C.R.K.T. Zilla Tool Jr.

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Iz radionice ID Works Columbia River Knives and Tools dolazi nam još jedan multitool srednje klase. Dizajneri Tom Stokes dizajner i mašinski inženjer sa Univerziteta u Virdžiniji sa preko 20 godina iskustva i Launce Barber posvećeni kreativac su odgovorni za kreiranje i patentiranje ovog alata.

CRKT Zilla Tool Jr. se odlikuje sa svega nekoliko alata i odličnim dizajnom. Dimenzije I glavne karakteristike ovog multitoola su:

1. Ukupna dužina otvorenog alata                  190mm
2. Dužina zatvorenog alata                              133mm
3. Težina                                                            108g
4. Dužina sečiva                                                57mm
5. Materijal                                                         2CR13
6. Površinska obrada HRC                              51-53

Alat dolazi u lepoj futroli od balističkog platna sa čičak trakom koja se može nositi vertikalno, takođe na sebi poseduje pocket clip šnalu koja je odlična za nošenje u džepu pantalona ili torbici. Šnala je postavljena na jednom mestu i ne može se premestiti a kada je upotrebite alat će stojati sa glavom klešta na dole. Rukohvat na Zilla Tool Jr. je od zytel plastike koja možda nije previše otmena i skupocena, ali ovom alatu daje upravo ono što je potrebno, dobar hvat i malu težinu.

Prvi alat su naravno kombinovana klešta, koja imaju oprugu. Glava klešta viri iz alata, i sam alat nije sklopiv na bilo koji način, ručka klešta lepo prati zadati oblik alata. Klešta se upotrebljavaju tako što se povuče malo dugmence na telu pri čemu se ručka otključa i uz vrlo lep zvuk otvori. Kombinovana klešta su špic oblika, imaju ravan nazubljeni deo na svom vrhu, zatim je tu zaobljeni nazubljeni deo za hvatanje navrtki i zavrtnjeva, a na samom kraju su sečice za žicu i zarez za blankiranje.

Na drugoj strani je oštrica noža, koji se takođe može otvoriti jednom rukom povlačenjem flippera na vrhu rukohvata kada je nož sklopljen. Oštrica je osigurana liner lock sistemom. Sama oštrica je spear point oblika, brušena tehnikom hollow grind i delom nazubljena. U radu se ovaj oblik oštrice pokazao zahvalno, ali nije namenjen težim zadatcima zbog izuzetno male debljine pri vrhu koja se može pokazati kao slabost pri većim opterećenjima. Nož je naoštren fabrički da brije.

Sa iste strane gde se nalazi oštrica imamo i otvor za prihvat bitova sa magnetnim dnom. Bitovi su skriveni u zytel dršci sa svake strane po jedan u svojim držačima. Zilla Tool Jr. poseduje po jedan bit standardni ravni i philips. Zbog veličine samog alata CRKT je morao da pribegne nestandardnim dimenzijama bitova, pa tako oni ne mogu biti zamenjeni standardnim 1/4inch bitovima.

Sveukupno nakon nekoliko nedelja korištenja ovog multitoola, i nekih srednje teških zadataka koje sam postavio pred njega, Zilla Tool Jr. se pokazao kao vrlo ozbiljan takmičar u svojoj klasi. Sa lakoćom sam završavao neke kućne poslove sa njim, većinom vezane za električne uređaje. Veoma lepo leži u ruci i intuitivno se koristi za svaki posao. Oštrica se pokazala vrlo sposobnom, iako i dalje postoji bojazan od oštećenja zbog njene debljine. Sveukupno ovo je veoma zadovoljavajući alat za sve kućne i lake do srednje teške poslove, kao i kamp, lov, ribolov i uopšte sve outdoors aktivnosti na kojima bi mogao zatrebati multitool.

From the Columbia River Knife and Tools ID Works workshop comes another middle range multitool. Designers Tom Stokes a mechanical engineer from the University of Virginia with over 20 years of experience together with dedicated creative guy Launce Barber are the ones responsible for creating and patenting of the Zilla Tool Jr.

CRKT Zilla Tool Jr. characteristics are few tools and excellent design. Dimensions and main characteristics of this multitool are:

1. Overall length                                 190mm

2. Closed tool lenght                         133mm
3. Weight                                            108g
4. Blade length                                   57mm
5. Material                                          2CR13
6. Surface treatment:                         HRC 51-53

The tool comes in a nice nylon pouch with velcro enclosure which can be worn vertically, also on itself Zilla Jr. has a pocket clip that is great for pocket carry or bag. Pocket clip is set in one place and can not be moved, and when used it’s a plier down position. The body of Zilla Jr. is made of zytel plastic, though it’s not too refined and precious, but zytel provides to tool exactly what you need, good grip and light weight.

