PIERRE REVIEWS FOR PM, PART 1

We love gadgets, and we love gear, and so does Cape Union Mart. So, to bring you all the info you ought to know, PM teamed up with this great gifting destination and their top product specialist Pierre Pienaar.

KALIBER KNIVES

My mom let me play with knives since before I was 10 years old, and I have many scars on my hands to prove it probably wasn’t the best idea. Yet, my love for knives never died, and I still get excited every time I see new works of art.

The Kaliber knife collection at Cape Union Mart kept me entertained for hours, as I got to play (more carefully this time) with every model. The Kaliber CF and CF2 with their exceptionally high-quality D2 stainless-steel blades and super-light and strong carbonfibre handles really impressed me.

But the pinnacle of the range is definitely the Kaliber Damascus gift set, which boasts the ever-elegant Damascus steel. Its price probably makes it more suited to the discerning collector, though.

The EDC (every day carry) range in the collection contains a solution for every knife user. There is an array of blade shapes, including drop-point(Kaliber Flipper) and even tanto blades (Kaliber Slipstream Tanto). Some offer a straight edge (Kaliber Kuikku), while others provide a combination of straight and serrated edges (Kaliber Kyoshi).

But my favourite can’t be described as an EDC – because of the attention to detail, the Kaliber Survival Knife (pictured) is the embodiment of craftsmanship. It’s a fixed-blade outdoor knife with a strong ABS (acrylonitrilebutadiene-styrene) sheath including a built-in ferrocerium rod or flint, meaning you can use the spine of the blade to create a spark for starting a fire.

If you’re on the hunt for an EDC for yourself, or a special knife for a loved one, head to your nearest Cape Union Mart to discover the Kaliber range, which is priced from R250.

MALKIN NEWTONIAN TELESCOPE

When I got the opportunity to test and review the Malkin Newtonian 45×–100× Reflector Telescope, I was over the Moon (excuse the pun), as I had always wanted to see what the craters on the Moon looked like through a telescope.

Keen to get the assembly process going, I noticed the manual but chose to ignore it (as most of us do). I was intent on assembling the telescope using the picture on the box, instead of following the instructions.

Quickly though, I realised the telescope wasn’t working properly… I was using it wrong. After consulting the manual, I realised my error – I hadn’t aligned the finder scope with the telescope. Problem solved, I was ready for the Moon – and she didn’t disappoint! The image clarity through this model is outstanding, and I found myself in awe as I investigated the finer details on the lunar surface. With everything working seamlessly, I moved on to Saturn – I had always wanted to see the famous rings, but wasn’t sure whether I’d see them through this model.

With the help of my Sky Map App I located Saturn and, gazing upon it,

I was amazed at the clarity of the image – its rings were as clear as day. Next, I homed in on four of Jupiter’s biggest moons, appearing like stars around the immense gaseous giant. This model is a special piece of equipment.

There are two other telescopes in the Malkin family. The Newtonian 35×–78× only has a diameter of 76 mm, which won’t produce images as clear as its bigger brother, but it works well enough for an entry-level scope. The Malkin Refractor 50×–111× Telescope is extremely impressive, though also costlier and considerably heavier. It has the most stable mounting, therefore it is much easier to track the movement of the Moon as well as make some adjustments to the telescope.

Pricing for the Malkin Telescope range at Cape Union Mart starts at R999.