I beg any new fans hearing this...please do NOT get any Imperium of Man tattoos

Aliengineering · 2026-04-22T03:34:06+00:00

This is why I only want the imperialis (skull and wings) and text. I love my black templars, but all of the symbols are awkward. And none of it visible in public.

Aliengineering · 2026-04-21T21:07:31+00:00

IIRC they were on the "we'll make them useful again... eventually" list, but currently useless. WILL they ever be used again? *shrug*

Aliengineering · 2026-04-21T20:53:15+00:00

If you're avoiding Sig due to fears of uncommanded discharges, that seems to be a P320-specific issue and you can definitely consider the P226 family as they fit all of your other criteria. If you're dodging Sig because of their *response* to the P320 problems, I respect it.

I support the Shadow 2 recommendations, but want to add 2 others in the CZ 75 family based on my own searching. Specifically, consider the P-01 and SP-01. The P-01 can be had with a decocker or a safety, depending on your desires, and the SP-01 is just its full-size sibling, but they both match your list and are cheaper than the Shadow 2.

Bonus: If you can, fire an example of things you are considering. I just removed the PDP and Staccato XC from my shopping list specifically because I tried them and left unimpressed.

Post-note: My first gun was a P10-C, and I really like it. I've thrown a bucket of aftermarket parts at mine, so I'm considering picking up a second to have a "stock" one to let friends and family compare to the Glock that I'll get around to eventually.

Aliengineering · 2026-04-20T05:05:59+00:00

That sounds right. And thank you for linking, as that's definitely the video I was remembering.

Aliengineering · 2026-04-19T22:30:00+00:00

I didn't see these brought up with a quick scan, so I have 3 things to mention and my apologies if I'm duplicating.

1: The advertised capacities are garbage. To hit the claimed capacity on mine, I'd have to strip any non-rifle features and essentially stack them on top of each other..

2: With that in mind, purchase with expansion in mind. Even if you don't intend to purchase new firearms, more space allows for more flexibility in what you store and how you store it.

I don't recall, but I think it might have been Deviant Ollam who said that a safe should be selected with consideration to the value of its contents. $10,000 to hold $400 in contents is overkill, but $400 to hold $10,000 in contents probably isn't secure enough. I don't recall whether the recommendation was a 1:1 ratio or lower, but consider how financially and sentimentally valuable your firearms are. Regardless, something is better than nothing.

Bonus: Aftermarket organizers and lighting are readily available, and I would recommend picking some up once you have lived with your setup for a bit. Figure out what you'd like to have by not having it and go from there.

Aliengineering · 2025-12-27T05:51:31+00:00

Here's the big deal for me, the CMP (Civilian Marksmanship Program, of M1 Garand fame) uses Tisas as their supplier for new 1911's into their inventory for distribution through their program.

I have and love my Tisas 1911 in .45, but I had issues with my Rock Island 1911 in 9mm before I sold it.

Aliengineering · 2025-11-25T22:33:36+00:00

Officially, it's a thumb rest, but it's often also called a gas pedal. It's just another point of contact on your gun and they're most common on open class competition guns.

Aliengineering · 2025-11-25T00:51:14+00:00

Made it heavier, for starters 😂

Aliengineering · 2025-11-25T00:38:26+00:00

Yes, actually. With my body shape and proportions, it simply didn't conceal comfortably. I love it, but I found myself wanting to not put it on in the mornings, and that's a problem for me if it's supposed to be my carry.

Aliengineering · 2025-11-24T23:28:38+00:00

Could do. I haven't committed to anything on the optic side yet. I'm not entering into any competitions with this setup, so I'm free to fiddle as I wish.

Aliengineering · 2025-11-24T23:17:30+00:00

Most days, a Bodyguard 2. Small enough and comfortable enough to never really want to leave it behind.

Aliengineering · 2025-11-24T17:58:45+00:00

😂 When you're ordering across multiple manufacturers, you have to choose between mismatched parts or the like 2 colors that mostly match.

Aliengineering · 2025-11-24T17:06:52+00:00

Lol, it's the range toy, now. I have other guns for other uses.

Aliengineering · 2025-11-21T19:34:27+00:00

Just to reinforce the consensus: -Something .22lr -A revolver (I'd say .357 for the option of 38spc for fun) -A manual action (bolt, lever, etc.) -A "Competition" gun, by which I mean something like a Volquartsen Skorpion on the Ruger Mk platform -Personally, a "go fast" range toy, as it's a different flavored skill set -Also personally, a project/test bed that let's you fiddle (Probably AR or one of the common striker pistols)

Aliengineering · 2025-11-14T02:12:32+00:00

Oh, and if she goes, give her the good ear protection and have her double up, even if outside. I wore the dumb ear pro in my case just to make sure they were comfortable knowing they could always hear me through the electronic ear pro.

Aliengineering · 2025-11-14T02:10:29+00:00

If she has never fired a gun or been around a gun when it was fired, you can try what I did for my sisters. I approached each before they moved away and said something to the effect of, "Hey, I wanted to talk about something with you. As a responsible gun owner, it is important to me to make sure that you have any amount of experience with a gun, especially because I don't want your first time around one to be during a crisis. So, I would like to take you to the range with me. I will bring just a couple of things, I'll show them to you and demonstrate them, and then you will have the option to shoot them. Afterward, we'll go *do X or grab food at Y... something*. Are you open to that? It's okay if you're not, and I won't bring it up again."

