Review of the glass breaker on the RC-3MIL

[R.A.T.]

This officer requested that his name or department not be used, but I think this is a good review of the glass breaking capabilities of the RC-3MIL, especially since we have had some posts on here asking about its use.

As he says below, the intended use of this knife is a last-ditch glass breaker. The bottom line is laminated windshield glass is tough and needs a better tool than our knife or the average "rescue" glass breaker. It will, however, blow through side windows as the officer in the NTOA review noted.

Jeff,

I usually don’t read the forums, but was playing around and saw there were several questions about the glass-breaker on the RC-3. I don’t really want to post advice on the forum, but I can give you some insight and you can feel free to use it. Please don’t put my name or assignment out there though.

As part of my job I am allowed to go to the salvage yard and test, in part, glass breaking options. While there I went ahead and used the RC-3 glass breaker to see how it worked. It did a pretty good job on side windows and vent windows. It worked about as well as the small commercial “rescue tools”. As expected, you have to wear decent gloves as your hand is going to come in contact with the window when it breaks. If you are working on a windshield, it is going to take a while. If it is a laminated windshield, you really have to work at it. The glass breaker point goes pretty fast on the heavier windshield glass and you will have to re-sharpen it after use.

Overall this works as a last ditch option on auto glass, but it is not going to be first choice for the tactical guys, and I expect that is how you had it figured when you designed it.

 

[texastonydobbs]

Excellent Review......

 

[lazerboy2000]

So then what does work on laminated glass better than a sharp, hard point? What is the 1st choice for "tactical guys"?

 

[kgd]

So then what does work on laminated glass better than a sharp, hard point? What is the 1st choice for "tactical guys"?

My guess would be a larger entry tool, something like Justin's 'Entry Hawk' from Ranger knives or a swamprat 'crash-rat' would be up to the task of bashing windshield after windshield.

Of course I spend most of my life writing on chalk boards as a prof, so unlike Reuben, "who eats bugs" and thus is qualified, I really can't say

Nice review, and I love how the Rat-team goes out of its way to post objective statements like this one. It states the facts, provide the information we need and doesn't have a bunch of promotional spin. You guys are such a breath of fresh air in this community - great to have folks such you around. I guess that's why my production knife purchases have been pretty much RC-exclusives as of late...

 

[Tripton]

No glass breaker is made for windshield glass.


That stuff can be hard to get through, even if you hit it with a hammer.

Seems like the RC-3 would be more than sufficient to bust tempered glass though.

Of course, if I want out bad enough, Ill use both ends of the knife until the
window breaks.

 

[Bushman5]

^ Victorinox makes an EXCELLENT glass breaker for windshields, you make 4 jabs (in a square or rectangular patternwith the breaker point , then jam the special thin glass saw in and sliceform one point to another. great vid on the vic site.