Anybody who has been out on a trip or stuck on location knows the utility of a powerbank to keep your devices running when you can’t plug in to recharge. But if you’ve ever forgotten to bring the correct cable for your device, knows the frustration of that moment. Thankfully there are powerbanks that come with built in charging cables and this Sanag is one of the most versatile in that respect.
I was sent a Sanag 10,000mAh travel powerbank to test and evaluate. It comes with 4 built-in cables: USB-A, Apple Lightning (iOS), Micro USB, and USB-C. The unit can charge up to 4 devices simultaneously using its various cables and plugging an additional cable to its USB-A port.
The cables are designed to fold almost flush into the shell. The shell is of the unit is black plastic with a unique faux brushed metal texture. This is both aesthetically appealing as well as practical as it provides a high-friction surface for a firm hand hold.
To recharge the unit, there is a Micro USB port next to the unit’s power button or you can plug its built-in USB-A cable to a standard USB port on a wall charger, computer, or charger hub. I discharged the unit and recharged it overnight. I recorded a total charge of 8156mAh to reach 100%, while this is approximately 1844mAh short of its stated 10k capacity, I suspect this is a safety shut-off on the unit, to keep the device from completely discharging.
After posting videos explaining how to auto sync your YouTube videos to the rival video platform, Rumble and on copyrights, one of the most common questions I would get in the comments for those videos was, “Which Rumble License Options should I choose?”
When you upload or sync content to Rumble, you’re asked to choose 1 of 4 options to license your video with Rumble. Options #1 and #2 look confusingly similar as they are both titled “Video Management”. If you choose either, what you are effectively agreeing to is contracting for Rumble to manage the licensing of your video.
This is useful if you create content that other 3rd parties may want to use to create their content. These include Advertising agencies, film makers, news outlets, etc. who are looking for stock footage or content to create with. If they found a video on Rumble that was licensable, they could simply click on the “License” button and pay a fee to Rumble, who in turn would share those proceeds with you, the creator.
Option #1 give Rumble exclusive online rights which could bite you in the ass if you had previously posted your content on YouTube or elsewhere. Now if YouTube wants to continue showing your video, they have to negotiate a licensing agreement with Rumble. That could potentially cause your content to be removed by YouTube from their platform.
Option #2 excludes YouTube from Rumbles management which sounds promising. But in reading the fine print of Rumbles the Terms of Service, should you choose either Option #1 or #2 you are agreeing to give Rumble Management Rights to your video for up to 50 years! Thats means you do not have the right to remove your content from Rumble either because Rumble has a license to use your video for the term of the agreement.
This is a reminder of how important it is to always read the fine print. Or in the case of online Terms of Service, all of print. To their credit Rumble doesn’t hide any of these details or
That is why I always choose Option #3 which only grants Rumble the right to play and put advertising on (monetize) my videos. This is the same license I have with YouTube so it’s really no different. Option #4 is choosing to not monetize your content; allowing Rumble to play it but not put Ads on it or re-license it.
Area 419 sent me their 15MOA rail and it was exactly what my CZ 457 VPC needed. This rail has an uninterrupted 6″ Picatinny rail with a 1/2″ rise providing more than enough space to mount my new Arken EP-5. Those who shoot long range tend to buy higher magnification scopes, with larger tubes, and larger objective lenses.
The EP-5 has a 56mm bell and that means extra height is required to mount the scope without it touching the barrel. In addition, this 15MOA rail has a slight downward angle effectively aiming your scope downward 15MOA. Even with this slant, the EP-5 with an extended sun shade, clears the barrel without difficulty.
I always wondered why CZ did not include a Picatinny rail adapter with their rifle when they took the effort to create a custom designed chassis for the VPC? This rifle was designed for ELR shooters, not hunters. The long range rimfire world pretty much uses the Picatinny standard when mounting optics.
But even if CZ did include their rail with this rifle, I would probably have had to replace it for the Area 419. The 419 is rail is a much better design. The CZ-made rail lacks a complete set of Picatinny slots over the full length of the rail; this limits the number of positions that you can install rings and prevents the use of scope mounts.
The Area 419 rail also has a generous cut-out arch over the CZ ejection port so as not to interfere with shell ejection (for either standard or left-handed actions). It is twice as high as the CZ rail. And best of all, it has a built-in bubble level at the rear of mount. It is the rail that CZ should have put on this rifle in the first place.
I think it was Phillips or LG who first came out with LED backlighting in their flatscreen TV’s about a decade ago. I thought it was a novelty and for the most part, it never caught on with the general public. But now with the mass production of LED multi-color strip lighting, this feature can be easily and cheaply added on to just about anything.
