Equipment and Book Reviews Archives | Page 23 of 73

15 Mar 2018

On Scene Guide for Crisis Negotiators

According to author Frederick J. Lanceley—one of the world’s foremost crisis negotiation authorities—negotiators must train and train regularly. For just as the legal field constantly evolves, so does the field of crisis negotiation.

The new edition of On Scene Guide for Crisis Negotiators reflects this fact. A bestseller in its first edition, this book offers practical advice with regard to the theory, procedures, and techniques of crisis and suicide intervention and hostage negotiation. Two new chapters in the second edition cover negotiation with people under the influence of drugs or alcohol and how first responders can contain a situation until a negotiator can arrive.

With a suicide intervention flow chart, a checklist for investigators assisting negotiators, and an on-scene guide for crisis negotiators, this indispensable book provides the tools you need to conduct successful negotiations and “make nothing happen.”

I would make a horrible negotiator as I just am no good at active listening (ask my wife) – but I think the information in On Scene Guide for Crisis Negotiators is worth reading – especially for preppers. I think knowing the process and mindset behind negotiators is worthwhile for people that own a lot of guns and tend to be looked on with skepticism and hostility.

I know some guys on negotiation teams and the amount of training they go through to keep their skills current is enormous. This is a skill that you don’t learn by reading about. If you are interested in doing more with this than learning the basics you should not only read this, but join a job that does this.

15 Mar 2018

Knife Blade Material for Great Knives

Blade material decides the effectiveness and durability of a knife.

The price a person pays for a blade will influence the materials used in it. Additionally, the purpose of the knife will determine what it is made of.

Likewise, different alloys and materials will influence the quality and reliability of your knife.

Kinds of Blade Material

Typically, knife steel is an alloy.

With modern alloy materials, knives have become sharper and more durable than ever. Knife Center is a popular online knife store that sells a variety of knives – from leatherman tools to cold steel and boker knives – with a variety of materials.

These materials include:

Alloy Steels
Chrome Steel
Semi-Stainless Steel
High-Speed Steel
Super Stainless Steels
Carbon Steels
Ceramics

Why is Steel and Steel Alloys So Popular?

Steel is easily one of the most popular materials used to make a strong knife blade. Whether it’s pure steel or an alloy, this material is extremely durable and can be polished to a sharp blade.

Steel by itself, however, is harder to work with in terms of manufacturing. The use of alloys allows manufacturers to more easily manipulate the material in the fabrication process. These alloy materials also offer corrosion resistance, which is the ability of steel to resist deterioration regardless of its environment.

Steel also offers general wear resistance, as well as edge retention. A steel blade can more easily hold a sharp edge without requiring re-sharpening on a regular basis.

What Alloys are Used?

Alloys change the properties of steel that make a knife suitable for specific tasks. Below are some of the most popular alloy additions in knives.

Vanadium

Vanadium improves a steels hardenability, and it promotes finer grains in steel. The grain structure of steel determines the strength and resistant of the material, and the finer the grain, the better the knife.

Nickel

Nickel is a common material found on earth. It can be used to improve the toughness and durability of steel. It’s also ideal for resisting corrosion. This alloy is used often in dive knives.

Chromium

By using chromium with steel, it is possible to improve corrosion resistance, wear resistance, as well as hardenability. Martensitic stainless steels often use Chromium. Sport knives and cutlery us martensitic stainless steel.

Carbon

Carbon is technically not an alloy, because it is already present in a traditional carbon steel. However, some manufacturers will still increase the amount of carbon within their steel to improve hardness and durability in a knife.

Molybdenum

Molybdenum will offer improved tensile strength making knives extremely durable and long lasting. It also improves corrosion resistance, making knives ideal for outside use.

Trust Knife Experts to Find the Right Knife for You

Popular online knife stores will be able to provide you with a wide range of knives, with blades made from a variety of materials. Knife Depot is a great example of this kind of store.

In conclusion, if you want to find out more about the many different varieties of knives out there, you can also ask researchers for help.

14 Mar 2018

Lucifer’s Hammer

Lucifer’s Hammer is a classic in prepper fiction – The plot of the book contains several interesting twists that are useful to begin a prepper conversation. For instance – if you have a BOL (Bug Out Location – aka cabin in the woods) what would you do if you arrived during a disaster to find it was occupied?

In this book the catastrophe was a comet striking the earth. While unlikely, it is plausible. There really isn’t anything in this book that is outside the realm of possibility – which is rare in science fiction…

Good read, I enjoyed it. It might be a good book to pass on to those you care about that don’t care about prepping – it may just let them realize how much you care for them and are looking out for their well being.

I am dealing with one of the issues in Lucifer’s hammer now. I have a guy that is living on my Bug Out location with the agreement that he works on the land as a payment for rent, and I supply the livestock and seed and he tends to them and produces his own food so that in the event of a disaster we are already up and running, but he has decided he doesn’t have time to do the work – which is almost as bad as taking it away when it is needed.

13 Mar 2018

Light Infantry Tactics: For Small Teams

Finally! Step-by-step tactics for teams of three to 30 members. Tired of collecting a library of military manuals just to teach light infantry patrolling tactics? Military manuals are notoriously confusing and boring! Light Infantry Tactics: For Small Teams gives you good advice in easily understood language.

If you have never served, or like me, it has been a while, Light Infantry Tactics is a good way to get basic knowledge.

While it does not include information on MOUT (Urban Warfare), it has a lot of good info on patrolling, hand signals, and other basic skills.

I would not say that this book would come even fractionally close to replacing actual military skills the idea that someone who has not served can gain some technical knowledge by a book is a long standing principle. The Swiss military wrote the book Total Resistance so that bankers, clock makers, and school teachers could fight an occupying force and survive long enough to defend their homeland.

I keep this book, and others like it, in my library so that I can periodically refresh my memory on the skills I learned in the Marines.

This is a good book for that.

12 Mar 2018

Invisible Resistance to Tyranny

When I saw Invisible Resistance to Tyranny in the Paladin catalog, I knew I had to have it. Laws are becoming more oppressive and politicians show a disregard, disrespect of, or ignorance toward our Constitution and the principles behind the document.

I wonder how much longer sites like mine will be “tolerated”.

However, I was a little disappointed in the book because the majority of the information is just plain common sense if you think about this type of problem.

I did learn from the book, and It has a place in my library, but I have to wonder if someone else has written a book on this topic that covers the material a little more thoroughly.

That being said the concepts in Invisible Resistance to Tyranny are things that you need to think about and determine what it is you are willing to tolerate as a American citizen. I would not expect any life altering revelations or a lot of practical information from this book, but it does have value. How much would depend on how much you gain from reading vs contemplation.

If you want a more enjoyable read, and one that has more action items, I would choose Claire Wolfe’s 101 Things to Do ‘Til the Revolution and/or Don’t Shoot the Bastards (YET)

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