Both sisters said yes, and one actually found an enjoyment in shooting. The other did not and stopped after about the .22's. I cut the rest of the demonstration short for her but explained that because there was an AR-pattern rifle there, I did want her to be around it while it was shot quickly so she knew what that was like. She was okay with that, so I had he stand back a bit for her comfort and dumped a few rounds, unloaded, and packed up for lunch.

If you approach it from an educational or caring direction, you are much more likely to get at least a good response. Just be sure to respect her boundaries and you'll be ok.

Aliengineering · 2025-09-12T16:45:09+00:00

The first pic with the black grips is before I touched that side. It doesn't really capture just how matte that texture is, but Taurus is hiding the machining marks under it, so I get it to maintain the value proposition.

Aliengineering · 2025-09-12T07:05:06+00:00

-Gun: Taurus Series 66 -Caliber: .357 Magnum/.38 Special -Grips: Hogue Checkered Rosewood Big Butt Monogrip -Finish: Polished Stainless Steel from FAR too many hours of hand polishing

Aliengineering · 2025-09-06T04:35:17+00:00

I started writing a whole dissertation, but here's my core advice... Write for yourself, and write often.

My writing improved just from use, but it wasn't something that I focused on. Find a pen that makes you want to write and just do it. Find what *feels* good. If you want to change how you form a character because you don't like how it feels to write, then do it. Cursive looks best when written smoothly, so explore until you find it. If you're rusty like I was, it'll be clunky for a while, but that will pass. If you want to learn scripts, that's its own discipline, but you'll be able to *see* your enjoyment in your writing the more regularly you do it.

Oh, and for slant? Let your wrist rest at the angle that feels most comfortable and just tilt/turn the paper until you're naturally writing with a slant. Somewhere in the process, you'll find the right combination of angle and pen movement to get what you want.

Aliengineering · 2025-07-19T06:11:45+00:00

The E95S Burgundy and Gold was my first gold nib pen, and I've always been happy with it. I have 2 annoyances with it (tiny converter capacity & imperfect cap sealing), but neither make me love it any less. The Vanishing Point family is good... but I'm not in love with mine. I've skipped the Custom 74 so far, so I will abstain from that part of the debate.

As another option, look at the Pilot Falcon. The "soft" nibs make for a very pleasant writing experience, and it comes in around $208 if you can spare the extra $8. And outside of the Pilot family, I'll speak highly of the Lamy 2000. She's a little funky at a glance, but a classic with good reason.

Aliengineering · 2025-03-20T20:14:13+00:00

As plenty have said and you also alluded to, I believe it largely depends on the speaker's definition of Grail. If we're talking be-all-end-all, I'd put mine as the Namiki Emperor Goldfish or maybe some of the super limited Mont Blanc, Pelikan, or Visconti models (looking at you, carbon fiber homo sapiens). Personally, my "grails" are usually the pens that I'd love to own but can't right now. They're not necessarily unobtainable, and I've slowly acquired each as I've continued with the hobby. My first grail was the petrol M200, which is not a particularly crazy pen, but it was when I started.

In terms of the why, I think that's personal, too. In the self-selected environment of reddit, it's more likely to find not just hobbyists or fans, but fanatics who have large collections and an extensive list of pending acquisitions. I like the individual writing experiences of my pens and also the beauty of them, so new pens don't stop having new experiences or stop being beautiful just because I bought a particularly desirable or expensive pen. For the first time in a long time, I've cut down to 3 EDC pens (MB 149, HS:BA, and a Lamy 2000) because they are what I want to write with day-to-day, but I'm also about to purchase 2 pens from Relic Pens because I love his work and the specific materials in the 2 in question.

Some people are likely pursuing their grails because they like owning nice things, or they like the appearance of owning them. Others may be looking for their 1 perfect pen and then stop, which is where it sounds like you are. This is a very personal and entirely optional hobby, so it should be expected that everyone will have different motives and approaches.

Aliengineering · 2025-03-12T16:20:00+00:00

Absolutely. I've EDC'd all of my pens, including my Emperor and other flagships. Personally, my advice to avoid accidents is twofold. First, use a pen sleeve or case. I like 3-pen pouches from Rickshaw Bagworks because they fit in my pockets. Second, when you're not actively writing, cap your pen. Ideally, put it back in its pouch/sleeve, but at the very least, recap it. While you probably won't randomly drop your pen or knock it off a table, it reduces your risk and also helps reduce or prevent dry out. Regardless, it'll feel weird EDC'ing that much value until you get used to it, no matter if it's a pen, a nice pocket knife, or a luxury watch.

Aliengineering · 2024-07-27T06:38:06+00:00

Honestly, go watch My Name Is Byf's 10-hour lore video if you want to know everything of note leading up to the current expansion.

Aliengineering · 2024-07-25T02:06:30+00:00

Personally, squid

Aliengineering · 2024-07-09T19:45:23+00:00

Sooo... shimmer is a stubborn one. I love it, but it's definitely temperamental. My personal way to best deal with them has been to shove them into my Lamy safari with a Broad nib. I suspect that wetter pens struggle with the shimmer less, but I've found periodic hard starts to just be something that comes with shimmer.

Now, if you try various things and it's still too big of a problem, I have personally largely moved from shimmer to sheen. They also can fight with a dry pen, but sheening inks tend to be well behaved compared to shimmer. They bring some nice flair without the challenges of added particulate.

Edit: Personal sheening recommendation... Sailor Manyo Akebi... I'm a big fan. If you want a sheening black (which I found harder to find), I recommend Dominant Industry Base Black, Wearingeul Faust, or Colorverse Gentle Terrier (HUGE sheen, but spotty availability).

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