Men's Lifestyle

5.11 Tactical Field Watch

I’m one of those guys that love watches. To me, it is not only a necessity, but it finishes off the “look” of whatever it is that you are wearing. As much as I’d love to have a nice smartwatch, I haven’t been able to pull the trigger on one yet. Why? Truthfully, I not only like the aesthetics of an analog or digital watch, but it really isn’t practical in my day-to-day life (except for the fact that it’d be useful while working out). To me, traditional timepieces just have more personality.

When choosing a watch for work, it not only has to have the “look”, but it has to be able to withstand whatever is thrown at it. That doesn’t mean that it has to have all the fancy bells and whistles either; because hey, I’m a firefighter, not a pilot. However, I expect it to keep time accurately no matter the abuse, and it has to remain relatively unscathed in respects to its finish. Let’s face it, who wants to spend their money on a watch because it looks good, only to have a scratched up POS a day, week or even a month later. Last but not least, I want the option to wear the watch for more than just work, because in the end, “all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy.”

Chances are, that if you work in any field such as law enforcement, military, EMS, or fire, you’ve heard of 5.11 Tactical. They are a company that is known for quality, ruggedness, and durability. And (yes, I started a sentence with and), I can tell you from first-hand experience, that their customer service is pretty darn amazing as well.

The 5.11 Tactical Field Watch fits the description above for what I look for in an excellent watch. Over the past two months, the Field Watch has been worn almost daily, whether it has been on shift at the FD, coaching my kid’s baseball games, or heading out for the night with my beautiful wife. My experience with it has been completely positive, which can be very difficult to find when reviewing gear. I can tell you that it has seen some abuse over those two months; from traffic accidents with extrication to training, and worst of all, horsing around with my kids!

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The 5.11 Tactical Field Watch comes with a Nato style band, and my first time wearing one. To touch on that, all I can say is that if you have never worn one, do yourself a favor and get one; they are that comfortable. The watch itself has a good heft to it, giving it a durable feel. But what jumps out at you when looking at it, is the simplicity of it. The numbers and increments on the face are gray against a black background; easy to read, but not screaming to take over the look of the entire piece. There is a small orange window showcasing the current date. To me, having the date on a watch is a MUST. Every task that I perform during my day-to-day operations required time and date stamping and having this definitely helps.

The Field Watch has a uni-directional dive bezel with number markings at every 5 minute/second. On the inside of the bezel, just under the chip and scratch resistant mineral glass, are your markings for military/24 hour time. The hour, minute, and red second hand, all have a Phosphorus Luminescent paint on them that glows with the slightest charge. For you ladies and gentlemen out there that perform dive operations, the Field Watch is water resistant up to 100 meters or 330 feet.

One of my favorite points on this watch though is the finish. 5.11 Tactical knew that this watch would be used by many of us in the actual field. So just to the name it “Field Watch” wasn’t good enough. They finished this watch with Ionic Plating. For those of you not familiar with this process, a layer of titanium nitride and other strong materials are added to the base of the stainless steel and bonded together to create a lasting and durable finish. In fact, it is so durable that it is considered a permanent finish/coating.

As mentioned before, this is the first piece of wearable gear that I haven’t had any issues with of any sort. The 5.11 Tactical Field Watch is versatile; ready for day-to-day operations, but classy enough to wear on a night out on the town.

If you decide to give it a go, make sure to stop back and leave some feedback. Let us know what you think!

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Author – Tony Kuhn

Half Face Blades Chef Blade – A Refined Tool

As a newly single man, I’ve been continually surprised by the fact women are incredibly impressed by my ability to cook. I thought it was an old joke, something from a cheesy rom-com, but the truth remains I’ve found the ability to cook directly relates to your attractiveness level. When cooking for a young lady part of the draw is your skill when it comes to preparation. Cutting, seasoning, prepping the grill, and more is all part of the experience, and you are only as good as your tools. If you are only as good as your tools, then you can be very good when wielding the Half-Face Blades Chef Blade.

