Rescue knives

[Rev Jim Jones]

We ran a little experiment a few weeks ago with differant knifes.
The Gerber EZ rescue is a very capible knife, and what I carry,
along with the EZ Zip. The EZ ZIP will cut climbing ropeor water rescue
rope with minimal effort, as will the EZ Rescue. The EZ Zip is really
a nice tool for cutting rope or webbing in close proximty to a person, due to the tip which allow you to slide it under the entrapment without possibly
cutting the victim.

We also looked a Spiderco and the Gerber River shorty, which you have to saw rope into. we also looked at other knifes and it seems that thin blades cut with the least effot, this may lead to the knife dully quicker, but the EZ Zip has replacible blades, that is comes with, and for only around 9 bucks at sporting good stores it is afordable. The 2 Gerber knives, out of about 10 just happen to be the best of the knives we had to use, so I am not saying that there is not something better that I have not seen or tried yet, but I am still looking.

Jim

[RomanLA]

I saw this knife in a magazine the other day. With a built in bottle opener, I could see this being the one that gets the most use on the river.

[Butch Crain]

Sharpening serrated blades:

http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/ ... stser.html

Spyderco w/ clip, glass breaker, whistle:

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store ... s=SP79PSOR

[RomanLA]

I want something like that to keep in my vehicle. I keep meaning to pick up a glass breaker. A glass breaker that can cut seatbelts sounds even better though.

[eXtremeKier84]

I don't know what will I buy first, this thread is good. Thank you all.

[Fish]

I had one like that for a while. Made for cutting rope - makes short work of rope and easy to snag a rope with it. Not much use for cutting much besides rope and webbing though. Also the razor blades I had weren't stainless and rusted after a while. The Gerber design looks better... I eventually went back to a more conventional knife.

- Fish

[okieboater]

When I first started boating the in thing to do was have a double edged dagger style knife hanging off your PFD.

In fact the knife I remember as being the most popular was stainless steel double edged dagger style eventually with an option of a partly serrated edge. I had one.

Never had to use it in a real rescue situation and that was a good thing. That knife is stashed away in the keepsake box and not used anymore.

My opinion here, but any of these double edged blades and especially those with serrated edges "rescue" knife's should be outlawed. Sharp points follow close behind.

The reason I feel this way is most rescue events I have seen over the last few decades involved cutting close to the skin. Pretty hard to cut next to the skin with one of these sharp pointed double edged blades. And, maybe some of the boating Doc's will jump in here, those serrated edges make it really hard to do a decent job sewing up the wounds.

I hope more people will go for the blunt point, curved blunted back single blade rescue knifes. Ones that will reduce the chances of cutting into the victim you are attempting to save by cutting off a rope or cutting out of a spray skirt.

I started carrying EMT style shears in my PFD pocket and a small curved blunt tip single blade bear claw knife on the outside of my PFD just in case it is needed to cut rope. I have a folding spydeco rescue blade inside my PFD as well.

Here is the reason I like the EMT shears:

I was able to help during a car wreck. Victim tossed out of the car window, face down on the pavement. Still breathing but blood coming out ears and face. What I did was keep traffic away from him and another man from flipping him over and moving him to the sidewalk. EMT's got there. Did their assessment, thanked me for not moving the man and proceeded to use EMT shears to cut up one leg to the waist then the other and then up the shirt. Unfolded things and got the man on a board and off to the hospital. That EMT set of shears impressed me and I think as boaters that is a cutting instrument we should carry in case we need to cut something even close to a person's skin.

My point here is please reduce the chances you will do more harm in a rescue situation than good when cutting is necessary.

What comes to mind is the boater on the Ocoee that was cut out of his spray skirt with a cut artery, even tho EMTS were there in minutes on the roadside rescue the person died if memory correct.

[Fish]

Man, those old, sharp-tipped, double-edged, "clip-lock" knives were an accident waiting to happen. I had one on my PFD, flipped over and rolled back up without the knife. As it was I only lost a $40 knife. Luckily, I avoided the worst-case scenario: the blade sticking in my eye or jugular when I rolled back up... Yikes.

I never owned another one of those and even went to a folding knife for a while. I now have the new style Gerber knife design with no point on the blade and a double-clip lock design on the sheath that makes it almost impossible to release on accident. A MUCH improved design. I guess my letter cussing them out for nearly killing me worked. :)

And that's all I have to say about that...

- Fish

[vtsquid]

I use a Benchmade 5 hook
http://www.benchmade.com/products/5

well not the one above, mine has a plastic disc where the big hole is and made for water rescue and such, BM does not make it any more

I would not use the gerber e-z xip in the water only because it claims to use ss blade, looks more like a razor blade to me, and that will rust quick after being exposed to water

check out the bench made 5hook, 7hook and 8hook, all where designed for emergency rescue work, most have a quick/secure holster or pouch, and mine stays on my PFD and still shines like new

[EMTyak]

What are your thoughts on the Benchmade 9CB hook?

[vtsquid]

I am a much bigger fan of the hook 8, I have to look into the hook 9 again to see if it has its "rust proof" steel... that is why I have the hook 5, it is benchmade's "rust proof" water rescue hook.

The hook 9 has that handy cover for the blade, but to me I would fumble with it. I try to use the kiss method when dealing with rescue stuff. smooth is fast, fast is smooth!

here is a pic of my hook hook 5

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/m ... directlink

I use one of carrie's hair bands to hold it in place.

Bryan

[MrLight]

hmmmm.... i like to use a swiss pocket knife.