Storm of Ra Hard Case

These are solid cases, robust, well padded, and weather tight. Each is filled with two tiers of pluck-able foam, and can easily fit a Storm of Ra with room to spare for batteries and a handgun, other optics, or whatever else you may want. The case is actually so generous it can, on the diagonal, accommodate a whole Lance of Ra, or horizontally accommodate an LoR with the battery tube unscrewed to half-length. The lid and latches open to firm detents, so stay open while you work with the contents. There is a pressure purge valve should you ever move from high to low altitude and wish to open the case. 

Project - CZ455/KRG mag well

What did you think we were kidding when we said we were serious about precision shooting? 

So we're big on precision here at STO, and this goes well beyond just lights. All of us shoot, and in the realm of shooting precision is also king. CZ, if you didn't know, isn't just one of the best values in firearms going, they're flat out just one of the best. In part, this is because they make their own cold hammer forged barrels last I checked. The result is an absolute tack driver of a system, but in this case let down by the factory stock. This gun started life as a CZ455 Suppressor Ready. The original American style stock was not well suited for precision shooting, both in its lack of consistency, and in its lack of adjustability for LOP and cheek weld. In the factory configuration, the gun hovered around or just over 1MOA factory at 100 yards. Some was the original stock, some was the little quirks/difficulties of shooting it like the original trigger. 

CZ455 in a KRG chassis. With Lapua ammunition, the gun is effortlessly sub MOA. 

A trigger job made delivering consistency easier, but really what the rifle needed was a proper chassis. Now here comes the disclaimer: everyone has their own preference for chassis systems. I personally prefer XLR Industries Evolution/Carbon over all the other options out there. Unfortunately, they didn't have a CZ455 inlet available, really there was just one option: Kinetic Research Group. Now I have the odd gripe about this chassis, but they do still have it where it counts: ACCURACY! After install, the gun went down to a consistent .5-.75MOA 5-10 round shooter at 100 yards. A real tack driver. Ever try to cold-bore an egg at >200 yards with no more than 10 shots on a .22? This gun makes people think it is easy... until they try it on their own rimfire. 

The CZ455 Suppressor Ready with its factory stock and trigger. (optics and suppressor obviously not factory) 

So KRG it was. One of the major gripes though, and the subject of this post, was the magazine well. You'd expect it to use its own magazine system or interface seamlessly with the stock CZ magwell. Instead there was a frigging monstrous hole in the bottom of the rifle. When you want to insert a new magazine you either have to fumble around like a virgin in the dark, bumping into all the wrong things in a desperate attempt to get it in, or flip the gun over to change mags. This is slow, annoying, inelegant, and if you bang the nose of the top round into something hard with a corner you just got a flier. This is a problem that needed solving, clearly. 

KRG chassis magazine well as they expect you to use it from the factory. As you might imagine, achieving insertion with this setup is every virgin's nightmare. 

Just about everything starts with an idea, progresses to a CAD model, goes through a few prototype iterations, and then reaches its final phase. Why should this be any different? 

Prototype of our flared magazine well insert. The white ABS shows every rub, scuff, and apprentice mark necessary to get it to fit which, while ugly, makes design adjustments for the next round vastly easier. 

We prototype with 3D prints all the time, this isn't news to anyone, but our reasoning for using white filament may be less obvious. You see, any time you're trying to fit something, there will be interference. Using white ABS means that, wherever something rubs, it becomes very obvious. Similar principal as to why you don't wear a nice white shirt in the shop. Turns out the front corners needed a little trim in order to fit. No problem.

The final part, seen here in 20% carbon fiber reinforced nylon. The nylon has excellent chemical resistance, while the carbon does technically increase rigidity however in this application it really is just for sex appeal since the part isn't particularly structural. 

The corners tweaked, it was time to move to the final version. The issue becomes chemical resistance. ABS has somewhat poor chemical resistance, and firearms are notorious for having various aggressive chemicals used on them for cleaning and protecting. We went with 20% carbon fiber reinforced nylon, the nylon for its exceptional chemical resistance and the carbon fiber just because we can.

Magazine well installed. Much much better. Note the front action screw is still accessible, a deliberate design choice. 