A high-quality chef’s knife is an absolute must-have. Not just for the sake of having it, but for your overall safety. A high-quality blade is made evenly, is extremely balanced, and the blade is equal throughout its entire edge. This is for your standard nice cutting quality, but its also for safety purposes. These knives chew through meat, and you are made of meat. A lower quality knife doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t chew through you. The higher quality the knife, the better the cut, and the safer the knife is overall. Same thing with bits and endmills, if they are sharp they are less likely to jump and hurt you. In this case, you ruining your hand, not an 80 lower jig.

Half Face Blades Chef Blade – Specs

Length – 12.75 inches overall
Blade length – 8 inches
Thickness – .09 inches
Steel – S35VN American

The Half Face Blades Chef Blade is an incredibly well-made knife. It looks amazing, it feels amazing, is very easy to use. The Chef Blade sports a matte black cerakote blade that does look a bit more grey than black. The handle is a curly maple burl wood, It’s smooth, long, and fills the hand very well. All around the Half-Face Blades Chef Blade is very well made and very attractive to the eye.

In Use

The Chef Blade allows for an easy pinch grip and a comfortable one. The handle is nice and long for leverage when it’s needed. The Half Face Blades Chef Blade features a strong rock work spine that’s concaved into the blade and allows for an easy palm press for more heavy cuts.

The S35VN steel is very strong and resistant to chipping and breaking. The steel can also become very, very sharp. It does seem to hold an edge very well, but I do sharpen my Chef knives prior to every use. This isn’t the type of knife you torture test, but if I did I’d be willing to bet it can take a beating.

The Chef Blade absolutely slices through meat, vegetables, and more. There is no better feeling than the one you get from a blade gliding through the meat. When it’s properly sharpened the Chef Blade hardly needs any pressure to slice through chicken, steak or pork. It literally glides through these different meats like a hot knife through butter.

The handle’s length allows for proper leverage on harder cuts and ensures you have a solid and safe grip. From end to end the blade screams quality. It handles like a dream and the blade itself is strong, sharp, and best of all agile. You’ll be well-served with a handful of the Half-Face Blades Chef Blade.

When you need sunglasses that can do anything: Oakley Crosshairs

Surgical, precise, fluid, dynamic, tough and always ready describes the professional operator, executive, or adventurer. Limited only by the constraints of physics and his own humanity, the professional operator carefully chooses every piece of gear he carries. The responsibility for remaining both agile and quick leaves no room for any gear which only serves a single purpose or can only function in a certain environment. Everything carried must pull more than its own weight.

Two Trips to Africa Before This Occurred To Me

The principle is obvious but the personal exploitation of it is not. Deploying with the SEAL teams, I always had as much space as I wanted, but now, when I head out the door to places like Ethiopia and Sudan, I’m restricted to bringing only what I can easily carry. Traveling light is a requisite for sustainable adventure.

I had just returned from a flawless trip that pulled me through the hot deserts of Africa and then lobbed me onto the Southern coast of Italy. Each trip challenged me to be a different person, but the responsibility to heft my gear around reminded me that I was peerless.

In Sudan, my priority was personal security, shooting and exploration, whereas Italy required a lot of foot movement, photography and the attendance of multiple formal events. I’ve always understood the notion of being efficient while traveling, but it was this trip that brought it all together for me. Oddly enough, it was a pair of sunglasses that I got from Oakley’s SI division that really brought the principle home.

Why a pair of sunglasses? Because this particular pair is a rare breed – ballistic vintage aviators that both protect (ballistic standards) and look good in a suit (my standards). They just kept showing up for me.

I Didn’t Expect to be Shooting Assault Rifles in Sudan

As with any trip, the unexpected occurs. I had actually brought the Crosshairs on the trip with me because I was hoping to get some unique shots of them for a simple gear review. I hadn’t planned on wearing them that much.

It was on my third day in Sudan when I got an offer to go shooting. I immediately said “yes” and then instantly thought, “Man, I need to get some good “Eyes & Ears.” I wasn’t going to risk anything so far away from medical care.

