TRIDOS.DESIGN: Who is behind it
I have been working with Mikus, the friendly owner of TRIDOS.DESIGN, for over a year now. The contact began with the distribution of SandGrips for all common Novritsch guns, in which Tridos specializes as a manufacturer of high-quality accessories and add-on parts.
And that’s exactly what I value the company for: It looks for specific gaps in the market and offers very high-quality products at a good price. In this respect, Copper and Brass and TRIDOS.DESIGN are very similar and I am happy to have a reliable distribution partner in Latvia with Tridos!
How it came to this prototype test for AAP-01 tuning parts
When I read the following line in the last paragraph of a mail from Mikus, I was immediately exited!
“… Btw, would you be interested in testing out some beta products for AAP-01? Is that something you run in your game days?”
After a short exchange and a few days later a small package from Latvia arrived . No struggle with customs as it is common with shops from Asia and only 3 days delivery time! What more could you want?
What really bothered me about my AAP-01 project so far, was the standard trigger. And of course the vanishingly small slide release levers, more on that below. But on the picture you can already see what I mean by that. Hitting this small lever with your thumb while wearing gloves in combat? Tricky!
The standard trigger is not bad, but not that great either. A little too spongy for my taste, without a crisp breaking point. In addition, the trigger safety is formed a bit too sharp-edged. I know this is criticism on a high level for a 90€ backup, but since I use my airsoft guns 70% at home and do not wear gloves, I miss a bit of the quality of the VFC standard triggers at this point.
Please don’t nail me down on the speficis, but I think VFC triggers are fiberglass reinforced plastic, the AAP-01 trigger would have to be plain ABS.
So I used the free Saturday yesterday to unpack all the parts and document the assembly in pictures for you.
If you want to optimize something on your AAP-01 yourself, you will find the perfect instruction in this video. First I wanted to record you a video on this topic, like this one, in which I showed my way of airsoft gun care, but the instructions on YouTube were so good that I would not know anything more to add there.
Oh, before I forget: All the parts I show here are still prototypes / in beta phase! So they are not listed in the Tridos store yet and the final prices are not fixed yet. My task was just to try them out and provide feedback to Mikus. I’ll just extend this task to “provide feedback to all of you”, because I really enjoyed testing them, which I’d like to share with you here 🙂
The AAP-01 tuning parts in detail
Let’s start with this very (!) nice part, which I have not yet seen in this flawless manufacturing quality: The Charging Handle! The shape reminded me directly of the Radian Raptor Ambidextrous Charging Handle! The design is on point and the production quality is on an almost perfect level!
Those who follow me on Instagram may have already seen this part in the story from Saturday night. Next to it on the right is the Action Army extended Charing Handle, which in comparison looks a bit “simple”.
And even though Tridos’ Charging Handle is ambidextrous, it actually weighs 2 grams less than Action Army’s. Less weight = faster cycle = i like!
Also included in my package was a selector switch, but it’s not relevant to the F-Mark version of the AAP-01. So I´ll spare myself the unnecessary weight and do not mount the switch, which of course benefits the “snappyness” of the AAP-01.
My personal highlight: The TRIDOS.DESIGN Trigger
Absolute bonus for me is, of course, is the fact that it also comes in silver-gray with a very slight blue shimmer!
The trigger travel can also be adjusted very precisely via a small grub screw. With most speed triggers, however, I do not like that the trigger is not exactly vertical, but points a little too far back. In this respect, I have accepted 2mm more trigger travel until the wall comes, but optically found the perfect tuning. I´ll have to do some shooting tests later to see whether I want to optimize the trigger position further. But so far I really like it visually!
Maybe the trigger could even stand a little straighter, but the 2 degrees do not bother me in the end. The tigger should be functional and not just look nice! 😉
Extended Slide Release – a blessing for the Carbine Kit!
If you have looked closely, you will have discovered the extended slide release in the picture above. As mentioned earlier, the handling with gloves and the standard slide release is a bit fiddly. It works, but it is sometimes a matter of luck whether you really hit the small lever.
The Extended Slide Release is also done in the same color as the trigger. So the whole thing looks more intentional and the assembly is also much simpler than the trigger. If the trigger is already out, simply attach the extended slide release and lock it in place with the small grub screw. That’s it already.
If you want to use the larger slide release on both sides, you should push the linkage a little apart so that the release buttons do not rub against the frame. But I think that in 99% of cases you only need one release, since the charging handle is a bit easier to reach anyway.
The new controls simply look very high quality and feel much better than the standard parts. From another perspective, it also becomes even clearer how far outward the Extended Slide Release builds up and thus makes the operation much more intuitive:
As I said, please don’t take this as a criticism of the standard AAP control panels, but the platform simply invites you to modify them according to your own wishes. If you are interested in my project, you can find all the info in this post.
Beauty shots of the AAP-01 with Tridos upgrade parts
I would almost say that the project is finished now. It is times to take the AAP-01 carbine kit on a Cloudmaker game day! Now that finally the temperatures are right enough for good gas efficiency 🙂
On the picture you can also see the raptor style charging handle. With it, the stock is no longer retractable, but that doesn’t really bother me. I’ll probably never get into a game situation where I think to myself “oh, if only I had folded the stock so that I didn´t get hit -.-“.
It’s a nice feature for carrying in small bags or cases, but doesn’t offer a real tactical advantage in the game, at least from my perspective.
If the AAP Carbine Kit should be held like a handgun, it doesn’t matter if the stock is folded or fixed. In exchange I now have a very nice, extremely light and high-quality charging handle, which also reminds me of my favorite attachment in the real stell domain! 🙂
Conclusion: My impression of the TRIDOS.DESIGN AAP-01 tuning parts
After installation, I had another exchange with Mikus about it. His goal is to offer high quality at an affordable price. “Also, we’re aiming to beat most competition for similar products in pricing that are currently on market.”
And that’s exactly what he’s accomplishing with these parts. Even if Mikus ends up coming out at the same price as the big manufacturers, I’d order from him any day. For the sole reason that he started a business with the same passion as I do to give people great products at fair prices!
During installation, I have not been able to find any weak points in the design or manufacturing.
Everything runs freely and fits so extremely precise that nothing wobbles! Simply very well designed and implemented with attention to detail. Where the standard trigger still had 1-2 mm of horizontal play, there now is a fancy CNC-milled trigger. Together with the extended slide release it clearly upgrades the APP-01.
I’m looking forward to the first match with my AAP-01 carbine kit! Thanks Mikus that I was allowed to test the parts in advance 🙂
4K wallpaper for AAP-01 Carbine Kit with TRIDOS.DESIGN tuning parts
New article, new wallpaper, or what do you think? Here the image in full resolution without any compression for you!
