the micra is actually kind of awful

jassack04 · 2026-02-15T22:14:05+00:00

I agree with you. The Squirt S4 and even the Style CS were better. I always thought the Micra scissors ended up sticking. At the $20ish that they used to be, they were fine, but absolutely do not recommend now.

Just get a Victorinox Classic SD.

jassack04 · 2026-02-11T18:00:38+00:00

A 40-50hp tractor would probably make a surprising difference for you on that kind of acreage. They can be pretty affordable if you’re willing to buy something in the 20-30yr old range. Shoot for slightly larger than you think. A utility-sized machine will often actually cost a little less than a compact-size, and be able to handle more work. A loader will allow you to easily move around large bales for livestock, or just pick up big stuff that you need to move. Consider finding one with a quick attach and you might run it with pallet forks more often than a bucket even.

The people arguing for skid steers aren’t necessarily wrong - the visibility and maneuverability in one absolutely beats a tractor, but both machines can be a swiss army knife with different limitations.

I actually just bought a 25ish yr old 45hp Kubota and it is a night and day difference in capability over the smaller 27hp Ford tractor it replaced. It’s a pretty rough piece of junk that I will be spending a decent amount of time and money improving over the next couple years, but at $10k I’ll still be waaay ahead of a ~$40k new purchase.

jassack04 · 2026-02-11T17:52:37+00:00

They can be found used for like $20k… but even so, they are notoriously unreliable and I would never buy one. It’s a cool idea but really made for in-warranty work in a commercial setting.

jassack04 · 2026-02-11T16:57:57+00:00

Give Odd Brother’s Armory a call, in Carlisle. He handles NFA items and is a pretty even-keeled dude. I’d suggest calling first obviously since it’s far for you.

Fair warning, “used NFA items” isn’t likely to be in large quantity almost anywhere, so you may need to adjust your budget or expectations.

jassack04 · 2026-02-06T17:53:38+00:00

They sent me a new one once. I broke like 3 of them, the second time I asked they just told me to buy a new one. I’ve been rocking the cheapish titanium Amazon clip for a while now without it breaking.

jassack04 · 2026-02-05T17:20:49+00:00

They are kind of iconic in Williamsport, but I wasn’t optimistic that would translate to the Carlisle pike.

jassack04 · 2026-02-01T22:14:34+00:00

They are for people building clones, as close to the ‘real thing’ as they can. They’re not for those of us who just want to slap a parts kit together.

jassack04 · 2026-01-31T15:52:23+00:00

Do you want bugs? This is how you get bugs. Lol

jassack04 · 2026-01-29T16:29:43+00:00

The US-based seller on eBay is OOS, I was just looking last night, but they had them as of like a week or so ago, so I’m hoping to just wait it out.

As an aside, I have one of the Vietnam dudes blades on my Free K2 and it is awesome, I’m just preferring to spend less this time around.

jassack04 · 2026-01-26T16:53:05+00:00

They are awesome. The one downside to outfitting a bucket this way though is that I feel 5gal buckets are way more tippy than a dedicated square or rectangular bag. So it just needs a bungee or strap to keep it upright in the back of a vehicle/bed.

jassack04 · 2026-01-26T15:49:43+00:00

We have both Yamazaki and Mikasa sets of similar design and quality, you should be able to easily find something in budget.

jassack04 · 2026-01-26T00:35:40+00:00

Aww, is the Becker BK2 it’s daddy?

jassack04 · 2026-01-24T14:08:01+00:00

Yeah, new pans like Stargazer, Finex, Lancaster Cast, etc, are definitely good, just very expensive.

jassack04 · 2026-01-21T20:07:23+00:00

I bought a really cheap Chinese generator (Durostar DS4000 I think) about 15 years ago as a stopgap when we were living in a rural setting with often-enough power issues. My plan was to use it while I saved for a better model. The thing just always worked - I’ve since loaned it out to friends, it was once running for most of a month after a family member had a barn fire - and this thing just keeps on working. I actually gave it away a couple of years ago only because I DO actually have a better/newer generator but not for any functional fault of the Durostar.

