I purchased these with high hopes after seeing how many “social media influencers” that I followed for years and some I have known about for a decade or more before “social media influencing” was a job starting advocating Axil products.
For some reason when shooting rifles and shotguns I am a big fan of earplugs, as opposed to ear muffs. I generally just grab the Honeywell Maximum Howard Leight, they are the orange ones with the blue cord. Unfortunately they take so long to to put in, and they just aren’t convenient for conversation with others.
Seeing Axil hyped by social media I purchased a pair of X Pro. I got the hard case and assorted tips. For some reason they sent me ear muffs with a hard case for ear buds and foam tips. After contacting Axil and making the exchange I received the X Pro. After several attempts with different size tips I realized that these appear to be a social media gimmick.
The xpro really does not muffle much noise. The red push button for the “talk through” feature requires so much pressure that the earbud tends to become dislodged and have to be repositioned. These are no faster to get into the ears than the Howard Leight. All in all don’t waste your money.
I ran into Michael Killik at the Cleveland Oktoberfest. I got to sample his hot sauces. As I run out of the hot sauces in the pantry I will be switching inventory to Killik Hot Sauce http://www.killikhsc.com . These are full of flavor, they are not hot just for the sake of being hot, they were not just flavored vinegar like the big box brand available in every supermarket and corner store, the owner had great nutrition information on them, and Lastly they are Veteran Owned.
Since Benchmade discontinued their entire 950 line I switched up my EDC to a 535. I wanted another knife that had an S30V blade, and G10 scales. After the 535 arrived I had to have it sharpened, compared to other knives (including the 950-1401) it is embarrassingly dull. It was also so light and smooth that I had to swap it to Allen Putman G10 scales, and added a titanium backspacer from Rock Scale Design.
For Christmas I received a Nesco food dehydrator. I spent several months playing with it, getting used to how it functioned compared to how the internet and owners manual stated it should, I dried a lot of cheaper things, fruits, vegetables, spices… Eventually the day came that I was going to try Jerky. I experimented with making my own marinades for the first 7 – 8 batches but I was at Cabela’s and picked up this pack.
At this point I feel obligated to put up a disclaimer: THE FOLLOWING METHOD IS HOW I CHOOSE TO MAKE JERKY, I AM NOT TRAINED IN ANY CULINARY DISCIPLINE, MEDINCE, BIOLOGY, MICROBIOLOGY, VIROLOGY… I READ THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT CAME WITH THE DEHYDRATOR, AND THE SEASONING PACK, AND KNOWINGLY DO NOT FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURORS INSTRUCTIONS. IF YOU CHOOSE TO FOLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS AND HAPPEN TO GET SICK THAT IS ON YOU!
There now that I did the giant shouty caps disclaimer, back to Jerky. I used many cuts of meat at first. My butcher has a deal on eye of round so I generally buy around 6 lbs at a time, that is enough to make 2 runs of the dehydrator.
I put the meat in the freezer for a few hours until it is almost frozen and then use a razor (yes shave ready) knife or knives (we are seriously talking about 15 degree edges) and cut slices. I prefer thicker jerky however it seems best to keep it less than 1/4″ it is more difficult to dry consistently. Then I mix up the marinade, there are 2 types of packs in the Cabela’s seasoning kit, there is the flavor pack, and the cure pack. I cut open the cure pack and pour the contents into the toilet, I am fairly certain it is salt, then I open the flavor pack and mix it with 1 cup of water. If I am making the “pepper” pay attention to later steps. I put the meat slices and the marinade into a ziplock bag and remove all of the air possible, then massage the bag for a minute or two to ensure that all surfaces of the meat get exposed to the marinade. I put the bag in the refrigerator and let it sit for 8 hours.
Now its time to put the jerky in the racks.
At this point if I am doing “peppered” flavor, I get the black pepper out and grind some on every single piece. Then I put the lid on the dehydrator and let the process start. Pending on how thick I cut it, this takes between 4 and 7 hours. After it is done…
So, reading about the many “jerky makers” and “food dehydrators” almost all of them only hit 160 degrees, and it is recommended that jerky go until 165 degrees. So, I put it on a cookie sheet in the oven at 250 degrees for about 10 minutes (generally it is sizzling when I take it out)
I will then allow it to cool, and then down pack it into food saver bags, vacuum seal them, and put them in the freezer.
I just got back from a fairly successful Upland Game Hunt. Part of what made it so successful was my waterproof, briarproof gear from Game Hide.
I’ve had other gear in the past, especially pants, including ones with a layer of neoprene inside the pants. I’ve always come out after a couple of hours with holes in my pants from being snagged on thickers or pricker bushes, and an extra couple of pounds of water soaked into my pants.
This gear was great. The pricing was good, the sizing generous (my fat butt had to exchange the vest for a smaller size even going over 3 layers underneath, there was still room for more), it was comfortable to wear, kept me dry, and didnt get snagged. The pockets in both the pants and vest are great with button closures, and the front and rear game pouches hold plenty. I will be definitely be checking out more gear from them in the future.
After being married for a few years and putting our wedding bands through all types of hell, my wife mentioned the idea of getting silicone bands. At first I was hesitant. But with some new machines at work that are a little more hands on I agreed. She ordered a 3 pack off Amazon for $5.00, and was very happy, at first. Reading other peoples outdoor blogs and social media posts, I chose to buy a Groove Life ring. The sizing matches my actual wedding band band perfectly. My wife started to have sizing issues with her three for five Amazon deal with in a month. I don’t have issues with moisture retention under the band, it is easy to clean, and it stays in place, even with me being in and out of nitrile gloves 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Occasionally the Groove Life will try to roll over itself when putting on sterile gloves, but that has more to the way I put those gloves on. Definitely a great buy. Click the link to find you own Groove Life ring. https://groovelife.com/
Update: I have been wearing my Groove Life ring for almost a year 5 days a week for work, as well as every other hands on experience. Golf, shooting, working on the house… It is a great ring, I still have no sizing issues, no issues washing my hands and it still stays in place.
It hasn’t arrived yet, but the other day I purchased the Komoran 013 for my wife to use when we go fishing. I exclusively use Power Pro braided line, and that can be very difficult to get a clean, precise cut with out causing frayed ends.
I was hoping to find her something with blade made from s30v, or 154cm steel and scales made from G10. Even used on Ebay those criteria proved to be more than I was willing to spend on something that would exclusively be a fishing knife.
This is made with G10 scales, and D2 steel with a titanium coating for corrosion resistance. It’s the same type of coating that Buck used on the 223 fillet knife I posted in my fishing blog.
I will post updates once it arrives, and then once it gets out in the field and gets tested.
UPDATE: The D2 steel blade is wonderfully sharp. It cuts the PowerPro braid like a laser.
That’s right. It was me. I’m the guy that bought the Cuttlery Shoppe exclusive and I love it. The G-10 scales provide for great grip wet or dry. The S30V steel blade has handled two years of wear and use and has yet to be sharpened. And lastly the reverse tanto blade provides a great shape for precision work.
