Klarus released an update to their E5 that I tested last year. The new E5+ looks nearly identical to its predecessor. Both are extremely flat, lightweight, minimalist, and fashion-forward EDC lights; a flashlight Apple would design. The Plus comes in 4 colors with matching metal belt clips: vibrant orange, OD green, grey, and black.
Physically, the E5 Plus looks nearly identical to the E5. Both have a magnetic tip that allows the E5 to tail-stand as a work light or be attached to the roof of a car as a warning signal. Klarus has staked out its position by offering the lightest, flattest EDC; about the length of a typical 3″ bladed folding knife. The E5 Plus weighs less than a pair of Apple AirPods with it charging case (1.4 oz). The new Plus is only 2 grams heavier than the original E5 and offers slightly more battery capacity and lumen output.
The EP5 has two light emitters. It’s primarily a clip-on lapel light for hands-free use; thin enough to slip inside MOLLE loops. Its main LED emitter is its larger round light on its side. Its auxiliary light forms the top end opposite its magnet. The E5 Plus adds a separate control button for the auxiliary light. The additional button improves the ergonomics of the light and addresses my main criticisms of the E5’s control and function scheme. Moreover, the two buttons make it easier to visually distinguish between a control button and the USB-C charging cover.
Pressing either control button for half a second activates the light. Tapping it changes the brightness mode. Additionally, tapping the primary button twice switches the primary white light to red-light mode, which now has a red-only flashing mode when tapped (instead of blue and red, which could affect night vision sensitivity). Both the main and the aux emitters now have mode memory, which the original E5 sadly lacked. The maximum output of the main light has been slightly increased to a maximum of 650 lumens.
Both the E5 and the E5 Plus are being sold simultaneously by Klarus. But given the similar price point (about $20) and much better ergonomics and feature set, I suspect the E5 will not be around much longer. The E5 Plus’s new features, like mode memory and two-button controls, make this a much more practical and functional EDC light.
DEDEPU is a specialty scuba tank company that produces a portable electric air compressor for its mini scuba tanks. This electrically powered air compressor can also be used to fill air tanks used in PCP tanks used in airguns, paintball, and airsoft. My hobbies encompass both, and fortunately, they reached out to me to test it for the latter.
The unit comes in a large, hard-shell lockable travel case. Inside the case is high-density foam padding with just enough space for the compressor unit and its cables, hoses, and filters. The air compressor unit is a black metal case about the size of an early 1990’s PC, weighing about 27lbs. It contains a pair of computer fans to cool the compressor, a pressure gauge, and connector ports for air and power.
The unit can be powered either with 12V DC power or 110/220V AC power. There are separate connectors on opposite sides of the case. There is a separate power/kill switch for AC or DC, respectively, with a 3rd compressor/fan activation switch. The pressure/fill gauge has a selector dial that controls its auto-shut-off feature, which turns the pump off after the tank/hose has reached the selected pressure.
The DEDEPU pump has a maximum rated pressure of 6000 PSI, so it can fill 4500 HP PCP hunting air rifle tanks. It took about 7 minutes to fill a PCP pistol to 3000psi. While not very fast, it was surprisingly quiet for an air compressor. While speed is a convenience, slow is less stressful to tanks and can help prolong their lifespan. The DEPEPU pump has a retail price under $500. While not a budget pump, its high-quality build and components, and ability to be safely used for both airgun and SCUBA give it a value that cheaper pumps do not have.
Monstrum released the Challenger 5-25×56, a new budget FFP long-range scope. This improves upon their older G3 4-24×50 long-range scope with features appealing to PRS style shooting with a larger 56mm objective lens, zero-stop turret, and a Christmas tree reticle. Remarkably it has all of that at a lower price than the G3.
The Challenger ships with several accessories including a decent set of high-height rings. It does not include a sun shade which many budget PRS scopes include. The Challenger has a built-in fin on its magnification ring so doesn’t need an additional throw lever.
The illumination knob has 6 levels of brightness with an Off in between the settings. The elevation turret is non-locking but has a built-in Zero-Stop activated by screwing down a worm screw accessible under the turret cap. An odd design feature is the screw-down turret top on the elevation which covers the turret screw and access to the Zero-stop worm screw. This makes resetting the turret zero a little bit more work.
