Insights For Success

Strategy, Innovation, Leadership and Security

Protection

The Phoozy spacesuit for your smartphone

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

What is a Phoozy?

The Phoozy is a NASA space-suit inspired jacket for your phone that protects it from the searing rays of the sun or the frigid battery killing cold of winter.

Have you ever gone to the beach and noticed your phone refusing to start with a temperature warning message (even though it was "protected" from the sun by a sun-umbrella?) The same happens at the other temperature extreme where the phone refuses to start because the components are too cold and the phone tries to protect itself.

The Phoozy is a well-insulated purpose-built capsule (made out of space material used to protect astronauts). The Chromium Thermal Barrier can reflex up to 90% of the sun's heating rays.

This is an important distinction some online testers didn't remember. These geniuses cooked their phones in the oven or left it in their locked cars, then complained the Phoozy didn't work. The Phoozy is not air conditioning, and work's by reflecting the sun's harmless rays but won't help if the ambient temperature is oven-like (a car under the direct sun can reach 170 degrees within an hour).

During the summer, I tested the Phoozy while at the beach, hiking or the amusement park. I used an old iPhone as my unprotected test "victim" and my Pixel 2 XL as my protected device. My Phoozy protected device never shut down because of heat, while the control iPhone regularly displayed that dreaded temperature warning message and refused to start until I cooled it down.

Water protection

The Phoozy case is buoyant and will float but the top isn't waterproof sealed (it's velcro). The Phoozy shouldn't be your go-to water protection solution. The fact it will float is a nice to have feature just in case.

Compare the Phoozy Apollo and XP3

I bought and tested the newer XP3. The Apollo & XP3 offer the same sun and cold protection, but the XP3 has slightly more padding (which is better for drop protection), it has attachment points (so you can hook it to the outside of a backpack) and an internal stash pocket (to store cards or cash).

The XP3 easily accommodated 5 credit cards and an iPhone XR, Pixel 2/3XL, or Samsung Galaxy S10.

Conclusion

I love my Phoozy and it has found a permanent place in my everyday carry backpack (which is high praise coming from me). Many colleagues and friends have also bought Phoozys and every one of them is extremely satisfied.

The Phoozy performs as advertised and is well made.

The Apollo XL retails for $29 which is a very fair price for the protection being offered. I believe most customers should opt for the newer XP3, but this retails for $49. I still recommend it, but think they should cut $10 from the price.

What is a tactical pen and do I need one?

GeneralEdward Kiledjian
UZI Tactical Defender Pen #1 - Black

UZI Tactical Defender Pen #1 - Black

Do a quick search on Google for Tactical Pen and you'll likely get 1.5M results. Tactical pens range in price from $10 and can cost as much as $1000. A question I receive regularly from readers that know I'm passionate about survival is :

“What is a tactical pen and do I need one?”

What is a tactical pen used for?

The simple answer is that the tactical pen is a defense tool than can be considered concealed and that you can legally take anywhere with you. As long as you know how to use it properly, it can quickly become a near-lethal or lethal defence option if the SHTF. 

Why does a tactical pen cost more than a regular one?

Tactical pens are specifically designed to be extra resistant so as not to break during hand to hand combat. You would typically use it to strike pressure points or more sensitive areas of an opponent's body (think throat, groin, back, chest, etc). 

This extra resistant design is why a tactical pen costs more than a traditional pen. 

Most outdoor gear manufacturers have some kind of tactical pen. Examples include:

  • Gerber Impromptu tactical pen 
  • Schrade SCPENBK Tactical
  • Smith & Wesson SWPENMPBK Military and Police Tactical Pen
  • Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) TPENAOD Elishewitz Tao Pen Tactical Pen
  •  

Is it a concealed carry weapon? 

I'm not a lawyer so you'll have to check in your specific jurisdiction but most locales I have visited do not restrict the types of pens you can carry. You can even carry a tactical pen on airlines. 

Remember that the primary purpose of this is to be a pen. In most cases you will use this as a standard pen. It should only be used as a defensive tool in extreme life or death situation (like any other defensive tool). 

But in order to be an effective tool, you must know how to use it. There are hundreds of internet videos showing you techniques. You can always ask a local martial arts instruction to teach you some techniques also.

Should I have a tactical pen in my EDC kit?

I think a good quality tactical pen is a great add on to an EDC kit. 

“Chance Favors The Prepared Mind”
— Peter Buffett

Conclusion

Find a nice well priced tactical pen on Amazon and make it part of your EDC kit. You will probably never use it for defensive purposes but if you are ever cornered in a life or death situation... you may just live to see another day. 

Now you can buy a bulletproof suit

SecurityEdward Kiledjian
BulletProof_suit_1.png

Sure most of us don't need  a bullet proof suit but it sure sound very James Bond-esque. Garrison Bespoke uses a special carbon nanotube material so that the suits are flexible and normal. The minute a bullet makes contact with the material, it hardens to protect the principal wearing this magical clothing.  

The material is 50% lighter than Kevlar (the traditional bullet proof material) and was tested to stop .22 and .40 caliber bullets.   Before you run out to buy one, its important to remember that this wondrous tech costs about $US20,000 but I'm sure the intended customers can easily afford this additional layer of protection.

Garrison Bespoke