IN AN EMERGENCY, SOMETIMES A SIMPLE KNIFE BLADE ISN’T ENOUGH

STORY BY STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MANUFACTURERS

You thought you could make it through the flooded intersection, but your car stalled and the water is rising. Maybe you were involved in an accident. Your doors are jammed, your seatbelt’s stuck and you smell gas. Or maybe your hiking companion took a bad fall. His leg is gashed and bleeding, and the bone might be broken.

Having some sort of rescue tool close at hand is a good plan; they’re not just for police officers and EMTs. By the time they get to you, it could be too late. Having the means to break a car window, cut a seatbelt or slice through clothing without puncturing flesh is simply a matter of having the right tool in your pocket or at least in your first-aid kit.

Where you carry your rescue tool is up to you. When cars are mangled and you’re inside, you might not be able to reach your glove compartment or even your pants pockets very easily. For that reason, I prefer to carry a knife or rescue tool either: 1. Somewhere on my upper body, such as in a shirt or jacket pocket or around my neck, or 2. Inside the vehicle within easy reach and attached securely so it won’t go flying when the car rolls.

There are devices of all shapes and sizes at a wide range of prices that fall into the category of rescue tools. Some are knives suitable for everyday use with added rescue tool enhancements. Others are stand-alone specialty tools. Here is a selection of the tools I’d recommend.

REVIEW 1

BENCHMADE 365 OUTLAST

ONE GREAT TOOL FOR THE CIVILIAN OR PROFESSIONAL

I wish I had this knife to carry when I was a police officer. The Benchmade 365 Outlast is one heavy-duty brute of a rescue knife. If you want one, you’d better hurry. Benchmade is discontinuing it in favor of the Triage models. That always happens. I find something I love and it’s immediately discontinued. But for now, you can still find the 365 Outlast through some online sellers.

This knife features two locking blades using Benchmade’s Option lock, which basically the company’s renowned Axis lock configured to work with both blades. One blade is a 3.59-inch drop-point plain-edge blade of CPM S30V steel. The other is a 3.15-inch blunt-tip fully serrated opposing-bevel blade made of CPM 3V, a rugged tool steel that will hold up to lots of hard use.