Product Reviews, Shooting Sports

Athlon Talos 20-60×80 Spotting Scope

The Talos 20-60×80 spotting scope is made by Athlon, a rifle-scope brand that offers a better value than Vortex (and considering Vortex’s recent QC issues, you may even say better). With a street price of only $130-$140 the Talos is Athlon’s cheapest spotter. In this video review, I present whether this spotter is a value or a did Athlon sell out and simply slap their logo on a generic Chinesium scope?

The package comes in a soft-lined black nylon fabric case with a split compartment. Above the scope compartment I found a generic straight leg tripod common with other budget spotting scopes I’ve reviewed such as the SVbony SV28. Despite the simple and inexpensive design, these tripods tend to be quite rugged and stable. 

The scope appeared to be well made with no faults or gaps in the seams. The outer surface wage largely covered in a rubber-like coating for weather protection and for improved grip. The front and rear lens caps were rubber and non-captured.

The integrated sunshade had a nicely textured coating and what appeared to be a sight notches, presumably to help you eyeball aiming the scope. The eyepiece has a built-in, twist-up eye cup. The tripod mounting ring allowed the body of the scope to be rotated to allow flexibility in viewing the scope from different mounting positions (eg. bench, hung, etc.).

The eye relief was fair and focusing knob buttery smooth. The magnification was a bit stiff but the ring was also smooth. The power ring rotated independently of the eyepiece to allow for easy mounting of a camera, though the rotating eye-cup does limit the positions of a camera mount. 

The optics were bright, offering high contrast, resolution and saturation. In my 100yrd range tests with the USAF resolution chart, at 60X I was able to resolve element #5 in Group “0” which is highest resolution optic I have yet tested. This is remarkable for a scope which retails for less than $150. While it is largish scope at 16.5” long, for those needing to do extreme long range precision spotting (100yrds) this is a great value option.

Available on Optics Planet: https://shrsl.com/3c5wh
and Amazon https://amzn.to/3H86wxH

RESULUTION TEST

Group 0 : Element 5

Shooting Sports

Can you see a .22 cal bullet in flight?

While competing at a 100yrd match with my new CZ457 with a 6-24×50 Vortex Diamondback Tactical I noticed a flash of something when firing at the bullseye. At first I didn’t know what it was but after seeing it again the next time I fired, I couldn’t believe that I was seeing the bullet in flight to the target.

I know you can see the shockwave mirage of a bullet in flight at long range (over 500m). But in 40 years of shooting I’ve never heard nor seen a bullet at 100yrds. Much less a tiny bullet like a .22cal.

After the match, I set up up my camera on the scope and tried to capture what I was seeing. It requires the right lighting conditions (the sun was directly at my back) and a high-quality magnified scope with ED glass, but this footage shows that it is possible.

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Liberfeel Wireless Powerbank

The Liberfeel is a 10,000mAh wireless powerbank sent to me by Peakode to test and review. It has a decidedly feminine aesthetic with rounded edges somewhat reminiscent of a bar of Dove soap. It comes in a choice of 4 pastel colors: pink, blue, purple, and beige.

It features a wireless fast-charging plate (it will only fast-charge if wireless charging only 1 device) with a built in magnetic to help keep your phone in place while charging, though not strong enough to keep a phone attached to the charger if held up sideways. In addition it has a built-in Apple Lightning, a USB-C charging cable, a USB-A output port, and a USB-C in/out port, allowing it to charge up to 5 devices simultaneously. It can also recharge itself via it’s USB-C port, while charging 4 other devices at the same time. This makes the Liberfeel a useful travel charger.

Product Reviews

Screw Toy Battery Covers

Every toy that requires batteries nowadays has an annoying screw, locking down the battery cover. Even if the battery cover has a latch or hinge that will keep the battery in place, they add a screw to the door! Every time I have to replace the battery, I have to remove the screw or leave off the screw entirely next time (as I think many of you probably do).

I mostly see these on kids toys or devices. So I assume it’s a regulation to keep kids from getting into the batteries. I’ve searched the interwebs and have only found a regulation requiring a child protection mechanism for devices that use ‘button’ batteries; not the AA/AAA cells that power most kids toys.

I created this video to rant about this issue and hope that somebody can share a link to a specific US consumer product regulation.

Gadgets, Product Reviews, Shooting Sports

Add Bluetooth to your old Earpro


Comsoon J25 Bluetooth Receiver allows you to add Bluetooth audio to your old wired headphones or earbuds or your car through its AUX audio port, for less than $20. Far less than the cost of a new pair of Bluetooth headsets or even the cost of a J25 and a new pair of non-Bluetooth earpro.  

