GikPal’s “Army Green” 350lb Paracord Bracelet w/ Firestarter and Whistle

 

A while back I got to try out a paracord bracelet from another manufacturer, and while I was mostly happy with it, I thought when a new one came up it would be a chance to see if they’re still as nifty and handy as I remember. The answer is a qualified “yes!”.

In fact, this one had some features I liked a lot more, and a couple I liked less. To start, it’s significantly smaller around than the last one I tired, which means it’s probably better suited as a keychain for hubby, but still too large for my wrist, and it can’t be adjusted. The magnesium fire stick is completely enclosed in the clasp and is much easier to strike than the last one I tried, and getting a spark took very little effort. The included “scraper” is small, but being completely enclosed in the end of the clasp makes getting a sure grip easy. In a pinch it can also be used to cut small things (like paracord!) but it’s really far to small to be useful for much else. This GikPal paracord bracelet includes an emergency whistle in the clasp that does tend to poke a bit if worn for a while, but is loud and should be able to heard over quite a long distance. This bracelet used 350lb paracord versus the usual 550lb, but unless you find yourself in and extreme survival situation (and I hope you never do!), then you should be find. It still splits apart like the other types of paracord, so it should be just as useful, just keep in mind the differences in weight tolerance.

Over all, it’s a decent value for $7.99 and I’d recommend it if for nothing else than to throw in the glove box of your car and pray you never, ever actually need it. But if you do, it’s there and could maybe one day save your life. And if not, you have a neat looking bracelet you can wear, with a whistle to annoy your significant other or friends in the car!

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from GikPal. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion. My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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Ozeri OZK1 Elite Ceramic Chef’s Knives Set

I make no secret about spending a lot of time in the kitchen, and I’m always game to try new things there. I was very curious about ceramic knives, and tried a set earlier this year that had some serious issues for all-around usability. So when Ozeri decided to let me try their set, I was 100% on board. I’m glad I did, because these knives are superior to my last set in every way.

Ceramic knives are a great alternative to stainless steel knives. They stay sharper much longer, are much lighter, and can usually be had for a fraction of the cost of a good, traditional stainless steel knife. They are made of 100% ceramic, which makes them impervious to rust and corrosion, and moisture, oils and acids found in foods. They’re well balanced, perform well for a variety of tasks, from slicing, chopping, dicing and paring. They’re easy to clean have ergonomic non-slip handles that make your kitchen tasks a breeze. This set includes a 5 & 1/2″ Chef’s knife, a 5″ utility knife, and a 2 & 3/4″ paring knife. They are polished to a mirror finish whuch makes clean-up a breeze. The form of the non-slip handle encourages a proper grip on the knife and the angle makes all cutting tasks no trouble whatsoever, and because they are so light, there’s no hand or arm fatigue if you’re doing a lot of kitchen prep work.

I would very much like to see a larger chef’s knife in the set, as well as a larger paring knife. While the paring knife is 2 & 3/4″, it looks and works much smaller. There’s also the fact that as sharp as ceramic knives are, you can’t resharpen them like traditional stainless steel knives. And, even though they hold an edge up to 10 times longer than steel, ceramic knives can be brittle and chip easily with improper storage (Not a problem with these Ozeri OZK1 Elites, as they come with a protective plastic sheath for each blade) and cutting through things like bone or hard pits. Also, you can’t use the edge to crush garlic like I do with my steel knives.

These Ozeri OZK1 Elite knives are a great addition to my kitchen “arsenal”, and I’m glad to have them. They’re very sharp out of the box, plenty so for any and all kitchen tasks both big (carving a pot roast), small (chopping up veggies), and delicate (thinly slicing tomatoes without squishing them). You know you’re getting a quality kitchen tool set, and Ozeri stands behind everything they sell 100%. As they say, “Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed”. And they mean it.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Ozeri. I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Oliver & Kline 3-Piece Ceramic Knife Set

You can usually always find me in the kitchen, cooking, baking, chopping, prepping…whatever needs doing in there, I’m usually doing it. And I’ve always wanted to try ceramic kitchen knives, and lo and behold, a lovely set was sent to me by Oliver & Kline to try and review. And while I’m sold on the type of product, this particular product comes a little short due to design. But overall, I’m a fan.

See, I thought ceramic knives were some kind of gimmick, some flash-in-the-pan product. “As Seen On TV” type thing, which usually denotes junk, so I avoided them. I spent good money on quality steel kitchen knives, after all. What could ceramic knives bring to the party? Turns out I had a lot to learn. Turns out, a well ground ceramic knife will hold it’s sharp cutting edge much longer than steel, practically never needing sharpening. Made of zirconium dioxide, it’s almost diamond hard, yet will never rust like steel. And because ceramic is non-reactive to acids, it isn’t affected by highly acidic foods. There is a caveat to all these positives, and that’s that ceramic knives are brittle. The fine edge can chip easily on bone or frozen foods, and twisting them to say, pull an avocado pit, could shatter the blade. And forget crushing garlic. And there’s no sharpening them at home, you need a special diamond-dust coated grinding wheel. But, those things are a small price to pay, in my book, for a super-sharp knife that will stay that way for a long, long long time. For slicing and paring, these knives quickly became my go-to.

 

Until I had to chop. Chopping up herbs, onions, garlic, parsley, cilantro, chives….was, to say the least, frustrating, and I’ll show you why. The bolster on my chefs knife doesn’t extend past the blade, and comes down clean to chop up anything. There’s no light coming through to under to illustrate that:

Now, on the same cutting board, with my Oliver & Kline chef’s knife:

See all that light? Nothing will be cut there, unless you manage to get the bolster to the very edge of the cutting board with each stroke, which is a nearly impossible task. And it frustrated the living hell out of me trying to chop. It’s such a shame that a design flaw like this made me put the knife away and not use it again, and Hubby said he’d find a way to alter the bolster to make it usable again, but ugh… I wanted to love these knives, and I don’t.

