I haven't spent much time thinking about whistles because I already have a 5-1 whistle and it seemed adequate. But now I'm having second thoughts so I'd like to hear pros and cons over the product I have to determine whether or not I should replace it.<br><br>It's Cohlman's Survivo II 5-in-1; compass, waterproof match case, shrill S.O.S. whistle, fire starting striker flint, S.O.S. signal mirror and lanyard. I carry it in my fanny pack whenever we go hiking, along with other survival gear.<br><br>The compass is a bubble compass on the cap, which seems okay. I also carry my plate compass so I never had to rely upon it. The mirror is small reflective disc on the inside of the cap, virtually useless so I carry my old Boy Scout metal signal mirror from the early seventies. I plan on buying the newer signal mirrors soon (X-Mass ideas) to replace it. The matchcase I use with blue tip matches. The whistle, the primary reason I bought it, seems loud enough but I've never heard the others listed to compare. <br><br>The firestriker flint has never been used, nor the lanyard, becasue I left the lanyard wrapped and taped around the whistle as it was shipped. I never intended to wear it unless I had to in an emergency so I left it wrapped to prevent the lanyard from tangling the contents of my fanny pack.<br><br>Also, I believe the lanyard is a nylon cord (meltable?).<br><br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

It certainly makes sense to have all that in one unit. Unfortunately, they are a bit on the cheap side. You could pull together individual components of higher quality and save some space, too. The mirror, as you said, is useless since it is recessed. You wouldn't be able to signal with it. The whistle isn't as loud or reliable as a real rescue whistle. The compass is fine, but a button compass would also be a good choice. The match case is fine, but a bit bulky in my opinion.<br><br>I see these more as an item you would give to a child or a young scout as a first "survival kit." <br><br>

the Buddy knife by blackie collins is amazing for its size.<br>it was my first knife (6) and i still have it (15) and you could imagine what abuse its gone through. <br>heres a pic of it in sheath http://store3.yimg.com/I/gyby_1651_114799545<br>and just type The buddy knife in search. Wonderful knife!<br><br><br><br>

Thanks, CastAway. You were right on point with that suggestion. I went into the local athletic store on Friday and got myself a mini Fox 40.<br><br>

Glad you were able to find one. I personally prefer buying locally. I hate the delays and shipping charges of ordering. Maybe I'm just impatient. Glad I could help.<br><br>

I don't mind shipping charges, but I like buying locally to support our merchants. <br><br>I figure I pay an average of $5 in shipping, but it's worth five bucks to me to not have to get in the car and drive around to find what I want.<br><br>

I dug up a cheap plastic wallet for business cards and put the StarFlash in that. It would be nice to have a better case for it, however. But it will do the job until I find something better.<br><br>

To revive an old topic, if anyone is still looking for a suitable neck lanyard, I was in my local hardware store recently and saw that they sold bead chain by the foot. This is the same stuff that GI dog tags hang from. I bought 3 feet and it makes an ideal lanyard. <br><br>It won't strangle, melt, absorb dirt or moisture, stink or rot, it's easy to open and close and it's cheap. Best of all, it's very comfortable to wear since the beads roll on your skin. It's worked for a million G.I.s and it seems to work for me.<br><br>My Ace hardware store offered it in 3 materials. Brass, aluminum and chrome-plate as well as different diameters. What material was under the chrome-plating, I don't know. I assumed it was steel, but could have been brass. I chose the aluminum so it wouldn't rust or tarnish. <br><br>

Cool idea. I'll look into it. Um, why won't the beads strangle you in an accident?<br><br>I bought the PHOTON lanyard from LRI, but I actually don't like it, so I'm still looking. I was going to look for one with a velcro overlap breakaway. <br><br>I'm still using an old ID lanyard right now, for my Photon II's. Somewhat ironic.<br><br>

>>why won't the beads strangle you...?<<<br><br>The bead chain should break away with any unusual force. I haven't tested it's breaking strength, so I can't be positive, but the hardware store listed it's breaking strength at 14 lbs. It also looks like it would give way long before it would support anything like a person's weight. <br><br>It looks like a good balance between enough strength and durability to securely hold your gear on the one hand, and not being strong enough to choke you if you get tangled up on the other hand.<br><br>Fill us in: Why didn't you like the Photon lanyard? Also, if you weren't happy with the break-away device, why?<br><br>Also, is your old ID lanyard a bead chain?<br><br>Thanks.<br><br>