I was asked to test out the Coliben LED backlighting kit for TV’s. Honestly, I didn’t have much interest in an LED backlighting system for my TV. It reminded me too much of Rice Rocket Tuners (cars). But I thought I’d give it a shot and see what all the hype was about.
The unit came in a graphic box without any branding or logo. Inside was the kit which included the LED strip inside an old-school 8mm film/magnetic tap reel. The unit had a small user manual which went over the controls using their App on your smartphone but it lacked physical installation instructions?
I did some Googling and looked at photos and videos of similar products and figured out the install process. The LED strips come in 4 segments, each connected with a short cable section which form the corners. The strips were self-adhesive on the back and the segments were to be applied to back side of your flatscreen. Depending on the size and design of your TV, the placement of each segment would vary.
The LED strip connected to a control box with a built-in camera on a stalk, which would hang over your TV and look back at the screen. The control box had 3M adhesive strips on one side but the design did not lend itself to securely attaching to the back of my TV (or at least not in the way I thought it should). I tried attaching LEGO bricks to the control box to try and secure it. But ultimately I ended up using additional double-stick adhesive gel strips to adhere the box to the back of my TV in a less obtrusive fashion.
The control box has two USB-A ports. You can plug in the LED strip to either. A separate 4.4mm jack powers the unit via a wall plug. The box has an on-off-reset button on the “front” but the unit is primarily controlled using a smartphone App. The manual did cover the calibration process and the App was fairly easy to use.
In use, the color lighting was fascinating but I did find it a bit distracting. In it’s “default” multi-color mode, the colors rendered were not 100% reflective of all of the colors in the TV screen. Black areas on video footage get translated into intense blue LED colors. Using the App, custom color pallets/moods could be selected. There were also Audio-Sync modes where the colors would pulse or change depending on the beat/sound heard by control unit’s build-in mic.
Initially, I wasn’t that keen in installing mood lighting in my house. But after trying it, I can see (literally) the attraction. The Coliben is an inexpensive way to enhance your video setup. But the install process wasn’t dummy proof and it has issues which can be resolved:
• Lacks clear installation instructions
• Control box design is not well thought out
• Unit should have been designed also run off a USB-C port and allow for connecting to a TV’s USB port.
• Colors not 100% true to the scene
• Requiring the installation of a smartphone App, along with the unit’s built-in mic and camera make me a little uneasy from a personal privacy standpoint
The EP-5 has been one of the most sought after scopes since its release in early 2022. Unfortunately it’s been sold out for most of the year due to post-COVID supply chain issues and the high demand. I got a sneak peak at one at Shot Show this year but like all but a lucky few, I’ve been waiting six months to get one.
First let me be up front with reality. No, these are not AS GOOD as a $3000 Nightforce, Zeiss, or [INSERT HIGH END BRAND HERE]. But for a scope that retails for under a $1000, this comes much closer than anyone expected.
For a small Texas optics company, Arken has earned an outsized reputation. About 5 years ago, thanks to reviews by YouTubers like Iraqvetran8888, Affordable Optics, and Cyclops Joe Rhea, reports of their high quality turrets and surprisingly good optics called this brand out. The $600 EP4 quickly became THE “budget” scope to buy in ELR and NRL22 communities.
The scope uses German ED glass which is bright and sharp, easily resolving down to Element 6 in Group -1 in the USAF optical resolution chart (if my eyes were better I’d even say Element 1 in Group 0). That’s better than man x45 spotting scopes!
The eye box did get a bit smaller at higher magnification but the eye-relief did not reduce appreciably. The overall image was sharp with a hint of softening around the edges. Best of all there was no noticeable chromatic aberration at its highest magnification.
The EP5 replaces the EP4’s EPR Horus style reticle for the SH4’s more efficient VPR reticle, by far my favorite Christmas Tree reticle design used. Designed by former US Navy S.E.A.L., Arken’s reticle strikes a perfect balance between data and reference points for long range adjustments at high power, while keeping the center clear and focused.
The tube has an illumination dial stacked on the parallax focus turret. The dial has 6 levels of illumination with off between each brightness setting. Only at the the very center cruciform is illuminated, which functions like a red dot at low magnification. It is visible at twilight conditions without being annoyingly blooming like lower end optics which light up almost the entire tube.
The best part of the EP5 are high-quality turrets that Arken is famous for. Adjustments were audibly clear and extremely tactile positive. They built in zero-stop was well designed and precise, using a set screw to engage and stop-bar inside the elevation turret. The turrets do not lock; a feature favored by ELR shooters.
