Brook & Hunter Mo-Tool Axe

I spotted the Brook & Hunter Mo-Tool Axe in Popular Mechanics this morning. Besides the hammer head and axe, it’s got:

• Screwdrivers
• Blades
• Knives
• Can Opener
• Wire Cutter
• Pliers
• File
• Wrench

I’m not exactly sure how big this thing is. If it’s large enough for the axe to be really useful, it would be fairly large, wouldn’t it? If it’s small enough to strap on your belt, I wonder if there’s enough heft to it.

I didn’t have much info on it at the time, but now Glenn Reynolds has linked to some details.

Says Reynolds:

I think of this as more of a Strategic Bacon Reserve.

You can never be too prepared.

Via Uncle, who says There’s not just one.

Murdoc agrees. If you had to pick just one, I guess I’d make the safe bet say the best all-around weapon for a post-apocalypse scenario is a 12-gauge shotgun and a variety of ammo. But there would clearly be the potential for other types of weapons to be called for.

Blackhawk HawkHook

This rescue tool features a belt/cord cutter, serrated cutting edge, glass breaker, pry tip, bottle opener, and wire stripper. Murdoc’s been carrying one for a week and it’s come in handy a few times. Done some cutting, though not in a rescue situation. (Though the opener has rescued a fair number of beers from being unappreciated…)

Blackhawk HawkHook
Blade Length: 2.250”
Overall Length: 3.2500”
Blade Material: AUS8A stainless steel
Blade Finish: Matte bead-blast finish
Edge type: Combination plain/partially serrated
Handle Material: 420J stainless steel with textured plastic scale
Pocket Clip: Right side, tip-down carry
MSRP: $39.99

A reviewer on the Blackhawk site writes:

Bigger, heavier tools may complete some of these tasks more easily, but at 2.4 ounces and only 3.25″ closed, the Hawkhook will probably be on your person or close to you when those other, larger devices are unavailable. If I were still a street cop, it would be clipped to my visor.

That pretty much sums up Murdoc’s take on this tool. It’s a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, but that’s what you want for a general purpose stand-by tool. For instance, I wonder how effective the glass breaker really is on a small, light tool like this. The wife won’t let me try on the minivan, so I’m left to speculate that it’s not ideal. If I know I’m going to need to break a window, I’m taking something heavier. But odds are that if I ever really, really need to break a window right now, I won’t have had any warning or time to prepare. If the HawkHook is clipped to my belt, it can probably fill in just fine.

I can see this being part of a grab-and-go or survival kit, too.

Browning Semi Auto .22 Takedown Rifle in Case

I’ve always wanted one of these. Via Rummel, who notes the rifle, case, and stuff you can fit in there make a neat emergency gun kit.

The HUMVEE RECON Emergency Rescue Knife and LED Combo

CampCo release:

The only rescue combo kit you will ever need from CampCo is the HUMVEE® Emergency Rescue Knife and LED Combo featuring a ½ watt ultra-bright white LED light that operates on a single AA alkaline battery and a folding knife outfitted with an emergency seatbelt cutter and glass breaker. The LED light is a compact 4 inches in overall length and comes with a detachable lanyard. The modified spear point blade is coated with a black anti-reflective finish and has a blade length of 3.25” with a serrated edge. A metal pocket clip provides for a tip-down carry. The HUMVEE Emergency Rescue knife also features a liner lock for smooth operation, a glass fiber anti-slip grip, and opens to 8 inches in length.

The CampCo HUMVEE RECON Emergency Rescue Knife and LED Combo is the perfectly priced rescue tool for your automobile or home at an MSRP of just $24.95.

I’d just been thinking it had been a while since I posted anything about either knives or lights when this showed up in the inbox.

Three and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard is pulling the last of its troops out of New Orleans this weekend, leaving behind a city still desperate and dangerous.

Residents long distrustful of the city’s police force are worried they will have to fend for themselves.

“I don’t know if crime will go up after these guys leave. But I know a lot more of us will be packing our own pieces now to make sure we’re protected,” said Calvin Stewart, owner of a restaurant and store.

Well, unless the cops come knocking on your door to confiscate them again.

Police Superintendent Warren Riley says “we’re ready to handle things.” We all hope he means handle crime and security and not handle regular citizens out of their legal firearms. (Be sure to read Gordon Hutchinson’s The Great New Orleans Gun Grab if you haven’t already.)

To be honest, I don’t think I knew there were still any NG units in New Orleans. Apparently it was down to only a few dozen. But three and a half years later?

In less than four years our military stabilized the region and re-established law, order, and democracy for its citizens.

Yes, that’s sarcasm. Barely.

Pathetic.