All posts by moondog

Tom "Moondog" DelMundo is a former NYC Creative Director.
Gadgets, Product Reviews

OLight OClip Pro

The OLight send me a special holiday limited edition OClip Pro, which has snowflake graphics on the front of an anodized candy cane red body. A large spring clip runs the length of the unit on its back allowing it to be clipped onto clothing, gear, and objects. Furthermore, the base of the clip contains an embedded magnet allowing the unit to be attached to metal surfaces.

The unit is about the size of an OLight Arkfeld if you cut off 2/3 of the length. The Pro model has a trio of LED emitters on the front side of the unit which face outward when clipped onto a pocket, lapel, or backpack strap allowing you to illuminate the area in front of you whilst leaving both hands free. The three emitters are controlled by a selector dial on the side with an integrated button.

The unit’s emitters include a long throw beam with a tight hotspot capable of illuminating objects over 100ft away. A wide flood beam which casts a broad defuse light, and a high intensity red LED. The flood and focus beams have a Turbo, High, Medium, and Moonlight mode (and strobe). The red emitter has constant or beacon mode.

The flood beam was able to emit about 455 lumens in Turbo mode, which aligns with the 500 lumens Olight claims when fully recharged. In my endurance testing, I was able to achieve a 120 minute runtime starting in Turbo mode. Unlike many of Olights flashlights, the OClip uses a standard USB-C port for charging which I find to be a welcome option. The USB-C port cover does not allow the unit to be submersible in water.

The only drawback to the right-angle design is that he clip and ergonomics do not lend itself to be used as a clip on headlamp. When clipped to the brim of my baseball cap, the majority of the light hits my chin and some of the spill does also blind the user. Despite this one mode of use, the OClip is a useful secondary light and is bright enough to be used as a primary and is compact and light enough to truly an Every Day Cary flashlight.

BUY IT

Amazon https://amzn.to/3Z1KTcR

SPECS

MATERIALS
Body MaterialAluminum Alloy (6061)
GENERAL DATA
Mode OperationSide Switch
Light SourceWhite: Floodlight(CCT: 5700-6500K); Spotlight(CCT: 5700-7000K); Red: (WL: 620-630nm)
Charging TypeUSB-C Charging
Max Performance500 lumens
Beam Distance393 ft (120 m)
Max Light Intensity3,600 candela
Lighting Levels
TurboFloodlight: 500~300~100 lumens; Spotlight: 380~240~85 lumens
Turbo RuntimeFloodlight: 1 + 50 + 30 minutes; Spotlight: 1 + 50 + 30 minutes
HighFloodlight: 300~180~100 lumens; Spotlight: 240~150~85 lumens
High RuntimeFloodlight: 1 + 100 + 10 minutes; Spotlight: 1 + 100 + 10 minutes
MediumFloodlight: 100 lumens; Spotlight: 85 lumens
Medium RuntimeFloodlight: 3.5 hours; Spotlight: 3.5 hours
LowFloodlight: 10 lumens; Spotlight: 9 lumens
Low RuntimeFloodlight: 27 hours; Spotlight: 27 hours
MoonFloodlight: 1 lumen; Spotlight: 1 lumen
Moon RuntimeFloodlight: 144 hours; Spotlight: 144 hours
SOSYes
StrobeYes, (Floodlight: 13Hz at 500 lumens; Spotlight: 13Hz at 380 lumens)
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Thickness1.10 in (27.83 mm)
WaterproofIPX6
Weight1.87 oz (53 g) (Including Battery)
Length2.24 in (57 mm)
Width1.10 in (28.05 mm)

Social

TMI Live 241211

Aura https://aura.com/moondog

EARLBIRD #sub2000

THIS WEEK

Moondog2A


Moondog Revies

Moondog Go

Thomas Edwin Caldecott (July 27, 1878 – July 23, 1951) was a pharmacist[1] and politician. From 1923, Caldecott served in politics in Alameda County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area until 1951. The Caldecott Tunnel which is a key highway link through the Berkeley Hills is named after him.