I’ll admit that I’ve worn a ton of eye protection while shooting that was not close to ANSI standards. It wasn’t until I witnessed the testing process in the Oakley labs that I realized how dangerous some of these shades really are.

To be honest, I hadn’t even considered using the Crosshairs at the range because I thought of them as “dress glasses.” It wasn’t until I was heading out the door for the range that I remembered that they were ballistic.
As I reached for the Crosshairs, this time for their ballistic protection and not their looks, the importance of everything serving more than one purpose struck me. I had sunglasses to keep the bright sun out and look good, but now I also had a certified pair of ballistic lenses to keep me safe.

Later, I found myself, now in full PSD (personal security detachment) mode, in a very crowded local market with my two young children, and I thought, “Why would I ever walk out the door, range or no range, without protecting one of my greatest resources?”

Italian Suits and Italy’s Elite

So as my life goes I find myself in some amazing places with some amazing people. On the second stage of the trip, I landed on the Southern coast of Italy in a plush Villa on top of a cliff.

The conditions and threat level were much more mild, but the need to perform was still obligatory. It was time to keep up with the Italian elite.

Okay… so I know it’s still odd to talk about fashion on a Special Operations site, but times have changed. Embassy duty, intelligence work, corporate briefs and a bevy of other requirements have thrusted the modern day operator into the world of style and presentation.

It was at this point of the trip that I think I appreciated the glasses the most. You see, there are multiple shooting glasses to choose from when you’re heading to the range, and even more to select from when heading out on the town, but these are the only glasses to choose from when you might be doing both.

So I dug through my suitcase one last time to pull out my dress shoes, tie and new Italian suit. I remember feeling the sense of enjoyment that comes from both putting on a nice suit as well as realizing that you’ll be back home soon. Travel can be stressful, but staying light, efficient and feeling good about your kit makes all of the difference in the world. I got in my suit and grabbed my new everyday glasses on the way out the door, and that’s when I thought, “There’s just not enough space to bring anything that doesn’t work for everything.

If you don’t own a pair of Crosshairs yet you can buy them here: Crosshairs

Eric

Building a 10 ATM water resistant watch

Vaer Watches are designed for everyday use in the ocean, whether that’s swimming, surfing, or diving.

Throughout the Vaer watch design process, we knew that we wanted to build a watch that would be able to take on not only everyday wear, but also the more adventurous life activities. This meant that achieving a 10 ATM (100m, 328ft) water resistance rating was a requirement. We didn’t want buyers to have to second-guess wearing their watch when going for a surf or swimming, and after rigorous design and testing, we’re very confident that we’ve achieved that goal. We’ve had users surf, scuba, and body surf pounding shorebreak while wearing their Vaer watches, all without issues.

What Do Water Resistance Marks Mean?

Before jumping into the specifics of our watch design, it’s best to start with a quick explanation of what watch water resistance ratings mean/entail. Water resistance ratings work on an ATM (atmosphere) scale, generally starting with 3ATM as a base resistance, working their way up to 5ATM, 10ATM, 20ATM. Anything beyond 20ATM is generally unnecessary for any condition that the human body is capable of withstanding. The ATM ranking represents what any given watch can withstand at that STATIC pressure. It’s important to note that if any movement is involved with the watch in water, then the static ranking goes right out the window — which makes the whole system that much more confusing.

While a 3 ATM (30meter) rating seems to be more than enough on the surface, it actually only indicates that the watch can withstand light splashes and hand washing. Anything beyond this runs the risk of breaching and ruining the watch. In order to actually be comfortable with light swimming and showering, a 5 ATM rating is required. Knowing that we wanted a watch to be ready for swimming, surfing, and even diving, we worked hard to make sure that the Vaer watch design is pressure tested to 10 ATM.

What Makes the Vaer Watch 10 ATM Depth Rated?

In designing the Vaer watch, we saw again and again that achieving a depth rating of 10 ATM isn’t an easy task. The majority of watch companies out there opt to avoid going down this path, as it’s much easier to design and build a watch when it isn’t being held to rigorous structural standards. Throughout the design process, the need to reach a 10ATM depth rating was a constant thorn in our side, as any changes made to the structure and features do have effects on depth rating.