And there it is, all grown up, so proud. The results so far have been excellent. The part is actually half friction half mechanical fit, no adhesives or screws required, just a little coaxing with something flat and your hand or a small hammer to tap-tap-tap it into place. The rear hooks under the trigger guard and the front rotates down and wedges in place. Mag insertion is now effortless, simply justify the rear of the magazine against the real edge of the magwell, allow the flare to guild the magazine into place, and slide until it clicks. 

Magazine well seen here with magazine inserted. 

Have one of these CZ455-KRG setups and are suffering from the same problem? Send us a message, we can manufacture one for you. 

And complete! What a joy this rifle is to shoot. While that can on the end may look large, it is a special design we developed in-house to be flow-through which significantly reduces backpressure keeping both gun (in semi-autos) and suppressor much cleaner, yet unlike OSS designs it doesn't make major concessions in volume. On this gun it is absolutely hollywood quiet, considerably quieter than SCO Octane45 or Omega. It was manufactured on an ATF Form1. 

Lance of Ra Soft Case

Lance of Ra, >2,600,000 Candela, and a beautifully fitting lens case. 

So you purchased one of our Lance of Ra lights. Congratulations, the longest throwing LED light on the market is quite the machine. But it isn't exactly small, how do you lug it around? One of our customers, James Abadi (who gave us permission to credit him by name), came to us with the perfect solution: a lens bag or more specifically THIS lens bag. 

We wanted to test it for ourselves before handing out this recommendation, and we're pleased to say that it is an excellent fit for both the original LoR and the current internal bezel style Lance (1.0 and 1.3 respectively). 

PROJECT - fixed blade EDC

Spyderco South Fork w/ customized IWB carry solution. 

We're big on EDC here, and big on cutlery, two things which should surprise nobody. The issue at hand is how to discretely carry a nice fixed blade such that it can be carried comfortably and drawn/sheathed quickly, easily, and without a risk of slicing anything. 

Simple enough concept. Fixed blades in their common kydex (or comparable) sheaths are a pain to carry IWB. And this is odd, because firearms in my humble opinion, are far and away the easiest to carry IWB. Knives though are just uncomfortable, difficult to re-sheathe, and you're always at risk of slicing one of those sexy love-muffins you have hanging over your belt from a few too many cheeseburgers. 

All the hardware needed to mount a kydex sheath on an Aliengear backer. 

So enter our idea of making a hybrid sheath carry system. We could have scratch-built this, but Aliengear stuff is so cheap and convenient we decided to start there. One hardware pack, two clips, and a large backer. For this grand experiment I'll use a personal favorite of mine, and one of the best screaming deals in the cutlery industry, the Spyderco - Phil Wilson collab: the South Fork. 

Conveniently one of the mount holes for the Spyderco G-clip matches, so secure that first, adjust cant to your preferences, and prepare to drill the second mount hole. 

Step one was easy. The existing "shell" mounts were in the correct alignment, and the sheath already had a mounting hole in a good location from it's use of the G-clip, so I started there. Now to make another hole to fit the other mounting screw and alien-green standoff spacer. Those standoffs are critical here because they allow you to space the knife up off the sheath. This gives you that critical distance you need to not only avoid muffin-slicing, but allow for easy re-sheathing of the knife even with your belt pressing it inward. 

Pilot hole is drilled with an under-sized bit through the fastener hole from the back. This assures correct alignment. 

Positioned the sheath at the angle I wanted, and made sure the hole would clear the blade, before drilling a pilot hole from the back.

Pilot hole has been drilled, and will act as a center for a larger bit that'll open the hole up to its final diameter. 

Pilot hole from the back down, now use that as a center to drill the correct size hole in the front. 

Full diameter hole has been drilled. 

Tada, done. Just add another standoff and screw and it is ready to go. 

Mounted. Knife on IWB backer? Done!

Done. Seems like all that extra space on the side is just begging for a mount for a spare magazine. Either way though, I'm calling this project a success. Now the knife is comfy to carry IWB and can easily be inserted or removed form the sheath. The standoffs add a little thickness, and the extra leather above separates those love-muffins from the blade path. Took less than 15 minutes. You'll note I didn't trim the excess leather below. My thought is that this could be fairly modular. Instead of having a backer for every knife, as long as I have mounting holes in the sheath I can swap any knife I want onto the backer. Perhaps it wouldn't quite accommodate a Busse Battle Mistress, but a quick look suggests it'll happily fit an ASH1. Wouldn't that be a thing to add to the EDC lineup? 