Percy Jackson book series

The Tyrant’s Tomb is an American fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was first published on September 24, 2019, and is the fourth book in The Trials of Apollo series, the second spin-off of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

EARLBIRD #sub2000

THUMBNAIL THIS

EARLYBIRD DRAWING #sub2000

WORD(s) OF THE WEEK

Mondegreen

A mondegreen (/ˈmɒndɪˌɡriːn/ ⓘ) is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning.[1] Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense.[2][3] The American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in 1954, recalling a childhood memory of her mother reading the Scottish ballad “The Bonnie Earl o’ Moray“, and mishearing the words “laid him on the green” as “Lady Mondegreen”.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

TOP 10 Misheard Lyrics American Songwriter.com https://americansongwriter.com/10-commonly-misheard-lyrics-that-make-us-miss-a-beat/

  1. “Suspicious Minds” – Elvis Presley
    “Were calling a trout”
  2. “Bette Davis Eyes” – Kim Carnes
    “Haul the bathtub just to please you”
  3. “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson
    “The chair is not my son.”
  4. “Chasing Pavements” – Adele
    Should I give up / Or should I just keep chasing penguins?
    I think it would be “Payments”
  5. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” – Eurythmics
    “Sweet dreams are made of cheese”
  6. “Bad Moon Rising” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
    “There is a bathroom on the right”
  7. “Forever in Blue Jeans” – Neil Diamond
    “Reverend Blue Jeans”
  8. “Dancing Queen” – ABBA
    “See that girl / watch her scream / kicking the dancing queen,”
  9. “We Will Rock You” – Queen
    “kickin’ your cat all over the place”
  10. “Louie Louie” – The Kingsmen

Top Misheard Lyrics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E2ZS8GpKfg&t=426s

Buzzfeeds Misheard Lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbumV5bQTuM&t=88s

Pour some Shook Up Ramen commercial (2002): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JEZZ1J_4N0

AT&T Hawaii Santa commercial (2002): https://youtu.be/rG9ARrnxoJw

CONTESTS

CVLife EagleTalon 1-6×24 https://moondogindustries.com/december-2024-contest-cvlife/

Colt tote HASHTAG DRAWING #colt

Shooting Sports

Discovery ED-PRS GenII 4-20×52

They say “Less is More” that could certainly be said of the ED-PRS GenII 4-20×52 scope. Earlier this year, I reviewed Discovery Optics new GenII revision of their ED-PRS 5-25×56 scope. The GenII EP-PRS boasted improved optical clarity by using Japanese ED glass. So, why would they make a 20x scope when they already offered a 25x? And why would you want to buy one?

The 20x version appears nearly identical to the 25x. In terms of performance, the 20x has a 4x magnification factor which means in theory it should provide slightly a sharper and brighter image when set to the same power numbers as the 25x. In my testing, the differences were too subtle for me to see. But what I could clearly see is that the 20x is slightly shorter, slightly lighter, and slightly cheaper than the 25x.

Moreover, most hunters and target shooters don’t typically shoot a 5-25x scope at its maximum 25x; preferring a setting of about 12x or 16x to improve clarity and brightness. A 20x scope is able to be used at 12-18x. Let me again remind you that the 20x is slightly shorter, slightly lighter, and slightly cheaper than the 25x. It all starts to make more practical sense.

BUY IT

Discovery website (get 10% off with CODE: moondog): https://discoveryopt.com/ED-PRS-4-20X52SFIR-FFP-Optics-Scope.html

or
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ZxHRP8

RESOLUION

Group: -1
Element: 5

SPECS

Objective Lens: 52 mm

Magnification: 4-20x

Tube Diameter: 34 mm

Max Elev Adj: 32 MRAD

Max Wind Adj: 17 MRAD

Adj/Click : 0.1MRAD

Exit Pupil: 2.6 – 13.3 mm

Field of View,: 6.1-30.6 ft @ 100 yds

Eye Relief: 3.3 in

Weight: 39.3 oz

Length: 14.8 in

Lens: Japanese ED Glass

Product Reviews, Shooting Sports

Athlon Cronus G2 20-60×86


Athlon makes a wide range of spotters but doesn’t have as storied name recognition as other bigger brands. The Cronus is Athlon’s top tier product line. Their Gen2 UHD 20-60x86mm spotting scope is not in the same class as a Kowa or Swarski, it still does not disappoint. This scope is a beast weighing in at nearly 5lbs, which isn’t surprising given it’s large 86mm objective. This large lens gathers in a lot of light providing a very bright picture especially during dusk.

