Sebenza served as glass breaker? Please advice.

T

teaman2004

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Apr 8, 2011
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Would someone advice me that if sebenza could be used as a glass breaker?:confused:
It is a hard choice of picking up a sebenza or an umnumzaan. Please help. Thanks a lot.:)
 
You probably could manage to break a car window with a sebenza but it has no specific feature for breaking glass. If you smash windows with any regularity I would get a spring loaded glass breaker, if it's just in case then I would be less quick to choose a knife based on that feature alone. A pocket knife is of course a tool designed primarily for cutting stuff. :)
 
I've been a paramedic for 12 years I highly suggest you don't use the carbide tip on the Umnum for breaking windows. It puts your arm too close to the breaking glass from the swinging motion of you arm. A spring punch is way better. But in an emergency if that's all you have you are better off using the tip of your knife as it will give you more distance from your arm to the glass. If that's not an option use the antenna off the car fold it in half and let the spring of the antenna opening break the glass much safer but not too many cars use those antennas anymore.
 
If you stand with your back to the vehicle and strike behind you at the window you can use the door frame or uprights of the car as a brace to stop your arm going through. This also helps you shield your face from any flying bits of glass. You can do this in an emergancy with anything from a rock to a specific non sprung glass breaker. I'm surprised you were not taught that as a paramedic.

snyper1ad said:
I've been a paramedic for 12 years I highly suggest you don't use the carbide tip on the Umnum for breaking windows. It puts your arm too close to the breaking glass from the swinging motion of you arm. A spring punch is way better. But in an emergency if that's all you have you are better off using the tip of your knife as it will give you more distance from your arm to the glass. If that's not an option use the antenna off the car fold it in half and let the spring of the antenna opening break the glass much safer but not too many cars use those antennas anymore.
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Haze said:
You probably could manage to break a car window with a sebenza but it has no specific feature for breaking glass. If you smash windows with any regularity I would get a spring loaded glass breaker, if it's just in case then I would be less quick to choose a knife based on that feature alone. A pocket knife is of course a tool designed primarily for cutting stuff. :)
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This:thumbup:
 
I would disregard the glass-breaker idea. You would probably have a higher probability of using a lightning arrestor built into your folder. The Sebenza is smooth...very smooth. The Zaan offers a slightly thicker blade-steel @ 0.140" (excepting new Seb 25) than the Sebbies (both sizes) @ 0.125".
Carry a Sebbie if you want one-handed smooth operation, a harmless-looking (but effective) blade and no muss, no fuss.
IMO, the reason to carry a Zaan is because of the blade-shape...slightly tactical without being intimidating. In my use, closing the Zaan is a two-handed operation, as the lockbar cutouts are smaller than the Seb, yielding a slightly stiffer lockbar. Combining this factor with a much smaller available area to exert thumb pressure on the lockbar, I am unable to close it one-handed. All of that being said, I still carry and use the Zaan EDC.
And, I must note, many or most folks say that they operate the Zaan just fine with one hand.
Both models are wonderful, either decision is the right decision. Or, like many of us, you'll end up with both.
Once I'm finished using the blade, it's no big deal if I use two hands, so this has ceased to bother me. I am exercising a bit more, however. :)
 
snyper1ad said:
I've been a paramedic for 12 years I highly suggest you don't use the carbide tip on the Umnum for breaking windows. It puts your arm too close to the breaking glass from the swinging motion of you arm. A spring punch is way better. But in an emergency if that's all you have you are better off using the tip of your knife as it will give you more distance from your arm to the glass. If that's not an option use the antenna off the car fold it in half and let the spring of the antenna opening break the glass much safer but not too many cars use those antennas anymore.
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smith and wesson has one and I belive the model number is 911. it is spring loaded and has a seat belt cutter as well.
 
While on duty, I have always used the gear on the apparatus for taking windows. Once, while off-duty, I did use the window breaker feature on my (now sold) Umnumzaan to take two side windows on a rollover I witnessed witout issue. FWIW, I would seriously suggest everyone avoids trying to take a window with the blade or your knife, period. No sense adding to the incident.
 
Haze said:
If you stand with your back to the vehicle and strike behind you at the window you can use the door frame or uprights of the car as a brace to stop your arm going through. This also helps you shield your face from any flying bits of glass. You can do this in an emergancy with anything from a rock to a specific non sprung glass breaker. I'm surprised you were not taught that as a paramedic.
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You can do that if you choose but if you do it enough times you WILL cut yourself. And I was taught not to do what you advised. But what do I know
 
i've never taken an emt course or what not, but i would think jamming a folding knife into class wouldn't be the smartest thing, as it may fold right on your fingers:eek: you also suggested using the antenna, but don't you have to unscrew a car's antenna(at least mines that way), seems rather time consuming?

i don't think most of us will do it *enough* times but having the option there if need be is nice. again, no training in this area, but i would assume wrapping some cloth around your hand, back to the car with the frame as a brace would logically be the best safe/fastest way to deal with it.
 
I have cut my self many times in many ways, it bothers me not and it's worth it to save a person IMO. I have never cut my self in the dosens of times I have practiced that technique with various tools though so I'm happy it works. How do you break a window in an emergency when you have no specific tool for the job ? Your car aerial trick just doesn't work at all. How many times have you really broken a window using that method ?

snyper1ad said:
You can do that if you choose but if you do it enough times you WILL cut yourself. And I was taught not to do what you advised. But what do I know
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teaman2004 said:
Would someone advice me that if sebenza could be used as a glass breaker?:confused:
It is a hard choice of picking up a sebenza or an umnumzaan. Please help. Thanks a lot.:)
Click to expand...

It will work just fine if done properly (corner of glass). So will fingers, wedding rings, center punches, car keys, center punch.

It's all about proper energy transfer throughout the glass.
 
How would you cut yourself on auto glass anyway? It doesn't form sharp shards when it breaks. They're almost like small pebbles. As long as your careful and don't throw a haymaker punch at the window, I think any knife with steel or titanium handles should be able to break a car window, and you probably won't cut yourself. Just leave the knife folded, and hold it in your hand so that the butt of the handle sticks out below your fist. Am I wrong here? I have seen lots of broken car windows, but have never purposely broken one.
 
You can get cuts from auto glass but you are much less likely to get as bad a cut as you would with a window that's going to smash to shards.
 
First of all non rescue personnel should not be extricating people from cars unless the car is on fire or filling up with water. Even if the car is upside down and on top of someone. You will most likely do more harm by moving them. The best thing to do is wait for trained personnel. YES the antenna trick works. I've done it and continue to train others in it's use. And I have also treateded well intentioned good samaritans with multiple lacerations to the arm who tried breaking car windows. They just become one more trip sheet to be documented. Please refrain from saving people unless they are in immediate danger. I have seen more people harmed by good samaritans than saved.
 
Spring loaded center punch at a discount tool store. I bought like 5 for $20. Just make sure they are secured if you carry one inside the vehicle. You dont need an object with a pointed end flying through the passenger area if you have a wreck!
 
so you would still recommend(because it's safer) people to use the tip of their knife as opposed to the umnumzaans glass breaker? i'm still not quite bought on that(unless we're talking fixed blades, still i'd rather go in with my back against the car with the frame as a brace)

when someone needed pulled from a car, you took the time to unscrew the antenna, or you just snapped it off?

the genius types that punch straight into a glass window will obviously be getting cut, but without proper first aid training, that's about as much as they can do in the heat of the moment :/

i still feel awkward about seeing a recommendation for people to use the point of a folding knife though.
 
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