What to Look for in a Rescue Knife

Tolly

Tolly

Joined
Jan 1, 2006
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I am looking for the perfect rescue knife and I would like everyones input on who they think builds the best one, and what features you think it should have. What are some of the better options out there? I am not really concerned about price, but I am concerned about quality and reliability.
 
Depends what you are thinking of "rescuing". Is this for boat use, home use, scuba diving, something to put in the car in case of emergency?

Here is a decent rescue knife, Microtech Mini-Socom (not very mini) that is not too expensive yet has toughness, and all the bells and whistles. I sent two of these to the relatives in Iraq when they were there for over a year and they didn't have any problems (dust storms, camel spiders, etc.).

http://www.1sks.com/store/microtech-mini-socom-elite-automatic-seatbelt-cutter.html

Things to look for are (1) good reputation of the maker, (2) size compatible for what you need to carry, (3) type of knife - fixed or folder, plain or serrated, type of handle, and (4) priced for your budget.
 
Well, there are Spyderco's Salt knives, that have blades of H1 and will not rust. I myself bought a Pacific Salt, but it doesn't have the sheepsfoot blade. The Atlantic Salt has a sheepsfoot blade.There are the Spyderco Rescue knives that do also have the sheepsfoot blade. They are excellent knives and great prices. Snoop around the Spyderco site, I am SURE you WILL find something to your liking!
 
Best features to have IMO:

Sheepsfoot blade
Serrations
Bright handle color
Easy one hand open and close.

Spyderco makes a model called the Rescue which would work well, if you want it to be rust proof go with the Salt version. I think Spyderco does rescue knives very well because they have the best serrations out there bar none.
 
I agree with both of th eabove posters. Spyderco, brightly colored handles; the salt or rescue lines (both the lockback versions) are hard to beat, and cheap, too.
 
I think I made the perfect rescue knife using an Atlantic Salt I got for free from a fellow forum member. Actually I got two Atlantics, and one Delica given to me because all three had been over peened by the previous owner and the pivot pins were so tight that using the knives was, well, difficult and about impossible to open one handed anymore. Rather than see them thrown out I accepted them from him.

For a guy like me it was a simple fix though. Pop out the original pivot pins, replace with a stainless adjustable one and whalla, its all fixed up to working condition again. I sent one Atlantic and the Delica back to him and kept the one as payment for the labor and pins because in good conscience I couldn't just keep them all when it took me about 30 minutes to fix all three.

Looking at the rescue knife before me, which is basically what it is; I consider the Atlantic Salt to be the same exact knife as the 93mm Rescue with the only blade difference being the steel it is made of.

First thing I noticed was the blade was just entirely too wide. A rescue blade should be blunt on the tip but narrow to slide in and under things to get to them easy. It should be sharp, and it should be something that can be deployed in a snap of a finger.

Hence the Waved narrow blade Wharncliff fully serrated rescue came into being.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=50720&d=1136493061

STR
 
I've been carrying the Spyderco Assist Rescue with Carbide Tip (and Whistle :) ).

It's a big knife for a good grip under rough conditions or with gloves. It's got an impressive array of special functions.
 
I mainly need it for emergency situations I might encounter while driving our nations highways. I definitely don't need it for scuba. I am a certified rescue diver as well as avid technical diver, and I can tell you that every diver should carry a Z-knife along with EMT shears for entanglement situations where you or a buddy might have to be cut out. A regular straight blade knife usually doesn't work well on some of the super-line fishing lines that are encountered so frequently now especially if one of your hands or arms are bound and you can't hold the line with it while you cut it.

Nice looking custom job STR.
 
Slvgx said:
Best features to have IMO:

Sheepsfoot blade
Serrations
Bright handle color
Easy one hand open and close.

Spyderco makes a model called the Rescue which would work well, if you want it to be rust proof go with the Salt version. I think Spyderco does rescue knives very well because they have the best serrations out there bar none.
Click to expand...
This pretty much describes the Spyderco Rescue in Orange I carry in my car. Great knife.
 
I just gave a Darrel Ralph "Rescue Heat" with Robo-Assist to my daughter's boyfriend/fiancé (a paramedic). Orange scales, blunt tip for prying, glass breaker at heel, and serrations that could probably slice a 3-in. diameter bamboo trunk like butter! :cool:
 
I ended up with a black/FRN Spydie Rescue 93 mm that sits in my Maxpedition as my "emergency" blade, but I'm a city type of guy:) Mostly for cuttting cord, cardboard, etc. I looked at the Rescue Jr. but personally felt that the larger one would be more useful for what I would do or encounter. This one is my first fully serrated blade and was I ever surprised at how this thing can cut:eek: I'm a PE type of person but it's sure got me thinking about an SE Delica:) I felt the same way in looking for a just in case type of blade - after monkeying a bit in comparing it with a similar sized blade in a plain edge on a bit of nylon strapping (PE Endura), the Rescue makes the cut with less effort and is definitely faster. What really caught me off guard was how fast the Rescue got thru paracord.

- gord
 
A good rescue knife should:
a) be made by Ernest Emerson
b) be reliable and easily accessible
c) be made by Ernest Emerson
:D
Check out the S.A.R.K.
Peace.
 
I will check the above mentioned knives out. Keep the suggestions coming. Oh yeah, a good recommendation on a place to buy them on the net would be good.
 
Tolly said:
I will check the above mentioned knives out. Keep the suggestions coming. Oh yeah, a good recommendation on a place to buy them on the net would be good.
Click to expand...
If you need a point the Camillus won't work, the Spyderco will. Spyderco is probably a better bet for all around use.

Try newgraham.com for buying them. Great rep and free band-aids :D
 
ha. the band-aids cracked me up.

what was worse was that they were right. i definately needed them....
 
Does anybody know first hand how well the glass breaking tips on some of these knives work?
 
I rescued a seagull with my Pacific Salt last night. The bird had got one wing so badly entangled in fishing line it looked like it had been bound to it's body. The snub nosed P-Salt was perfect for sliding under the line and cutting.

Hmmm, car based rescue? Some sort of prybar type entry tool or perhaps the Cold Steel SRK.
 
I once rescued a robin trapped in fishing line, snagged on a branch, by slipping the tip of my Vaquero Grande under the line. Good thing I didn't nick the bird with the knife. :)

I don't know what breaking into a car would require besides a glass-breaker, unless the vehicle was so smashed up, heavy equipment would be needed to rip it open.
 
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