The Cronus comes with a set of rubber lens caps. The front has a loop for a lanyard but no lanyard was included. The body is rubberized and armored for durability and grip. The body comes with an ARCA-Swiss compatible tripod ring which rotates 180º with indexing for an easy return to 0º. The eyepiece has a large diameter lens for a wide eyebox and a built in retracting eye cup.

The Cronus sports UHD glass which is Athlon’s term for their flavor of Extra Low Dispersion glass. While my testing camera does show some slight chromatic aberration at 60x, this is not noticeable with the naked eye. The image I was seeing was clean, accurate, and sharp from center to outer edge.

The only disappointing aspect of this scope isn’t the scope but its accessories. The padded sleeve style case is designed to allow you to keep the scope inside the soft case while mounting and using the scope on a tripod. While a laudable attempt, the materials and construction feel a bit cheap compared to the the scope. And the lens caps should have come with optional lanyards to keep them retained onto the scope. These issues are superficial and don’t detract from the actual performance of the Cronus.

Athlon sent me their new dual focus model with a fine focus knob sitting on top of the fast focus. This model is not yet released but their standard model with a large focus ring around the tube is widely available.

BUY IT

Ring focus Cronus G2 on Amazon https://amzn.to/3CIiwJh

SPECS

CRONUS G2

Magnification: 20-60x

Objective: 86mm

Eye Relief: .79 – .7”

Close Focus : 29.5 ft

FOV: 117 – 60 ft @ 1000 yrds

Coating: XPL

Glass: UHD

Prism: BaK-4

Waterproof: IPX 7 

Purge Gas: Argon

Weight: 73.5 oz

Dimensions: 15.2 “x 6.7”

Shooting Sports

TMI Live 241204

Aura https://aura.com/moondog

EARLBIRD #olight

THIS WEEK

Moondog2A https://youtu.be/bATNlNzYZCo

Moondog Reviews https://youtu.be/_VZy3HD0H4U

Moondog Go https://youtu.be/3RO4Yya0vg4

THUMBNAIL THIS

EARLYBIRD DRAWING i3E #olight

END DRAWING Olight Beanie #olight

WORD OF THE WEEK

Mandella Effect

Mandela effect, popularized phenomenon in which a group of people collectively misremember facts, events, or other details in a consistent manner. Paranormal researcher and author Fiona Broome conceptualized the effect after discovering that she and others possessed strong, yet false, memories about the death of South African anti-apartheid activist (and later president) Nelson Mandela while in prison during the 1980s. Research has found evidence for a specific Mandela effect concerning the misidentification of certain pop culture images; however, intense debate has occurred over potential causal mechanisms, many of which include pseudoscientific explanations.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/mandela-effect

RABBIT HOLE

Mandella Effect WatchMojo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkO9zO62k-w

Dave Foley on Joe Rogan CERN and Mandella Effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z03gKig0SI

51 Songs you didn’t know were covers. Billy Dee Williams “A Taste of Honey” https://youtu.be/bHLU6JDgnmA?si=jcBagODS4n-eJR9J

CONTESTS

FEYACHI DRAWING

CVLife EagleTalon 1-6×24 https://moondogindustries.com/december-2024-contest-cvlife/

Olight Beanie HASHTAG DRAWING #olight

Shooting Sports

Riton 3Tactix 3x Magnifier

You will find very few reviews of magnifiers on my channel because I’m not a fan of them. I don’t like feel and balance when they are flipped the side and dislike how they block my field of view. But I totally understand why someone would choose to run them. Combined with a light weight red dot, they are slightly lighter than an LPVO without the LPVO’s limitations with daylight illumination. For fans of magnifier/red dot combos, will enjoy the new Riton 3x magnifier.

The Riton 3x is compact and relatively light for a 3x magnifier, including the weight of the QD side-flip mount. It has clear sharp image from edge to edge. You won’t see a big black donut around your scope like most magnifiers. It has a relatively large objective lens and a thin tube which creates a view that appears to be a nearly all image with no visible tube body.

