The Lounge 2020

[Skylumen]

Never know what you are going to get with the treatments ...

 

[MAD777]

That's a beauty! [emoji7]

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

 

[Kevin1322]

Gorgeous!

 

[Skylumen]

I forgot to mention that SBT90LED is solder bonded to the copper light engine in the FW3Tvn90. I try too solder bond the LED MCPCB to a light engine whereever possible as this is extremely crucial to the LED's health! P60vn90 bonded with Arctic Silver will tint shift and overheat but A-OK with solder bonding to the brass pill.

 

[Skylumen]

Hey Ven! Please email me!

 

[AmericanDissent]

So I was bored the other day and decided to dust the cobwebs off some of my gear and play dress up. IR lights are fun, too!
Funny the things we do when we've got a lot of time on our hands lol

 

[bigburly912]

What’s the knife on your 5 o’clock

 

[knucklegary]

You look ready for a coup.. You should wear that mask grocery shopping lol

 

[Patriot]

What plate carrier is that, AD?

 

[AmericanDissent]

What’s the knife on your 5 o’clock

It's a Bradford Guardian 4 in Vanadis 4E steel, great knife, incredible steel. One of my favorites.

You look ready for a coup.. You should wear that mask grocery shopping lol

Haha, yeah, I almost did the other day when I had to go to the post office, but ended up wearing a monochrome American flag one I have instead. People are on edge enough without seeing a 260lbs man in a skull mask walking around :laughing:

What plate carrier is that, AD?

It's a BAE Systems Eclipse RBAV. It takes BALCS cut armor, and I have IIIA panels as well as 11x14 level 4 ceramic plates. I really want to upgrade to some of the newer materials that sustain multiple hits better, and are more durable in general, but haven't found exactly what I'm looking for yet.

 

[knucklegary]

AD, Nice group of fixed blades.. Both 5.5 & 4" Guardians, drop points are my fav👍

260lbs!! Man I'm glad you're on our team!

 

[AmericanDissent]

AD, Nice group of fixed blades.. Both 5.5 & 4" Guardians, drop points are my fav👍

260lbs!! Man I'm glad you're on our team!

I love my Bradford's!

 

[Renegadethreads]

I’ve been looking hard at Bradfords for a bit. Leaning towards the 3D Guardian carbon fiber 5.5 Elmax, but can’t make up my mind on the finish and grind. Would appreciate any input.

 

[bigburly912]

I’ve been looking hard at Bradfords for a bit. Leaning towards the 3D Guardian carbon fiber 5.5 Elmax, but can’t make up my mind on the finish and grind. Would appreciate any input.

What will be your primary use? Honestly you can’t go wrong with a Bradford. They are great knives and great people

 

[knucklegary]

Renegade, tumbled is easy to maintain, and the finish holds oil nicely.. DLC is worth the extra ducats.. Grind?? Guess it all comes down to personal preference.

I'm sure AD will chime in with good advice 🇺🇸

 

[AmericanDissent]

I’ve been looking hard at Bradfords for a bit. Leaning towards the 3D Guardian carbon fiber 5.5 Elmax, but can’t make up my mind on the finish and grind. Would appreciate any input.

I personally prefer the sabre grind, I feel that it doesn't bind as easily in certain materials, and has more strength of you start doing stupid things with it. The pic I posted in this page has most options represented. Finish wise, the bottom two are nimbus finishes, the third from the bottom is the DLC, and the top is stonewashed. The top two are full flat ground, the second from the bottom is a sabre grind, and the bottom is a sabre grind with swedge. I'm a BIG fan of tool steels. Bottom two are Vanadis 4 Extra, my favorite steel, and the top two are CPM-3V, my second or third favorite steel. I have carried tool steels almost exclusively for the better part of ten years, and other than my gym carry knife in V4E that I wore every day to a gym, I've had very little to no rust on any of them. Corrosion resistance is really all you give up with tool steels, and you gain a good amount of toughness and strength in trade. The top 2 knives in the picture (Guardian 5 and 6) had been used to baton through a good amount of firewood on several occasions prior to that picture. They maintained a fantastic edge, despite the wood being dirty and running through quite a few knots. Bradford uses Peter's heat treat, and they really know their stuff. An average steel with a good heat treat will always outperform a "super" steel with a sub par heat treat, and a super steel with a good heat treat will have perform well enough to bring a smile to your face. As for handle options, the 3D handles are by far more comfortable, and I highly recommend the micarta as well as the G-wood (which I believe are G10) for performance. The second knife down, the Guardian 5, is actually my wife's knife and she insisted on the carbon fiber handles. While they do look fantastic, I'd not recommend them based solely on how smooth and slick they are. Any moisture on your hand is going to create a less than ideal grip. I'd also suggest going with the kydex sheath options over the leather or nylon. The nylon that came with the 5 actually allows the knife to be pulled out, even with both retention snaps engaged. It also allows the edge to contact part of the button snap when unsheathing properly. Anyhow, these are my recommendations based on my opinions and experiences. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!

 

[Patriot]

It's a BAE Systems Eclipse RBAV. It takes BALCS cut armor, and I have IIIA panels as well as 11x14 level 4 ceramic plates. I really want to upgrade to some of the newer materials that sustain multiple hits better, and are more durable in general, but haven't found exactly what I'm looking for yet.

Ah, that's a nice vest and doesn't break the bank. Are your level IV plates "in conjunction" or stand-alone? The reason that I ask, is that you could save some weight if they are stand-alone, while creating a second carrier. I had some stand-alone IV's that I removed from a TYR Tactical BALCS assault vest and put them into a simple plate carrier that I use at the house. It's quick to throw over the head if there's a knock at the door when there shouldn't be, and the weight doesn't matter for that role.

I put 2.9lb DKX plates, (now merged/absorbed by a different company) into the TYR tac vest and cut my load out by 10lbs. The difference was astonishing and the IIIA BALCS backing brings the protection level to M855 spec.

I was just thinking, you'd save something like, 12lbs going to UHMWPE plates but you'd have to find a company that makes them in 11x14. The UHMWPE plates from AR500 are a good value but I don't think they make them that large.

 

[Skylumen]

Forever Classic

 

[Patriot]

It sure is a classic. I remember where I purchased my first C2 in the late 90's, along with the P61 lamp assembly. I was so impressed with those 20 minutes of quickly diminishing lumens. Hard to imagine my own historical flashlight walk without Surefire.

That bezel reminds me of ones that member RPM used to sell. I think I had 5 or 6 of them in Ti.

 

[Joe_torch]

My first Surefire is D2. The P61 lamp assembly deliver 100 to 120 lumens, right?