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2024-12-21

Loop Switch

I’ve been carrying the Loop Switch earplugs everyday for the past 13 months now. A couple months ago, Loop replaced this model with the Switch 2. This v2 Switch looks to be a minor incremental upgrade, but overall the same product. I think my impressions of the v1 Switch are still relevant.

The Switch is an earplug with a rotary mechanism that allows the attenuation to be adjusted between three different modes:

Quiet (v1: 25 dB SNR, v2: 26 dB SNR)
Experience (v1: 21 dB SNR, v2: 23 dB SNR)
Engage (v1: 17 dB SNR, v2: 20 dB SNR)

My most frequent application for earplugs is nightclubbing. Having three modes on a single pair of plugs, which can be adjusted in-ear, is a really great capability in this application. If I happen to find myself near a speaker, I can crank them up to Quiet. Then when I join the cool kids in the back, I dial them down to Engage and can carry on a conversation with someone while still being protected. At shows with multiple artists I often find myself setting them to Experience for an opener, going down to Engage between sets, and then up to Quiet for the headliner.

I have not found any other earplug that offers anything quite like this. There are others that have multiple filters that you can swap between, but the earplugs need to be removed from your ear to do that. And even then, trying to mess around with taking out one small part and install another, in the dark, in the middle of Club Hel, is not a winning strategy.

Previously, my preferred plugs were the SureFire EP3 Sonic Defenders. These are in a somewhat similar vein as the Loop Switch, in that they have filter caps that can be opened or closed to adjust the attenuation. I find the Switch to be superior. The Sonic Defenders offer 24 dB SNR when the caps are closed, which is good, but only 11 dB SNR when the caps are open. This isn’t much, so I find that my for use cases the Sonic Defenders only really get used in cap-closed mode. The range of attenuation offered by the Switch (both v1 and v2) is a more useful neighborhood for the environments I operate in.

The mechanical nature of the Switch means that the body itself is a rigid plastic. This makes them inappropriate for sleeping. At least, if you spend any time on your side. They don’t stick out much, but they do so enough that sleeping on them is uncomfortable. I bought a pair of Loop Quiet 2 earplugs this summer for sleeping. These are entirely made of a soft silicone, and I find them comfortable to wear all night. I do not sleep with earplugs regularly, but anytime I’m on the road I throw the Quiets in my bag (along with the Switch – they’re small enough that I’m fine with carrying both sets) in case the hotel or campsite or redoubt or whatever is loud.

I’ve worn the Switch for multiple consecutive hours, and find them to be perfectly comfortable (as long as you are not laying on them). With other plugs it’s often a relief to finally remove them, not because they cause any discomfort when installed, but just because they feel like they’ve been cutting me off from the world for a few hours. Removing them is like coming up for a breath of air – a breathe the free air again my friend sort of moment. Not so with the Switch, I think because I am periodically dropping them down to Engage mode when appropriate. Sometimes I forget to take them out for a while after leaving.

The Switch comes with four different sizes of silicone tips to adjust the fit. Replacement tips are available to extend the life of the tool.

The dial of the Switch has a small tab protruding. This provides a haptic reference point for what mode is selected, and gives you something to grab on to when moving the dial. It works well enough for switching the dial between Quiet and Experience modes. But Engage mode is the most anterior position on the dial, and when in that mode I find the tab slips underneath my tragus. It is small enough that this causes no discomfort, but the smallness also means it can be difficult to get purchase on the tab to pull the dial back to either of the other two modes. I have to slip a fingernail under there to grab it, which sometimes takes a couple seconds to get right. This is the only negative thing I have to say about the Switch, and I am told this was fixed on the Switch 2. It is not enough of an annoyance to make me want to move to new model while my current ones are still working fine, but I look forward to someday upgrading.

All of the earplugs offered by Loop feel a little overpriced, but the two models I have are good products, and I think it’s great that they are trying to normalize PPE into a fashion accessory. I want more of that in the world.

2024-12-12

gear, stationery

Spark Joy

I have a rule that I am allowed to purchase certain goods whenever I both can afford to do so and think that I may possibly have a use for them. It is a small list, including items such as Voile straps, Abloy Protec2 padlocks, and Pelican cases. Even if the specific model I purchase ends up not working for whatever project I currently have in mind, I can always use more of these items, and will never regret the purchase¹. In the parlance of our times, these items spark joy.