The first tool is pliers which are spring assisted. Pliers head sticks out of the tool, and they are not folding in any way. Plier handle follows the form of the tool nicely. Deployment of pliers is somewhat neat, by pulling a small button on tool body you deploy pliers with pleasant snap sound. They are needle nose pliers with flat portion at the end, followed by rounded part for nuts and bolts, and wire cutters and strippers at the end.

On the other side of the tool is knife blade, which can also be opened with one hand pulling flipper on top of the handle when the knife is closed. The blade is secured by liner lock system. Blade itself is a spear point shape, hollow grinded and partially serrated. The blade shape proved up to many tasks, but it is not intended for heavier tasks while beeing so thin at the point, which can prove to be a weakness at heavier duties. The knife is razor sharp out of the box.


On the same side with the blade there is magnetic bit holder. Bits are hidden in the Zytel handle on each side in their holders. Zilla Tool Jr. has two bits standard flat and philips. Due to the size of the tools CRKT had to resort to non-standard dimensions of bits, so they can be replaced by standard 1/4inch bits.

Overall, after several weeks of using this multitool, and some medium and moderate tasks they have encountered, Zilla Tool Jr. proved to be a serious competitor in its class. I ended up with ease to some home jobs mostly related to electrical appliances, and Zilla Tool Jr. finished them easy. It feels very nice in hand, and it is intuitive to work with. Blade proved to be very capable, although there is still a risk of damage due to its thickness. Overall CRKT Zilla Tool Jr. is a very convenient tool for all home and light to moderately heavy work, as well as camping, hunting, fishing and outdoors.

C.R.K.T. Spare Tool

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Kreacija gospodina Raleigh Tabor-a je jednodelni alat zvani Spare Tool. On je upravo to, rezervni alat. Spravica koju nosite sa sobom gotovo ne znajući da je tu dok ne zatreba. Raleigh je sin vazduhoplovca, ljubitelj prirode, lova i ribolova, autolimar po profesiji a sada u penziji proizvodi custom noževe. Rad za ID Works je shvatio kao lični izazov i stvorio upravo CRKT Spare Tool.

CRKT Spare Tool je jednodelni alat izrađen od 5Cr15MoV nerđajućeg čelika. Na nešto što na prvi pogled izgleda kao obično parče gvožđa dodat je čitav set osnovnih alata koji mogu zatrebati u mnogim situacijama i koji rezervni alat čine korisnim dodatkom svakom EDC kompletu. CRKT Spare Tool dolazi sa brizganim zytel koricama na koje je montirana šnala za horizontalno nošenje na kaišu. Sam Spare Tool ima sledeće dimenzije:

-          Dužina 16cm

-          Širina 2cm

-          Debljina 2mm

-          Težina 45g

-          Dužina oštrice oko 5,5cm

Spare Tool je tretiran na površinsku tvrdoću 55-57 po Rockwellu, ima wharncliff oblik sečiva (linija sečiva se spušta pod uglom od kičme prema sečivu stvarajući veoma oštar vrh – prim.aut.), a sama oštrica je obična nenazubljena dok je brušenje vršeno tehnikom chisel grind što je uglavnom odlika “radnih” alata. CRKT Spare Tool ima na zadnjoj strani, nasuprot sečivu, tzv. pry bar tip – odnosno polugu koja može poslužiti za vađenje eksera i zakivki, blankiranje žice, otvaranje raznih kantica i zaglavljenih fioka i uopšte sve one posliće za koje bi bio upotrebljen vrh noža a koji bi pri tome najverovatnije stradao. Odmah iza ovoga je šestougaoni isečak veličine ¼” koji će poslužiti za priložen dvostrani bit sa standardnim philips i ravnim krajem koji se nalazi u sledećem isečku obloženom gumom. Iako nema neki veliki domet za upuštene šrafove, ipak može dobro poslužiti za većinu šrafova koje srećemo svakodnevno. Između ova dva isečka je, naravno, otvarač za flaše o kojem nema mnogo reči osim da radi to što treba. Na kičmenom delu rukohvata nalazi se i mala nazubljena površina koja zamenjuje turpijicu, i dovoljno je sposobna u svojoj nameni. Pri samoj oštrici nalazi se upušteni deo, ležište za prst. Sa obe strane se nalazi lenjir, sa jedne u inčima a sa druge u milimetrima. Kako bi upotreba delova na rukohvatu bila dovoljno bezbedna zytel korice su veoma čvrste i obezbeđuju prilično tesno kućište za oštricu, što umanjuje (ali ne eliminiše) mogućnost povrede prilikom upotrebe.

