TEC-S323 Isotope Fob Review

TEC-S323 Isotope Fob Review

With the recent addition of the diminutive “DQG spy” to my current keychain setup, I've been finding my usual Tec Accessories S3 glow fob, a little too large in comparison.  Looking around for a smaller alternative that is still encased in metal, brought me to the TEC-S323 Isotope Fob, also made by Tec Accessories.

I've been out of the loop with these sorts of things, but the TEC-S323 Isotope Fob appears to have been released around a year ago.  It is a metal housing built to hold a 3x23 tritium vial.  The dimensions of the Tec Accessories Isotope promise to be slightly smaller, thinner and lighter than the TEC-S3/A3/T3 glow fobs.

Specifications:

(Taken from the manufacturers website)
Material: Stainless Steel
Finish: Bead Blasted
Outside Diameter: 5.0 mm [0.197"]
Overall Length: 31.5 mm [1.24"]
Split Ring Hole Size: 3.0mm [0.118"]
Total Assembled Weight (without tritium vial): 1.8 grams [.06 oz]
Total Assembled Weight (with tritium vial): 2.0 grams [.07 oz]
Cost: $23 (not including the tritium)

Packaging and Accessories:

The packaging is pretty plain from the Tec Accessories.  Everything comes in a ziplock bag.  Included is a small container with a small split ring and 3 rubber plugs.  You only need one plug for the installation of the tritium, so the others are spares.  Another small cylindrical plastic container holds the metal housing and keeps it safe whilst in transit.  A card with basic instructions is included.

Please note that the tritium vial is not actually included, if purchased directly from Tec Accessories.  You need to buy the 3x23mm tritium separately, or alternatively Merkava from cpfmarketplace sells the Isotope preinstalled with the tritium.  Merkava is one of my regular sources for tritium, but there are a few others also on cpfmarketplace forums.

Packaging

Contents

Instructions:

Pretty simple to put it together... no need to mess around with any glue or adhesives.  Put the 3x23 tritium vial into the metal housing. GENTLY ease one of the rubber plugs on top of the tritium.  Place split ring through the appropriate hole.  I tend to use a pair of fine pliers to open the split ring.  With the rubber plug and the split ring in place, the tritium vial is very unlikely to ever come out by itself.

Pros:

-Smaller than the TEC A3/S3/T3 glow fobs
-Simple to install
-Feels well made
-It's subjective, but I like how it looks
-Once again subjective, but I think tritium in a metal housing looks more classy than a plain plastic tube
-Reasonably priced compared to other custom metal housings

Cons:

-Not covered by a plastic shell, like the TEC S3/A3/T3.  This means it's smaller, but also potentially less protected if something hits it through one of the gaps in the metal housing.  However as of this stage, google does not find any reports of broken tritium in the Isotope
-Even though the TEC “Isotope” has been designed to maximise visibility, I feel that the tritium is slightly more visible in the TEC S3/A3/T3.  I feels this is the case, because the plastic shell provides more “spacing” from the tritium to the metal housing.
-Tritium definitely not as visible when compared to a plain acrylic housing.

Nite Glowring, tritium in acrylic casing, Tec S3 Glow Fob, Tec Isotope Fob, DQG Spy

Conclusion

I suspect the Tec Isotope Fob will be a permanent addition to my current keychain.  I like how it looks, and the smaller size better suits my keyring setup.  My only possible concern is whether the housing provides enough protection for the tritium.  It would take a very unfortunate knock to break the tritium, though.  I guess we'll find out with time and usage...

My keyring setup

Wife's keyring

Links


Information on tritium and TEC Isotope Fob:
http://www.tecaccessories.com/PDF/TA_S323_vials.pdf

Manufacturer's Webpage:
http://www.tecaccessories.com/TEC-S323.TEC-S323-Isotope

Forums to buy 3x23 tritium and preinstalled Isotope:
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/forumdisplay.php?108-WTS-Other-Personal

DQG Spy 10180 – Quick Review

DQG Spy 10180 – Quick Review

Additonal Photos:

http://keychainpockets.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/dqg-spy-10180-photos.html

 

Pros

Smallest 10180 that I've found – weights next to nothing

Simple UI – tighten for low, tighten further for high

No PWM – at least none that I can notice

Floody beam useful for close quarters

Good knurling

Tritium on the tail

Can tail-stand easily

Knurling

Cons

Minor issue – a few sharp edges at the tail, near the grooves for the split ring

Need to take a little care when changing batteries, I find it it relatively easily to cross-thread the threads.

