mounts, the knife can be worn either horizontally or vertically. With the knife mounted horizontally at the 6-o'clock position, it can be easily concealed by the tail of a shirt, and doesn't get in the way as you move around.

Gerber Ghoststrike Fixed Blade Deluxe Kit

There's no need to discuss the fixed blade in this Deluxe Kit, as it's the same one found in the basic package above. However, the mounting system is where this kit sets itself apart from the others.

In addition to the sheath and belt mounts found in the basic kit, the deluxe kit offers an adjustable neoprene ankle wrap. This wrap is comfortable, lightweight, and low-profile enough to be hidden easily by a pant leg or boot collar. We will note that the wrap is made in China, but the stitching quality and materials seem durable.

The ankle wrap is secured by passing through a hard nylon buckle, then pulling it back over itself, and securing the loose end with hook-and-loop material. It's relatively secure, but as with most ankle wraps, it may need to be periodically tightened or adjusted as you walk. Then again, this won't be much of an issue if you're wearing high-tops or boots.

Conclusions

After testing all three models in the Gerber Ghoststrike lineup, we were pleased with the results. They're lightweight, durable, and offer good retention and ergonomics. The prices may seem steep to some, but we're willing to pay more for an American-made product with a lifetime warranty. However, we'll admit the $24 price increase for the addition of a foreign-made neoprene ankle wrap in the deluxe kit seems a bit high. Of the three models, we preferred the basic fixed blade, worn horizontally at 6-o'clock.

Here are some final pros and cons for the Gerber Ghoststrike knives:

Pros

Extremely lightweight and slim
Outstanding sheath design and retention
Variety of carry styles
Made in the USA with a lifetime warranty

Cons

420HC is decent steel, but not great. We'd prefer something with better edge retention, like 440C, AUS-8, or 154CM, especially at this price point.
Punch knife is single-edged (this may be a pro, depending on your local laws)

8×8 Bug-Out Truck: The Avtoros Shaman

Posted on August 27, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

As kids, many of us played with monster trucks and Tonka bulldozers in the sandbox, pushing our miniature off-road vehicles up steep mounds of dirt and crushing smaller toy cars. These days, we're often relegated to practical commuter cars instead. However, there is one company that has produced a vehicle that brings back this childlike go-anywhere do-anything spirit. It's called the Avtoros Shaman, and it's amazing.

Avtoros, a Russian company, built this behemoth after ten years of research and development. It's 20 feet long, 10 feet tall, and weighs 5.3 tons. It also has eight wheels, each of which is driven by the engine and capable of hydraulically-actuated steering. This setup allows the Avtoros Shaman to run in three different drive modes:

On-road: front four wheels driven and steered
Off-road: eight-wheel-drive with opposing rear-wheel steering for tight corners
“Crab” mode: all eight wheels steered at the same angle for lateral movement

This beast may not be capable of blistering speed, as its 146-horsepower 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine and manual transmission max out at under 50mph. However, it can easily climb 45-degree grades, while carrying 1.5 tons of cargo and up to 12 people. There's even an optional propeller attachment that permits it to swim across rivers and lakes.

Now, you might be thinking this vehicle is absurdly expensive. Well, yes and no. It costs the Russian equivalent of $137,000. While that's certainly out of reach for many of us, it's not much more than a Mercedes Benz AMG G-Class SUV, and the Mercedes certainly can't carry a dozen people, drive across a lake, or touch an Avtoros Shaman on an off-road course.

Although we don't have the disposable income to afford a Shaman, we can see its use as a vehicle for search and rescue teams, first-aid crews, or hunting groups. For more information on the Avtoros Shaman, visit Avtoros.info (site is in Russian, so you may want to use the Google translated version).

Understanding Cyber-Security: Q&A with Kaspersky Labs

Posted on August 26, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Cyber-security may sound like a term from some futuristic science-fiction novel, but it's a very real principle that must be observed in our digital age. It's also something that governments around the world take extremely seriously. These days, you don't need to sneak a spy behind enemy lines to gain access to top-secret documents—all you need is a team of qualified hackers, and plenty of perseverance. By defeating digital security measures, you can gain access to state secrets, or even wage a cyber war against your enemies.

Few organizations know more about cyber-security than Kaspersky Labs, one of the largest anti-virus and anti-malware software producers in the world. Kaspersky researchers study everything from how to block malicious pop-up ads to how to detect advanced threats on a geopolitical scale. At the cutting edge of these studies is Kaspersky GReAT, which stands for the Global Research & Analysis Team. This team is composed of 43 individuals in 18 countries around the globe, and they track malicious hacker activity with an emphasis on “advanced targeted attacks”.

The Kaspersky GReAT members recently conducted an “AMA” interview on Reddit, where members of the community were free to ask any questions they had about cyber-security. We found some of the answers from the Kaspersky team very interesting. Here are a few highlights:

Q: In what way are average citizens affected by your work and the malware you fight? Should I worry about being the victim of one of these “advanced targeted attacks?”