Kao neko ko je radio kao trgovac u prodavnici auto delova, vrlo lako mogu da vidim sve upotrebne vrednosti rezervnog alata. Kako za otvaranje kartonskih kutija, seckanje svega i svačega, raspakivanje drvenih kutija u kojima stižu delovi pomoću poluge, vađenje ekserčića, zakovica i spajalica, premeravanje donešenih uzoraka delova radi naručivanja, odvrtanje i zavrtanje raznih šrafčića, itd. Sve ovo su sitni poslovi zbog kojih sam se često šetao gore dole kako bih doneo odgovarajući alat jer nisam imao Spare Tool. Gledajući ovaj alat shvatio sam da je život upravo postao malo lakši.

The creation of Mr. Raleigh Tabor is a one-piece tool named Spare Tool. It is just that, backup tool. Spare Tool is a gadget that you EDC without knowing it's there until you need it. Raleigh is the son of Air Force officer, a outdoors enthusiast, hunter and fisher, automotive body mechanic by profession and now retired producer of custom knives. Work for ID Works he understooded as a personal challenge and the result is CRKT Spare Tool.

CRKT Spare Tool is a one-piece tool made of stainless steel 5Cr15MoV. To something, that at first glance looked like a piece of plane iron, was added a set of basic tools that may be needed in many situations and by EDC a Spare Tool you make a useful addition to any kit. CRKT Spare Tool comes with a molded Zytel sheath that has horisontal clip mounted for belt carry. Spare Tool has the following dimensions:

- Length 16cm
- Width 2cm
- Thickness of 2mm
- Weight 45g
- Blade length of 5.5 cm

Spare Tool is surface heat treated on hardness of 55-57 HRC it has wharncliff form of blade, and it is simple plain blade in chisel grind, which is generally characteristic of "working" tool. CRKT Spare Tool has opposite of the blade a pry tool part - or lever that can be used for the extraction of nails, wire stripping, opening a variety of cans and stuck drawers and do all those jobs that keeps your knife blade safe. Immediately behind this is hexagonal slice sizes ¼ "to serve for the attached twosized bit with standard philips and flat end which is located further down the handle in rubberised cutout. Although it’s not so great for recessed screws, however, may well serve for most of the screws that we encounter every day. Between these two slices is a bottle opener. On the spinal part of the handle there is a small indented area that replaces file, and is uniquely capable in its purpose. On both sides there is a ruler, with one in inches and the other in millimeters.

As someone who has worked as a trader in auto parts store, I can easily see all the use-value of backup tool. Oppening cardboard boxes, shredding, unpacking wooden boxes in which parts are delivered using a lever, removing tack, rivets and staples, measurement samples being issued to order parts, wrench and screw various screws, etc. These are all daily jobs for which I often walked up and down so I can broing the right tool because I hadn’t Spare Tool. Looking at this tool, I realized that life just got a little easier.

C.R.K.T. Tao Pen

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CRKT Tao Pen je još jedan od proizvoda koji dolazi iz ID Works laboratorije. Za dizajn ovog alata odgovoran je Allen Elishewitz koji je i sam svetski poznat proizvođač custom noževa iz Canyon Lake, Texas.

CRKT Tao Pen je nešto što možemo nazvati Tactical Pen, odnosno taktička olovka. Na ovim prostorima je veoma strana ideja „taktičkih“ proizvoda, a posebno olovaka, dakle šta je u pitanju. Tao Pen je kombinacija priručnog samoodbrambenog sredstva kubotan koji koristi presurne tačke na telu u cilju samoodbrane od napadača (više o kubotanu pogledajte ovde - Kubotan na Wikipedia - prim.aut.) i običnog svakodnevnog EDC predmeta kao što je olovka.

CRKT Tao Pen je napravljen od 6061 aluminijuma namenjenog vazduhoplovnoj industriji. Završna obrada je tvrdo eloksiranje po standardu HA III koji je vojni standard za ovu vrstu finiša. Columbia River Knives and Tools nije ništa prepustila slučaju, pa je tako ova olovka u potpunosti tvrdo eloksirana, kako spolja tako i iznutra. Tao Pen dolazi u nekoliko boja i dezena, maslinasto zelena, crna, braon, sa ili bez hromiranih prstenova. Dimenzije Tao Pena su:

-          Dužina zatvorena 14,5cm

-          Dužina otvorena 16cm

-          Prečnik na najširem delu 2cm

-          Težina 50gr

Na Tao Pen su narezani navoji tako da se poklopac skida odvijanjem, a takođe se i postavlja i osigurava na kraju olovke pomoću navoja. Navoj je stavljen zbog sigurnosti kako se poklopac ne bi izgubio, kao i kako bi se povećala čvrstina spojenih delova pri upotrebi u samoodbrani. Takođe na unutrašnjem navoju postoji i silikonski prsten. CRKT Tao Pen je opremljen Fisher Space Pen uloškom, koji je Fisher razvio za potrebe NASA. Ovaj uložak za hemijsku olovku je punjen pod pritiskom, ima kuglicu od tungsten karbida i tiksotropno mastilo (tiksotropija je sposobnost gelova i mastila da su u normalnim uslovima čvrsti i viskozni, dok se prilikom korištenja, tokom vremena i kada se izlože stresu ona „razređuju“ odnosno postaju tečnija i manje viskozna – prim.aut.) što omogućava da ova olovka piše u uslovima daleko ispod i/ili iznad nule, kao i pod vodom i nagnuta pod bilo kojim uglom.