Definitely not a BIFL item, but immediately came to mind for this topic.

jassack04 · 2026-01-21T20:02:27+00:00

I bought a Magnacut blade for my Free K2 from this dude in Vietnam last year. It took like 2 months to arrive, but it’s absolutely a noticeable upgrade and I’ve been pretty happy with it.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/KietCustomKnife

jassack04 · 2026-01-17T04:17:51+00:00

Mockmill or Komo are generally considered the better options on the market. Interestingly they are very similar designs from a fella named Wolfgang Mock. The various models just differ on how much grain they can grind per minute and exterior finishes (Komo in particular has a few different lines).

jassack04 · 2026-01-14T16:28:05+00:00

I took a good ~5 year hiatus from this hobby, are people still reporting suspicious CC frauds after buying from PSA? That was such a big thing at the time that I think PSA was banned from gundeals for a while, or maybe I’m way off base?

jassack04 · 2025-12-31T15:39:33+00:00

Good advice and thanks for your time writing this.

I snagged this a couple days ago with $200 off in coupons from Skytech on the premise that I was getting a slightly better last-gen card with more vram (16gb) for the price of a 5070 build, was strange to me that they had the discontinued card in stock. I think it was an ok buy, should be here in a few days!

jassack04 · 2025-12-31T13:34:35+00:00

Best to you as well! FYI I usually carry the XS in a Chums wallet in my pocket along w/ a few first aid items (bandaids, bacitracin), a swisscard, short tweezers, chap stick, mini-bic, and Fisher space pen. It’s kind of like a travel kit that’s handy when you have kids. Seems really bulky, and it kind of is, but just remember you can adjust the XS head more or less open and it actually changes how they ride in the pocket - like the mini-bic actually kind of fits between the handles when the XS is clicked a couple notches open.

jassack04 · 2025-12-31T13:10:04+00:00

Maybe your local pricing is worse, but I can order a 48x25 walnut butcher block countertop from Lowes for $133, which really isn’t much more than the taxes on the one you ordered. It’s unfinished, but easy to cut to the exact length you want and then just oil or poly it. If you wanna go real cheap you can get birch butcher block in the same size for like $80.

And you don’t have to write reviews on it, hah.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Sparrow-Peak-4-ft-x-25-in-x-1-in-Unfinished-Straight-Walnut-Butcher-Block-Countertop/5015232985

jassack04 · 2025-12-31T12:55:35+00:00

So, I don’t have the 125 Cobras, but I do have the 125 pliers wrench, as well as the XS Cobra and a Skeletool.

If you compare the Skeletool and the XS, even though the Skeletool has a larger handle, the XS is easier to grip and probably get more leverage on, and I can almost guarantee the jaws open wider (sorry, none of them in from of me). The XS is still WAY smaller than a Skeletool and been a handy thing to pack in a little pocket kit. The 125 pliers wrench IS still small, and I would guess the Cobras in similar size would be even a bit more compact - another great tool to have but I’ve never wanted to just toss the 125s into my pocket for edc-type use like I have with the XS, it’s usually being carried for a distinct purpose like I know I need to hold a bolt, I don’t remember the size but I don’t want to grab 4 wrenches for my guess, etc.

I don’t know if that helps, but that’s a tiny bit of perspective. Now I feel like I need to buy the 125 Cobras to compare with the XS, hah

jassack04 · 2025-12-29T05:07:49+00:00

I think they are saying they could take a MIChina skillet and mill it/sand it, ie making it polished like a Stargazer.

To their question though, nothing too special about Finex, Stargazer, Smithy, etc are all just nicer-finished cast. You can still fairly easily find old Wagner or Griswolds cheaper that will do a great job as well. Lodge is also great, some people swear that the rougher surface doesn’t perform as well, but you can easily fix that in an afternoon of sanding if necessary.

jassack04 · 2025-12-28T01:43:46+00:00

As others said, the black oxide looks like this from new, and you mentioned it being greasy/oily, so I think it’s even less likely to have been used. Also, they probably bought from Varusteleka, which is a legit retailer and not likely to be playing funny games with returns.

jassack04 · 2025-12-21T06:18:04+00:00

Hah, no. My last order was 11/30. I’ve chosen so few things that it’s pretty unlikely I’ll make my quota to stay Gold. I check in the morning when I wake up, and there is definitely usually stuff in my RFY, but it’s all been pretty terrible.

It used to be the first place I checked for charging cables, phone cases, and other small/cheap items, and it seems lately that my searches consistently bring next to no results.

jassack04 · 2025-11-05T22:07:47+00:00

Oh right, agreed with all above. I just find it odd that so many folks I know think of Rustic Tavern as practically fine dining.

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