This is why we chose to move forward with a number of build features that ensure high water resistance — our large rotating caseback with rubber gasket keeps water out of the caseback and the screwdown crown creates a quality seal at the most vulnerable point of the watch, where the user is able to adjust the time. Lastly, a gasket sealed Sapphire Crystal to complete the package.

Through our design process, we observed each of the above different design elements fail on various samples. While we could have accepted the samples as-is and moved forward with production, we chose to go through multiple redesigns in to reach a watch design that we’re truly happy with. Running our watch through depth testing was each time that we received a new sample was incredibly nerve-racking – months of adjustments and sample production all boiled down to one moment of truth. You can that we were elated when we reached a design that surpassed that 10 ATM water resistance mark – we still have the testing print out to this day.

The depth rating of a watch can, to an extent, be looked at as a reflection of the watch’s overall strength and durability. In order for a timepiece to achieve a certain depth rating, all components must not only be of quality individually, but also work perfectly together so that the overall watch is completely sealed.

We Stand Behind Our Design

We’re incredibly confident in our watch design, which is why if you’re watch fails under any water-related circumstance within the first 2 years of ownership, we’ll offer you free repair or replacement. It is critical, though, that you ensure that your screw-down crown is always screwed down when entering water. It’s also important to avoid extreme heat (sauna, jacuzzi, etc), as these environments can wear down that rubber gaskets that ensure the quality seal. As long as you follow the above protocol, you can be swimming, diving, and surfing with your watch for years to come.

My current non-firearm everyday carry

My EDC used to be heavier than it is now, but I’ve learned to ‘cut the fat’ through training, practice, and education. My EDC is a pretty basic setup compared to most, but that is because I prefer simple which leads to being habitual with carrying it. Every morning I walk down the steps, into my office and take my EDC items from my EDC tray and it all goes into my pockets.

In my front left pocket in my Streamlight Protac 1AAA handheld flashlight. In my front right pocket, I keep my folding utility knife, which could be used for self-defense if it came down to it and my Chums minimalist wallet. In my back, left pocket is my SWAT-T Tourniquet. The subject of tourniquets can become somewhat of a debate depending on who you talk to. The SWAT-T works for me and has proven to be the best low-vis type tourniquet for me. I’ve trained with it and am comfortable with using it. I also wear a bad-ass watch from either Resco Instruments or NFW watch company which levels up your whole EDC.

Chums Surfshorts Wallet: The perfect front pocket wallet for an active lifestyle?

The Surfshorts Wallet by Chums is a great option if you’re looking for a minimalist wallet. For me, this wallet fits my minimalist lifestyle almost perfectly. I’ve carried larger wallets in the past, but rarely found myself using half of what was inside it, so over the past year I have tried several smaller low profile wallets in search of one that can hold what I need, yet still be functional.

After some trial and error, I ended up going with the Surfshorts Wallet made by Chums. Chums offers a few other wallet styles, but this one caught my eye. The wallet is made of rip-stop nylon. This type of nylon, if snagged on something, with not rip apart. The rip-stop nylon (if you look closely) looks like a small square pattern woven into the material. This prevents any small rips, tears, or holes from running the length of the material.

There are also two pockets that are secured via zipper closures. On one side of the wallet, there is an ID window ideal for your drivers’ license or any other form of identification. The two zipper pockets are perfect for the few cards I carry, a little cash, and business cards. These also keep everything secure so if you do drop your wallet or it falls out of your pocket you’re not scrambling to pick everything up.

All in all, I am really liking this wallet. At a price point of $10, I may pick up a few just to have on hand in case the one I’m using ever wears out.

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Specs (courtesy of chums.com)

The perfect stash wallet with disappearing key ring
Durable rip-stop nylon
Two zip pockets for cards and cash
All in one compact size fits small pockets
Outside ID window
Dimensions: 4.5″ x 3″