There’s a lot of good things here. The price is spot on. The darker blade of the ceramic usually denotes a tougher ceramic, and the non-slip grips of the handles are nice (ABS plastic coated in TPR), and aren’t even slippery when wearing gloves, for when you don’t want to small like garlic and onions all day. They’re reasonably sharp out of the box, which is important because you can not sharpen them at home. The presentation box with it’s magnetic lid is just beautiful, and the three sizes (6″ chef, 5″ utility, 4″ paring) are some of the best and most useful all-around sizes for the kitchen. There’s decent heft and the knives are balanced well. But ugh…again, that bolster. So close to the perfect prep knives for me. If you don’t do much chopping or prep, and slicing alone is your thing, these are hands down some of the best value ceramic knives I’ve found. You’ll enjoy them greatly. But for me, sadly, they missed the mark.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Oliver & Kline.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

 

Vodiy’s Ombir Pro 25-in-1 Compact Survival Multitool

My Hubby loves him some tools. Little pocket tools, multi tools, power tools, hand tools, he’s got a place in his heart for all of them. But his love is not unconditional. They have to work, work well, every time, no problems. Or they get kicked to the curb with a quickness. Vodiy offered us a chance to take their Ombir Pro Multitool for a test drive, and anyone care to guess what Hubby’s response was? Let’s just say it was in the enthusiastically affirmative.

Once it arrived, though, all that enthusiasm quickly dampered. See, I’ve bought him a few different multitools over the years. Gerber, Leatherman, and SOG to name a few. He takes his Leatherman everywhere, because damned if that thing isn’t handy to have around. I’ve even used some of his Leatherman tools when the need arose. But the Vodiy Ombir Pro just didn’t pass muster for a number of reasons. First, we thought we got a bad one, because try as he might, Hubby couldn’t get the various tools to rotate out from the handle. This is a guy that drives nails with his thumbs, and they couldn’t get the blades and file and screwdrivers out with those thumbs. When the replacement arrived from Vodiy, it was more of the same. There’s very few things more dangerous than trying to pry a sharp knife out of the handle it’s tucked into, and I’d just a s soon he didn’t try. It also doesn’t lock open when in use, so I would advise people be very careful if they use it for anything. The entire thing is painted with black paint, not a baked on or anodized finish to ensure it stays on and inhibits corrosion. We know this because Vodiy painted the files as well, and the first thing Hubby filed, the paint flaked off. Speaking of corrosion, the tool sports a socket screwdriver with interchangeable tips. And every single tip was rusted. And then fell out of the socket with minimal pressure or use. The Ombir Pro didn’t close properly on either the first or replacement tool. The handles when closed just don’t meet up. And then there’s the little spring beneath the plier head. It’s cute and makes the most adorable little “sproing” sound with each open and close action, and then broke on one and popped off the other. Not so cute. It’s also heavy, very heavy (Almost 50% moreso than the Sidekick), and I imagine would be very cumbersome in one’s back pocket, which is where Hubby carries his Leatherman.

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I may have expected too much from Vodiy’s Ombir Pro, comparing it so closely to Leatherman. But Leatherman is the industry leader in multitools and they make a damn fine product. And if you’re going to play in that arena, you need to be ready to compete with the big boys. And, not to kick a guy when he’s down, the Leatherman is cheaper. Hubby got his Leatherman Sidekick for under $20. It’s thinner, lighter, has better steel, works like a dream and the fit and finish of it is miles ahead of the Vodiy Ombir Pro, and it was also $5 cheaper. Plus the Leatherman 25 year warranty. It’s just lose-lose with Vodiy’s Ombir Pro, and I’m sorry, but I just can’t recommend it. It needs some work to be useful and everything it could (and should) be. Too bad, because I really wanted to have a multitool of my own. Looks like I’ll have to steal Hubby’s Leatherman Juice when he’s not looking.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Vodify.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Hori Hori Garden Digging Knife by Sensei

Every once in a while, you get a hold of a tool you didn’t know you needed, one that has become so useful you don’t know you got by without it before. Sensei’s “Hori Hori” Digging Knife is one such tool. At first glance it seems to be a shiny monotasker, and it’s so, so much more than that. Let me share why.

 

Pickaxes, hoes, shovels, and garden spades all have their place, but it when you’re trying to dig up (or through) tough roots, or you have a very limited digging space (like up against a wall), you come to appreciate a single handed tool that cuts smooth, fast and clean. Sensei’s Digging knife does just that, and more. It has a razor-sharp side that slices and dices just about everything so clean you’d think it was brand-new Mach-5. But flip it over, and there’s serrated side that’ll go through almost anything like butter, in ground or out. Like cleaning up our yuccas. The fronds on those guys also have their own micro-serrations, so trimming them back can lead to a couple of handfuls of papercuts and a box of band-aids in your future. Not with Sensei’s Hori Hori Knife, as it made short work of the fronds and left clean, smooth cuts with no effort.

Through old rosebush roots, no problem. Cleaning up our sago palm trees? A snap. cutting though grass to lay sprinkler lines? Done and done. With it’s 7.5″ high-polished stainless steel blade, it’s big enough for big jobs, and small enough for ones that need a little more finesse. It’s concave design means it’s also good for just plain-old digging, through even the toughest soils. The contoured, textured handle is injection-molded high-impact ABS plastic, and the tang of the blade runs about 1/2 way up the handle. It feels sturdy and near indestructible. But should something go pear-shaped, Sensei backs their Digging Knife with a 90-day no-hassle guarantee with 100% of your money back if you’re not satisfied.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Sensei.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.