Off Duty, Technology - Army Times

10 new must-haves: knives, goggles, lights and more

It takes a lot to get us to walk right past a big-and-bad vehicle bristling with weapons. The new Stryker light- armored vehicle with the 105mm cannon? Missed it.

The ARH-70A Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter outfitted with .50-caliber machine gun, 2.75-inch rockets and Hellfire missiles? Missed that, too.

The Grenade Rifle Entry Munition, a tiny, door-busting missile fired from an M16 rifle? Ditto.

But when we hit the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting in Washington in early October, we were on a different mission. We spent an afternoon prowling the corners of the convention center show floor in search of the latest small but oh-so-useful items you might want to add to your kit. We were all about the gear.

From knives and gloves to goggles and flashlights, here's our roundup of our cool finds:

Flashlights

SureFire Kroma. If you're looking for a full Lucky Charms rainbow in your hand-held flashlight, check out SureFire's new Kroma. At just 5½ inches long and weighing in at 5 ounces, this LED hand-held offers five color options -- blue, red, yellow-green, white and infrared. You can make one-handed color changes by rotating a ring at the front of the flashlight.

An end-cap switch offers momentary-on and constant lighting in both low and high brightness; you press the cap for a brief flash or twist it to leave the light on. A hardy clip integrated into the black aluminum body lets you keep the light within easy reach without fear of it wandering off.

Powered by two lithium batteries, the advertised run time is between 1½ and 80 hours, depending on the light setting. It retails for $299. See www.surefire .com.

Gerber personal use lights. Gerber knows knives, but now the edged-weapon and tool company is branching out into flashlights, including the new Infinity and Recon personal LED lights.

The Infinity Ultra-M lights are single-LED models, offered with either a red or white LED, while the Infinity NVG-M comes in white light with a night-vision-compatible green filter. The lights are just under 3½ inches long and weigh 1.7 ounces. Gerber advertises 12 hours of continuous burn time at maximum output on one AA battery. Prices range from $20 to $30, depending on the model.

For the option-hungry operator, the Recon series may be the better bet. All four models feature white LEDs, but integrated filters provide different color options by rotating a lens-face dial. The Recon Personal IR and Recon-M offer red, green and blue filters; the Recon M-CPL provides white, red, night-vision-goggle-compliant green and infrared. Powered by one AA battery, the light is 3.31 inches long and weighs 2.2 ounces. Prices range from $20 to $50.

An add-on tail cap provides infrared LED light for the Recon Personal IR and the Infinity Ultra-M. It's sold separately for about $30. All of the lights feature dual-function end caps that provide both instant flash and always-on lighting options.

The lights are available through the military supply system. See www .gerbergear.com.

Tools

Gerber Concertina Cutter. Obstacle? What obstacle? With these pocket-sized wire cutters, you can blaze your own trail. Just 8½ inches long and weighing 15 ounces, these cutters replace your long-handled wire cutters without sacrificing cutting power.

We tried them out on some concertina wire at the AUSA show and found that with 75 pounds of grip force, they do the job nicely -- though it might take a two-handed squeeze if you don't have a strong grip. And with wide-opening cutting jaws on both sides, you can take down a section of wire in the dark without too much fumbling.

Available in matte black, the cutters are available through the military supply system for about $55. An optional sheath featuring the Army's new pixel-pattern camouflage ups the price tag to about $68. See www .gerbergear.com.

Benchmade 7 Hook. Benchmade is putting a new twist on the old safety knife with its 7 Hook strap cutter.

Standard strap cutters do a fine job of slicing through belts, thin-gauge rope and webbing. But the 7 Hook's unusual design, akin to a rescue hook with a few mission-specific features removed, makes it more useful for cutting through multiple layers of clothing or a thick leather-and-nylon combat boot in a hurry, company officials said.

The rounded grip means you can hold it in different ways depending on the task at hand, and the raised thumb ridge and vinyl handle coating limit slipping when your hands are wet. The 7 Hook comes in matte black; it's 4.3 inches long and weighs 1½ ounces. The accompanying sheath -- offered in black, foliage green and coyote brown -- is compatible with standard military load-bearing equipment.

Available through the military supply system, it retails for $40. See www.benchmade .com or www.7hook.com.

Knives

Ontario Knife Co. XM Folders. With a reputation for quality kitchen cutlery and tactical knives, Ontario is expanding its line of all things sharp and pointy to include assisted-opening folders. The XM Folders feature 5½-inch aluminum handles, with 3½-inch steel blades.

The XM-1 is the chunkier of the two folders, with a .85-inch handle width and a weight of 6.3 ounces. The black-handled version features a polished blade, while the desert camouflage version features the same color scheme on both the blade and handle.