Looks to me like it is just begging for a mag carrier combo. 

Spyderco South Fork w/ customized IWB carry solution. 

Happy thanksgiving!

Storm of Ra >600,000 candela, 8000 emitter lumens, 6000 BEAM LUMENS, 4000K, translucent blue accents. 

Happy thanksgiving everyone! From now through Monday we're offering a 15% discount site-wide. Enter the code ODDH88J at checkout!

Storm of Ra models have been restocked, warmer tints are now available, as are translucent blue accents (pictured below) which look absolutely killer at night. The last run sold through in a week, so get these while they're hot.

Storm of Ra inventory update

Storm of Ra seen here with a custom 300WM long action, and all the other toys needed to shoot well over 1000 meters. 

Our Storm of Ra inventory has been replenished, and we've added new emitter options so you can pick between 4000 and 5000K. Get 'em while they're hot.

Storm of Ra seen here with a custom 300WM long action, and all the other toys needed to shoot well over 1000 meters. 

Power is back!

Storm of Ra in Gray and Translucent Orange, Black and Silver, Nocturnal Blue and Silver, and Burgandy and Black. 

As of today, 11/6/17, we are fully back up and running. To celebrate we're having a flash sale on our popular Storm of Ra. Enter the coupon code LKRN9SC to get a 15% discount. 

Update 11/1/17

EoS in cocobolo/Cu, custom STO lighter, Zero Tolerance 0456

To our valued friends and customers. Sunday night (10/29/17) a major storm slammed into New England. This took out trees and power lines throughout the northeast. We've been without grid power or internet since then, and mobile data is unreliable at best. We're currently running on emergency backup generators. Because of this our ability to respond to inquiries, manufacture products, and ship orders has been severely negatively impacted. If you placed an order and it hasn't shipped, or you sent us a question which hasn't been answered, please know you're not being ignored we've simply been unable to respond.

Service is supposed to be restored by November 4th, and on emergency generators we've been slowly working our way through orders. Orders may still be placed, and will be filled as soon as possible but likely a couple days behind schedule.

The Lance of Ra - an update

Lance of Ra 2.6 million candela, Dogbite 3.1

In the wake of a recent review of the Lance, and the selling out of the first run, we've gotten the question a few times of: when will it be available again? The short answer is that the original Lance was not particularly popular, and subsequently we just haven't seen sufficient interest in the light to justify another production run, particularly as compared to other products. That said, on a custom order basis, they can be acquired. If you're interested in this, you'll want to start with a Custom Project Inquiry. 

After the original run of the Lance, we did have a series of upgrades we wanted to do for the next run. When the next run of the lance was canned however, we didn't want to just discard them, so rolled many of them over into the the custom Lances we're producing. These upgrades use the same thermal and optical architecture though, so do not affect performance. Pictured above is an example of the new face of the Lance in black and gold with (not visible) SrAl blue glow elements. 

Storm of Ra - Product Introduction

The Storm of Ra illuminating a target 1/4 mile away. 

Well this was a long time in coming. Welcome everyone to 615,000 candela at 8000 emitter lumens. (approximately 6000 lumens OTF) And those aren't fleeting turbo numbers. Thanks to active cooling, this light can operate virtually continuously. 

How extreme exactly is this light? How about a series of three photographs to demonstrate? The first image is of the SoR illuminating the entire side of a mountain which is, at its peak, about one and a quarter miles away. The second image is the google maps distance calculation. This distance is beyond the capability of our laser rangefinder, so unfortunately google's estimate is as accurate as we can get. The third image is the requisite "cheater shot," taken with the exact same camera settings, but with the light switched off.  

Storm of Ra illuminating a mountain side 1.22 miles away at its peak. 

Google maps showing the distance from the light to mountain peak. 

The Storm's "cheater shot" showing the same scene with identical camera settings and the light switched off. 

The Storm itself is a bit of an experiment. We prototype with 3D printing all the time. It just makes sense. It is quicker, easier, and most cost effective than any alternative. Things is, while working on a printed prototype for the original wood and copper storm project one day, we noticed the printed version was perfectly functional and usable. Furthermore, it is significantly less expensive to produce, potentially bringing a fringe performance product down from the several thousand dollar rarefied air of most customs and into the realm of just a few hundred dollars. Why not then add a few comfort features, finishing touches, a few stylistic flairs, and see if anyone wanted to buy one? Welcome then, to the Storm of Ra. 