Some shooters complain about imprecise range markings on the parallax focus. But you shouldn’t be using them as a range finder. Focus depends on multiple conditions like the reticle/ocular focus, magnification and not just the parallax.
Arken’s scope prices are going up slightly but they are still an excellent value for anybody getting into competitive ELR or NRL22. And should you be concerned with buying from a company you may not have heard of, they offer no-hassle returns and lifetime warranties. They also sell their Precision Pack which is an accessory bundle which includes high quality 34mm scope rings, a throw lever, bubble level, and high quality weatherproof lens caps.
Does the EP5 live up to the expectations of my 6-month long wait? Yes. Yes, it does.
When I first attempted to adjust the trigger on my CZ457, I wanted to know how light the trigger was so I could compare it after the trigger job. I went looking to buy a trigger gauge and my options were a modern digital trigger like the Lyman which was about $50-$60 or a Wheeler mechanical/analog trigger gauge was was about $20.
Since I wasn’t planning on adjusting or replacing the trigger on my CZ (or any of my guns) very often, it made sense to me to buy the cheaper Wheeler gauge. If I had more guns and more trigger jobs in my future, I might think otherwise. Recently when I got a chance to test a friend’s Lyman gauge, it got me wondering how accurate was my Wheeler?
The Wheeler black plastic tube with an approximately 8″ metal arm with an ‘L’ bend at the tip to grasp your trigger face. You pull on device as it pulls on your trigger. A metal spring housed inside of a plastic shell resists compression to a calibrated degree. When pulling on the gauge, the weight is displayed on the side with a yellow marker donating the maximum draw weight until you actively let off from pulling on the trigger.
My first test was to see if how accurately the Wheeler would measure a known weight. A full-sized can of Diet Coke contains 12oz of liquid and the empty aluminum can itself weighs about 0.5oz; so a full can should weigh about 12.5oz. The readings from the Wheeler displayed 1lb. That’s 3.5oz heavier than the actual weight.
I tested my 22LR Ruger Precision Rimfire rifle. It has a factory stock trigger, which can be adjusted from 5lbs down to 2lbs. I had adjusted it down to as low and I wanted to see if I had succeeded.
The Lyman gave me a reading average of 2lbs 1.4oz. The Wheeler gave me an average readout of about 2.25lbs. While slightly heavier than the Lyman’s reading, it is an acceptable margin of error for a simple-to-use tool that sells from 1/3 the cost of the Lyman. This may be an unacceptable for those who need a precision to a faction of an ounce for ELR shooting perhaps? But for the average shooter the Wheeler is close-enough and consistent enough to be a better value than the Lyman.
When I reviewed the Celestron Landscout 12-36×50, I thought it was the smallest 50mm spotting scope available. Technically that’s still true. But about 10 years ago there was a smaller scope: the collapsing Bushnell Spacemaster.
The Spacemaster has a telescoping design (no pun intended) where the tube body collapses inside itself when stored. This reduces the overall length of the scope almost in half. This makes the spotting scope very convenient for travel where packing space is a premium. The scope comes in an old-school hard travel case with a compact folding tripod.
The optical quality of the scope is as good or better than any 50mm scope I’ve reviewed. I could see little or no chromatic aberration with good sharpness from center to outer edge of the field of view. Sharpness was among the best 50mm scopes.
Unfortunately, the scope was discontinued by Bushnell a few years ago. And as far as I can tell, no scope currently sold has the same telescoping design. I purchased mine used on Ebay for just under $100.
USAF-51 Resolution Test
Group 0: Element 1
SPECS
15-45X zoom plus 25x fixed power Eyepiece
Fully coated optics
Long Eye relief (14mm)
Collapsible spotting scope with 15 to 45x magnification
Telescoping design packs down ultra-small for travel
If you ever plan to install a drop-in trigger or adjust a trigger spring, it would be a good idea to test the results of your work. Did it actually improve your trigger pull as advertised. And in the case of swapping springs or similar modification work, did your work end up with the results you want. This is why you need a trigger gauge.
A few years ago Lyman introduced their electronic digital trigger gauge with a street price of around $50. A bit more than mechanical gauges but a lot cheaper than other electronic trigger pull gauges. I borrowed one from my friend to test and review.
It runs on two AA batteries and has an auto-off function when left unused for a couple of minutes, further extending battery life. It features a a built-in, extending trigger arm, which stows away inside the unit when not in use. It’s easy to use and has a clearly readable display.
