The Sound of Success

It’s comical how something as seemingly innocuous as a simple sound can illicit such polar responses from people. To me, knuckle cracking is one of the most off-putting sounds I can think of. I detest it. That simple “pop-pop-pop” sound of fingers or toes or backs just sends shivers down my spine. Oh, it is gross! For a split second I feel nauseous. I don’t know what it is about the sound that drives me nuts but it does. Well, it does unless I am the one making the noise. If I am the one applying the pressure and making that sharp snap sound I am in heaven. Its the sound of sweet relief for my joints. It just feels so good. That sound goes from being the bane of my existence to the single most satisfying split second of the day depending solely on where I stand. It’s all just about perspective.
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Serf’s Up! (XL100 LED)

     My old roommate was a complete jerk. I don’t want to name names because I am not one to trash talk….oh, who am I kidding, his name is Brian. He was, and probably still is, a complete jerk. He was an anti-social sack of anger who sat on the couch, drinking and watching golf as if his life depended on it. Anyone that interrupted him was considered a nuisance and was glared at until they left. Our living room was his domain which he ruled over with an iron fist. A kingdom in which he was the tyrannical monarch, looking down on others from his throne of a couch, leaving only sporadically to go to work or to the fridge for another beer. Like any growing country, Brian’s kingdom became more technologically advanced as time progressed. The small television perched atop of a frumpy stand seemed to get larger by the month. As the screen grew, so did the stereo, then the gaming systems, and finally the remote control itself.What once was a simple living room over time transformed into Escondido’s largest electrical drain. Eventually the TV stand was phased out to accommodate a television almost the size of the wall itself. A second smaller screen was installed in the upper corner of the room, muted, and constantly set on ESPN. The sound system had more speakers than the Edwards Cinema, the Xbox contained about a million unbeatable scores, and all of it was controlled by one massive remote control.

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Tags: feudalism, flashlight, jerk, LED, XL100

A Knife with Balls

When I was in college my buddies and I were able to raise money for charity by getting behind the grill and selling hotdogs and beer at the stadium during Chargers games. It had its perks; free dogs and booze, an opportunity to see at least half of each game for free from the nosebleeds, and honestly, it’s not too often you get a chance to eat nachos and do the wave in the name of philanthropy. The biggest perk out of the whole thing, oddly enough, turned out to be a part of the uniform. We had to wear a white collared shirt, black slacks, a red apron, and a navy blue ball cap. The shirt and pants I had to provide on my own but the stadium gave me the Hebrew National apron and the hat. Now, almost a decade later, the red apron sits in the bottom of a dusty box in the back of my garage, lost among the yearbooks, knickknacks, and random goofy broken gadgets I’ve acquired over the years. The hat on the other hand, is still sitting proudly on my desk in my house. The first time I put it on it just fit perfectly and ever since that moment I have kept that hat close. Its once dark blue pigment has faded into a brownish green. The bill is perfectly curved and beginning to fray. The fabric is so grimy it has become tacky to the touch. It is my hat. I have worn it nearly religiously for all these years. It’s been to parties, camping trips, work outs, barbeques, and I will continue to don it until to falls into a million brownish dirty pieces and I am forced to send it Valhalla in a traditional Viking funeral.

It’s not strange, it’s just how guys are. When we find something we really like we stick with it. Some things just have a certain feel, look, or style that speaks to us. That hat is just my style. It’s me. It is something that I’ll never give up, just like my jeans, my truck, and now, my CRKT Ripple knife.

My New Best Friend

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Tags: Ball, blade, CRKT, Hat, Hebrew National, knife, Ripple

The Antidote!