Leveraging the power of the XHP 70.2 and active cooling, this light can not only peak at crazy numbers, it continues to produce them until the batteries run dry. I believe I'm correct in saying it is also the world's first production light to do anything like this. That is to say, not just this many Kcd at this many lumens, but do it continuously via active cooling. 

Modes are controlled by a three position toggle switch. Rearward is off. Flicking the switch to its center position turns the light on. The forward position is a momentary off, allowing the same intuitive and familiar mode switching common to tailswitch lights. Firmware is GuppyDRV rev.2.

Being polymer bodied, we're offering a few snazzy color combinations. Unlike our EoS, these lights are NOT made to order, they're inventoried and ready for immediate shipment. Again though, this is an experiment. Do people really want the fringe performance and modest price these lights offer? We don't know. If this run is well received, rest assured we'll be doing more. Not just another run, but more lights like this which leverage clever production technologies to bring small volume extreme performance lights to market at comparatively modest prices. Don't like it? We'll hear you loud and clear and these sorts of lights will remain prototypes only, edged out by their popular wood and copper brethren. 

Storm of Ra showing our (at time of publication) four color variants: Black over Silver, Burgundy over Black, Nocturnal Blue over Silver, and Gray over Translucent Orange (our favorite).

Tail Rings - Redux

SoH w/ GITD blue tailring

Tail Rings, a cool little element to add flair to your light. There comes a problem though: if we have to buy and individually list every single host, it'd be both a prohibitively long list and impossibly expensive. As our line expanded though, it became apparent that many were of similar size or were outright interchangeable. Instead then of listing every single ring by model and cross-referencing them, why not just produce simply labeled sizes and allow customers to quickly measure their light and purchase a size which fits. Easy right? So that is what we did. 

There are two common sizes of rubber boot used in switches, they're nominally 14mm and 16mm. From there you simply select the OD (outer diameter) which will fit inside the lip of your light. The rings grip the tail boot, so for the OD you need simply leave enough clearance as to fit. 

We've also added two new materials, bronze and aluminum composite. Made with real metal, they add a great flair to your light without any corrosion issues. 

EoS - An Explanation

Eye of Sekhmet cocobolo over copper w/ Spyderco Butch Vallotton

So this isn't a for sale post, an introduction to a new product, or anything of the sort. This is a little peek behind the curtain about the Eye of Sekhmet, how it is made, and why the lineup of what we offer and how we're offering it has changed. 

Lets start with the obvious: what happened to our three tiers? When we initially launched the EoS, we knew the lowest priced tier was going to be a money-losing venture. We wanted to have it though as something called a "loss leader," that is to say a product which you intentionally lose money on in order to get people in the door. We wanted to get people to try what was a radical new flashlight from a new company, and in that regard it was wildly successful. It was so successful in fact we couldn't keep up with production on them. We planned on it having a limited life span, and it did. At the time of launch, the middle tier also wasn't profitable, and we knew it. We anticipated, incorrectly, that through experience and production cycles we'd gain the efficiency necessary to make it profitable. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Wood in particular just doesn't bend to production whims or scale the way we had hoped. Each light still takes hours of labor from multiple skilled craftsmen from block to light, and as incredible as it sounds each light is still a mad dash to get done in the 4 week production deadline for every order. 

To remedy all of this, we're doing a number of things. First, we've discontinued the middle tier. The mad dash to get them out in time means we can't hold and bundle orders, they have to move through the process individually, and that just isn't working. The top tier will remain, offering wide enough margins to produce lights individually, but with an extended timetable so that there is less of a crazy rush to get each done. Secondly, we'll be manufacturing batches of lights ready to order. No wait times, these lights will be performance certified and ready to ship out. Batch manufacture, and no production deadlines, will allow these lights to be sold for less, allow us to be more creative with options, and bring down prices somewhat. Instead of listing them on the blog, we'll list them on the product page so they can simply be added to cart. 

For the people whose lights have been shipping late, we apologize. Going forward we hope these changes mean everyone can get their lights on time, and that having available options means those who don't want to wait can get lights immediately. 

