It was another awesome year attending the SHOT show in Las Vegas. We spend 3 full days there and even that isn’t really enough to truly see it all. We look for business opportunities, partnerships, and other ways to grow Rapid Defense. Part of that is looking at all of the cool new gear and staying on top of trends so we can better serve you.
Here are our favorite 10 things we saw this year, along with some disappointments.
10. Eotech Vudu 3-9 Scope. This thing was affordable, light, very clear, and is smallest medium power scope on the market as far as we know. This would make a great scope on a light weight carbine or scout rifle. This scope is a great addition the awesome Vudu line and more reticles and FFP on the way according to Eotech.
9. Outdoor Research Allies II Collection. The next version of the Allies collection drops in August, but they had the full line on display. This outer wear is some of the best out there, well worth the cost. The collection features waterproof shell options along with insulated jackets and pants. Their synthetic down is much better than primaloft and some of the other well-known options out there. Layer less with this very well fitting gear that makes shooting easier.
8. Holosun Iris laser. The highly anticipated Iris 3 was released a month before SHOT and was the main attraction in the Holosun booth. The laser is compact and user friendly. The intuitive sliding illuminator lever is perfectly stiff and the controls on the back are easy to use. The performance is going to put the other budget laser options on notice, but don’t expect it to compete with the high end options like the Raid Xe or MAWL. The soon-to-be-released 4 with white light features also looks promising.
7. Tasmanian Tiger Assault Pack 2. Not a new item per se, but with TT growing in the US, the gear is getting easier to find. The Assault Pack is a high end convertible pack that works as a stand alone backpack, or addition to the back of any plate carrier or chest rig. It comes with 4 different strap options (including MOLLE) and is the perfect size for a day. Plus, some of the attachment options allow you to easily access the pack without removing your carrier, something many other bags lack.
6. Z-Bolt ACAL laser. Z-Bolt is already doing amazing things with LEP technology, pushing the capabilities of flash lights beyond anything else in the weapon-light market. Their new ACAL, due out in Q2, incorporates advanced VCSEL tech with bore-centered lasers in a durable, well-laid out form factor. We believe these will be one of the top performers in the civilian laser market with a price tag of about $1400.
5. NocPix Lumis H35 thermal scanner. NocPix, an IRAY brand, has finally made its way to the states after doing well in the European thermal market. They make excellent thermals jam-packed with features and high end specs. The Lumis H35 is one particular option that checks all the boxes without breaking the bank. Sleek form, multi-color palettes, 640 detection, 1024 screen, and advanced processing to give the user high end viewing at a low price point.
4. CRKT Provoke X folding axe. This sleek, spring loaded axe was fun to check out. It’s high quality, easy to use, and extremely packable. Its slim design will make it a great companion in a camping/go bag, vehicle kit, or carrier set up. It features a safety lock to prevent accidental opening, and pops open with a simple flick of the wrist.
3. Staccato HD and MecGar Glock mags. The new Staccato HD took the market by storm in the past few weeks and seeing it in person did not disappoint. It feels awesome in the hand, even better you might say than your traditional 2011. They added an extended safety out of the box, included the new MecGar metal Glock mags, and kept all of the Staccato quality you would expect. The new mags give shooters 3 more rounds in a G19 mag and +1 in a G17 mag. They are designed to work with stock Glock safeties as well and drop at $29.
2. Ace Link level 3+ lightweight plates. We were shocked when we saw these. The new lightweight level 3+ plates come in at 1.8lbs and .5 inches thick. The current 3+ offering is almost an inch thick and weigh 4.5lbs. The difference is massive. Curved variants are available soon and all of the protection ratings are the same. Price is not expected to be much more than other level 3+ plates.
1. Safran TAD thermal fusion clip-on. Yea, we know this is a niche item. But if you are into night vision and have drooled over the ECOTI, the TAD might be your solution. Safran ditched all of the less needed features and military requirements of the ECOTI to fit a fully functional unit into a smaller package. It weighs a few ounces and clips onto most NV housings. So for $6,500 instead of $10,000+, you get thermal fusion technology that takes your NODS to a whole new level. Wow!
Now for some things we found kind of disappointing.
1. Keltec PR57. We know Keltec is sort of a niche product and kudos to them for always pushing the limits of firearms design and technology. We were excited to check out the new PR57, a 5.7 pistol designed to circumvent draconian magazine limit laws. This mostly polymer pistol has a top loading design using stripper clips and a unique rotating barrel lock up. Cool in theory, very rough in practice. Loading was difficult, the trigger was mediocre, the slide fit/lock up was gritty, and there is no holster compatibility. The take-down functionality was neat though, requiring the trigger to be pushed forward (away from the grip) to unlock the slide.
2. Glock. Yea, Glock in general. Nothing new, though we were not surprised or expecting anything. But every year they have a massive booth and then your usual collection of Glocks. Even if you like Glocks like we do, there really isn’t anything to get excited about. Hopefully someday we will have something new to check out. The new COA optics collab with Aimpoint seems cool though, so maybe that will become the new design standard for optics mounting.
3. HK CC9. We were excited about HK’s first true foray into the US concealed carry market when the CC9 was announced a few months ago. The pistol has a very sleek, snag-free design but thats where our excitement ended. It doesn’t look like an HK, the trigger was just OK, and the grip seemed a departure from the ergos of previous HK pistols. I am sure they will sell a lot of them, but I wasn’t impressed enough to want to switch from the G43x, P365, or Shield.
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