The windage turret is a more typical, push-down-to-lock design. It has an exposed slotted turret screw top to reset the turret to 0. Unfortunately, my model’s turret markings did not exactly line up with the tube’s indicator dot, a tell-tale sign of cheaper, budget construction.
Glass and optical quality are also where Monstrum compromised to achieve its low price. The image at its lowest of 5x shows noticeable chromatic aberration. The image was not sharp from center to edge, with noticeable softening and distortions at the outer 1/4 of the scope image. Color fidelity was good but with a slightly warm balance. The was average for a budget PRS scope: tight.
The new reticle is the Challenger’s best improvement over the G3. It is a more tactical style reticle than other PRS Christmas tree reticles, with a thick “+” as its central aim point. This made the reticle much more usable from 5x-16x than typical FFP reticles but was too thick for Precision target shooting as it obscures the central X ring of a bullseye. This reticle will be more appealing to hunters than Benchrest shooters.
For long-range hunters or gong plinkers on a budget, this scope is priced low enough to be worth a try. As a competition PRS scope it has disappointing optical performance. But factoring in its jaw-dropping street price of $199, the value calculous for this scope shifts radically toward its favor.
Swarovski is known for some of the highest quality glass in sporting optics and some of the most expensive. The AX Visio 10×32 binoculars are nearly $5000. But that premium price isn’t just because it’s a Swarovski, it’s because the AX Visio has built-in visual A.I. components, allowing it to identify birds and wildlife.
When the user aims the binoculars at an animal and activates its ID system, it checks its internal database and displays the name of the bird or animal to the viewer. It has built-in GPS to reduce false positives by excluding animals that would not normally be located where the viewer activates it. For example, if the unit was used in California, it would not identify birds normally found in Australia.
I hold a slim hope that I can get a sample to test out.
I saw a lot of cool tactical products at SHOT Show 2025, but one of the most surprising new products was a packet of fruit gummy snacks. Tactical Snacks is a veteran-owned company handing out sample packs of their Watermelon Overwatch gummies.
Tactical Snacks were created to provide low-sugar alternatives to regular gummy candies. They come in two varieties: Sour gummy with 3g of net carbs and High Protein with 9g of net carbs and 8mg of protein per packet. Their ingredients have a welcome lack of high-fructose corn syrup.
The taste of the Sour Gummy variant is very similar to Sour Patch Kids candies. The High Protein variant has a harder and chewier mouth feel and a sharp, slightly bitter aftertaste. It reminds me of chewing on vitamin-C tablets. The Sour Gummy is my favorite of the two, but both would be satisfactory on a hike or patrol.
The Fenix SW05R is a compact wearable flashlight with a flat form factor It has a lightweight polymer body, with a magnetic tail, a broad belt clip, and a rotating emitter head. The head can turn over 180º to aim the beams giving the user flexibility in aiming the beams depending on where the flashlight is attached.
The unit is recharged via a USB-C cable and activated by pressing either the grey main button on the back or the red side-button. This flashlight comes in two versions, a red light and UV flashlight. To activate the flashlight, the button must be pressed for over a second, which prevents accidental activation.
The belt clip is a split design. The wider outer section is nearly the width of the flashlight (over 1″) and the thinner center clip is small enough to fit into a pen loop. The flashlight can be clipped onto a hat brim, backpack strap, or pocket.
The maximum beam output is only 150 lumens but its beam has a surprisingly long throw of over 120 ft. While wearing the SW05R, the 150 lumens is ideal for illuminating most objects being manipulated within arm’s reach. The flashlight has a secondary red LED light which is useful for preserving natural night vision, desired by astronomers, naturalists, and night hikers.
Win a Multixel 240w travel charger. Entries must be received no later than 12pm EST on 3/31/2025.
CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS
1. Subscribe to my travel channel on YouTube: Moondog Go to show you have the skill to navigate YouTube and prove you’re not a bot.
