SOG Flash Rescue Knife

[RomanLA]

Has anyone tried this knife? I like that you can lock the blade and attach a lanyard to it.
http://sogknives.com/store/OFSA-6.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, check out the Groove for cutting rope on this knife. Do you think that would be a good feature to have on a rescue knife?
http://sogknives.com/store/TF-1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Shep]

I don't own any SOG knives but I do have a small axe and folding saw. Definitely quality gear. I bought a small SOG for my girlfriend for Christmas (I'm not dumb... She actually asked for a small knife!) I am ambivalent about their locking mechanism, but don't have anything specific to say about it good or bad. I would feel pretty good about the rescue knife you linked to. The other knife, though, I wouldn't carry for on-water rescues. The dull/round tip is obviously preferable for blind cuts close to people. The other thing I noticed is that the rope cutter isn't big enough for our normal rescue ropes or painters.

FWIW, I carry a very similar spyderco when I am climbing or for SAR (to the rescue knife). For paddling, i keep the old river shorty inside my PFD pocket.

Hope this helps,
Shep

[okieboater]

I have several rescue knives but my favorite is the spyderco folding blunt tip folding knife.

Mine are really old but still amazingly sharp.

Couple years ago we had two rafts pinned in the worst possible way. The key to finally getting them out was one of the rafts had a (thankfully wooden) oar jammed in such a way it could not be removed no matter what we attempted. The spyderco folder took some time but was used as a saw and cut the oar shaft which released the bottom raft and eventually with two multiple loop Z drags both rafts were unpinned.

Since then I added to my pin kit one of the handles that accepts a metal saw blade and a wooden saw blade. available at most hardware stores.

[Cowper]

Man, I really like the spring-assist opening. I switched to folders many years ago, but the spring assist would bring back some of the one-handed advantages of a fixed blade.

Like Dave, I've become partial to the Spderco's, partly because I KNOW I'm not a knife expert, so I go with a name that seems to be trusted by others who know more than me. With that as some background, I found this on a knife forum:

VG-10 at rc59 will stay sharp for a longer period of time than AUS 8 at rc57.
Mikael

Bridger Said:Aus-8 is not crap, but it's performance will come no where close to a supersteel like vg-10. I think you will be very pleased.

+2 to what both these gentlemen have already said

Translation: The knife gurus think the Spyderco has better steel than the SOG offering.

[Shep]

Since then I added to my pin kit one of the handles that accepts a metal saw blade and a wooden saw blade. available at most hardware stores.

Tom and I have been telling our paddler WFA class participants that they need to carry a cutting tool that can cut the materials on their boat. For canoeists, especially, that means thwarts, but I think we all need to be aware of how important an extremely effective cutting tool is. We all know we need to be able to cut a rope, but could we cut our boat in an emergency?

(I have a folding saw in my pin kit, but I'm thinking about upgrading to an NRS co-pilot as a superior cutting tool over my river shorty).

Hope this helps,
Paul

[okieboater]

Go to Lowes or Home Depot and look in their tools department. They have several versions of holders for reciprocating saw blades.

I have this one with a metal cutting blade and wood cutting blade.

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-48-08-0 ... 380&sr=1-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These are great SWR rescue tools and with the proper blade can cut most anything you would run into on a river trip.

[Shep]

Good resource! I guess my takeaway advice for myself and everyone is that we need two cutting tools on the river: One for cutting close to people, and that always gets carried with us (i.e. rescue knife on our PFDs) and one that is for bigger projects like cutting boats or strainers.

Back to the topic at hand, the SOGs are pretty decent knives. Good enough to put it down to personal preference.

[okieboater]

Agreed. My pfd external blade is a bear claw. curved blunt tip for safety sake. In my pfd pocket is a small EMT rescue scissor (thanks to Eric Esche) and my spyderco. In the pin kit is the recip saw blade holder with multiple blades inside a zip loc to protect the steel.

back in my younger days I was a fireman. have seen the EMT's cut thru levi's, belts and shirts to get to unconscious car wreck victems for assessment and really like good stainless steel EMT shears to do a safe job on cutting most fabrics or leather.

[Steve S]

I carry both a SOG Flash Rescue knife (in my PFD) and a SOG Camp Saw in my gear bag (http://sogknives.com/store/F10.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).

At first I was concerned about carrying an "assisted opening" knife in my PFD pocket. I had a mental picture of the knife opening when I wasn't expecting it to. However the lockout is positive and shouldn't accidentally move out of the locked position. Overall I think the knife is one of the better rescue knives on the market.

The SOG folder replaced a Benchmade fixed-blade rescue knife which attached to the outside of my PFD. After working toward canoe and SWR instructor certifications I decided that having a knife attached to the lash tab on my PFD was a snag waiting to happen. This led to my evaluation of folding rescue knives.

[RomanLA]

I've had problems with rust down here in the saltwater. I'm leaning towards a Spyderco made with H-1.
http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=172" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Shep]

Great choice.

[AR-Nimrod]

Used to have a standard Flash II. Really liked that knife. Then I left it on my desk at work one day and when I came back a little while later someone else apparently liked it too.