My Cara Cara Rescue (my full review with photos here... http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=688707 )
has been in use for almost a year now, and I wanted to give an update on its application-specific wear.
Appearance: The black handles, satin blade, and satin pocket clip make the knife look nice. However, it begs to be done in an international orange or rescue yellow. I used yellow duct tape to cover the handles and make the knife easier to find.
Comfort: The knife is comfortable to use, with or without gloves on. The David Boye dent in mine needed a little bit of sanding (way too sharp). The pocket clip tends to snag on things and bend, which makes me have to remove the pocket clip to bend it back. Other than the pocket clip (a major issue for me) the Cara Cara is great. A lanyard will help immensely if using gloves. The knife clips almost anywhere on turnout gear.
Seatbelts: The fully serrated blade zips through seatbelts. Very fast. Very safe. No way you'll injure a patient with it. However, I found that even with my pretty-darn-good sharpening skills, the serrations just didn't look like they did from the factory. They're almost all gone now, but they still cut. I love the scalloped serrations like the ones used on the old Camillus Rescue Heat knives and the modern Kershaws; the two-small-one-large pattern just seems to not cut as much.
Windows: Yes, I've used mine (as have others) to break windows. It works just fine; just use the knife (closed) and choke up towards the pivot end so you don't pinch yourself between the glass and the butt of the knife. The butt is just a little flatter after six or seven window breaks, but in truth this doesn't affect function or comfort.
Hard Use: I've thrown mine to the ground (both open and closed) so I could attend to more important things. More like intentionally dropped it on the concrete to tend to a person. No damage. The lack of a point probably has a lot to do with this, as does the thick blade. I've never had it open when thrown, nor close or unlock when thrown. No chips in either the blade or the FRN handle; however, the black color made it hard to find at night.
The Elements: It's been through a lot of sweat. Apart from a rust spot on the blade, it's fine. Just wipe it down at the end of each shift. It's been through some fires. No problems with melting the FRN or affecting the blade's temper. Been dunked with water sprinkler systems. No rust, as long as it was blown out and wiped down. It's had CO2 and chemicals from fire extinguishers on it, and apart from a small white spot on the handle, there's no change. All of this stuff (as well as pocket lint) likes to find its way into those little holes in the handle; please get rid of those and have a solid handle. It doesn't affect funtionality, but I hate looking into the handle and seeing all of that crap.
Oh yeah... the screws are all adjustable. I had to tighten my pivot pin screw once and only once in the year that I've used it. Very good
For a $25 rescue knife, the Cara Cara Rescue is a hell of a buy.
has been in use for almost a year now, and I wanted to give an update on its application-specific wear.
Appearance: The black handles, satin blade, and satin pocket clip make the knife look nice. However, it begs to be done in an international orange or rescue yellow. I used yellow duct tape to cover the handles and make the knife easier to find.
Comfort: The knife is comfortable to use, with or without gloves on. The David Boye dent in mine needed a little bit of sanding (way too sharp). The pocket clip tends to snag on things and bend, which makes me have to remove the pocket clip to bend it back. Other than the pocket clip (a major issue for me) the Cara Cara is great. A lanyard will help immensely if using gloves. The knife clips almost anywhere on turnout gear.
Seatbelts: The fully serrated blade zips through seatbelts. Very fast. Very safe. No way you'll injure a patient with it. However, I found that even with my pretty-darn-good sharpening skills, the serrations just didn't look like they did from the factory. They're almost all gone now, but they still cut. I love the scalloped serrations like the ones used on the old Camillus Rescue Heat knives and the modern Kershaws; the two-small-one-large pattern just seems to not cut as much.
Windows: Yes, I've used mine (as have others) to break windows. It works just fine; just use the knife (closed) and choke up towards the pivot end so you don't pinch yourself between the glass and the butt of the knife. The butt is just a little flatter after six or seven window breaks, but in truth this doesn't affect function or comfort.
Hard Use: I've thrown mine to the ground (both open and closed) so I could attend to more important things. More like intentionally dropped it on the concrete to tend to a person. No damage. The lack of a point probably has a lot to do with this, as does the thick blade. I've never had it open when thrown, nor close or unlock when thrown. No chips in either the blade or the FRN handle; however, the black color made it hard to find at night.
The Elements: It's been through a lot of sweat. Apart from a rust spot on the blade, it's fine. Just wipe it down at the end of each shift. It's been through some fires. No problems with melting the FRN or affecting the blade's temper. Been dunked with water sprinkler systems. No rust, as long as it was blown out and wiped down. It's had CO2 and chemicals from fire extinguishers on it, and apart from a small white spot on the handle, there's no change. All of this stuff (as well as pocket lint) likes to find its way into those little holes in the handle; please get rid of those and have a solid handle. It doesn't affect funtionality, but I hate looking into the handle and seeing all of that crap.
Oh yeah... the screws are all adjustable. I had to tighten my pivot pin screw once and only once in the year that I've used it. Very good
For a $25 rescue knife, the Cara Cara Rescue is a hell of a buy.