LoR 1.6 Mile Beamshot

Lets cut the foreplay shall we? Three images, the first is the Lance of Ra illuminating a mountainside 1.61 miles away, the second is the cheater shot (same camera settings, but with the light turned off), and the third is a google maps distance calculation. Enjoy

The Lance of Ra illuminating a mountainside 1.61 miles away.

The cheater shot. (same camera settings, but with the light turned off) 

The beam path of the Lance of Ra showing Google's distance calculation. 

Available EoS Models 8/11/17

Our Eye of Sekhmet lights are made to order. Occasionally though we'll have some lights available. Aside from custom engraving, they're available for purchase immediately. We strive to update these lists as lights are sold, however we can't guarantee they will be up to date. Please contact us if you see a light you would like to order. For more information on on specs and performance figures, please visit the EoS Product Page.  For more information on how we acquire our performance numbers visit our Test Protocols Page. 

Curly Yellow Birch over Cu, Hex 3000K - 440$
Curly yellow birch isn't in and of itself special enough to justify an exotic classification and a one-off. That vibrant iridescence, life, inside the wood though is just begging for painstaking embellishment with a special finish. Our proprietary tung oil, citrus oil, and beeswax finish was applied, a process taking weeks. The result maintains the beautiful natural satin sheen and texture of wood, while enhancing the glowing life within. Fittingly, the copper back was also brought up to a 1000 grit finish, as opposed to our standard brushed finish. To take things just one step further, we installed a beautiful Nichia 319A emitter, projecting a unique hexagonal beam, but unlike our production models this one is very warm 3000K - 68Kcd

Eye of Sekhmet curly yellow birch over 1K grit finish copper back and 3000K Nichia 319A, Microtech Tri-Grip Ultratech

Curly Walnut over Cu w/ copper accents and polished back, CRI (dedomed) - 440$
This stunning light was made from the sweetest piece of several large walnut boards we acquired. Too special for a premium light, we seized the opportunity to turn this into a special one-off. Further adding to the special little touches, we polished out the copper backer, and used copper composite accents for the charging board mount and switch-rod bushing. (they're normally GITD blue) Because we wanted this celebration of light and color to be able to show itself off, we dedomed and binned several 90CRI Nichia 219c LEDs to get about a 30% performance jump over stock and a beautiful warm tint. - 84Kcd

Eye of Sekhmet curly walnut with copper accents and polished copper back, Microtech Tri-Grip Ultratech

Bubinga w/ sycamore keys over Al, Lumen - 400$
Here is a light with some character, turn a flaw into a feature. This piece of bubinga has beautiful color and grain, so we stabilized the crack and installed three DEEP sycamore butterfly keys. You can see it in the photo where we deliberately violated the edge to show off, these keys aren't some aesthetic inlay, they run almost all the way through the light. The sycamore came from a tree we harvested and have been curing for the last 30 years, and are finally using it for projects! A beautiful piece, and truly one of a kind. The lightweight aluminum back beautifully contrasts the red of the bubinga, and cuts the weight to half that of a copper backed light making it easy to carry and use. A durable varnish finish completes the package. - 175Kcd.

Eye of Sekhmet bubinga w/ sycamore keys over alu., Spyderco Matriarch sprint

Bubinga w/ ebony keys and copper inlay over Cu, Lumen - 620$
Another beautiful piece of bubinga begging for functional embellishment. We used ebony butterfly keys, again full depth no shortcuts here, but instead of simply stabilizing the crack we filled it with copper composite. The result is stunning to behold. Fitting a key above the optic was particularly challenging, necessitating quite the unusual asymmetric design. A copper backer with a polished finish, rather than the standard brushed, really makes the engraving pop and completes the theme. - 171Kcd

Eye of Sekhmet bubinga w/ ebony keys and copper inlay over Cu, Custom Spyderco military Ti/g10

Storm of Ra (project update)

Storm of Ra prototype

What happened to the Storm? Why isn't it out yet? What is its status? All good questions. The short answer is that, since this picture was taken and initial photographs released, we've had to go in a rather different direction, one thing lead to another, and ultimately a complete redesign occurred. 

