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Eye of Sekhmet figured bubinga over copper, Benchmade 42

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PUT A TRIT ON IT!

Convoy S2+, Nichia 319a 4000K guppydrv, orange tritium vial

As part of our ongoing efforts to put tritium vials on literally everything, may we present to you our mod for the metal switch Convoy S2+. 

Why this light? Well it is sort of odd coincidence, but one day we noticed everyone here at STO was carrying a modded S2+ with a metal tail switch. The mods are all different, and vary greatly in terms of their relative sanity, but they all have the common thread of a metal tail switch because we all love how crisp and clean of an interface it allows. This particular S2+ is one of my personal EDCs, hence the weathered look which is hard earned, and is a pretty mild combination of new driver, upgraded thermal management, optical tuning, and a Nicha 319A in 4000K. It combines good visual acuity for tools and small parts up close, but still has enough go-juice to illuminate targets out to about 150 yards. (subjective real-world distance observations, not ANSI based) 

Convoy S2+, Nichia 319a 4000K guppydrv, orange tritium vial

So how to mod these lights for a nice big trit? There were several goals we wanted to achieve regarding placement. First and foremost we wanted the illumination to be visible from both the rear of the light, and from the side with as wide a viewing angle as possible. This makes the light very convenient to spot under the maximum number of circumstances. Most pointedly, when it is sitting lens-down on your nightstand, it shouldn't need a specific orientation to be very visible so it is quick and easy to grab in the dark. (presumably next to the trits in your pistol sights) Second, we wanted the trit to be held as securely, well supported, and as protected as was reasonable. The reasons behind this are obvious, but they run somewhat counter to the first requirement; the more protected the trit is, such as machined into a solid deep slot, the less visible it would be. Third and finally we wanted as much of the trit's light to be used as possible. End-on installation for example is very easy to do, but only a tiny fraction of the trit's total light exits the end. 

Convoy S2+, Nichia 319a 4000K guppydrv, orange tritium vial

What we settled on is a machined side-slot and a saddle cut into the side of the tail switch housing. It seems simple and obvious once you see it, and we feel it accomplishes our goals very well. When the light is head-standing, and your eye is parallel to the top of it, the trit is directly visible from almost 360 degrees rotation, and where it isn't directly visible there tends to be enough spill that the light's location is obvious anyway. The trit is also, of course, very visible when viewed from the rear. It is well protected, being several milimeters below the top of the light, below the metal switch housing too. And, finally, it is securely held at both its ends and center, as it sits in a saddle cut into the switch housing. Retention could be further increased by adding adhesive underneath the full length of the trit where it rests against the inside rear face of the light, however so far this hasn't proven necessary. 

Spyderco Military titanium-g10 black S30v blade, deep blue tritium vial

And that is how we did it. Now we just need to get trits onto every single other piece of EDC equipment. 

Project - Print Durability Demonstration

Our Storm of Ra, a light with an impressive lumen/throw ratio and an entirely 3D printed chassis. 

With the advent of new technologies come obvious questions: how good is something? Will it last? How is this different from a consumer grade item? In the case of our lights with major 3D printed components, we've repeatedly gotten these sorts of questions, no doubt spurred with less-than-positive experiences with prints off of earlier more fragile 3D printed technologies (such as early SLA) or brittle PLA printed parts off consumer grade 3D printers. We can say that these prints are different, they're done on custom built professional grade 3D printers, strong and impact resistant polymers are used, structures are designed for durability, etc, but what about a more tangible demonstration? 

A thin, light weight, and elegant slingshot design called the Harpy from Bill Hays. This interpertation clocks in at just 41 grams. 

A recent personal project from a member of STO was an excellent demonstration of this performance. This individual wanted to make a slingshot, print it out, but before use wanted to test strength. After all, if the fork on a slingshot were to break off the results would be unpleasant at best, dangerous at worse. The design is based off the Bill Hays Harpy, which has very slender and comparatively weak forks. So we clamped it up in a vice, attached some paracord to the forks, put a load cell in the middle, attached the other end to a winch, and pulled until it broke. 