A: Costin here. In general, advanced threat actors go after governments, military, big companies, cutting edge research institutions, financial and banks, activists and scholars. If your profile fits into one of these then yes, you should worry about high end threat actors. However, if you’re not necessarily affiliated with one of these, you can still be caught in the middle of cyberwar between superpowers. For instance, you might visit a watering hole and get infected simply because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or your personal information can be stolen and used for identity theft at a later time.

For the average person however, perhaps the most worrying thing in my opinion is the constant escalation of cyber conflicts as more and more nation states obtain cyberstrike capabilities and work to developer their cyber armies.

Q: What you consider as the hardest part of your job? (it can be technically or moral or whatever) What's the most dangerous situation you have been for doing your job?

A: Costin here. I’ve been working in computer antivirus research for more than 22 years. Everything was pretty nice and easy before 2008. Then almost overnight, nation state sponsored attacks appeared. I guess the first big one was Aurora, which hit Google, Yahoo and others. Ever since, my job has been getting more and more complex, from all points of view. Some of the trickiest things to think of include: “when to publish a report?”, “when is research truly finished?”, “is it ethical to research only threats from one side of the world but not another”, “who did it” and “why did you publish it”. I try to navigate around these with a simple system – we research and publish on any kind of threats, no matter the origin. When research is complete and we feel confident our analysis is strong, we publish. And on the internet, answering “who did it” is sometimes impossible…

Q: Hi guys – I'm Roi – I write for SC Magazine UK. I was wondering if you had any predictions with regards to when we will start seeing mass casualties and perhaps even death from hacking into ICS (Industrial Control Systems)? Is it possible now? Following from the German steel mill attack, the Black Energy malware and the Swedish air traffic control attack it feels like we're on the brink of something but not quite there yet. Who in your opinion does ICS security well?

A: Brian here: Hey Roi, great question and a tough one to ask to the experts. In my opinion, it’s a matter of time before someone, somewhere decides to cross that line and cause casualties. If you look at all the critical systems that are still unsecured and vulnerable to attacks, all it would take is one crazy person and a general understanding of how ICS works to inflict damage to the masses. This is why securing ICS should be the #1 thing policy makers and other experts in the field should be focusing on right now. We need more voices like yours out there asking these tough questions to the appropriate people. Regarding who does it well…Again in my opinion, no one is doing it “well”. Well isn’t good enough. It needs to be impenetrable and right now, that’s not the case. This isn’t a mythological unicorn any longer. It’s been done before, and will only get worse.

Vitaly here: Honestly, I don't want to think about it. Last time I thought about possibility of malware crossing the border between virtual and physical worlds to destroy a physical object, Stuxnet happened just the next month. I was thinking only about “why so soon?” back then. I feel same strange feeling every time I hear about sudden disasters such as crashed planes, derailed trains, etc. A security researcher, widely known as halvarflake, said earlier this year (reconstructed from my memory): “Physical objects can be owned and/or possessed by you. Computer systems have additional dimension, which is control: you may own a computer, possess a computer but with current systems design you can never be sure who is in control”. This is what wakes me up at night, because this illusion of control we have over computer systems opens infinite possibilities to create tragedies by people who use their power against others. From my point of view, this is what makes human race primitive.

To read more questions and answers from the Kaspersky GReAT team, check out the Reddit AMA thread. To learn more about Kaspersky and digital security, visit the Kaspersky USA blog.

Researchers Develop Nanotechnology-Based Water Purifier

Posted on August 25, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Water purification seems simple enough on paper—just kill or remove all the harmful bacteria in water. However, it's not so easy in the real world. You can boil water, but that requires starting a fire and consuming fuel. You can use a water filter or purifier device, but many of these are bulky or expensive. Finally, you can use purification chemical tablets or even household bleach, but these methods require anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours to work. All of these methods can be effective in the right circumstances, but it never hurts to have new options.

This diagram shows how the new nanostructured water purifier uses sunlight to kill bacteria. Source: slac.stanford.edu

Speaking of new options, a team of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Lab and Stanford University have just announced the development of a new type of nanotechnology-based water purifier. The device is tiny—about half the size of a postage stamp— and has no moving parts or batteries. To the naked eye, it looks like a tiny rectangle of black glass, but this device is actually covered in “nanoflakes” of molybdenum disulfide material, which are stacked together like the walls of an intricate maze. These layers are only visible under an electron microscope.

An electron micrograph shows the intricate “nanoflakes” which resemble a jumbled fingerprint pattern.

When exposed to sunlight, these nanoflakes act as a photocatalyst, and trigger the formation of hydrogen peroxide (H202) and other “reactive oxygen” molecules. If you're familiar with hydrogen peroxide, you may know that it acts as a powerful disinfectant and ruptures the cell walls of bacteria, killing them. In initial testing, this device killed more than 99.999% of three bacteria strains found in water in only 20 minutes. Granted, that's not quite as effective as other water purifiers on the market, which can meet the NSF/ANSI P231 standard by removing 99.9999% of bacteria, but it's still a promising start. It's also impressively small, light, and fast-acting.

Better still, the molybdenum disulfide material is cheap and easy to manufacture, and is already being used extensively as an automotive and industrial lubricant (moly grease). So, once this device is refined further, it could potentially offer a reusable alternative to water purification tablets—just drop it into a full water bottle, expose to sunlight for 20 minutes, and drink.

