Tool Logic made its name designing, building and selling clever little tool kit packages. The first creation was a thin credit-card size tool kit called the Companion that was introduced in 1995. One of TL’s more recent innovations is the SL Pro series of folding knife and tool packages.
The SL Pro folding knives have a 3-inch spear-point stainless steel blade with a 50/50 plain and serrated edge. They have an oval hole in the blade that makes them easy to open one-handed with your thumb. The blade locks open automatically by way of a frame lock that also allows the knife’s blade to be closed with one hand.
Innovative Piggyback Sleeve
Riding piggyback along the top of the handle is hollow sleeve of tough glass-filled nylon That sleeve holds a small but brilliant white LED flashlight that can be turned on with one-hand by rotating the flashlight barrel counter-clockwise. This LED module is water tight enough to handle shallow immersion or for use in wet environments.
The flashlight can also be pulled out of its sleeve. At its rear end there is one of several tools. On my T&E samples, that tool is a Glock armorer’s tool. In actuality, all that is needed is the proper-sized pin punch to detail strip any Glock pistol.
The Glock pistol line is one of the most widely distributed in this country, with well over half of all American law enforcement agencies armed with Gaston Glock’s polymer prizes. Glock pistols are among the most simple, reliable and durable semiautomatic pistols ever fielded.
I am a graduate of the Glock Armorer’s Course and the Glock Advanced Armorer’s Course and am intimately familiar with Glock pistol operation and maintenance. The actual procedure to detail strip a Glock is beyond the scope of this article. However, with nothing more than the Glock tool (pin punch) included with this knife, any Glock pistol can be completely disassembled by a properly trained person. The best way to get that training is to attend a Glock Armorer’s Course. Unfortunately, they are not open to most civilians. The best alternative is to view one of the better CD/DVD programs on the subject or receive training from someone who has attended the Glock course.
The Tool Logic SL Pro is available for $59.95 in satin silver or all black for an additional $5. Two models are designed primarily for Law Enforcement. These feature a flashlight plus either the previously mentioned Glock tool or a handcuff key. The SL Pro is also available with three flashlight/tool components for outdoor use.
Outdoor Tool Options
The first option is a magnet that allows the light to be attached to a steel surface so as to shine the light on your work area. A good example would be mounted on a fender to give you light to change a flat tire. The second option is a magnesium alloy fire starter. These work when wet or dry and are a fantastically important survival tool. One such tool can be used to start over 1,000 fires. The third optional tool is a diamond rod that can be used to sharpen this knife as well as others. It is tapered so that it can be used to resharpen the serrated edge.
TL also sent along the SL Pro key ring accessory. This consists of a black glass-filled nylon sleeve about 3 inches long with a lanyard or ring hole in its end. The exact same flashlight and tool combinations that fit the SL Pro knives fit into this key ring sleeve. So a person can have one tool like the fire starter or Glock tool on the SL Pro knife and another like the diamond sharpener, handcuff key or magnet on the flashlight key ring. The back of the SL Pro handle has a built-in whistle for signaling.
I found the SL Pro folding knife to be well made and the blades of both samples locked up tightly and securely. Both knives would shave hair right out of the box. I have to say that the SL Pro knife kind of grows on you, at least it did for me. I am the kind of tool-using guy who almost always has a Swiss Army knife or a multi-tool on his person, and it is not at all uncommon for me to have both. Since some of my most commonly carried handguns are Glocks, it makes sense to have a Glock tool along for all of my rides.
Field Stripping A Glock 20
A good example was a recent Alaskan salmon fishing trip where I carried my Glock 20 10mm pistol whenever afield. That poor pistol was constantly getting immersed in water and exposed to sand and grit. With a Glock tool along, it would have been easy to detail strip the pistol for cleaning.
The biggest problem I would have with the Tool Logic SL Pro knives would be trying to decide which tool I wanted on the end of the flashlight. A cop could make a good case for the handcuff key. I would think that anyone operating in a wilderness situation would want the fire starter for survival situations. The diamond sharpener makes sense for any knife carrier and the magnet mount can also be useful for almost anyone.
Whichever you choose, the Tool Logic SL Pro knives are a well made and well thought out piece of kit. Certainly, the small backup-type flashlight is highly useful for everyday carry. Even though I commonly carry a Glock, I would probably prefer to have the fire starter or the diamond sharpener tools because the vast majority of Glock problems are handled by field stripping, which requires no tools at all. Regardless, it’s nice having a choice.
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