But is it the most accurate? I weighed a full Coke can with a calibrated precision scale and it weighed a consistent 13.14oz. I used the Lyman to pick up the can I got an average reading of 13.5oz. So not as accurate as a dedicated scale but for my purposes this seems an acceptable margin of error.
Next, I tested my 22LR Ruger Precision Rimfire rifle. It has a factory stock trigger which can be adjusted up to 5lbs or down to 2lbs. I had adjusted it down to as low as it would reliably set.
The Lyman gave me an average reading of of 2lbs 1.4oz. Oddly, I did note that the numbers would shift slightly higher if I pulled on the trigger exceptionally slowly. Could the Ruger’s trigger have a variable weight depending on pull velocity? This bears further study at a later date.
All in all, the Lyman is a super easy and convenient piece of equipment. Is it worth $50? Yes, I think it is but it depends on how often you think you will need to adjust or change your triggers on your firearms. Though the claim of being the “World’s most accurate trigger gauge” remains unproven.
Help support us by buying this product through our Amazon affiliate link Lyman Trigger Gauge: https://amzn.to/3AiAs9z
I love USB-C as a standard except for two things: One, I wish it would have come sooner, like decades sooner. Being able to insert it correct-side-up every time is such game changer. Two, for the main power cable on a laptop, its potentially damage prone from accidentally forgetting to unplug it before moving it. My wife in particular has destroyed more than one USB cable this way (and we have young kids so not always her fault).
Apple solved this problem over a decade ago with the introduction of the MagSafe power connectors with their magnetic attachment points. An accidentally yank or trip over the a power cable would easily detach the cable, rather than pulling the laptop crashing down from a table to the ground. But in 2016, Apple laptops have switched USB-C/Thunderbolt ports as their primary data and power connection standard.
Thankfully 3rd party peripheral makers came up with a solution that adds MagSafe safety and functionality to USB-C. First introduced in the phone market, these adapters come in 2 parts. A USB-C insert that fits into your device with a magnetic end that connects to a magnetic adapter end that either connects to a USB-C cable or is part of a cable itself.
Unfortunately, some of these early models were simple adapters that only transmitted power and not date. And some were designed for phones and didn’t have the capacity to handle the higher wattage and amp requirements of a laptop. But if you search today you’ll find models that can handle 60W or more and also transmit data.
The iSkey (don’t ask me how it’s pronounced, I suspect something akin to a pseudo-Slavic sounding name?) 20-pin USB-C magnetic power adapter with a right-angle connection so that your USB-C cable is angled out of the way of your other port. In my testing, I found that it changed my wife’s 2019 MacBook Pro 16″ with a peak power throughput of 90W using my USB digital tester. I could also transfer data from my phone at a rates over 100Mb/sec.
It is a +$20 adapter which makes it a bit pricier than other adapters but many cheaper ones don’t promise up to 100W power or 40GB/sec data throughput. However, it is not perfect as the adapter does partially block the the neighboring port on the Macbook. Certain thinner USB-C connectors will be able to fit but this could cause a problem for some. In the box, it also comes with a small, green plastic tool to assist you in pulling out the male end of the adapter but the magnetic end may be strong enough to extract from your port of pulled directly out and slowly.
The EMG Battle Cruiser 40″ Hard Rifle Case has all the feature you want in many rifle case plus one more. It’s got ample room in its 40.5″ long interior to accommodate two or more guns and their accessories. It has a hard polymer shell with four metal locking buckles and two lock holes to attach your own padlock. The rifle case is TSA compliant so it can be used to travel with firearms or airsoft replicas (just be sure to check with the airport and airline for their specific rules).
It has 5.5″ of foam including two pick-n-pluck foam panels that allow you to easily customize the lower half of the shell to custom fit your guns, mags, or accessories. Similar to perforated stamps, pick-n-pluck foam is pre laser cut into cube columns so you can easily tear out the sections you need to customize the foam to exactly fit your gear.
The customizable pick-n-pluck panels allow this case to be used as a gig travel case for musicians. You could easily fit in multiple MIDI pads or DJ mixer or an electric guitar and effects pedals in this case. I was able to fit a 61-key electronic keyboard, sustain pedal, and AC adapter in the case with half of the padding removed.
While you can buy many 40″ hard-shell rifle cases, this one stands out because you can literally make it stand out. The front shell exterior has four 2″ wide velcro strips. This allows you to attach those hook-and-loop moral patches you pick up at at Ops, events, and CONs. And of course plenty of space on the outside to put on brand and band stickers.