It’s small enough to mount directly onto your earpro and with the right connector cable, you can get the firing tucked away and even make it look like original equipment.

PRODUCT LINK
J25 https://amzn.to/3k6wWWJ
Right-angle cable https://amzn.to/3nZr04N
Velcro dots https://amzn.to/3CVEl2s

Shooting Sports

AT3 ARO Red Dot

AT3 ARO (Adaptable Reflex Optic) is a micro red dot optic and mount system. For those who aren’t familiar with the AT3 brand (which up to this point included me), AT3 is an AR parts maker and retailer based in Minnesota. They sent me an ARO to review.

I found the fit and build on the ARO to be excellent. There was a slight blem in the paint job of the co-witness mount, it was not visible when the red dot was mounted. It was designed to fit Burris Fastfire/Vortex Venom compatible mounts and slides (check their website for a list of compatible pistols and slides).

The ARO retails for about $150 with the co-witness mount. The Sig Sauer Romeo Zero is about the same price but doesn’t come with mounts. Unlike the Romeo, the ARO lacks any printed markings or design on the rear of the unit, which would allow it to be used as a rear iron sight when mounted on a pistol slide.

The ARO has 6 levels of brightness. While plenty bright for indoor range or CQB use; in mid-day outdoors, the dot is not bright enough. If AT3 could double or treble the max brightness, they’d have a serious competition to the Sig Sauer Romeo or Vortex Viper.

AMAZON LINKS https://amzn.to/3kmofZ8

THE GOOD
Upon testing at the range, I found the ARO to hold zero even after banging it up with a plastic ammo box. On the riser adapter, it co-witnessed to my KAC flip-up sights.

THE BAD
Even at its brightest, the red dot was hard to see in bright daylight. With only 6 levels of brightness, it is too dim for outdoor and seems better suited for indoor range or CQB.

Gadgets, Shooting Sports

SANAG A11S Pro Headsets

A marketing Rep with SANAG contacted me and offered a pair of sports headphones for me to test out. They appeared to be bone-conductive headsets but the Rep said they were not. Oddly the box says they are but my tests seem to indicate that the Rep was correct.

My first impression was positive. The box made it look like a piece of electronics that you would spend +$50 on (MSRP $80).

My initial impression upon taking it out was also positive. The headset appeared well made and completely covered in a rubber-like coating which would be expected from a “sweat-proof” headset.

Bluetooth pairing was easy. It also comes with 32GB of onboard memory so you can play music directly from the headset by loading up songs from your PC or phone via the included USB-C cable. It came with about 40 pre-loaded Mandarin songs (ummm ok).

Its audio quality was disappointing. The sound was thin and distant, like when you pull your earbuds out of your ear and hang them. The sole positive feature is that as over-the-ear headsets, these allow you to hear your real-world environment while listening to tunes. But for the price, I’d want better audio fedelity. 

SPECS

• 8hr battery life

• 10hr standby time

• Bluetooth connectivity

• IP67 Waterproof

• Sweatproof

• Noise Reduction microphone

• 32GB internal memory

• Weight 26g

Amazon https://amzn.to/3yytIC7

Gadgets, Product Reviews

Wybenz Solar Christmas Lights

WYBENZ sent me a set of Solar Christmas String Lights to test and review. I own a similar set solar-powered lights but these have much heavier duty wiring. These look quite nice and beautify our exteriors without having to be plugged. This makes them much more versatile in where you place them around your house.

SPECS

  • Length: 66ft
  • Control Wire: 6ft
  • Strand LED: 200
  • Setting Modes: 11
  • Battery Capacity: 1200mah
  • Waterproof: IP65
  • Solar Panel: 2V 400MA
  • Working Time:Up to 15hours

MODES

  1. Steady On White
  2. Steady On Warm White
  3. Steady On 50/50 Mix White and Warm White
  4. Slow Flash White
  5. Quick Flash White
  6. Slow Flash Warm White
  7. Quick Flash Warm White
  8. Slow Alternate White to Warm White
  9. Quick Alternate White to Warm White
  10. Slow Flash 50/50 Mix White
  11. Quick Flash 50/50 Mix White
Product Reviews, Shooting Sports

A2 PG Grip Plug

Missouri Tactical sent me two of these grip plugs to test out. It allows you to convert any Ar15 MilSpec A2 grip into a handy storage space. It features a storage holder for a CR2032 or similar sized coin battery and a hole for a small allen/hex wrench. This is very useful if you run illuminated optics or red dots because it’s all too common to forget to turn them off and you end up with a dead red dot.

It comes in either black or FDE colored silicone.

Available on Amazon
Black https://amzn.to/3roNPRx
Tan https://amzn.to/3D8qEgL

Gear Reviews, Education, and Adventure