If you want a slimmer design, look to the XM-2, which comes with a 0.6-inch wide handle that shaves the weight down to 5½ ounces. It's available with a black handle and nonreflective black blade.

All three versions are available with either partially serrated or plain-edge blades and feature durable pocket clips.

Prices range from $157 to $167, depending on the model. See www.ontario knife.com.

SureFire LEO. So you've flex-cuffed a guy and dragged him to the rear for questioning. Now, it's time to take the cuffs off. You could reach for your combat knife, but if you do, you're one slip away from causing an international incident.

But not if you've got the SureFire LEO. This easy-open folder, part of SureFire's new line of edged weapons, features an integrated flex-cuff cutter that will cut a guy loose without slitting his wrists. Some companies offer specialized flex-cutter tools that do the same job, but the LEO knife provides two tools in one.

You simply slot the flex-cuff band into the cutting mouth, flip out the integrated handle and give it a good squeeze like you would a pair of pruning shears. That's it. Done. We saw a demonstration at the AUSA show and left impressed.

Oh, wait -- the blade. Almost forgot about that. The 3.38-inch steel blade is housed in a 5.25-inch titanium frame, giving the knife an overall open length of 8.6 inches.

The one catch? It's not cheap. You're looking at $425 for the LEO, which hits stores in January. Keep an eye out for it at www .surefire.com.

Gerber Freeman Auto. If you need a knife you can open in a hurry, Gerber has you covered with a new addition to its small line of automatic openers, the Freeman Auto. You won't be embarrassed to get caught playing with this one.

Offered in drop-point and tanto-point models, the knife features a 3.7-inch serrated blade with a matte black oxide coating. The back end of the 5-inch aluminum handle features a pommel strike point for breaking glass. It weighs in at 7.3 ounces.

A large release button and safety slide make it easy to open even while wearing gloves, and a red-dot indicator tells you at a glance whether the safety is on.

With a lanyard hole at the butt, a removable pocket clip and a sheath, the Freeman Auto offers multiple carrying options. It's available through the military supply system for $107. See www.gerbergear.com.

Goggles

Eye Safety Systems Advancer V-12. The trouble with many tactical goggles is that they either seal to your face and fog up, or they don't seal and allow dust and crud where they don't belong. ESS may have found a middle ground with its new Advancer V-12.

The lenses not only have anti-fog and anti-scratch lens coating but also slide open and closed, allowing you to tailor how much airflow you want to the situation at hand. A helicopter is kicking up a dust storm as it lands at your air base? Slide them closed. They're fogging up while you're on foot patrol? Slide them open.

There are no optional earpieces for these elastic-strap goggles, but wide lenses preserve much of your peripheral vision. Another nice feature is the "Sidewinder Strap Outrigger" clips that pivot to position the elastic strap so that the goggles don't interfere with your helmet.

Packaged in a hard plastic case, the goggles come with gray and clear lenses and a black protective cloth sleeve. High-definition yellow lenses are also available, as is a prescription lens adapter that snaps in behind the goggle lenses.

The lenses meet military impact resistance specs, according to the company. They retail for $110 and are available through the military supply system. See essgoggles.com.

Revision Eyewear Desert Locust. In the war on fog, it looks like Revision has a winner in its Desert Locust goggle.

Desert Locust features "OcuMax" anti-fog and anti-scratch lens coating, and from what we saw, it works like a charm. But just in case, the goggles also have top and side air vents with filters to keep dust and particles from getting through.

The lens comes in three variants -- clear, gray and yellow high-definition, although the yellow lens isn't approved for Army use. An adapter is available for prescription lenses, snapping in behind the one-piece lens.

At just 4 ounces, the goggles are lightweight for long-term comfort. They're fairly large and offer a wide field of view, but some users might find them a bit bulky.

Available in foliage green, desert tan and black, the goggles come with a carrying case and a protective sleeve. They meet military impact resistance standards, according to Revision. They retail for $60. See www .revisioneyewear.com.

Gloves

WileyX CAG-1. As eyewear maker WileyX expands into the glove market, it has updated the combat assault glove that debuted last year with a new version expected to arrive in stores in January. The new CAG-1 will be offered in multiple colors, including green.

This 100-percent Kevlar glove retains the plastic upper knuckle guard of the original model, though it eliminates the individual finger plates at the lower knuckles. The 10-ounce Kevlar material feels light and flexible, preserving enough dexterity for trigger-pullers and typists alike. It is expected to retail for about $55 -- about 30 percent cheaper than the original CAG-1 glove.

Leather reinforcement in some areas adds another layer of protection for those who are hard on their paw-covers. Those interested in a little extra coverage should consider Wiley's Tactical Assault Glove, which is made from a blend of Nomex and Kevlar materials and features a longer wrist cuff to provide forearm protection. It retails for $117.

See www.wileyx.com.