Rescue Knife... does it exist?

O

OreoGaborio

Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Messages
33
Hey all,

First post, first thread here... Got a question for ya. A good friend of mine is a fire fighter & has been looking for a rescue knife with specific criteria and I'd really like to help him out...

Criteria:
Seat belt cutter, window punch...
But here's the tricky part... FIXED blade, not a folder.

He seems to be pretty adamant about those three, so if you guys could help, that would be flippin awesome.

Does it exist? I've searched everywhere and have come up empty thus far. Thanks in advance for the help.
 
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OreoGaborio said:
But here's the tricky part... FIXED blade, not a folder.

Not exactly sure WHY he wants it to be a fixed blade, but he's pretty adament about it, so if you guys could help, that would be flippin awesome.
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They wear heavy gloves. Opening a folding knife wearing gloves isn't exactly easy.
 
okay, lemme rephrase... I understand why he wants a fixed blade, but don't get why he's so adament about it since there are plenty of rescue knives out there that are easy enough to operate with heavy gloves on.

But that's besides the point. Does a knife exist that meets his criteria?
 
You might want to take a look at dive knives for this purpose. The Benchmade 110H2O springs to mind as one that incorporates an extended tang and a line cutter.
 
There's the Boker Cop tool and the Becker BK3, but they don't have a glass breaker. There's the CRKT MAK-1, which has a carbide glass breaker, but no seatbelt cutter. I can't find one that has all the features you're looking for.

I think your friend might be better off buying two tools. A knife, and something like the Benchmade Houdini or a ResQMe.
 
For a number of years, I've been carrying a Wilson Tactical Coptool in my bunkers and it fits the bill pretty well. I use it more for prying, but it does have a seatbelt cutter and the pommel is supposed to be able to be used for taking windows (eventhough I've never personally used it for that). Its cutting ability isn't the greatest, but it will do the job in a pinch. Like I said, prying seems to be its strength, but it gets a pass for its other features it offers in a small package.
 
I'm with Planterz on this. RESQME is a good tool. OR Holmatro window breaker.

This might sound stupid but... to overcome the glove problem and it can be a problem

why not get a folding rescue knife with all the features and keep it open/unfolded in a different sheath?
 
The Gerber LMF-II ASEK has a glass breaker pommel and comes with a separate seatbelt cutter.
 
With the MAK-1 , you can also purchase it with the EXTRIK-8-R which is a belt cutter with slotted and Philips screw driver ends and an O2 wrench.

Let me know if you have any questions about them.

james@jmcgowanknivesdotcom
 
I'm sure you could have someone add a notch to cut belts on a MAK-1. I wonder why CRKT doesn't do that already? Plenty of room for it and it would still be strong enough for use as an emergency pry bar.
 
JWRobinson said:
I'm sure you could have someone add a notch to cut belts on a MAK-1. I wonder why CRKT doesn't do that already? Plenty of room for it and it would still be strong enough for use as an emergency pry bar.
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In confined spaces, cutting seatbelts or clothing with a full size knife can be a bit dicey. I do more prying than belt cutting and didn't want to weaken the blade for a feature that would be used that much and might get caught on debris while trying to get out of a firefighter entrapment. The EXTRIK -8-R rides piggyback on the sheath so you have it at all times as well.

James
 
Good point. I don't have any experience with fire fighter needs. I have a Benchmade 8BLWK strapped on my MOLLE gear for cutting clothing and boots. I have known medics who do the same AND have a small pry-bar on their aid-bags. It would be nice to have everything in one package but it's far from a perfect world we live in.
 
mcgoo7 said:
In confined spaces, cutting seatbelts or clothing with a full size knife can be a bit dicey. I do more prying than belt cutting and didn't want to weaken the blade for a feature that would be used that much and might get caught on debris while trying to get out of a firefighter entrapment. The EXTRIK -8-R rides piggyback on the sheath so you have it at all times as well.

James
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+1. I have this set; and it's and excellent set. I don't think you're losing anything having the seatbelt cutter separate.
 
Hey well like stated above look into a diving knife
But most I have seen are either folders or have no glasss breaker since most divers don't need to break glass. Has he thought about Buying a separate tool for seat belts and window braking
For example The boker plus rescom fixed blade Rescue hook. Yes technically it's I knife but it has no point so I would recommend also having another blade obj and I forgot to mention I use to have an m-tech folder that was an assisted open knife so it may be less of a problem for him it was a good knife for me. But in all honesty I don't know if I can recommend it to a firefighter who has other peoples life on his hands. Still worth checking out I guess check out m tech rescue knife. But remember it is an m tech and only like a 12 Dollie knife so I wouldn't really trust it plus it's linear lock
Good news is its 440 steel so at least they name the steel unlike most cheap knifes
Sti who knows how it was heat treated
 
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There is no glass breaker on the BK3, but I think a glass breaker would be a little pointless on that knife as every part of that knife could punch through a window.
 
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