Recently I determined that my zibaldoni situation was getting out of hand. I had completed notebooks in two different locations, empty notebooks in three, and accoutrements like covers and inserts all over the place. “Self,” I said to myself, “This situation will not stand.” But it seemed like the perfect excuse to buy another Pelican case. I trawled eBay for a week until I found a good deal on a used yellow 1450. This now holds all notebooks, along with their directly related accessories. It sits on top of a cabinet next to my other 1450 (a previous eBay find). I figure I’ve got space for at least two more.

Notes

↵ Purchases of all other durable goods go through a protracted, multi-day period of hem and haw, where I ask myself: do I really need this thing, is the particular model I'm eyeing really the best suited to the problem I am trying to solve, will the item work in the short run but cause me to have regrets later on, etc.

This article was modified 2024-12-13.

2024-12-04

edc, gear, defense, review

Clipped, Hot, and Metro

ASP recently redesigned their Metro Defender OC sprays to include a clip. This is an excellent addition. Some years ago I had tried to find add-on pen clips that may work on my old Defenders, but had no success. Previously I used a Blue Force Gear mag pouch to keep the OC in place on my Raven Pocket Shield. Now I can clip it to the shield directly, for less bulk in the pocket. Much speed, little drag.

ASP is also now including UV dye in their cartridges. This is a good thing. The cartridge itself is identical to the old ones. The new ones with the UV dye will work in the old clipless Defenders. The old cartridges without the UV will work in the newly clipped Defenders.

The way the head and body thread together on the new clipped models is different. A head from an old Defender cannot be attached to the new body, nor can the new head attach to the old body. I have made my peace with this.

The new head does have a logo on it, which is disappointing. Previously the head and body were both sterile. The pocket clip is attached to the body, which means it is below the logo on the head. The clip can be spun around freely, but given the way the safety works, if you were carrying this clipped into a shirt pocket you want the clip positioned such that the logo was facing outward. Anybody looking at you could see the thing in your shirt pocket, which otherwise looks vaguely pen-like, says ASP on it. This is a problem that I will probably eventually solve with tape or nail polish or sandpaper.

The clip (and UV dye) make a good tool better. I have been carrying the new one in my pocket for the past couple months, and have my older clipless models relegated to applications where a clip does not matter.

I still find it useful to apply skateboard grip tape to the safety. One time I tried hockey stick grip tape, but it did not really contribute anything useful. Something with more chutzpa is wanted.

Prior to these design updates, ASP also renamed the product line. The model previously called the “Key” is now the “D2”. This is the one that I like. (I ultimately decided that the smaller one – “D1”, nee “Palm” – didn’t float my boat.)

When I bought my two units in September, I could find no dealers who had updated their product photography to show the clip, nor was it clear what version they were selling. I ordered from ASP directly (and paid their ridiculous shipping fee) to ensure that I got the clip.

2024-09-21

gear, bicycle, review

Ghostrider Equipment Kermode

I wanted to carry bear spray on my recent tour through grizz country. A stem bag, such as the imitable Revelate Mountain Feedbag works well for this, but the two stem bags that are always part of my touring luggage system are already used for other purposes. There’s a number of people out there selling solutions to the problem of how to carry bear spray on a bicycle. I looked at all the ones I could find online, and chose the Ghostrider Equipment Kermode.

Ghostrider offers their holster in a direct mount option, where it attaches to standard bottle cage bosses. This would require giving up a bottle cage, which is unappealing to me. They also offer a universal mount option, which just includes two Voile Nano straps. I bought the universal option so that I could mount the holster any place I could dream up. I ended up strapping it down near the top of the down tube, canted to the right-hand side. This did not interfere with any of the other equipment that gets attached to my bike in touring mode, and allowed for a quick and easy draw. The position also did not interfere with drawing my bottle to the right-hand side from its down tube cage.

The holster worked out great. It carried an 8.1 oz can of Counter Assault bear seasoning perfectly. No rattling or moving around, yet easy to pop out with minimal effort.

Ghostrider includes an extra retention strap that can wrap around the can. Its use is optional, and mostly for peace of mind when flying down rocky trail. I kept it on while I was riding. For me, carrying the bear spray was mostly about having it in camp. I wanted the can to be accessible all the time, but I didn’t think it likely that I would have an argument with a bear while riding down the highway. I decided that the extra motion required to unhook the retention strap was acceptable. But an important factor in this decision was that I knew that if I did not keep that strap secured, I would never see it again.