Beam is pure flood with no hotspot – brightness fades off quite quickly with distance

Tritium seems quite exposed – I'd be a little worried it might break with keychain duty. I might try and encase it with some Norland 61, if I get a chance.

Difficult to operate one handed, as it's so small

Tritium feels a little exposed.  Some sharp edges at the tail end.

Wide pure flood beam

Versus the Quantum DD

-The DQG spy is significantly smaller and lighter than the Quantum DD.

-In terms of usability, I prefer the DQG Spy over the Quantum DD. I find with the QTC in the Quantum DD, you have to tighten it with a fair bit of force to get it to max brightness. The lack of decent knurling, compounds this issue further, as it's harder to get good finger support to tighten the light firmly.

-The tritium you can install into the Quantum DD, is longer in length. And since it is larger, it's also potentially brighter. Also, you can install two pieces of tritium in the Quantum DD without affecting tail-standing ability. With the DQG Spy, if you install a second rod of tritium, you potentially lose the split ring attachment.

-I feel the Quantum DD has a more modern futuristic look. I feel the DQG spy is more utilitarian in appearance.

-DQG has a wider and a “pure flood” beam. My version of the Quantum DD, is still a fairly floody beam but has a slight hotspot in the centre.

-Quantum DD comes with a charger. You have you source your own charger with the DQG Spy.

Size comparison: Modamag Drake, Quantum DD, DQG Spy, Streamlight Nano, Egear Pico Lite

Other thoughts:

There is also a brass version that is available for even cheaper! The DQG Fairy. Basically, it has the same 'guts' as the DQG Spy, but with a different exterior. Personally, I feel it looks rather plain, so I'm going to give this one a miss.

On my wish list, I'd like to see a version with a reflector or a more focused TIR optic. This will make the flashlight a little more longer, but I'd be happy to accept the trade off. The floody beam is actually quite useful for keychain duties, where it's mostly used to illuminate objects at close quarters. But realistically do we need a keychain light to blast 120 lumens, but only lasts for >10mins at this level? The reason why we (or at least I) have have such an overpowered keychain light is the blast the socks off the “unilluminated”, with their piddly 5-15 lumen button cell light/mag solitaire/iphone LED. A more collimated beam with a brighter hot spot, looks more impressive than a floody beam, particularly if your lighting up an object more than a few metres away.

Ideally, my perfect 10180 flashlight, would be something like the Modamag Drake, but without the PWM, a better looking exterior and an updated LED emitter .

Added to my current keychain duties

Everyone loves a knife and light combo right?  With the Spyderco Bug.

Specifications for DQG spy (taken from a sales page):

Dimension: 27mmx12.5mm
Netweight: 6 gram
Material: Titanium Alloy
Emitter: CREE XP-G2 R5 1A CW / 4C NW
Battery: 10180 Li-ion  (included)
Mode: Low (20mA)>High  (300mA)
Brightness: 200Lumens on High;  10Lumens on Low
(Editors note: According to some reviews High mode is actually only around 120 lumens)
Runtime: 10-15 minutes on High ; 4-5 hours on Low
Switch: Head Rotate switch; Tighten for on; Loose for Off
Come With Yellow / Orange 1.6x5mm Trit on the tail
This light can install 2 pcs of trit on the tail

Links:

Where to buy:

http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1987

http://www.banggood.com/buy/DQG-Flashlight.html

Other reviews/threads:

http://reviewsdelinternas.blogspot.com.es/2014/03/dqg-spy.html

http://budgetlightforum.com/node/30162

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?379796-DQG-SPY

http://budgetlightforum.com/node/28860

DQG Spy 10180 Photos!

Hi, yes, it has been a while since my last post!

I've just received a new 10180 keychain flashlight; the DQG Spy 10180!  This thing is an amazingly small beast!  Smaller than any other 10180 flashlight around.