The crux of the problem was cooling. While we may some day release an ultra-short-turbo light, for the Storm we wanted the performance to be a bit more sustained. Furthermore, because we take our measurements after 30 seconds as per ANSI spec (unless otherwise noted) we couldn't live with the considerable performance drop from heat buildup. Even the heatsink integrated in the head just wasn't enough in this application. 

The solution we moved to was active cooling. Tap a little extra power off the batteries, and use it to shift heat off the emitter. This was so successful we were able to SIGNIFICANTLY increase performance, but not without a total redesign. New/different everything, right down to the cell type, and the prototype (not pictured) is producing 8000 emitter lumens and 1 million candela (1000Kcd). That is good for about 2 kilometers of throw and one hell of an impressive beam. Perhaps more impressive though is the efficacy of the active cooling, which allows the light to operate virtually continuously. 

We currently have a working prototype  (which produced the above numbers), are finalizing design tweaks, and are still debating a few optical elements and their relative effect on performance. We hope to start production in the next couple weeks. 

Out of office

We're out of the office until August 4th, during which time email inquiries may not be responded to in a timely fashion and some orders may be delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Because of this we're offering a 5% site-wide discount. Enter the coupon code GVUWD0D at checkout. 

Available EoS Models 6/16/17

Our Eye of Sekhmet lights are made to order. Occasionally though we'll have some lights available. Aside from custom engraving, they're available for purchase immediately. We strive to update these lists as lights are sold, however we can't guarantee they will be up to date. Please contact us if you see a light you would like to order. For more information on on specs and performance figures, please visit the EoS Product Page.  For more information on how we acquire our performance numbers visit our Test Protocols Page. 

Knotted red oak w/ blue glow element over Al, Lumen - 215$ - SOLD
We love turning what others would consider a flaw into a feature, it is a staple of our one-offs. In this instance we had a knot, surrounded by beautiful grain, but with a gaping hole in the center. We filled it with SrAl, doped blue, and built the rest of the light around it. The aluminum backer cuts the weight in half compared to a copper light, while a durable varnish finish protects it. The result is a very attractive and functional light, with just a special little element. - 171Kcd

Eye of Sekhmet knotted red oak w/ blue glow element over Al, Kershaw laminated junkyard dog 

Figured bubinga over Cu, Lumen - 447$ - SOLD
Sometimes lumber is sold in lots, that is to say several boards bundled together. We bought a lot of multiple large boards JUST for this single piece of figured bubinga to become this light. Whereas our other one-offs listed here celebrate a "flaw," this light is a celebration of the pure beauty of figured wood. While pictures capture the rich color, they miss that "life" in the wood, an almost indescribable internal iridescence which is one of the most beautiful phenomena of woodworking. As a further celebration of the wood, we finished this light in tung oil, citrus oil, and beeswax, a process which takes over a month to complete, but significantly enhances the life in it while maintaining that unique texture. We love the results of this finishing process, but it just isn't practical in a production environment. - 170Kcd

Eye of Sekhmet figured bubinga over copper, Benchmade model 42

Eye of Sekhmet Reviewed!

Fantastic review of our EoS from Advanced Knife Bro over on youtube. He really is our kind of people, with a passion for lights and cutlery. You should subscribe to his channel if you haven't already. 

We are working hard to fill orders, but we should also have some special one-off EoS models available in the next couple weeks. Examples like this are typically made from truly unique pieces of wood, so unlike many "limited editions" being limited only by the manufacturer saying they super special pinkie promise not to make any more, there really will never be another which looks exactly one of these. Think Minority Report, except without Tom Cruise, creepy swimming pools, creepy metal spiders...... really nothing like the film except for utilizing the uniqueness of wood.

Custom Engraving

EoS showing our engraved logo. Spyderco Farid K2 for scale

Did you know we offer custom engraving? The back of the Eye of Sekhmet is a blank canvas, practically begging for customization. While our engraved logo comes as standard, there is a surplus of space for special messages, or simply artwork. Have some vector artwork you'd like applied to the back? We can work with you to make it happen. Go to our Custom Project page to get started. 

The EoS is the perfect blank slate for complex and exotic engraving. 

Astrolux SC

Custom Astrolux SC

Had another Astrolux SC pass through our shop. These little lights are just gorgeous. Not bad performance for such a small package either, Better  and with that much thermal mass they'll run flat out pretty much forever..... forever being defined as until the battery runs out.