Sistem upotrebe Tao Pen u samoodbrani se može opisati na sledeći način: na poklopcu olovke se nalazi krunasti završetak koji predstavlja tupi deo i služi za zadavanje udaraca ili snažne pritiske u predelu glave, vrata, zglobova, šaka, prepona i pazuha i sl. Druga strana ove olovke je sa dosta uskim završetkom koji nije zaobljen, tako da se ova strana olovke koristi za grebanje, pritiske i/ili udarce u sva meka tkiva, gde će mala površina pritiska naneti visok stepen bola napadaču. Treći način upotrebe je i najekstremniji i on podrazumeva da se poklopac odvrne i postavi na kraj olovke tako da se sam vrh olovke može upotrebiti za zadavanje udaraca u meka tkiva koji mogu dovesti i do prodiranja vrha u telo napadača. Sve ove tehnike samoodbrane mogu biti intuitivne, ali i naučene i uvežbane, a za sve ovo postoje mnogi kursevi tehnika upotrebe kubotana kojji se mogu pronaći čak i online.

Columbia River Knife and Tool’s Tao Pen je olovka izuzetne lepote i upotrebne vrednosti. Allen Elishewitz je u dizajn ove olovke preneo svoje višegodišnje iskustvo u borilačkim veštinama i postigao sklad dizajna, upotrebne vrednosti, jednostavnosti i lepote. Vremena u kojima živimo diktiraju potrebu za svesnosti o potrebi samoodbrane a upravo ovde Tao Pen dolazi do izražaja. Svojim izgledom može naći svoje mesto kako džepu policajca, vojnika, radnika ili običnog šetača, tako i na stolu generalnog direktora velike korporacije.

CRKT Tao Pen is one of the products that commes out of CRKT ID Works laboratory. Design of this tool belongs to Allen Elishewitz, who is a world-renowned manufacturer of custom knives from Canyon Lake, Texas.

CRKT Tao Pen is something that we can call “the Tactical Pen”. “Tactical” products are a bit strange to this region, especially pens, then what is at stake. Tao Pen is a combination of self defencive tool called kubotan which uses pressure points on the body for self-defense against an attacker (more on kubotan see here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubotan ) and the common everyday object EDC such as a pen.

CRKT Tao Pen is made of 6061 aluminum intended for the aeronautical industry with HA III hard anodized finish. Columbia River Knives and Tools went on high end road and made hard anodized finish on both outside and inside surfaces. Tao Pen is available in several colors and patterns, olive drab, black, brown, with or without chrome rings. Dimensions of Tao Pen are:

- Length closed 14.5cm
- Length open 16cm
- Diameter at the widest part 2cm
- Weight 50g

Tao Pen has threads so that you screw or unscrew lid to open it, and screw and unscrew lid on the back of the pen. This is made to secure lid and to enhance stiffness of entire pen used as kubotan for self defence. CRKT Tao Pen is equipped with a Fisher Space Pen refill, which was developed by Fisher for NASA. This cartridge for the pen is filled under pressure, a ball of tungsten carbide and thixotropic ink (Thixotropy is the property of certain gels or fluids that are thick (viscous) under normal conditions, but flow (become thin, less viscous) over time when shaken, agitated, or otherwise stressed.) which allows the pen to write in extreme conditions far below and / or above zero, under water and at any angle.

Using Tao Pen in self-defense can be described as follows: on the cover of pen is the crown end which is blunt and is used for setting shocks or strong pressure in the head, neck, wrists, hands, groin and armpits. The other side of the pen has narrower end that isn’t curved so that this side of pen can be used for scratching, pressure and / or strokes in all soft tissue, where even the low pressure can cause a high degree of pain to attacker. The third way to use is the most extreme one and this means to turn off the lid and put it at end to a pencil so that the top of the pen can be used for placing strokes into the soft tissue that can lead to penetration in the body. All these techniques of self-defense may be intuitive, but also learned and trained, and for all this there are many courses for kubotan techniques which can be found, even online.

Columbia River Knife and Tool's Tao Pen is of exceptional beauty and value. Allen Elishewitz passed his years of experience in martial arts in this pen and achieves harmony of design, use value, simplicity and beauty. The times in which we live dictate the need for awareness for self-defense, and right here Tao Pen comes in handy. Tao Pen can find it’s place in pocket’s of law enforcement, army personel, workers, but allso has it’s place even on CEO’s desk besides important contract which waits for signature.