The only disappointing aspects for me was it’s relatively shallow eye relief and side flip mechanism. It’s eye relief is under 3″ which forced me to choke up on my fixed stock. This would be even more problematical for shooters wearing body armor. The spring loaded side flip mount is well built with a locking QD lever system. But the side flip mechanism release button is positioned in the middle of the mount directly over the QD lever hinge. This may have been a deliberate choice to help protect the button from accidental release but it also made it difficult to press it because the QD lever blocked my thumb. With practice I’m sure I may learn to find it without looking but another solution would have been to reposition the release button.

Paired with the Riton 1Tacticx ARD red dot, it co-witnesses with most AR MilSpec sights and when mounted to my G36/22 was nearly centered out of the box. The adjustments turrets are protected by protective ramps and adjustable with a slotted tool like a screwdriver.

As I said, I’m not a fan of magnifiers but if I was forced to use a magnifier, I would use the new Riton 3x.

BUY IT

Amazon https://amzn.to/4eNSJN2

SPECS

Magnification:3X
Parallax Adjustment:Fixed at 100 yards
Objective Lens Diameter:22mm
Lens Coating:Fully Multi-Coated, Full Wide Band, Waterproof Coated, Low Light Enhancement
Field of View at 100 Yards:36.7 ft
Material:6061-T6
Eye Relief:2.75in/70mm
Exit Pupil:6mm
Mount:QD Mouth with Optional Spacer
Length:2.72in/69mm
Weight:7.9oz/224g
Shooting Sports

Aguila Super Extra vs. CCI Standard

I’ve been long planning a broad test of various budget 22LR ammo to see which groups best in my factory Ruger Precision Rimfire rifle. Aguila Super Extra is (as the latter’s name implies) the slower velocity brother of Super Extra High Velocity. So toois CCI Standard the slower brother of the more popular CCI Mini-Mags. Both of these rimfire ammo’s are 40grn lead round nose bullets with a wax coating.

In my 100 yard tests, I was surprised at how inconsistently Aguila grouped. A good 1/3 of the Aguila rounds were flyers from the main group. CCI, while not amazing, had far tighter groups and more holes touching or overlapping. CCI Standard set the standard. I look forward to testing other ammo brands to see if any group better.

Gadgets, Product Reviews, Shooting Sports

Athlon Argos G2 8×42 Binoculars

Athlon’s Argos line is their value tier product line, a step up from their budget/entry level Talos. But taking a look at the build quality and features of the Argos Gen2 8×42 binoculars, it looks more like a premium optic. The tubes are encased in rubberized armor coating with checkerboard textured panels to add further grip in wet conditions.

The Argos comes with soft plastic retained front lens caps which are one of the few disappointing features. The retaining strops too easily slip off the front of the tubes when flipping open the caps. The rear caps are spectacle style which can be retained to the optic, when used with a neck strap. The rear lenses have built-in retracting eye cups.

Indicative of budget level optics, there was some softness in focus and increased chromatic aberration along the other edge of the image. The Argos does not have ED glass like their more expensive Midas and Cronos optics but was nicely bright and clear. For an 8x scope, the field of view is nice and wide with good depth of field.

BUY IT

Amazon https://amzn.to/4eHNYou

Optics Planet https://shrsl.com/4rg9q

SPECS

ARGOS G2

Magnification: 8x

Objective: 42mm

Eye Relief: 17.3mm

Close Focus: 4m/13 ft

FOV: 371 ft. @ 1000 yrds

Coating: XPL / USP

Glass: UHD

Prism: BaK-4

Waterproof: IPX7

Argon Purged

Weight: 25.5 oz

Dimensions: 5.7″ x 5.3″

Social

TMI Live 241127

Aura https://aura.com/moondog

FRESH VIDS

MOONDOG 2A

Athlon EP-5 7-35x https://youtu.be/UU2mFiMzIOY

MOONDOG REVIEWS

Olight Arkflex https://youtu.be/7j-qtt2__cU

MOONDOG GO

Bay Bridge drive over https://youtu.be/WHz8EDKcWK4

THUMBNAIL THIS

Riton 3X magnifier

LIVE CONTEST

#evike

VOCAB

Tetrahedron

Also known as a triangular pyramid, is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, six straight edges, and four vertices. The tetrahedron is the simplest of all the ordinary convex polyhedra.[1]

