In spite of the demands of life over the past year, I have not been letting the grass grow under my feet. Several projects that have been in the works for some time are nearing fruition. Some of the more particularly exciting are listed below:
1. D-RMor Gear Blades- These have been on the drawing board since at least 2011. As a huge fan of both the fixed blade and the Karambit-ring, (as well as the close-quarters blade shapes embodied in the Japanese Tanto and Viking Seax), and finding nothing currently available to satisfy my needs, I decided to design them myself. After many revisions, and redesigns, I settled on three designs that would provide end users with blades that would suit most possible training backgrounds.
In extreme-stress scenarios, fine motor skill goes away. Manipulating a folder (yes, even an assisted-folder), becomes quite difficult. Gross motor skill rules the day. Having a fixed-blade with an ring to index on makes gross-motor skill deployment and manipulation much easier.
Blade length was also a prime consideration. Having a blade in less-permissive environments is of vital importance, and in nearly all jurisdictions, a sub-3″ blade keeps you legal. This blade length does not sacrifice capability, and ensuring you always have a knife in all situations is an essential habit.
Blade geometry/materials/finish was chosen after having used many, many knives over decades. The blade geometries are designed for simple, close-range techniques. The EDK-1A is more functional in cutting, with a blade-shape inspired by the Tanto, but gives up nothing in the thrust. The EDK-2A and EDK-3A, inspired by the Norse Seax, are primarily designed for the thrust, with the EDK-3 intended to enhance the overhand grip. The blades will have the option of either G10 or canvas micarta, in multiple colors. The blades will be available in either D2 or CPM-3V. And Nickel Boron, Black DLC,Ferritic Nitrocarburization, or gold Titanium nitride to keep corrosion from ever being an issue.
I am confident that there are currently no other blades that embody all of these design features.
2. D-Rmor Gear SpreePreventionBag(TM)- In the past few years, things have definitely gotten a bit more…interesting in society. Violence and mass shootings are becoming more frequent. Being a designer (and end-user) of armor, I am always looking to improve my extant designs, making them more comfortable (and thus, wearable). But there are some scenarios that make wearing armor difficult. One of these scenarios was brought home in a very personal fashion a few years ago, after a very public shooting in a popular shopping area. I and my family had been at the venue mere hours prior to the incident.
Due to the day’s heat, and being a rather “trendy” venue, wearing concealed armor had not been an option. That was the point I started designing what was to eventually become the SpreePreventionBag(TM).
My considerations were to make something that could be carried anywhere, ensuring that myself or a loved-one would always have armor in the event of an Active/Mass Shooter type event. It had to be “Non-Obvious” in appeareance (color pallete could not include “tactical” or “camo” colors), had to be small enough to be handy, but big enough to be useful and provide coverage when folded out. It also had to fit a wide range of body types and sizes.
The finalized design does all of these things. Deployable in under 20 seconds, it goes from carryall to protective vest with a minimum of fuss and fiddling. It will also be able to accommodate eventual D-Rmor Gear rifle armor.
The SpreePreventionBag(TM) will be available for pre-order in Spring of 2017.
3. Frag-Tuf(TM) Magazine Pouch- The D-Rmor Gear SpallGuard does an excellent job at soaking up secondary fragmentation from bullet strikes on rifle armor, but what about secondary frag from outside of the plate pocket? Specifically, full magazines? Rounds impacting full rifle mags tend to create a cloud of razor-sharp, high velocity brass fragments which pose a grave threat to the face and throat. Thus, my design for the Fra-Tuf(TM) pouch. Designed to incorporate the same material used in the popular and effective SpallGuard, the Frag-Tuf(TM) stops and absorbs a large percentage of the secondary fragmentation in the event of a mag-strike. Designed to be light, strong, and functional, the Frag-Tuf(TM) will utilize standard attachment methods to secure to LBVs and Plate carriers. Initially to be offered in single-mag 30-round AR configuration, more options are planned.
The Frag-Tuf(TM) Mag pouch will be available for pre-order in Spring of 2017.
4. The ContactGuard(TM) Laminate Upgrade- Laminate armor panels (both UHMWPE and Aramid-Based), while providing excellent ballistic protection for the weight, suffer from several well-known drawbacks, one of the most dangerous being their susceptibility to contact shots (see my August 13th 2014 post https://drmorgear.wordpress.com/2014/08/13/shoot-test-contact-shots-vs-uhmwpe-soft-armor/ for graphic demonstration). To counter this weakness, and provide an option for those that either cannot or will not go to a full-aramid soft armor solution, I have developed ContactGuard(TM).
Almost 7 years of development went into this design, which makes use of advanced materials and construction methods to prevent contact shots from penetrating laminate panels. Adding negligible bulk and weight, each ContactGuard(TM) is custom made to fit inside an end-user’s vest carrier. And being far less expensive than a new vest, it gives owners of laminate vests a budget-friendly option.
The ContactGuard(TM) will be available for pre-order in Spring of 2017.
There’s more. Lots more. But hopefully this will whet your appetites. As always, your emails and feedback are much appreciated!
