5D Maglite and SOG Seal Pup!

I picked up a 5D cell Maglite from Craigslist for $5 a few days ago, I had to pay twice that for the batteries but the light itself is brand new! I also got a SOG Seal Pup with a Nylon sheath for helping install an antenna into a 4Runner (That was a pain to do). The Maglite is something I have wanted for a long time, I have had 3 or 4 over the years but they were always the 3D lights, the 5D I have wanted just because it is basically a baton that lights up, I EDC a 200 lumen Surefire so I have no need for a dim battery hog!

I had to add one slight modification to the light though, that being
a piece of paper, seriously. The batteries rattled quite loudly. Wrapping the batteries in a regular sheet of paper quieted it right down.

This little paper trick is not mine, I frequent Candle Power quite often and picked the trick up there. Basically it's just wrapping a sheet of paper around the batteries like so:

The paper adds thickness to the cells, this makes them contact the sides and remain immobile. It does take some persuasion to get the paper wrapped cells in though because the paper will tear easily, i find a screwdriver style motion works best to insert the cells, just shoving it in will tear the paper and jam the cells which, believe me, makes them a pain to remove!

The light itself is pretty lightweight until the 5 D cells are added, at least 4/5ths of the weight are the batteries. the anodized aluminum is not very heavy at all but is quite sturdy, I have yet to run it over with my truck but given as it is staying in there and I'm now curious it probably won't be long before I do.

5 D length won't completely fit in my door pocket so it stays like this until I mount it on the side of the shifter surround. The mounts I want to get are very cheap I just have not done it yet. I'm looking at getting a Hi-Lift jack soon so I might go ahead and get them too, I might not.

The tailcap holds an extra bulb for the light just in case which is a nice feature for a light that will barely get used and might not have a good bulb first try... but I might get a Mac's Customs Mag Drop-In which would defeat the purpose of this but then I would have to block one of the cells off as well as pay 20 times what I paid for the light itself, and thats not including the NIMH batteries needed for full power either. Then again, 4 hours of runtime at 800 lumens is not bad...

 Anyways, the light is going to ride in my truck for "defense" and when I want to show off a massive light. The SOG Seal Pup is also going in my truck, but in the glovebox instead of the door pocket. I plan on keeping the SOG for prying and use as a camp knife of sorts, I already had a cheap Spyderco knock-off that was fully serrated but that's now going in my emergency box.

 The Seal Pup is made of AUS-6 steel which is pretty cheap, it's also made in Taiwan which I don't like either, but the knife was free (sort of, I got it for helping hook up an antenna) and will not see heavy use so I'm not going to complain too much about that, I will say that I would not buy this knife with the other options that are out there. Anyways, it rides in my glovebox along with a cheap 7-LED Autozone light, the cable you see is my iPod cable for my headunit.

My Razel really gives the Seal Pup a run for its money here, while the Seal Pup is a dedicated fixed blade knife meant for stabbing and general tactical use, the Razel has better steel, better prying ability, better edge retention, and the stabbing ability is debatable as shown here.The Razel is also right around half the price of the Seal Pup for the CRKT Folding Razel, while the "real" Graham Brothers Razel is about twice the price or more depending.

I will say that the Seal Pup is quite menacing, the blade style and shape are intimidating to say the least. It has a great combination of serrated and fine edge and the handle is very grippy. As I said earlier this will be a camp knife of sorts, general medium duty cutting and sawing, light to medium prying, and a just in case weapon if for some reason my Maglite is unavailable or a knife would deter an attacker better (I really hope I never have to use it like that).

The powder coating is very nice as is the serration which is barely visible in this picture. There is also a thumb ramp right above the logo for extra grip in a sawing hold. Overall as I said there are better options out there for $100, but the knife is not a bad knife, it just could be better. I will test it on an upcoming camping trip (along with much of my other gear) and post a full shakedown.