iSee LED & 888 Knife

Oct. 9, 2009
Both fit into the category of "handy dandy" and are the kinds of things you think about at odd moments when you say, "I wish I had..."

Occasionally I get some items in for testing that don't warrant a full review on their own. It's not that they weren't WORTH a review - there simply isn't enough to say about them. This week I'm taking a look at two products I got in, tested and would like to call to your attention: the iSee LED from Insight Tech Gear and a handy knife/rescue tool from Triple Eight Professional. Both fit into the category of "handy dandy" and are the kinds of things you think about at odd moments when you say, "I wish I had..." Let's take a look.

Let's start out with the iSee LED from Insight Tech Gear. This small light (3" long, under an inch wide, less than a 1/2 inch deep) has a "wide mouth" clip that will open up to a full inch - which is plenty more than you need to clip it into a MOLLE strap, onto the bill of a cap, or onto some part of your jacket. Weighing less an one ounce and powered by two CR2032 lithium batteries, this dual LED-driven light can burn for up to sixty hours.

Now admittedly, this isn't a hand held power torch used in a "tactical" fashion to blind potential adversaries or to search structures. It wasn't designed as such. To really understand what is was designed for we have to look at all the various combinations of LEDs Insight Tech Gear offers.

The test unit I received was the IR/Red combo. The infra-red application is obvious to anyone who has worked in special operations positions. The IR LED can be used to mark friendlies or to view items held using compatible goggles. The red LED allows for marking personnel in environments permitting such use - or simply for safety. Outside of the law enforcement / military arenas, think about how easy it would be to clip two of these onto the safety vest you wear running, walking or biking during low light hours.

Other combinations available are:

  • white / white: use one for lower light levels or both for more visibility.
  • white / green: many sportsmen have learned the value of low-levels of green light for tracking and navigation.
  • UV / white: ideal for military / law enforcement / security use in checking IDs and such.
  • IR / Amber: good for low-light map reading or other low-light tactical missions.
  • white / red: good for use when you want to have the option of preserving your night vision (use red) or need a tad more light (use white).
  • white / blue: good for forensic investigators or sportsmen to find blood traces.

The side-by-side mounted dual LEDs are mounted in a head that rotates up to 180 degrees. Operation of the light is accomplished via the one push button on the face of the clip. Pushing once activates one light. Pushing and holding for three seconds activates the other LED. The third push deactivates the light. Pretty simple.

The only feature that is VERY important for tactical operators to note is the "10 minute auto off" feature. Be aware of it. Know how to turn it back on if you need it - by touch - in total darkness. Since they are priced at only $19.99 on the Insight Tech Gear online store, you might want to get a couple of these.

Moving on, let's look at the folding coptool from 888 Professional (triple eight professional). When I first got this relatively small tool I almost thought it was too small to handle effectively. Testing proved me wrong - but its compact size (3" total length foldes shut or 4.25" open) makes it ideally suited for environments where you want such tools to be less conspicuous.

The blade is made from 440 Stainless Steel while the handles and clip are made from 420 Stainless Steel. As you can see looking at the photo, there's no thumb hole, notch, etc to open it. It's not a "butterfly" knife, so what's the deal? Triple Eight Professional refers to it as the "T8P" action: the handles rotate in opposite directions and lock back when they meet.

Three tools are combined into the 1.25" blade:

  1. A seat-belt / line cutter
  2. A blade for prying or scraping (or VERY small cutting jobs)
  3. A serrated cutting edge

Weighing a scant two ounces the 888 Professional Folding CopTool has a small lanyard loop molded into one of the steel handles allowing you to carry it on a keychain, neckchain, or tied to your belt / vest somehow. Now, you long time readers know me: this is a cutting tool. Out to the backyard I had to take it to see what abuse it would take and what material it would cut.

String, twine, 550 cord, 1" nylon webbing and some 1/2" rope pieces were pulled out of the shed. The CopTool had no problem with anything until I got to the 1/2" rope. The blade is a bit short to cut that and the seat-belt / line cutter hook wasn't big enough to get its mouth around the rope. Is that a failure? Not in a tool that packs this much versatility and service into such a compact size.

Priced at $49.95 on the 888 Professional CopTool products page, this is a handy little tool I'll either keep on my keychain or use as a money clip. It's just too handy to leave it at home!

Stay Safe!

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