Oveready Triple XPG Surefire 9P

I’m a big proponent of flashlights for self defense. My first quality self defense light was an Inova X03, a very solid light plenty bright enough to blind an opponent with night adapted vision. But after getting my first Surefire, an LX2, I was hooked even further. The beam on the LX2 is so bright that shining someone in the face with it at night is physically shocking. Not only that, but it’s an excellent light to carry. Later, the Surefire 6PX Tactical came out, which is a terrific option for someone not wanting to spend as much on something like the LX2.

Then I discovered Oveready, a company that makes custom flashlights with the highest quality parts…Surefire hosts (bodies) with custom coatings, tail caps, bezel rings, and LED emitters. Their Triple XPG Surefire C3, which uses a triple LED emitter from Torchlab, in a Surefire body coated with a ballistic grade ceramic, bored to accept rechargeable batteries, and with a metal rather than plastic bezel ring, was too hard to pass up. Not only is it an extremely high quality set up, but it’s advertised as a 1,100 lumen light. My other Surefire lights were advertised at 200 lumens. If those numbers don’t sound like much, here’s a comparison photo:

LX2 vs. Triple XPG

The image above is of the LX2 beam (at left) and the Triple XPG beam (at right) placed about 3 feet from a wall. It was the best way I could demonstrate the difference in a photo, but the photo doesn’t do it justice. The beam on the Triple XPG looks like something you’d expect from a helicopter search light. It’s astoundingly, shockingly bright. The beam on the LX2 does project further due to the lens and beam pattern. But up close…maybe inside of 30 yards or so…the Triple XPG throws out a monster wall of light, capable of blinding a small group of people with one flash.

I chose to get my light with the Surefire 9P host rather than the C3 host, as I figured the 9P may be better to quickly grab. Since it’s round, the grip is the same no matter how you grab it. However, I’ve also ordered a C3 host to see which one I end up liking more. I chose the single level Triple XPG rather than the one that has a high, medium, and low mode, so for self defense it would be very simple to operate…without concern for using the wrong mode accidentally. I also picked the smooth bezel ring instead of the one with “teeth”, so it wouldn’t look like a self defense light.  Thus, I can travel with it on a plane, etc. This set up, in my opinion, is not ideal for an everyday use flashlight (it’s too bright), but makes an incredible self defense tool. While the 9P and C3 are on the big/long side compared to the LX2 and 6PX Tactical, they are still easy to carry in a back pocket or deep front pocket. Here’s a comparison image:

Self Defense Lights

The Surefire 9P is at the top, followed by the LX2, 6PX, and an Inova X5 (which I would not recommend as a self defense light due to the relatively weak beam).

Oveready custom lights are expensive, there’s no doubt about it. But the product you’re getting is top notch, as is their customer service. Their lights are made in the US, and if you email or call you’ll be talking to someone in the US. If you’re considering a self defense light and want the best you can possibly get, I’d highly recommend Oveready.

For more information on using a flashlight for self defense, see our pages on the palm stick and self defense flashlight.

Vibram Five Fingers

Some of you may have noticed my unusual shoes in many of the pictures on my site. I’ve been meaning to post about them for a year or so now but keep forgetting. For the past 2+ years I’ve been wearing Vibram Five Fingers.  I’ve got 3 pairs at the moment, and these are the only shoes I wear 99% of the time, for everything from martial arts training and casual wear to mountain trekking and kayaking.  They’re the best shoes I’ve ever had in my life, and I can say with certainty that I’ll never wear a pair of tennis/running/hiking shoes again.  You can find many more enthusiastic reviews of Five Fingers here at BirthdayShoes.com.

Vibram Five Finger KSO

My preferred model is the KSO (Keep Stuff Out).  These are minimalist shoes with VERY thin bottoms.  They allow you to grip the ground like no other shoe.  Wearing them is like being barefoot, but with protection for the soles of your feet. You need to take some time to adjust to wearing them, as the muscles in your feet are likely to be unnaturally weak due to common shoe designs (a real disaster for your body).  The other thing about Five Finger shoes is that they tend to bring you back to walking and moving as your body was meant to.  Because there is no padding in the heal, you’ll quit doing a “heal strike” when walking or running, which will dramatically decrease stress on your knees, hips, and back.  Most people who wear these shoes not only report stronger feet, better balance, etc., but also knee, hip, and back injuries that disappear.  Here’s a great video on the science:

The only time I don’t wear KSO’s is when I’m hiking on steep and rocky mountains.  In those cases I wear Treks, as they have better grip for such situations, and a slightly thicker bottom to protect against bruising from sharp edges.  The black leather is also a bit better for nicer clothes. 

Ditch whatever shoes you’re currently wearing for martial arts/self defense training, and get yourself a pair of Vibram Five Fingers.  You’ll probably end up wearing them all the time, but they’re the best shoes for martial arts training you’ll ever wear.

Michael really covers everything you should know and consider before opening a martial arts business.  And if you’ve already got a one, the book is still a great read. I had my own place for many years, and there’s plenty of material in his book that I had never thought about.  At $147 it’s not cheap…as e-books go.  But if you’re serious about running an MA school, the book is well worth it.

Ginunting

As a practitioner of Filipino Martial Arts, a great sword is a necessity. I’ve been meaning to post a review of a Ginunting I purchased a while back, and am finally getting to it now. I bought my Ginunting from Ron Kosakowski’s Traditional Filipino Weapons. I’ve bought plenty swords over the years, probably 20 or more.  I bought a samurai sword in Japan from the 1800′s, a Laotian soldiers sword in Laos from the early 1900′s, several Iban head hunting swords on the island of Borneo, a Filipino Pinute, etc., etc. Of all the swords I own, if I had to take one into a sword fight it would be my Ginunting from Ron’s store. (By the way, I do not know Ron and am not profiting in any way from writing this review…and of course I will hopefully never be in a sword fight!) Here is a comparison of the similarly priced Pinute from another company, and my Ginunting from TFW:

Pinute and Ginunting

You probably can’t tell much of a difference from the above photo, other than noticing the cheap scabbard that comes with the Pinute (top).  But take a look at a close up of the blades…from the back:

Blades

The Ginunting is on the left.  As you can probably see, the steel is twice as thick and a much higher quality on the Ginunting.  Here’s a close up of the scabbards and handles:

Scabbard and Handles

The handle on the Pinute isn’t all that bad, but the scabbard is such junk that it falls right out.  The Ginunting fits perfectly in the scabbard.  It’s snug, and definitely won’t fall out.  It handles like no other sword…amazing.  So if you’re looking for an excellent quality Filipino sword, order it from Traditional Filipino Weapons.  I’ll be ordering a couple more styles in the near future…