This is my one complaint about the holster. Neither end of the retention strap is well secured to the holster itself. Both are just pulled over open hooks that are molded into the holster. When using the strap to wrap around a can, the tension keeps it in place. But when you flick off one end to release the can, the other end of the strap can easily fall off. Losing it eventually is pretty much guaranteed if you don’t keep both ends hooked. And it is some sort of proprietary doohickey, not something you can easily replace. I like that the strap can be completely removed, but I’d also like to be able to attach just one end and trust that it’ll still be there when next I look down. I also think it could work just as well if it was simply a piece of shock cord, which could be easily replaced if the user does misplace (or break) it.

This complaint is minor, as the holster does hold the can securely enough for my riding even without the extra strap. It is an excellent solution to the problem of carrying bear spray on a bike.

2024-09-19

gear, bicycle

Securing Dropouts

When packing a bike for air travel or shipping, at least one wheel usually must be removed. This leaves the fork or rear dropout susceptible to damage if inward force is applied to the void where the hub of the removed wheel would usually be. Some sort of rigid spacer must be inserted into the axle space to prevent this. Rolled-up cardboard is a common disposable solution.

When searching to see if there was a better solution to this, I came across a post on Bicycles Stack Exchange:

The best and cheapest way to protect your fork and rear drop out is to use a fully threaded bolt, four large washers and four butterfly nuts. A washer and butterfly nut goes inside on both sides and the same is attached on the outside of both sides. Tighten the two interior butterflies against the washers where they are snug and not pushing the frame/fork out past its limits. Then tighten the butterflies on the outside firmly inward, to immobilize the fork or rear dropout.

For the past 20 years, I have been shipping approximately 100-200 bikes to the east coast and back for a yearly event, and this has kept all bikes shipped without damage. It costs approximately $3-5. Soft sided cases are terrible unless there’s a frame involved, and that’s usually marginal.

If I could post a photo of the item I would, but I’m not sure how. In the diagram below, F is the fork or frame, - is bolt or threaded rod, { is a butterfly nut or wing nut, and | is a washer.

- } | F | { - - - } | F | { -

I thought this was a great idea, made even better by the fact that I use Pitlock security skewers on my bikes.

Pitlock skewers usually are just threaded on the business end, with the rest of the rod being smooth. But I recalled seeing that Pitlock also offered fully threaded 240mm joker skewers. Switching to these allows me to implement the above solution with my normal skewer and Pitlock bits, with only the addition of two M5 fender washers and wing nuts (per wheel). That’s only an additional 9 grams (per wheel) to add to my touring kit.

I used this solution on my recent Redoubt tour around Idaho and Montana. It worked great on both flights, despite TSA’s comical attempt to repack the box after inspection on my return flight. The box I rescued from my local bike shop was long enough that I only had to remove the front wheel (and front fender and front rack), so I didn’t have to use this trick on the rear dropouts. I still packed the two washers and wing nuts for the rear in case I found myself with a smaller box for the flight home. They’re small enough and light enough that I don’t mind packing them just-in-case.

I’m glad to have a permanent solution to this problem. So far I have only purchased a single pair of the fully threaded skewers for my new touring bike, but I’ll probably buy a second pair to replace the normal Pitlock skewers on my road bike in case I ever decide to fly with that one.

2024-07-25

gear, bicycle, bondage

Further Developments in Bondage

Back when I began using ROK Straps, I added ITW Web Dominators to control the tail-end of the strap. This tail-end has a sewn-in loop, just like the loops that are used to connect the strap to the mounting platform. Years later somebody told me that you are meant to run this tail-end loop through the male side of the buckle, thus securing the excess without any need for Web Dominators or Velcro OneWrap or any such tomfoolery. This is obvious in retrospect, but I didn’t realize it until it was pointed out to me.

I removed my Web Dominators and have not looked back. Looping the Rok Strap through itself in this matter allows you to more quickly adjust the length of the strap, as you do not need to take the time to roll or unroll and secure the tail-end. It works great both when the straps are not in use and stowed flat on the rack, and when they are expanded out to secure a large load.