For more information on this new nanotechnology-based water purifier, click here to read the full report on SLAC.Stanford.edu.

Boker Plus KTK Dog Tag Knife

Posted on August 24, 2016 at 6:00 am.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Boker USA has recently unveiled a new compact folding knife, known as the Kubasek Tag Knife or KTK. John Kubasek is a knife designer who worked with Boker on successful projects like the Boker Plus Credit Card Knife. The credit card blade was extremely slim, but this time around, Kubasek came up with an even smaller and lighter blade—a dog tag knife.

This new Boker Plus KTK knife is composed of a 1-3/4-inch 440C stainless blade, paired with a lightweight 2-inch titanium handle scale. The blade folds out to a total length of 2-3/4 inches, and has a magnetic safety button to prevent accidental opening. This safety means that the knife locks in both the open and closed positions.

The KTK dog tag knife has a central pivot that also serves as a lanyard hole, and it comes complete with a black beaded neck chain with shackle. This allows the knife to be worn as a discreet neck knife, or as a compact backup blade for delicate tasks. Thanks to the use of lightweight materials, the entire knife weighs only 1 ounce.

Here's a summary of the key specs of the Boker KTK neck knife:

Overall Length: 3-3/4 inches
Blade Length: 1-3/4 inches
Blade Material: 440C stainless steel
Handle Material: Titanium
Weight: 1.0 oz
MSRP: $40

For more information on the KTK and other Boker knives, visit Boker.de/us.

Starting Fires with a Fresnel Lens

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

Written by Patrick McCarthy

We've discussed many fire-starting methods here in the past—everything from matches to bow drills to fire pistons. However, thanks to the endless creativity of the human race, there are plenty of other methods for improvised ignition that we have yet to cover. One such device is the Fresnel lens.

You're probably familiar with the concept of starting a fire with eyeglasses or a magnifying glass. The general idea is to focus the sun's rays into a single point of light and heat atop your tinder bundle, and then wait for an ember to appear (if all goes according to plan). A Fresnel lens achieves the same result, but the design is quite different from an ordinary lens. This is because a Fresnel lens is composed of many angled segments, rather than a single large arc.

Top: a cross-section of a traditional lens. Bottom: a cross-section of a Fresnel lens of equivalent power.

Top: cross-section of traditional lens. Bottom: cross-section of Fresnel lens of equivalent power. Source: Wikipedia /...

Without getting too much into the scientific content behind how a Fresnel lens works, we'll tell you why you should care. A Fresnel lens can be paper-thin. You can carry one of these lenses in your wallet in place of a business card, and have a means of starting a fire as long as bright sunlight and dry tinder are also available.

Emberlit gave us the business card fire lens seen above at the Outdoor Retailer show. It's the size and thickness of a standard business card, and it's even flexible. If you want one, they're included in the Emberlit fire starting kit, or you can buy value-packs of these lenses from various online retailers. They weigh almost nothing, so you can easily store them in your wallet, bug-out bag, glove box, and various other key locations.

So, now you know what a Fresnel lens is, but how easily can it start a fire? See for yourself:

Pretty effective, but it's also possible to take this concept to the extreme. One YouTuber removed the Fresnel lens from the surface of an old flat-screen TV, and turned it into a monstrous 2000-degree solar torch. Less portable, but a whole lot more powerful:

New Luminox Watches for Fall 2016

Posted on August 22, 2016 at 2:33 pm.

Written by Patrick McCarthy

Luminox has announced the launch of several new watch models for Fall 2016. We'll show a few of our favorite designs here, so you can take a look at some of the latest Swiss-made timepieces from this renowned watch manufacturer. As with other Luminox watches, these models are intended for rigorous use by military personnel, including pilots and Navy SEALs.

First in the list of new models are the Authorized for Navy Use or ANU 4222 (top) and 4242 (bottom right) watches. Both are 45mm designs with quartz movement, and fall into Luminox's Sea Series. These watches offer 200-meter water resistance and a new stainless steel strap design. Existing models offer rubber and nylon straps. The 4222 features time and date functionality, and retails for $795. The 4242 offers full chronograph/date function, and retails for $1,100.

Next up in the line of new Luminox watches is the F117 Nighthawk series. These watches are offered in two models, the 6421 with a nylon band (above right), or the 6422 with a stainless steel bracelet (above left). Both are 45mm with quartz movement and offer a secondary time zone function for frequent flyers. The 6421 retails for $1,000, and the 6422 retails for $1,400.

Finally, there's the Carbon Seal 3800 series, with three new watch models. The case on these watches is made of a new composite material that uses 40% carbon in bar form, making the case ultra-light—about one third the weight of titanium. It's also more durable, scratch-, chemical-, and heat-resistant than most other materials on the market. The 3801 (above left) retails for $675, the 3802 (above center) retails for $750, and the 3813 (above right) retails for $675. Each sub-model offers a different face pattern and/or coloration.

For more information on what's new at Luminox, and to see the other models that we couldn't fit here, go to Luminox.com.