Car cutting

W

WeekSecret

Joined
Apr 28, 2021
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I got this idea while looking at winkler tomahawk. Some had a "can opener" ending to cut metal sheet.

I know that a good general knife should be able to open a can of food, which is made of metal.

So I'm wondering if I can expect a good knife to cut trough the roof and door of a car if an emergency happen. I know those aren't much more thicker than a standard metal can.

Please don't trow rock at me for suggesting such a thing...
 
I think right off the bat we need to define what "metal" is in each individual case.
 
A car roof could be made out of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or some very thick steel depending on what kind/year.
For an emergency situation you’re better off having a knife with a glass-breaker and getting to a window.
 
I think it will be less about piercing and more about leverage. You can poke holes in sheet metal all day, but you won't be able to leverage enough force to actually cut/slice through the metal. Also, many cars have reinforced structures in and around the roof so that in the event of a turn over you aren't pancaked by the weight of the car crushing down on the roof.

I'd much rather go through a window rather than try to cut through steel.
 
Well, if you happen to have a newer car where the roof looks something like this:

panoramic-sunroof.jpg



Then this has a "Disc saw for shatterproof glass":

SAK_0_8623_MWN__S2.jpg



Boom. There you have it. A knife that can cut through a car roof ;)
 
I bought my Blackjack Campanion (1/4" 1095,epocy coated) after reading a review where it was sledge-hammered through the hood of a Buick with no edge damage. Figured it would stand up to considerable abuse. Still keep it in the SUV for emergencies.
 
I haz sunroof to escape via. No need to permanently damage my car.

I'm guessing a ZDP-189 Dragonfly 2 would work if I had to cut my SUV open.

But by the time I could do it and escape I'd have drowned or burned to death.
 
Knives&Lint said:
Well, if you happen to have a newer car where the roof looks something like this:

panoramic-sunroof.jpg



Then this has a "Disc saw for shatterproof glass":

SAK_0_8623_MWN__S2.jpg



Boom. There you have it. A knife that can cut through a car roof ;)
Click to expand...
I already have a leatherman with a metal saw in it, it's not really to find something, it's more of a curiosity.
 
K.O.D. said:
I haz sunroof to escape via. No need to permanently damage my car.

I'm guessing a ZDP-189 Dragonfly 2 would work if I had to cut my SUV open.

But by the time I could do it and escape I'd have drowned or burned to death.
Click to expand...
I was thinking more about getting someone out from a car or under a building in metal sheet.

Not that I expect any of that to happen though
 
tony281sc2 said:
A car roof could be made out of fiberglass, carbon fiber, or some very thick steel depending on what kind/year.
For an emergency situation you’re better off having a knife with a glass-breaker and getting to a window.
Click to expand...
Actually, aside from the laminated windshield, on post ... 1965(?) ... 1967? ... 1968? cars in the US, all the side windows and rear window are tempered glass. Put a heavy scratch on it (a 8 or 10 penny nail will do) and it shatters. A "Glass Breaker" is not required.
Prior to circa 1965 to 1968, (I know they went to tempered glass all around by 1970. The Feds changed the safety regs allowing tempered glass everywhere but the windshield. Tempered glass costs a lot less than laminated glass, even if it does need shaped and drilled before tempering.) all the car widows (includng the vent windows ... remember them?) were laminated glass.
A glass breaker isn't going to help with them. At best you might crack it, like a piece of gravel from a dump truck, can your windshield.

For cutting the roof (if you don't have a moon roof you can shatter, or a sun roof you can open manually with the emergency crank) ... I'd suggest a Ontario 499 "Jet Pilot Survival Knife" with a saw back. They're designed to aid in evacuating an aircraft through the (bullet proof) canopy, or the sides of military aircraft .... if you survive the crash.
Another option would be the 499 to remove the headliner, stab a hole, and use a pair of tin snips to make a big enough hole to get through.
Either way, it is going to be time consuming, if you can't get out a window, or get a door open.
 
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