2024-07-24

gear, eyewear, review

Celyfos Spectacle Protection

Back in 2022 I purchased a Celyfos case for my Rudy Rydons. The case is one my favorite things. The leather is beautiful. The front of the case is made of a stiff double layer of veg-tan, with a nubuck lining to protect the lenses. The shape and rigidity of this piece protects the eyewear from downward pressure applied along the top of the case. The internal nose bridge is leather on top of a plastic liner. This protects the eyewear from pressure applied along the front face of the case, toward the lenses. You could still damage the temple arms of your optics by placing a well aimed butt-cheek on the rear of the case, but the case will not be deformed by typical negligent abuse. I have no concern about blindly throwing the case into a pack where it may be tossed around or buried under heavy things. The sports model, sold for Oakley glasses, fits the Rudy Rydons perfectly.

When I refreshed my Julbo Micropores I decided that they deserved a Celyfos case of their own. I went with the medium-sized Atlas model. This one has the same thick leather and overbuilt nose bridge as the sports-wrap case, but also includes a plastic liner between the leather layers of the front face. The liner offers even greater crush resistance. Now that I can compare both side-by-side, I think that the sports model, without the liner, is stiff enough just by the nature of the leather and well thought out design that the addition of the plastic liner probably does not offer much practical advantage.

Unfortunately the new case is not a perfect fit for the Micropores. The Micropores have ear hooks that extend down below the bottom of the lens. This raises the spectacles in the case, preventing the nose bridge of the case from fully supporting the eyewear. They still fit in the case, but the peak of the Micropore’s nose bridge is slightly proud of the front of the case. Top-down pressure will be applied directly to the glasses, rather than being intercepted by the case’s rigid front piece. The case still succeeds in protecting against pressure applied along the front face of the case, towards the lenses.

I am still pleased with the new case. I am confident it will protect the Micropores adequately for my use. I think it would only be improved upon by designing a case specific to the typical shape of classic glacier glasses, similar to how the Rydon case is designed specifically to the unique contours of typical sports-wrap eyewear.

Celyfos cases are made-to-order in an Athens atelier, so some customization is possible. For both of mine, I specified black thread, brass hardware, and had my surname embossed.

2024-07-19

gear, eyewear

Micropore Refresh

In 2008 I purchased a pair of Julbo Micropore glacier glasses from Opticus. This was before PRK, so I needed prescription lenses.

At that time, Opticus was the main (perhaps only) supplier of prescription glacier glasses for the US Antarctic Program and Raytheon Polar Services. Opticus sent me the frames with the prescription lenses installed, but included the uninstalled standard Julbo lenses in the package.

After my surgical shine job I installed the standard lenses, but still did not get back into the habit of wearing the Micropore glasses. They had quite a few miles on them by then. Both the nose pads and the rubber covers on ear hooks at the end of the temple arms were torn up, which diminished their comfort. And outside of deployments under Special Circumstances – like being on a glacier (do they still have those?) – the Micropores are not as functional as my Rudy Rydons. They fail to meet my simple sunglass criteria. Yet they are fun to wear, and unlike sports-wrap style spectacles like the Rydons, the Micropores fold down flat (more so if you do not have the leather side shields installed, as I usually do not). That is attractive for travel when you want to be able to store your spectacles without taking up a lot of space in a bag.

Julbo discontinued the Micropores I-don’t-know-how-many years ago. I think the modern equivalent is the Julbo Cham. But I recently learned that Julbo still offers spare Micropore parts. When I saw that, I jumped at the chance to refresh my pair. I purchased new temple arms, a new nose pad, and a new nose bridge.

I couldn’t actually figure out how to remove the old nose bridge. But once I removed everything that was obviously removable, I was able to clean my original nose bridge and decided that I didn’t actually need to replace that part (and my old one was already sanitized). The temple arms and nose pad were simple to replace.

The aggressive curve of the ear-hooks on this style of spectacles does not work well with the cable retention I use on the Rydons. Nor is such a thing necessary to keep them on your face – those big hooks keep them secure. But I do like the option of having some sort of lanyard so that I can drop the glasses and let them hang around my neck. This is especially useful given that the lenses are not photochromic. The Micropores originally came with a simple nylon cord, but I don’t know what happened to that. Now I am using a Chums Tech Cord. It is an injection molded piece of silicone, and about as simple as it gets. I like it.

The Micropores remain inferior to the Rydons, but I’m enjoying wearing them again intermittently. It is pleasing to be able to buy new components and rebuild old equipment. Eventually I may get custom cut lenses.