I thought I'd share some photos, first up.  Hope to get some thoughts up about it in the near future.

Where to buy:
http://www.cnqualitygoods.com/goods.php?id=1987

This thing is puny!  It's smaller than my tritium fob... I think this means I need to find a new and smaller tritium fob!

Random Stuff from Dealextreme

Hello again!  Yes, I know it's been a while since I last posted.  Unfortunately there's been a bit stuff going on in life, so the blog has been put on hold for a few months.  I thought I'd breathe some life into this blog with a couple of posts on some small cheapo gadgets I found interesting from Dealextreme.


Glass/Screen cleaner with Keychain Attachment

When I saw this on the dealextreme website, I thought it looked interesting.  I was planning on attaching it to my phone and using it to clean and wipe down the screen when necessary (glossy touch screen smartphones always seem to pick up alot of finger prints!)

 The screen cleaner is pretty small; with the circular portion measuring ~27mm in diameter.  On one side is a plastic covering which says ezyflash (I have no idea what that is?!).  The other side is felt-like surface that is actually used to clean the screen.  Extending from the circular portion is a small strap that can be used to attach the screen cleaner to your keychain or phone.

Felt-side of the cleaner is used to wipe the screen

Unfortunately in practice I'm finding the screen cleaner a little lacking.  It does okay in removing dust and gross deposits from small LCD screens such as those found on your phone or camera.  However, it doesn't do a very good job of removing oily deposits.  Instead of lifting up the oily residue, it just smears it around.  If you need to remove oily residue and fingerprints, I'd suggest using a microfibre cloth.  I find this microfibre cloth to work well, however it is a little more expensive.

Link: http://www.dealextreme.com/p/screen-and-glass-cleaning-keychain-25462


-------------------

Keychain Dynamo Flashlight with 2 LEDs

I like the idea of having a keychain flashlight that can be manually charged by winding the handle.  Hopefully this means you will never have to worry about the flashlight running out of batteries. 

 
This keychain dynamo flashlight measures ~42mm x 32mm x 13mm.  On one side of the body is a button that is used to turn the flashlight light on/off.  On the other side is a wind-up handle that can be retracted in or folded out.

Handle can be folded out or retracted

 The body is made from plastic and to be honest feels a little toy-like.  Its sort of fun winding up the handle to charge the battery, however care needs to be taken not the use too much force.  I was a little over vigorous and I believe the internal cogs lost traction with each other.  I took it part and had a little fiddle to realign the gears.  Here's a photo I took after I opened up the flashlight:

 
This keychain flashlight has 2 LEDs.  The beam is fairly floody and has a blue/purplish tint (which is typical for this sort of LED).  The output is not particularly bright and I estimate it would only be around 2-4 lumens.  When fully charged the light is brighter, however with usage the output drops quite quickly.

Overall, I would consider this dynamo keychain flashlight a cool toy to have, but I would not rely on it for important usage. 

Link:  http://www.dealextreme.com/p/2-led-white-light-hand-crank-dynamo-flashlight-with-keychain-random-color-20ma-nimh-118732

Keychain CPR Face Shield

 
I received one of these a few years back after having done a first aid course.  It's a CPR face shield held inside a small nylon pouch.  The pouch itself, has split ring which allows you to attach keys and other items to it.

Attached with keys and miscellaneous items

In the unfortunate situation where someone is passed out or not breathing, this face shield allows you perform CPR without having to worry about breathing or swallowing that person's blood or saliva.  This helps to reduce the risk of getting transmissible diseases such as hepatitis or HIV.

Face shield contained within

 

Considering what is contained inside, the package is fairly small and light, though a little on the bulky side.  The shape of the package makes it hard to take measurements but it's roughly; 55mm (H) x 55mm (L) x 15-20mm (W).  It weighs around 14 grams.

 To be honest I don't carry this one around on my keychain, but I usually keep in my laptop bag which I carry around with me a lot.  Thankfully I have never had you use it, but it's nice to know I've got it there if I need it.

 
I'm not too sure where you can get them from in your own country.  I did bit of a google search for you guys and came up with a few australian websites which sell these or something similar.  The first link closest resembles the CPR face shield that I have:

(links removed on request)

Additional Pictures:

Items of Interest

Hey guys just a quick update today on some items that I find interesting.