2. Take a screenshot of the SUBSCRIBED button for Moondog Go .
BONUS ENTRY: Make a donation (any amount) to the SHC High School National Youth Choir Festival fundraiser and upload a screenshot of your donation confirmation email.
3. Prove you have the skills to fill out a form and upload screenshots. 1 entry per social platform or donation (2 max).
PRIZES ARE AWARDED BY THE SPONSOR AT THEIR SOLE DISCRETION. NO PURCHASE OR DONATION IS NECESSARY TO ENTER. YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING DO NOT INCREASE WITH A PURCHASE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
1. Eligibility
Void where prohibited by law. Must be a legal resident in the USA. Moondog Industries employees, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, advertising and promotion agencies, and employees’ immediate family members, are ineligible to participate in the contest/giveaway.
Entrants must be willing and able to appear on YouTube to discuss the contest and post images of the prize on their social feed should they win the contest.
2. Sponsors and Platforms
Multixel (known as the SPONSOR) is a US-based company that sells on Amazon. Moondog Industries (known as the CO-SPONSOR) is a video Edutainment producer and game promotor based in San Francisco, CA. YouTube, TikTok, Rumble, X and online video platforms (known as PLATFORMS) are not SPONSORS or in any way affiliated with the contest or content.
3. Agreement to Rules
By entering your contest, participants agree to abide by the SPONSOR’s Official Rules and decisions. The SPONSOR retains the right to refuse, withdraw, or disqualify entries at their sole discretion. By submitting an entry, the participant agrees to accept the decision of the SPONSOR as final and binding.
4. Entry Period
Contest email entries must be received between: 12:00pm EST 31 January 2025 and 12:00pm EST 31 March 2025
5. How to Enter
This contest requires your skill in navigating your phone or computer controls to screen capture an image of the following YouTube channels/Social Media accounts. Subscribe or Follow and make a screen capture of those pages showing a greyed-out Subscribe button or indicator that your account is Following that page. Send a screen capture image file of any of those sites to contest@moondogindustries.com . One entry per person or per Social Media account. Fraudulent methods of entry, photo retouched, or other methods of circumvention of the rules may result in the SPONSOR invalidating a participant’s entries.
6. Prizes
Winner must be able to receive the prize by e-mail or by physical mail. Prize may be substituted at the sole discretion of the SPONSOR. Acceptance of the prize grants SPONSOR permission to use the Winners entry, name, and likeness for advertising, promotion, and trade without further compensation or remuneration unless prohibited by law.
7. Odds
The odds of winning is dependent upon the number of eligible entries received.
8. Selection and Notification of the Winner
The winner will be chosen at random by the SPONSOR from among the entrants that demonstrated the skill to navigate the electronic entry and have met the minimum requirements. Winners will be contacted via the email used to enter the contest no later than February 25, 2025. Winner must have a legal address within the US to ship the prize.
SPONSOR is not liable for the winner’s failure to receive notification of winning if he or she provided the wrong email address or if their email security settings caused your prize notification to go into the spam or junk folder. If a winner does not respond within 24hrs of sending a notification, the SPONSOR will select an alternate winner. Receipt of the prize is upon the condition of compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
9. Rights Granted by the Entrant
The SPONSOR, upon submission of an entry into the giveaway or contest, has the right to use the participant’s submission, voice, likeness, image, statements about the contest, etc., for publicity, news, advertising, promotional purposes, trade, and so forth, without any further notice, review, consent, compensation or remuneration.
Participants shall defend or settle against such claims at their sole expense, and shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the SPONSOR from any suit due to damage of or by the prize.
10. Terms & Conditions
The SPONSOR reserves the right to modify, suspend, cancel or terminate in the event that non-authorized human intervention, a bug or virus, fraud, or other causes beyond your control impact or corrupt the security, fairness, proper conduct, or administration of the contest/giveaway.
11. Limitation of Liability
Entry into this contest constitutes the participant’s agreement to release and hold harmless the SPONSOR and PLATFORMS, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, etc., against all claims liability, illness, injury, death, loss, etc., that occurs directly or indirectly from participation in the contest or use/misuse of the awarded prize.
