Knifes

ertech

ertech

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I am in the market for a new knife.I am new to a 911 service and am in need of some recommendations.I don't want to spend to much money,for the the fear of loosing it.
 
I'd go with a nice pair of trauma shears. Or if you must spend money for another item to carry, the benchmade rescue hook.
 
choosing a knife isn't that easy.. what do you plan on cutting? what would a knife do that trauma siccors or a seat belt cutter won't do? how about a multi-tool? always use the pliers to open O2 tanks when the knob is missing.

if you need a knife, you want a very sharp one so you dont' have to be sawing around a Pt. but I wouldn't be doing that anyway. how about a folding box cutter? I have a Gerber model. uses replacable blades. it doubles as a money clip. aluminum body,light, and most importantly it's small.
 
i saw a rescue knife online, with a blade window point and seat belt cutter all built in
 
Multiple options

Everyone here is offering good advice. If you are just starting out a decent pair of trauma shears makes a great basic tool. They cut almost everything and some of them also offer notches in the handle to turn O2 tank valves. Usually they can also be bought on the cheap which is great if you are like me and leave things behind as souvenirs.

Unless you plan on cutting a lot of rope I would steer clear of serrated blades. They are a bear to sharpen and tend to hang up in some materials. And TraprMike is correct you want your blade to be very sharp. Most "tactical/EMS" blades are partially serrated and offer what they think is the best of both worlds. I am not sure that is true.

Remember you will be holding the knife in a gloved hand, so if you are looking at a folding knife the blade needs to be easy to open with a large thumb stud or similar device. And a locking blade is a MUST.

Victorinox (the Swiss Army knife people) offer a "Rescue tool" that has several useful features and it hard to beat the quality of the steel in their blades. This knife has one several awards in Europe, but it comes at a price, $72. So it would be expensive to leave behind.

At the end, it is a personal choice, something with a disposable razor for a blade might be perfect. Maybe you want a multi-tool and a separate single blade knife to cover all your bases. If you like to look at more options I suggest surfing to Smoky Mountain Knife Works: http://www.SMKW.com They have pretty much all the knives discussed here so far.

Good luck and keep safe.
 
Never once during almost 2 decades in both fire or EMS have I ever carried a knife or ever needed one other than a scalpel that came in a kit.
 
I carry the Gerber Hinderer rescue knife and find it's more than enough knife for what I need. It has an O2 tank wrench built in and and it's easy to open and close while wearing firefighter gloves. :)

Designed by knife maker and firefighter Rick Hinderer, the Gerber 22-41534 Hinderer Rescue Knife boasts a smart, user-friendly feature set that delivers reliable handling in the toughest situations. A true rescue tool, this knife showcases a strong, sharp blade with a serrated edge, a hook cutter, and an ergonomic grip that's easy to hold while wearing gloves.
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I appreciate all the recommendations.I will probably go with a rescue tool of some sort.I know not everyone carries a knife,but I would rather have to much equipment then to little.
 
If you need a knife get a good one and make a point not to lose it. I've brought my spyderco endura all over the world, literally. I use it and then clip it back in my pocket. As for a rescue specific knife, I've been contemplating a Gerber Hinderer CLS, as it has a few cool gadgets, 02 wrench, glass breaker, and a decent blade. On the other hand I work fire/rescue and we have plenty of tools for glass. O2 wrench in bag etc. . So those tools are redundant. Being a knife nut though I always carry one just not a big fan of open blades around patients. Trauma shears are definitely the way to go in that arena.
With all the above being said I would go with a good USA made folder of your choice. Check out Kershaw, Benchmade, griptilian's are a great knife for a great price, Spyderco,and Buck all have some great knives at great prices. If you really want to treat yourself, get a Zero Tolerance, I've been every day carrying a ZT0350 daily for some time now and it is a great blade.
 
n7lxi said:
I carry the Gerber Hinderer rescue knife and find it's more than enough knife for what I need. It has an O2 tank wrench built in and and it's easy to open and close while wearing firefighter gloves. :)
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I'll second the Gerber Hinderer suggestion. :)
 
I really like Kershaws. The SpeedSafe action is really slick. I've also heard good things about SOG knives.
 
Fox800 said:
The Hinderer is alright, it's big and bulky and made in China (might not matter to some people).
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Where it's made shouldn't matter to anyone, it's an irrelevant fact to point out. The quality (if that's what you're worried about) is just as good as, if not better than, any "Made in the USA" product.

You're right that it's big and bulky. The Hinderer in intended for the firefighter market in general, not for EMS specifically. It's designed so that a firefighter should be able to deploy and handle it while wearing bulky structural firefighting gloves. It feels fine in my bare hands, though, but that's just me. Every other folding knife I've ever owned has been about the same size.
 
Just curious, in MA, autos are illegal. Are ems and fire personal exempt from this ruling? I know many cops in my area carry the microtech type auto knives. Not looking for one, but just curious.
 
rwik123 said:
Just curious, in MA, autos are illegal. Are ems and fire personal exempt from this ruling? I know many cops in my area carry the microtech type auto knives. Not looking for one, but just curious.
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Just checking, but are you sure they don't carry spring assisted blades instead of autos? Auto knives are like switchblades, where all you have to do is hit a button and the blade swings open and locks into place.
A spring assist still requires you to start opening the blade manually. And then the spring takes care of finishing the opening. Minor difference, but one is usually legal while the other is not.
 
I'm with Vene on this one. In 7+ years I've never carried nor needed a knife. Trauma shears have worked every time I've needed something cut.


As for the country of manufacture thing, some people do care, and try to buy USA made as much as they can.
 
jtpaintball70 said:
Just checking, but are you sure they don't carry spring assisted blades instead of autos? Auto knives are like switchblades, where all you have to do is hit a button and the blade swings open and locks into place.
A spring assist still requires you to start opening the blade manually. And then the spring takes care of finishing the opening. Minor difference, but one is usually legal while the other is not.
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No, I meant auto, push button deployment. I know assisted opening blades are legal as long as it requires the user to initiate the opening of the blade before the assist. Maybe they just think there above the law, granted I could see some arguments for why a police officer would need one
 
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