     I find it fitting that Halloween comes right before November. All Hallows Eve is hyped as being the spookiest day of the year. It’s a day of scary movies, costumes, tricks, and frights. To the average Joe this day looks like it’s the most terrifying day on our calendar but to me it’s not. Halloween is just a last reprieve, a ghoulish celebration that distracts us from what is coming. It gives us one last chance to smile and party carelessly before the real horror begins; the holiday shopping season.
Every day, starting November 1st until Christmas Eve, becomes exponentially more ghastly as throngs of people clog the malls and shops, snarling traffic and growing more and more anxious as they try and find something for the relatives and friends that they barely see or talk to anyway. The for those two long months the all normal people disappear and the world becomes infested with clueless shoppers, aimlessly rambling about looking for a bargain or, at minimum, an item that they can buy in bulk for multiple aunts, uncles, and so on.

Coming to a Mall Near You!

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Tags: carrying, case, Charge, flashlight, gift, holiday, inka, Leatherman, Nite-ize, tin, zombies

Streamlight® Helps Guide Development of Flashlight Industry Standards

Until now, there have been no standards-based methods to evaluate flashlights. Customers couldn’t tell how a light would perform until they bought it and tried it for themselves, which sometimes resulted in a costly mistake. And there was no way to police false product claims made by manufacturers, which was frustrating for companies like Streamlight^® that work hard to make quality lighting tools.

That’s why Streamlight was instrumental in forming a coalition of industry leaders to create standardized tests and a uniform rating system for flashlight equipment. The result of their efforts is called the ANSI (American National Standards Institute)/NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) FL1 Standards.

Developed with the guidance of NEMA and representatives from 14 different flashlight companies, the new standards help customers rate and compare the most important features of personal lighting tools. They are the culmination of more than two years of research, discussion and testing among the participating manufacturers, who set aside competitive differences to arrive at a consensus for standards.
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Blinded By the Light

For a moment I felt like I was back at the orthodontist’s office in fourth grade. There was the cold sweat, the tunnel vision, and I swear I even heard my old elementary school friend Joey Martinez laughing in the distance. The same rush of embarrassment and resistance that overcame me when that sadistic doctor showed me my headgear for the first time came back and hit me like a ton of bricks. My boss, Kassie had plopped down two Princeton Tec headlamps on my desk and told me to give them a write up. “You really expect me to wear that?”, was all I could muster. Needless to say I wasn’t overly stoked on the proposition.

Of course, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the headgear but for that one little moment I felt a bit uncomfortable. I have never been a fan of headlamps. A few years ago when I went hiking with my dad and brother up in Northern California. We knew we would have to do some night treks and needed some lights. We went out to get some headlamps at the local outdoor shop and I tried on a few. The uncomfortable feel of the lamp on my forehead mixed with the constricting and headgear-esque grip of the elastic band made me cringe. The aesthetics of the gizmo were also less than desirable. I felt like I was that geek in 16 Candles at the school dance.

Definitely NOT a Princeton Tec

Tags: fuel, headlamp, princeton tec, remix

Meet Keith Shelton - Account Executive

There are few of America’s cutlery retailers who are unfamiliar with Moteng’s Account Executive Keith Shelton. Since 1994, he has made it his life’s work to ensure that knife stores from coast-to-coast are up-to-speed on the latest releases from 50 or more of the world’s favorite cutlery manufacturers. Some of these stores have heard from him on a weekly basis from the very beginning. His specialty is loading up a Pelican PL1650BK case with the latest products being offered at Moteng and hitting the road to show them off; a specialty that has taken him from Hawaii to Maine and back 15 times, now. We asked him what the hot items were going to be for this holiday season, and he excitedly rattled off the following info:

Spyderco’s Bob Lum Chinese Folder (C65FGP and C65FGPBK): “Moteng was fortunate to be granted the exclusive for the limited 600 piece run of each of Spyderco’s most graceful designs, courtesy of the late Bob Lum. These versions have foliage green handles (closer to grey with a slight green tint), VG10 steel blades and look especially good in the black blade version.”

Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack: “Ladies, all guys have one thing in common - they want one of these; in 8 colors. The black is very popular and goes with everything. Avoid the orange foliage if you plan on being seen in public with him (although it’s great for deer hunters). Also, try not to call it a ‘manpurse’ in front of him.”