TEC ACCESSORIES GLOW FOB

If you've read my review on the tec accessories glow fob, you would realise I'm a fan of this piece of keychain jewellery. It is now available in a few different flavours from various sources.

Merkava, has the glow fob available with tritium preinstalled, available in a range of tritium colours. This is a good option if you couldn't be bothered doing the tritium installation yourself.

Product link: http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?258245-Merkava-TEC-A3-amp-TEC-S3-Tritium-Fobs-Mission-Ready!-Unlike-any-you-have-ever-seen!

EDCF forums store has the normal GITD fob, but available with a special cerakote coating. This special coating is meant to be hardy and scratch resistant, and is available in different colours. Colours include: black, orange, olive green, tan, burnt bronze.

 Product link: http://www.jsburlys.com/index.php?app=ecom&ns=catshow&ref=tecaccessories

Photo of Orange Cerakote Tec Accessories Glow Fob (borrowed from EDCF store)

FOURSEVENS PREON P0

This is a new AAA flashlight, just released from foursevens at the SHOT show. What interests me about this light is the size and cost. It is very small, and claims to be the the smallest current regulated flashlight around. The DQG tiny II is pretty comparable in size, however the DQG tiny II is currently out of stock and unavailable.

The Preon P0, only has two light levels; 0.25 lumens and 25 lumens. The beam is a very floody beam. It's relatively cheap in price costing only $25USD. If you are interested in reading more about Preon P0, there is a thread on it at candlepowerforums:
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?330740-Foursevens-Preon-P0

Product link: http://www.4sevens.com/product_info.php?cPath=297_332&products_id=2846




SWISSBIANCO ALOX RAMBLER

Once again another product that I've reviewed and am a fan of. Swissbianco has a new run of the silver alox ramblers.



I have to say I'm tempted to buy another one of these, as a back-up in case I lose my current one. (I probably won't because I need to say my pennies for other gadgets)

I'm particularly a fan of the silver alox, because I feel it wears better. Overtime, annodisation will tend to wear off on the scales, but since these scales are silver the wear does not show up as easily.


MBI CORE TI - TITANIUM FLASHLIGHT PENDANT

I've previously mentioned the MBI torpedo, a AAA light which aims to provide 500+ lumens. This light is still in the works, but another product the maker is working on is a titanium pendant light.  It's a dogtag shaped flashlight designed to be worn as a pendant.  Here the thread on candlepowerfourms:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?324606-MBI-Core-Ti-%28world-s-thinnest-%29-Titanium-Flashlight-Pendant-%28work-in-progress%29

Photos borrowed from the candlepowerforums thread

Sunshine Products Mini Cash-Can / Cash Stash Review

SUNSHINE PRODUCTS MINI CASH-CAN/CASH STASH REVIEW 

BACKGROUND

While I don't tend to do this myself, some people like to carry spare money in their keyring setup.  I guess there are some potentially good reasons to do so.  On the off chance you lose or forget your wallet, but still have your keys... it's handy to have an 'emergency' stash of money you can rely on.  Or sometimes you might just run out of money (happens to me a lot) and there's no ATM nearby, you can rely on that crumpled rolled-up bill, sitting with your keys!

There are a range of keychain money fobs around; most of which are just modified pill fobs/spy capsules marketed as cash holders.  I was given the chance to inspect and review the sunshine products mini cash-can, and I took up the offer as I was intrigued by the design.  The sunshine products cash-can is designed so that once the split-ring is attached to the cash-can, there is no way for the money holder to come apart.


SPECIFICATIONS

-"Waterproof" (Personally, I would only rate it as water resistant, read on for more info)
-1 1/2 Inches Long
-7/16 Inch Outer Diameter
-3/8 Inch Inside Diameter
-Machined from Solid Bar

Weight: ~12g without split ring
Made in the USA
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
Optional engraving service

RRP: $24.95


PACKAGING

The Sunshine Products Cash-can comes in small red velvet satchel.  Included is a 100% satisfaction guarantee certificate, usage instructions and a split ring.  I have typed up the usage instructions for your perusal:

USAGE INSTRUCTIONS

1. fold the bill length-wise, into thirds
2. fold this in half again
3. then in half again
4. fold in half one more time.  Now you should have a compact square
5. wrap this square tightly around the spindle like a horse shoe
6. slip this assembly into the tube all the way (don't worry if your first attempt is difficult... you will soon get the hang of it!)
7. install the keyring supplied to complete your new Cash-can!