Remember this is the same material we make most of our flashlights out of run on the same machines. The result? Well for starters we had to get a larger load cell, as our standard 50 kilogram one wasn't enough. Failure occurred at 156 kilograms (344 pounds), and amazingly our camera captured the PRECISE moment of failure. Keep in mind this wasn't a solid print, an exercise in maximizing strength, or anything else like that. Just an experiment to see what a fairly normal print profile would endure. Remember this slingshot only weighed 41 grams, meaning it held 3.6 thousand times its own weight. 

Funny enough, we had the opportunity to repeat the experiment on a slightly more robust slingshot fork design. Our load cell is only rated to 300 kilograms. We chickened out at 260 kilograms (570 pounds force), with NO FAILURE TO THE FORK WHATSOEVER. Below is a gallery of the before, after, and a lousy peak force image taken from far far away behind a tool cabinet. 

The pairing of a 3D printed fork/grip/rest assembly with carbon fiber tubes to form an extremely strong but lightweight slingshot. 

So we hope this goes a little distance toward answering the question of how strong our printed parts are. They're certainly not indestructable, nothing is, however they are remarkably robust. 

Our Lance of Ra showing here a semi-translucent 3D printed head. 

Ferro Rods - Product Introduction

Our ferrocerium rods next to one of our scalpeldashi and sheath. 

Every EDC needs a good fire source. Ferrocerium rods are BY FAR the most reliable and longest lasting option. Each rod can be scraped by anything from the back of a knife to the edge of a rock or broken piece of glass to produce sparks in excess of 5000 degrees Fahrenheit, and this can be done thousands of times on each rod. No batteries to go dead, fuel to leak out, flint to get wet, just reliable hot ignition strike after strike. We offer ours with a variety of cool and exotic handle options, perfect to toss in your pocket or loop on your keychain. 

A night exposure showing the shower of sparks off one of our ferrocerium rods. With a little practice, you don't need a proper tinder ball, this can light more substantial materials. No delicate ember-transfer game here. 

Project - Hasselblad XPan Lens Shade

Hasselblad XPan with our reproduction lens shade. Note the original lens cap function remains unaffected.

For those not already aware, Hasselblad are the makers of some of the finest film cameras ever made. The XPan is a discontinued panoramic 35mm film camera, which is to say it uses the standard, or at least what used to be the standard, 35mm film however takes non-standard exceptionally wide (panoramic) exposures on it. In an era when 35mm film cameras are falling in value like rocks (take the Nikon F5 for example, arguably the finest pro 35mm film camera body ever made, they were over 3000$ in the 1990s and now can be had for an order of magnitude less), unusual gems such as the Hasselblad XPan are skyrocketing in price. 

Hasselblad XPan with our reproduction lens shade.

A friend of the company, and lucky owner of a few Hasselblads, came to us with an issue. The 45 and 90 mm lenses for the XPan each came with an usual lens shade. To my knowledge, the number of lens shades produced matched the number of lenses, they were never sold as after-market. Unfortunately the design was rather delicate and prone to cracking over time. Broken ones now are expensive, pristine ones even more so, and that is if you're lucky enough to even be able to find one. Could we precisely replicate the design? 

The lens shade alone. Here you can see on the bottom left an embossed indexing mark for installation alignment. (same positioning as the original)

It took a few tries, but as you may have guessed from the images the answer is obviously yes. We did up a couple, both in full opacity black polymer, using ABS for some and Polycarbonate Alloy for others. The shade matches the original design profile and style, and attaches via the original bayonet mount indexing off a small mark. Use of the original cap is even preserved. Why the two materials though? A function of lens shades isn't just to protect the lens from flare, but to protect the objective and the entire camera from bumps, scratches, and god forbid a drop. ABS offers a great finish, good impact resistance, and good durability. Polycarbonate Alloy however has EXCEPTIONAL impact properties and elongation at break. This makes for a lens shade even better able to mop up the odd bump and keep running. In both cases the bayonet mount on the shade is intended to, in the event of a catastrophic drop, act as a mechanical fuse, sacrificing the shade to absorb energy rather than transmit it to the camera mounts potentially breaking them. 

Bayonet mount at the base of the lens shade.

And there you have it. Lens shade for an exotic antique irreplaceable film camera? DONE!


update 6.28.19
If you liked this, check our our latest blog post on body and lens rear caps for the XPan HERE.