SOG

SOG Creed:

One of the more dramatic blade shapes in the SOG arsenal, the Creed (SOGCD-01) delivers on its promises of high-level performance. The very stout front end weights the knife forward for chopping and piercing. The big belly on the blade maximizes the cutting edge for extreme wilderness and hunting situations. The SOG Creed has been equipped with the Tech Bowie handle to provide a confident grip in inclement weather. This is a great example of a collectable and working knife coming together for optimal results. The SOG Creed also includes a satin finished stainless steel blade, tactile Kraton rubber handle, and white washers.

It’s also available in the newly-arrived black TiNi blade (SOGCD-02) for just a slightly higher wholesale price. Contact Moteng today to be your wholesale knife distributor.

SOG Facet:

The SOG Facet (SOGCT-01) combines high class with high tech. It features a textured carbon fiber handle and exquisitely machined nickel silver bolsters. When turned back and forth in the light, the SOG Facet dazzles the eye. In the hand, it dazzles the mind with balance and grace. The mirror polished san mai blade, Arc-Lock and hardened stainless steel liners add strength without compromise. A limited edition (of just 200 pieces) has just been released with spectacular-looking white Micarta handles (SOGCT-02). For questions or to place an order for the SOG Facet please contact Moteng, your leading wholesale knife distributor.

Tags: Creed, Facet, knives, SOG, Too Short

Traditionalists Beware!

Humans have always maintained a strange relationship with innovation.  It’s the driving force behind our species but we seemingly fight it every step of the way.  Inevitably, every time something new comes along people line up to knock it down.  Modern history is full of examples of this. Critics claimed the automobile would never replace the horse.  Naysayers said we could never land a man on the moon.  CD’s couldn’t over take vinyl.  Even the internet was met with much resignation as just a passing fad at first. As hard as we fight innovation we still deep down know that we thrive on it.  We need to take risks and steps in new directions to move forward in almost every facet of life.  The knife industry is no different.     

When our sales manager, Dave, asked the sales team to try out the new Seber Ratchet knife the response was, of course, less than positive. It was as if he asked The Flat Earth Society to give their opinions about a globe. Scoffs and protests rang out from everywhere. “It’s a gimmick” was the overall consensus from our traditionalists. They all turned their backs on the new knife without even giving it a fair shake. So Dave turned to me, the new guy who is less set in his ways, to give the Seber ratchet knife a whirl.
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Tags: knife, Lock, Ratchet, Seber, Tuna

KA-BAR, The Corps, a Bear, and More!

               I grew up in a Marine Corps family.  My father spent 26 years of his life as a Leatherneck.  He did just about every cool thing possible a man could do in the Corps.  He was a paratrooper, a Huey pilot, fixed wing pilot, a Desert Storm veteran, a diplomat and probably about a thousand other things I’ll hopefully get to hear all about over a beer as I get older.  It wasn’t just him, however, that made us a Marine family.  His father was a grunt that had just as amazing of a tenure as a Devil Dog. He served in World War II (Pacific Theatre), Korea, and somehow was still around for Vietnam.  He was a decorated American hero.  Even our dog (a bull dog) was in dress blues for his picture that still hangs proudly in the hallway of my parent’s house.   Like I said, I grew up in a Marine Corps family.

               In my formative years I became fluently bi-lingual before I could tie my own shoes.  I learned the language of my home country; English as well as the language of my people; Marine.  I knew it all, inside and out.  I could speak in acronyms, I could understand my dad’s Drill Instructor-esque barks, and I even had a grasp of all the random Corps jargon and colloquialisms.  The bathroom was “the head”, dinner was “chow”, and “go to bed” became “rack out”.  All the terms were interchangeable except for one; a big-ass knife was always, always, a “Ka-Bar”.  To be perfectly honest, up until recently I thought KA-BAR was just the Marine term for a knife. 

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Tags: bear, KA-BAR, knife, Marines