INTERVIEW: Military Morons - What has shaped us

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Many of our readers are familiar with the website Military Morons. For those who are not – it was and still is one of the first internet sites, nowadays one would call it a "blog", that deals with reviews and tests of military and tactical equipment. Although the site has been around since 2001 and is currently only updated with a few posts due to the operator's family and professional situation, it has remained an absolutely worthwhile and enriching information site. Here you can still find good tips and tricks from the past years to apply.

Not everything new is better, we find – so we interviewed the owner of the site. A conversation that we were particularly pleased with, as after all, Military Morons was and still is a source of inspiration for us.

SPARTANAT: Hi Military Morons, great that you took the time to answer a few questions for us.

Military Morons: Hi SPARTANAT!

SPARTANAT: How did it all start with Military Morons?

Military Morons: The site was started on 10/04/2001 and was initially a mix of pictures of equipment, weapons, uniforms, and so forth. As more people visited the site and searched for information or asked questions about the items depicted, I added brief descriptions below the photos and started writing short reviews on gear I myself used. The short descriptions then grew into detailed product reviews.

SPARTANAT: What was your goal?

Military Morons: I wanted to provide accurate and unbiased information so that readers could get a more comprehensive picture of gear, equipment, and clothing before making a purchase. Having many good photos helps with that.

SPARTANAT: Where does the name for the site come from?

Military Morons: My cousin Fi referred to me and her ex-husband Allan, when I was visiting in England in 2000 and we were constantly talking about military stuff (Allan was in the British Army, RAF Regiment 3 Sqn), as "Military Morons". Since then, Allan and I have referred to ourselves as MMs. I found the term amusing, so it stuck. This is not meant to disrespect the military, rather the opposite.

SPARTANAT: Do you actually have a military background yourself?

Military Morons: No, I have neither been in law enforcement nor served in the military. I am not an expert in anything (except maybe my job ... hopefully). I am just an average working civilian with an affinity for outdoor activities and shooting. For this reason, I channel my interest into this website and also work with industry manufacturers on equipment designs and product photography as part of my hobby.

SPARTANAT: Where do you get all your knowledge and experience from?

Military Morons: I have learned a lot of knowledge and experience from good friends who were THERE/did THAT. The opinions I represent on this site are my own - unless explicitly mentioned - based on my limited civilian/personal experience with the items I present. So please keep that in mind when reading the reviews. These experiences are limited to civilian activities I have done such as camping, hiking, backpacking, shooting, running, and so on.

 

I try to use all the items I present as often as possible. Some questions about fit and functionality I can answer (e.g. this bag fits two M4 magazines). But others, like durability over longer periods in the field, are difficult to determine if you don't live under operational conditions yourself. Whenever possible, I get specifications and information directly from manufacturers, always striving to present information accurately. I know nothing about tactics and do not make recommendations for the use of items beyond my limited abilities. If you don't like my reviews or think that I am not qualified to write about them, just ignore the text and look at the beautiful pictures.

SPARTANAT: Why are your reviews mostly positive, or are there no "bad" reviews?

Military Morons: There is a very simple explanation for this: I do not present things that I know I will not like. I reject a lot of stuff that I am not interested in. This is a personal site, not consumer reporting. I have a full-time job, a child, and a family to support, so my time is limited. I don't want to waste my time writing negative reviews about products I don't like. Regarding not writing anything negative: if you read my reviews carefully, you will notice that I also mention negative aspects when I notice them. Not everyone has the same experiences, sometimes it takes a while for defects to appear - and only under specific conditions or applications. I can only write about my own experiences, not those of others. It is just my own personal opinion, and because everyone has one, yours might be different too. So make your own judgment if you want to find out if something meets your expectations - don't rely solely on my opinion.

 

SPARTANAT: Where do you get the items you present?

Military Morons: Most of the items featured on this site have been provided by manufacturers in exchange for my time and effort. Others are self-purchased. There's nothing "free". It's "free" if I don't have to work for it. Often, the time for a review exceeds the monetary value of the item. All items receive the same review, whether I buy them myself or receive them - my commitment is primarily to the consumer.

I try to help manufacturers improve their products. If there are any defects or issues with the product, I contact them and give them a chance to fix the problem before I post the review. If anyone thinks I cannot present an item unbiasedly that I received from a manufacturer, they are welcome to send me a donation. I will then buy the product that person wants reviewed and remain completely impartial.

SPARTANAT: You have also realized some projects with the manufacturer Emdom. Could you tell us how that came about and what your goal was?

Military Morons: Mutual friends introduced me to Ken from Emdom years ago. At that time, he had his own site called Specwargear.com . This site provided a lot of information about equipment used by special forces worldwide. One day he asked me if I had ideas for new products. I did, so we started a collaboration. I came up with ideas and concepts, we discussed and refined them, then he produced prototypes and sent them to me. I suggested changes and we went through the process again until we were both satisfied. My goal was simply to design stuff the way I wanted it because no one else was making it that way at the time. Basically, I fulfilled my personal needs - and that's how others who had the same requirements could benefit from our equipment. I worked well with Emdom because they are such a small company. Developing prototypes was much faster than with larger companies, and they were willing to try different things.

SPARTANAT: Which equipment has served you best during all this time? Please name a product in the categories of weapon accessories, clothing, outdoor, and others that you like to use.

Military Morons: This is a very difficult question because there are so many subcategories and applications. If I had to pick out some favorites, they would be:

AR15

• AR15 Grip: Tango Down BG-16
• AR15 Lower: AXTS AX556 Ambi Lower
• AR15 Stock: Vltor IMOD and BCM GUNFIGHTER
• AR15 Optics: Aimpoint Micro
• Sling: EMDOM Gunslinger and URS (no longer in production)

Pistol

• Glock 19 (modified)

Knife

• SKD Zero Tolerance ZT0360.MM (Special Edition)

Clothing

Outer Layers

• Arc'teryx LEAF Line - consistently the highest quality clothing I have encountered so far

Fleece

• TAD Gear Fleece (from the time when TAD was still owned by Patrick Ma)

Favorite EDC Jacket