12. Disputes
As a condition of participating in the promotion, the participant agrees to resolve all disputes with an arbitrator designated by the SPONSOR in the state of California, without resorting to any form of class action. Entrants waive all rights to punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, and waive all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
13. Privacy Policy
Participants agree to abide by all privacy and NDA laws in the State of California and any federal laws of the United State of America.
14. Winners List
Participants may request a list of winners by submitting a request in writing to Moondog Industries for up to 30 days after the contest ends.
15. Social Media Platform Rules
Winners will agree to post a photo of the prize on their social media channels in such a way as does not violate any rules of that platform. The winners also agree to appear for an interview where they will discuss the prize and its performance. If there are functional problems with the prize, the winner agrees to make a good-faith effort to resolve all issues with the SPONSOR prior to posting reviews or opinions about the prize.
16. Affirmation of Acceptance of and Agreement to All of the Official Rules
By entering the contest, the entrant has affirmatively reviewed, accepted, and agreed to all of them.
The Multixel 240w charger is a portable plug power adapter with an impressive 8 USB charging ports: eight USB-C and one USB-A port. I plugged in the charger to my Macbook Pro’s USB 3.0 hub connected to a portable HD drive and an Amazon tablet to draw the maximum power from the charger.
In my testing, it could output over 100w of power from 100w port. I recorded a similar result from its 35w, 45w, and 20w USB-C ports. Having eight charging ports may seem a bit excessive to some. But if you travel with kids or family and their devices, eight may not be enough but it will be appreciated.
The Multixel comes in a standard variant and a version with a padded carrying case for $9 more. It’s a useful padded case with pockets for cables and other accessories but I don’t know if it’s worth the premium? I can confirm that the Maltixel lived up to its claims. Multixel is giving away a free charger in my March contest that you can enter for free. https://moondogindustries.com/multixel-travel-charger-contest/
6500 lumens is a lot of light. Several flashlights now can output that much brightness or more, but typically they are the size of small water bottles. The Nitecore Luminblade is the first pocket-sized EDC that can output 6500 lumens.
I found out the hard way that 6500 lumens isn’t just bright, it’s freak’n hot! When I pressed the button to test out its max output “Lumen Shield” mode, I immediately saw smoke and smelt burnt plastic. At first, I thought the unit was defective and burnt itself out but upon closer inspection, I discovered a hole melted through the outer layer of my puffy vest, right through to the insulation. Damn!
The unit is made of lightweight metal alloy with a few plastic plates which look like heat dissipaters but the fact they are plastic makes me think otherwise. It has two activation buttons at the top, a smaller primary on-off/mode button, and a wider and slightly recessed multi-function button; which can be configured for Lumen Shield, Search, or Strobe modes. The flashlight has mode memory.
There is a small but very informative LED display near the activation buttons. This display shows the brightness mode, lumen output, estimated run time, battery level, and voltage output. Under a silicone cap near the buttons and display is a USB-C charging port. Opposite the charging port is a button lockout switch, which seems like a good safety precaution after accidentally burning a hole in my clothing.
Given its high output and wealth of features, it shouldn’t be surprising that the EDC29 has a decently long runtime. Nightcore claims a 2hrs runtime when started in High (1200 lumens). In my test, my unit exceeded 3 hours (stepping down to low mode after about an hour).
Overall this is an impressive EDC flashlight in most respects. The only disappointing thing is that it is only IPX5 water resistant, which means it is rainproof but won’t survive dropping into a toilet bowl. To be better Nitecore should add the option of a double-bend pocket clip to allow you to clip it onto a cap brim as a headlamp, and a magnetic panel to allow the unit to be affixed to metal and be used as a work light.
Max Output: 6,500 Lumens Max Beam Distance: 370m Max Beam Intensity: 35,360 cd Max Runtime: 61hrs (15 lum) LED Type: 2 x UHi 20 Battery: Built-in 2,500mAh LiOn Beam color: White Length: 133.5mm / 5.26 in Width: 34.6mm / 1.36 in Weight: 160g / 5.64 oz IPX Rating: 5/4
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.