Scalpeldashi - Product Introduction

Our Scalpeldashi, seen here with copper or bronze composite handles. 

The unholy union between a scalpel and a kiridashi, the Scalpeldashi is a long running concept we've been slowly simmering. All sorts of different production technologies have been experimented with, the end goal being to keep the design beautiful and exotic but the price reasonable. This production run is available in an exotic copper and bronze composite. 

Schwag intro

STO arc lighter, custom scalpeldashi in copper w/ carbon fiber sheath, Eye of Sekhmet, 1858 black powder .44 caliber revolver

Schwag, AKA branded merchandise. The world seems to be filling up with everyone's branded T-shirts, sweatshirts, beanies, socks, etc. We wanted to do something a little more gadget/EDC specific, a little more STO. Enter these two types of lighters. A fire source is an important part of any good EDC lineup. We offer not one, but two, different styles. Both are brass and offer a good sense of weight in the hand. 

The first is an arc lighter AKA Tesla lighter. This particular model offers dual arcs in an X shape. These things are fantastic because they charge off micro USB, and produce an extremely hot ignition source. To use simply flip it open, and depress the glowing blue button. 

STO arc lighter

For those more traditionally inclined, we offer a kerosene (lighter fluid) based option as well. Initially we wanted Zippo brand lighters, the American classic, however we stumbled across these which we like a lot better. Instead of a thin stamped case and spot welded hinge, each half is machined from a solid brass billet. The hinge is integral, milled right in there with it. A small rubber gasket seals the lighter when closed, minimizing gas leakage, which is another major design improvement. 

solid CNC machined brass STO lighter, custom FDE Convoy S2+, custom copper scalpeldashi w/ carbon fiber sheath

Lance of Ra vs. BLF Giga Thrower

Lance of Ra vs. BLF GT. Here you can see just how much heavier the GT is, sinking into the snowbank. 

We've gotten the question several times now: how does the Lance of Ra compare to the BLF Giga Thrower? Well our sample of the GT is finally in, so we can answer!

Performance: 
The BLF GT is about half the output of the Lance, our sample meters at slightly less than half the standard 2.6million of the Lance.

BLF GT vs. Lance of Ra

Size: 
The short version is that the GT actually a pretty similar length and head diameter to the Lance. The Lance is slightly longer, however you can separate the battery tubes and use a pair of 18350s in the Lance to make it a hair shorter than the BLF GT if that is your thing.

Very similar frontal surface areas between the two lights. Here you can see though that the reflector on the GT isn't perfect, it has a bit of an orange-peel texture to it. This probably contributes to why it has less than half the Lance's throw performance. 

Weight: 
This is the killer here with the BLF GT. Without batteries a Lance is 1.165 kilos, thanks mostly to the hybrid head that houses an internal heatsink, but isn't entirely metal. The BLF GT is 1.775 kilos without batteries. If you figure an 18650 weighs about 45 grams, that makes the Lance 1.255 to the BLF GT's 2.135 kilos fully loaded. Almost twice the weight for not quite half the throw.

With all those batteries, we're thinking a lumen-throw combo upgrade is in this GT's future......

And all this leads into our only major gripe with the GT. The tube diameter is a bit too large and tube a bit too slick to comfortably and securely wield such a heavy light. The battery numbers are also a little comical, if you figure 15$ per protected cell a full matched set of batteries for the GT cost as much as the pre-order price of the light itself, but that seems to be in keeping with the light's intentionally comical nature.

All in all, we think the GT has real potential as a host. All that power on tap, it seems like it is just begging for a major lumens upgrade. As an aside, the GT fits nicely in our large Hard Case.

*edit* 
For those who interpreted this post in a negative way, please understand we didn't intend it that way. We like the GT as it offers a lot of performance at a very modest price (about 1/5th the price of a Lance at its pre-order price, and about 1/2 the price of a Lance at its projected retail price). That huge battery capacity and thermal mass also mean it has massive potential as a host. We have plans for the GT. So fear not. We bought one, we know many of our customers who purchased Lances also got one. So far we think it is a great light, and that it is going places.

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.