RABBIT HOLE

PG Tips https://amzn.to/4eNVWw8

New Ashey D campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNrmakIRtjw&t=2s

Sock puppet Chimp campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7AO6DHx27c

Original PG Tips Chimp campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6ywmvUS1N0

Who are the biggest tea drinkers in Europe? Tea in East Frisia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiCLHO-vbNE

Cornwall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwall

Food Theory Milk / Cream should be last https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR-3BMignl4

America used to drink more Green Tea before WWII (and boycotts of Japan) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_tea_culture

Bobba Bubble Tea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_tea

3.2 Billion $ growth industry worldwide.

Origins of Bobba https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xinN-8XLUJI

PRE-BLACK FRIDAY

Discovery Optics use code BLACKFRIDAY 15% off: https://www.discoveryopt.com/

Arken Use code: CYCLPOPS https://www.arkenopticsusa.com/optics/

Olight up to 50% off https://www.olightstore.com/black-friday-color-megapack-2024

NOVEMBER CONTEST

Feyachi QD TM22 vest https://moondogindustries.com/november-2024-contest/
American Hillbilly https://www.youtube.com/@HillbillyUp
Gizzard Gary https://youtube.com/@gizzardgary
Hazzbro https://www.youtube.com/@Hazzbro1964
GarageGuy https://www.youtube.com/@garageguy879
JH586 https://www.youtube.com/@jh5869
Marc Thomas https://www.youtube.com/@marcthomas2482
Pat in the Bunker https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUlwVk5R4IL9Sgy0iZk3AaQ

December CVLife EagleTalon https://moondogindustries.com/december-2024-contest-cvlife/

LIVE CONTEST DRAWING

#holosun

Shooting Sports

Arken EP-5 Gen2 7-35×56

Arken took their  EP-5 5-25×56 scope and bumped up the power for those that require the 35x to really reach out. This new scope shares the same Japanese ED glass, turret, zero-stop, and reticle of the previous EP-5 models. The only thing it doesn’t have more of is eye-box. Arkens are somewhat known for an unforgiving eye box and this scope is more so, even at its lowest magnification.

The scope has Arken’s VPR Christmas tree reticle which is quite information rich without being too cluttered. The scope offers 6 levels of illumination with an off in between each setting. Only the very center cross is fully illuminated so the overall look is somewhat muted and only twilight bright.

The turrets are high profile with large easy to read numbers. The turrets are non-locking but have a cog and tooth style zero-stop which is very solid and repeatable. Arken is known for their loud, precise, and tactile adjustment clicks. These turrets did not disappoint in that regard.

This scope seems to be a good value in its tier. While there is now more competition in the Arken price-range (eg. Discovery and DNT), but you’ll have to jump up quite a bit in price to get similar offerings from Athlon, Vortex, Leupold, etc. If you’re an Arken fanboy this scope has everything you love in the EP-5, just more of it. If you think Arkens are overrated, this new scope won’t change your mind.

BUY IT

Arken: https://www.arkenopticsusa.com/ep-5-7-35×56-gen-2-ffp-illuminated-vpr-zero-stop-34mm-tube/EP-5-5-25X56-FFP-Illuminated-VPR-Zero-Stop-34mm-Tube-p559097166

RESOLUTION

Element 1 / Group 0

SPECS

Magnification: 7-35x
Objective Diameter: 56mm
Eye Relief: 3.5 inches
Field of View: 16.66-3.34 ft @100 Yards
Tube Size: 34 mm
Turret Adjustment: 0.1 MRAD | 0.25 MOA
Reticle Position: First Focal Plane
Reticle Details: VPR MIL | VPR MOA
Elevation Adj.: 32 MRAD | 110 MOA
Windage Adj.: 16 MRAD | 55 MOA
Per Revolution: 10 MRAD | 25 MOA
Per Revolution: 10 MRAD | 25 MOA
Parallax: 25Yds – Infinity
Length: 16 inches
Color: Matte Black
Weight: 42 oz
Battery: CR2032