Packaging and accessories

 

DESIGN AND BUILD

The Sunshine Products cash-can consists of a inner spindle (which the note is wrapped around) and an outer shell.  At the top and bottom of the spindle is a o-ring which helps to provide water resistance.  The hole for the key-ring attachment is at the top of the spindle.

Inner spindle.  Black o-ring near the top and bottom

Outer shell goes over the spindle with the money wrapped around it

 When a split ring is threaded through this key ring attachment, the split-ring physically stops the cash-can from coming apart.  This is one of the major benefits of this design, and is one of the things that makes this cash-can stand out from the competition.

The split ring needs to be removed to dissemble the mini cash-can

I tried using a few different types of bills with the cash-can.  The only note I had left over from my trip to USA was a $1 bill; this fits around the spindle and into the cash-can, fine.  In Australia our notes are made out of plastic, instead of paper.  I had some concern whether this would be an issue, but various denominations of Australian bills also fit into the cash-can without major issues.  It does take a little bit of getting used to, folding up and squishing the note into the cash-can but with a bit of practice, it's pretty easy.

Note wrapped around the spindle

Crumpled up $20 AUD (plastic bill)

The split-ring that comes with the cash-can is fairly thick and does not allow much freedom of movement around the circumference of the ring.  I have a feeling this is probably on purpose...  Swapping over to a slightly smaller split-ring, it does allow easier movement of the cash-can around the split ring, however the smaller split ring results in more vertical movement between the spindle and outer shell.  I was a little concerned this vertical movement may affect the water resistance of cash-can. 

Testing out if this was an issue, I tossed the cash-can in the washing machine, when doing a load of clothes.  During the test, I had a piece of paper rolled up inside.  After removing the cash-can from the wash and drying it up, I opened it.  There was minor ingress of water through the top opening of the cash-can.  Mind you not a lot of water got inside, but just enough so that the upper edge of the paper was damp.  I repeated this test with the larger split-ring.  I thought the larger split ring would help stop the water getting inside, however I still found there was very minor water ingress.

Overall I would consider the cash-can water resistant and 'weatherproof', but would hesitate to say it is completely waterproof.

The cash-can looks unobtrusive, most people would not realise there's money inside

Despite the issues with the water resistance, the build quality of the cash-can is very good... it feels like a quality product.  When I first received it, the brass was polished up nicely to a pale-gold colour.  I had some engraving on the side of my cash-can, and the engraving was nicely done.  When I received the mini cash-can I was surpised at how small and slim it is.  It is quite unobtrusive and the fact that is holds money would be overlooked by most people.

Size comparison to some pill fobs/spy capsules. The mini cash-can is significantly smaller

CONCLUSIONS

A couple of downsides of the cash-can is that it was not completely waterproof (at least in my sample).  The other issue is the cash-can is so compact, it will only fit one bill.  If you want something that holds more, you'll need to consider something else (sunshine products makes a mini II cash-can).

LINKS

http://www.sunshineproductsusa.com/index.cfm/d-Mini_Cash_Can_Cash_Stash_24.htm
http://www.sunshineproductsusa.com/

Announcing the Mydogtag Competition Winners!

Hi guys, just a quick update, the winners of the Mydogtag.com competition winners have been selected. 

Everyone one was assigned a number on an excel spreadsheet in order of when the email was received. Followers were given an extra entry.  I then ran the the numbers through an online random number generator to pick the winners.

Here are the five winners:

Денис Бакеренко
GSFeder
Keith*****@hotmail.com
mayran****@gmail.com
Gilson

Congratulations guys!  Have fun picking and designing your customised dogtags!  When I bought mine in the past, I chose the 'mini' because it has the smallest footprint.  However, mydogtag.com, has a large range of sizes and finishes to choose from... in the end, the choice is yours!

Winners should have already received an email with their gift certificate.  Please let me know, if you have any issues.

~Hazna