Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

Introduction and Description: The LIMA

Many years ago, I was approached by a tactical officer that had an unusual and difficult job. He was charged with keeping watch over and confronting and eliminating the threat of grave robbers and pot hunters, thieves that were robbing ancient Central American sites of their treasure. The crimes against archaeology, against the history and anthropological wealth of a nation's ancestors, is an extremely dangerous and severe crime. His company, in an official capacity, watched over these ancient ruins to protect them from thieves and vandals. It's important to understand that the value of these treasures can be astronomical, and his was a tremendously hazardous and necessary occupation.

Since he did a lot of his surveillance at night, good flashlights were important, and he had the best he could carry for the situation and location. But, on more than one occasion, his main or "key" lamp had been damaged, had drained its battery, or had been made non-functional.

He asked if I could include an additional, smaller "emergency" lamp on his knife kit, one that wouldn't be too much effort to carry around, one that would at the very least, allow him to make it safely back to base and camp. This was the birth of the LIMA.

The acronym LIMA stands for "Lamp Independent Mount Assembly," and, like all of my tactical sheath components, it's my own invention. It's an extremely lightweight adjunct that can be used when your key light fails, or in the daytime when you aren't carrying your main flashlight, and need to look into a dark hole or enter an unlighted place. It is so innocuous that it's often forgotten on the sheath, but in critical times is immediately available. It is so tremendously popular that it's been demanded on all of my counterterrorism knife kits, because of the saying, "two flashlights are one flashlight, and one flashlight is no flashlights." If you are an active, outdoor person, you know exactly what I'm writing about, since being a mechanical and electrical device, failure will, sooner or later, visit you in the wilderness, and at the very worst time.

For the reader, the reasons for a small lamp on the tactical sheath are numerous, but experience is the best reference. When have you been out in the middle of the day, and needed to peek into a downed log, a small cave, a ruin, well, or dark hole? Have you been caught far away from camp without a lamp and the daylight is fading fast? Have you needed just enough light to see your way over rocks and rough terrain, but not a blinding flood lamp that can alert others and mark you as a target? Maybe you just needed to see your way around an obstacle, through some brush, or needed to read a map or compass. Maybe you needed to catch someone's attention, see your way to reload or re-chamber a misfire, or clean and service your critical outdoor equipment in the middle of an excursion. Maybe you have a small injury and want to see just what's going on. Or maybe you want a small spotlight that can illuminate nearby eyes that may be looking back at you. This is the philosophy of this small light. It's not your main camp beacon, it's simply a lightweight, useful adjunct that can get you through difficulties. It can also act as a backup when your main light fails.

The LIMA is always there, on your sheath or on certain accessories (UBLX), ready, quietly waiting and hardly noticeable. I wouldn't consider a tactical knife sheath complete without one.

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The Flashlight

History and Evolution of the LIMA's Lamp

At the time I made the first LIMA, the best flashlight (or torch for my friends across the pond) was the Maglite Solitaire®. The Solitaire was (and still is in some cases) a single AAA-battery powered xenon-lamp bulb anodized aluminum flashlight that was called a "keychain" light, and at the time was the best for the application. I came up with a mounting system that frankly, has not changed much in many, many years.

The Maglite Solitaire is called a Keychain/Backpack light, but it was tough and up to the job. I didn't want to add a heavy or bulky main beacon to the package, but an accessory that was light and small, yet durably built. Including the special fittings, this light accessory weighs about one ounce. It is about 3.25" long, and less than one half of an inch in diameter. On a knife sheath rig that may weigh several pounds (for a large tactical knife size), this is hardly noticeable.

I wanted a light that was tough, made of durable materials, and one that has a proven reputation of reliability. Maglite® makes their flashlights from machined aluminum, with O-ring seals and nickel plated conductors. There are no miniature switches in the Solitaire, and simply twisting the lens cap focuses the beam from spot to flood, just like the big Maglites. They included a spare bulb in the base of the xenon models, and the simple fluted knurling on the anodized black surface was fairly easy to grip when the lamp is wet or muddy. At that time, this was the best light for the application. But then, things improved.

Modern LED Technology

Along came LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology. LEDs are far and away better than all filament bulbs. They don't wear out, they are mechanically stronger, they are extremely efficient, and they are getting better all the time. In the early days of LEDs, I even upgraded individual Maglite Solitaires to LED bulbs, since Maglite didn't make them. Then, Maglite caught on and started making LED Solitaires. Most of my pre-2018 LIMAs have LED bulbs.

The Solitaire is a pretty good light. But all good things must come to an end, and be upgraded. This is why I've moved on to the next level, and the reasons are pretty surprising.

Flashlight technology is drastically improving. LEDs are intensifying, drawing less current, and readily accept programming and variable intensity and other options. This is why my newer LIMAs (starting in 2018) are sported ThruNIte Ti3 models.

Then, they quit making the ThruNite Ti3. You can still see some of the older customers begging ThruNite to bring them back, but alas, we have to work with what we can get. So, an improvement was necessary, and that brings me to the Olite I1R 2 Pro. The nicest thing about this Olite is that it's almost half the size of the ThruNite, and is rechargeable. In the early days, rechargeable meant that a light was unusable, but since everything is going to USB-C, power options are much more available.

The comparison chart below will give you a clear idea of reason for the upgrade to the ThruNIte Ti3:

 The Maglite was and is a decent flashlight, but the ThruNite Ti3 is much, much better. It has more variability to set the custom light output, it is incredibly intense when needed, it's more waterproof, it has a glass lens that's less likely to scratch and fog than plastic, and it's just a tougher, better lamp. The only thing it lacks is a focusable lens which is not necessary on all but the larger lamps. A surprising feature is the strobe; in an emergency, at 120 lumens flashing, this little light my very well save your life!

But since they don't make the Ti3 anymore, the Olite is the new player. First, no more buying or carrying extra batteries; it's rechargeable. The light from this little thing is intense, and the low level light is reasonable. Yes, it's a more expensive light, but worthy.

Oh, and if I forgot to mention, the ThruNite Ti3 is physically smaller and about half the weight!

And on top of that, the Olite is half the size and much lower weight than the ThruNite!

So this lets me make even a smaller, lighter LIMA holder accessory, and lightens the load on my clients wearing the sheath.

It's too bad that Maglite hasn't kept up with the market and features on these smaller, critical lamps. It would be nice if American companies could keep up; I certainly make it my goal to offer the most advanced knives money can buy. But when it comes to the accessories, I'm dedicated to offering adjuncts that work with the best option for my clients. It's about solving my client's problems, and offering the very best I can find for the individual application, since in combat, rescue, and survival, the flashlight could literally mean life or death.

One thing I will guarantee, and that is when you see the output of this tiny Olite, you will be very impressed!

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