Genuine Innovations Air Chuck Elite

I have been very satisfied with the Xlab Microflate CO2 chuck that I currently take with me on the bike.  It is small, light, and simple to use.  My only complaint is that..at least for me...the twist-to-inflate method can be a little tricky.  Basically, you insert the CO2 cartridge into the chuck and screw it all the way in to pierce the cartridge.  Then you back it off a quarter of a turn to release the pressure and inflate the tire.  More than once I have turned the cartridge a little too far and wasted some of the CO2.  So, when the seal degraded on my Microflate, I went shopping online and found the Genuine Innovations Air Chuck Elite.  It appears to be manufactured by the same company that supplies Xlab.  It is also small and light, but employs a push-to-inflate method where you completely seat the cartridge to puncture it, then press the chuck against the tire to inflate.  When you release the hand pressure on the chuck, the flow of compressed air stops.  To me this is the preferred method.  If you don't mind the twist-to-inflate method, the replacement for the Microflate seems to be the Nanoflate, which is about $5 cheaper than the Air Chuck Elite.  They both work on Presta and Schrader valves and use threaded CO2 cartridges.  One thing that I wish they had retained from the Microflate chuck is the threaded nozzle which actually screwed onto a Schrader valve.  Obviously it's not necessary since plenty of pumps and CO2 chucks don't have it, but it was something that I liked about the Microflate that I wish they had retained.  Other than that, the Air Chuck Elite is my choice for CO2 inflation.         

 

 

http://www.genuineinnovations.com/air-chuck-elite.html

Garmin Forerunner 305

 

Garmin Forerunner 110

 

Luminox Sentry

Luminox has come out with the Sentry line of watches, priced around the $200 range.  This may finally be the (affordable) Luminox for me.  It's slighly smaller than the Colormark Series and a good 3mm bigger than the 40mm diameter Night View series.  It also has a smoother bezel than the Colormark, which I think makes it more suitable to wear as an everyday casual watch.  It is available with a black or white face.  The only thing that bothers me about the Sentry is that they have dropped half of the Tritium gas tubes in comparison to the Colormark or Night View.  Instead of a marker for every hour there are markers on every other hour, and there is no marker on the Seconds hand.  I know that Luminox was trying to bring out a nicer watch at a low price point, but it always gets me when a company does so by cutting back on the technology that attracts people to the brand in the first place.  Still, it is a very affordable watch, more of something I would wear everyday vs. the Colormark, and it has that Luminox quality.         

Guardian Expedition LED Lights

Last year was my first year of running through the winter. Luckily it doesn't get too cold here, but since the sun is usually down by the time I get home, I did have to get used to running in the dark. I found out pretty quickly that once I leave my neighborhood streetlights are few and far between. A headlamp solved the problem of me being able to see the road, but even with reflective gear I still had problems with drivers swerving at the last minute as if they didn't see me. It was a particular problem on a long curving stretch of road where I believe that their headlights didn't hit me until the last minute. So, I started looking into lights to alert the drivers from more of a distance. After a lot of trial and error, I think the Guardian Expedition LED lights are the best. They are light and EXTREMELY bright, and come with a very strong clip that holds well to your waist band, the strap on the back of your running hat, or the arm band for an iPod. They are so bright that you can still see them clearly if you have them on your waist band and your shirt is covering them. You turn them on and off by twisting the lens cap, and by unscrewing the lens cap and flipping the batteries, you can change the light from strobe mode to steady mode. The last light I had was made for a bike and had the switch on the back, and the cool thing about the lens cap system is that I can easily switch them off when I get to a part of my route where I don't need them. There are several mounting options available so you could easily use them on a bicycle, and they are available in different colors. I got mine in blue and I'm pretty sure from the way a few people have jacked on their brakes that they not only see me but also might have mistaken me for a police car on a traffic stop. If you are looking for a good high visibility light for night running, I would highly recommend these. I got mine from Night Gear at http://www.night-gear.com/

Luminox Model 822

Stuff A Guy Really Needs: Luminox Model 822


I have an obsession with time. I don't know why, and I don't try to analyze it, except to think that it has something to do with being a chronic procrastinator. I have watches and clocks all over the place, and every once in a while I get fixated on one in particular.


The current object of my watch lust is the Luminox Model 822.


There's really nothing special about the watch itself, and I have a Citizen Eco-Drive that has the same functions and looks almost the same. So, as my wife always says, why do I want another watch? Because I can't stand not being able to see my watch in the dark. I remember when I was a kid, I had a watch where the hands would glow all night long, and I could set it on my nightstand and see it clearly. It didn't have that annoying backlighting that digital clocks have, and I didn't have to press a button to make it light up. I just looked over and it was there. Simple and effective. It glowed all night because it had radioactive material painted onto the hands and numbers that gave off it's own greenish light.
Well, somewhere along the line they stopped using the radioactive stuff and went to a bioluminescent paint which glows for a certain period after being exposed to light. How long it glows, apparently, is determined by how thick the paint is applied. Cheaper watches have less paint. Anyway, most of the watches I have glow for a couple of hours or so, and since I usually wake up around 3 a.m or so, this is no good. There is a new paint callled SuperLuminova that is supposed to glow brighter and longer, but I want one that, basically, will be glowing when I pull it out of a drawer after it's sat there in the dark for three days. I mean, what if I got caught in a mine cave-in? True, it's unlikely, but it could happen. I'd be screwed.
Then I found the Luminox, which is one of the more inexpensive watches that still use self-powered (radioactive) luminescence. On each hand and at each hour marking, there is a micro-tube containing tritium gas. The gas gives off it's own light and is guarranteed to glow continuously for twenty five years. Other manufacturer's use this technology, but the watches are much more expensive. Luminox offers models down to $179.
The Luminox Model 822 has just taken the Number 1 spot on my "got to have it" list.