Plain edge knife vs Seatbelt.

[Planterz]

IMO, the disadvantage a plain edge knife has with cutting a seatbelt is not how well it slices it, but the angle at which it slices. With only light pressure, or even heavy pressure, if you're running the blade parallel or nearly parallel to the belt, it won't slice it very easily. Even if you're pulling away with great strength, the blade might simply slide off the belt without cutting threw it. You might be able to slice it easily at a more perpendicular angle, especially at a true 90 degree angle, but you might not be able to position the knife this way, for risk of stabbing the person. A serrated edge should be able to slice any seatbelt at any angle, with hardly any slicing motion needed. With 1 hand, without needing to hold part of the belt to keep it stable so you're slicing in the same spot.

That said, any sharp knife should be able to get the knife done, and any knife is infinitely better than no knife. I wouldn't worry about not having a serrated knife for fear that it wouldn't slice a seatbelt (just keep it sharp), but if you're interested in a knife to have purely for this kind of emergency (like, for instance, you're an EMT), I'd not only go with a serrated knife, I'd go with a specific purpose-built one with a blunted tip, like the Spyderco Assist.

I used to always carry a serrated blade (for utility), as well as my plain edge knife, but I've actually switched to a PE Spyderco Tasman Salt as my utility blade (the serrated hawkbill would bind too much), and I'm confident it'd work just fine cutting the seatbelt in an emergency (which I attribute to the hawkbill shape).

 

[Cliff Stamp]

You might be able to slice it easily at a more perpendicular angle, especially at a true 90 degree angle, but you might not be able to position the knife this way, for risk of stabbing the person.

Put the blade underneath the belt and pull up using a slight draw and angling the blade on the pull.

-Cliff

 

[kr1]

For touch-ups, stropping would do. You could use a section of leather bootlace.

Interesting idea. I'll have to try that. I have ceramic sharpening sticks I use to touch up the benchmade. It is easy to do touch ups with them.

I have a spyderco Assist II but almost always prefer the benchmade because of the design. It would make it very hard to cut myself, the patient, or members of my crew with the benchmade. Things are happening very fast and hands, equipment, and body parts and equipment are going everywhere. Even a blunted razor sharp blade like the spyderco is just too dangerous too have moving around in a situation like that. Just MHO.

KR