The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
It is.
I happen to like these. This is what I recommend to people that want a rescue knife for their car.
), only to ultimately decide that my money would be best enjoyed elsewhere. I have one of the BM strap cutters on my EDC pack and also one strapped (via the sheath) to the post on my passenger side headrest so it can be accessed by anyone in the car. I did have one of the above vic tools as well but it got snatched by a dopefiend in a car burglary 
and I never got around to replacing it.
What’s your opinion on using a serrated hawkbill blade? I think that would be one ideal option. The point is directed away from you so there’s less chance of poking yourself.These are actually two very relevant considerations for considering a tool to cut seatbelts. Being involved with racing as a marshal (think safety crew) I’ve had more than one occasion where I’ve had to extract a driver in an incident. While racing harnesses have quick release mechanisms, in an emergency, I have had to cut straps quickly to help extricate someone on a few occasions. I’ve also gone through training, where we not only practice removing someone else, but experience being strapped into the rig ourselves as the ‘dummy’. Here are my thoughts based on personal opinion and experience...
first and foremost, 99% of the time, if you’re cutting a belt, either for yourself or someone else, it is going to be a high stress situation, under less than ideal situations. Anything you have to manipulate to open (ie: fold) adds another level of undue complication to the scenario. Especially if it’s not a scenario you actively train for, with a tool you’re familiar with.
Size matters! All those cutters on the back end of ‘rescue knife’ handles are fine for cutting a seatbelt, or piece of cord, or other strap, if you aren’t under stress and are able to calmly line up the relatively small capturing area to draw it into the cutting blade. Of course, you also don’t want to try getting a 10” long Bowie under the belts of an already struggling, freaked out passenger as they see you coming at them with a large knife.
finally, if you’re worried about cutting your own seatbelt, remember, your pockets may not be easily accessible to pull out a clipped folder or fixie in a pocket sheath. Same holds true with something on your keychain, dangling from the ignition.
So for me, I always recommend one of three options: a 3-5” fixed blade, a dedicated strap/belt cutter, or a pair of medic/rescue sheers. I actually keep all three on me at the track, as they all will serve multiple, different purposes.
for cutting someone else out, your pocket knife will work, but a small fixed is better under stress of you edc one. Better is a strap cutter with a finger hole or a pair of sheers. Both are gonna be the safest for whoever you are cutting out as the tips will be blunt, and they are going to be less prone to be dropped with your fingers in the holes. The sheers aren’t necessarily practical to keep on you at all times (unless you’re involved in an activity that warrants them), but are going to give you more control and easier cuts, and will easily fit in most glove boxes or center consoles. The strap cutter is small enough to include with your EDC gear, be thrown in a pocket, or some even on your belt.
if your concerned with cutting your own belt, go with a dedicated, hook type strap cutter (and not a folding one). I’ve been stripped in, upside down, to a faux cage at training seminars, and let me tell you, if you think your gonna be able to grab your pocket knife, think again. Even if your not upside down, try grabbing it out of your pocket while sitting buckled in your driver’s seat, wearing a winter coat, with the steering wheel in the way, and potentially being in shock in an emergency. A strap cutter is going to be your absolute best option in this situation. Just make sure it’s somewhere accessible. Center console is ok, but if your upside down, it’s gonna fall out, and if you keep a lot of other stuff you’ll have to dig for it - neither are ideal.
So... for my personal use, I keep a small strap cutter in each vehicle, clipped to the sun visor. While I can’t predict every possible scenario, it is the most accessible place for the vast majority of any situation your likely to encounter. It doesn’t have to be expensive, or a big brand name, or anything fancy,
just sharp.
I know OP was looking for something on a knife, but a dedicated strap/rescue cutter is much more user friendly in an emergency.
j
I have often felt that a fully serrated Tenacious would make a wonderful rescue knife if you blunted the tip with a file. Keep that as part of your response kit and wear a plain edge version as your EDC.
This thread has become much more interested than I thought it would. My original goal was just to find the knife that Chinese makers like Mtech had knocked off, so I could recommend a reasonable knife; I think that we have found that (the Eickhorn). But, the whole subject of self-rescue is one that I haven't invested much though in. Where I am in Florida, the biggest concern is falling off a road and drowning in one of the ever present drainage canals or lakes. It seems that every few months we get a story about someone jumping in to rescue someone from a rapidly flooding vehicle and they are not always successful. We also get stories about missing persons found in their vehicles months or years after they disappeared. Towards that end I always have my pocket knife and I usually carry a seat belt cutter and a utility razor in my center console. I don't know if any of that would help, since I figure that either I will be able to release myself, or I will be unconscious and none of these solution would really matter.
This is what I have in the car:
I am surprised that someone hasn't figured out how to install fire resistant flotation foam in a family car.
n2s
