3 Generations of Scout Knives

 3 Generations of Scout Knives

I've carried a pocket knife everyday since my grandfather gave me my first one around first grade.  I carried one all through school. During Basic Training when told to leave knives with our personal affects, I kept mine. The only time I'm without a knife is when flying.  Then I pack a Nite Eyz DoohicKey hidden on my key chain.  It just barely satisfies my requirements.

Top is my Grandfather's scout knife, my Webelo knife, a generic Christmas present, the 'demo' knife I bought while in the Army and still carry, and the Girl Scout knife I gave my daughter.

I have a lot of knives.  I keep coming back to the stainless steel demo knife for EDC.  It does what I need.

Setting up a home decontamination area

My previous post on food availability during the Chinese lock down got me thinking about setting up a decontamination area at home.  I'm lucky as I can stage this area outside of the normal living space.  We can come into the garage and have an area to remove outerwear and wash up before coming inside. The next step in is our mud room. Here we can switch in clean inside clothes and do any additional decon as needed.  I'm considering adding a UV light here and was wondering about the efficacy of consumer UV sterilization. 

How does UV light work?

What to Look for When Comparing UV Sterilization Devices
What is UV and How Does it Work?

 Some of the stuff out there is crap and there are some safety issues to consider.

 Bacteria Busters: Can UV lights really kill germs?

 UV Disinfection Is Flourishing — But Companies Need to Be More Cautious

Some of the very low end devices I saw used LEDs.  This is a case of you get what you pay for.  Cheap LEDs and the protective covering over them actually absorb the very UV radiation that is needed to be effective as noted here.

There is also the question of disinfection vs. sanitation vs. sterilization. Here's a scientific report on testing UV light and the deceptive claims of some companies.

UV light is used in CPAP cleaners in conjunction with ozone or activated oxygen. They don't rely on UV alone.  I expect that I'll  add a UV light that would be used in the mud room as part of the final decon process but I wouldn't rely on in alone.