10 Knives For Emergencies (Rescue Knives Buyers Guide)

[@SoldMyKidsForKnives]

I would love a field test of the Tops Atax.😂

[@BladeHQ]

We'll see what we can do! 👀

[@truth-Hurts375]

There is reviews on youtube

[@binky8501]

I worked EMS for over 30 yrs and a glass breaker was an essential tool

[@BladeHQ]

Thanks for keeping us safe Bill! -George

[@RadDadisRad]

Except most people don’t really understand how to use the glass breaker.

[@zenonsplawinski9436]

A must have for emergency services use.

[@moreadventure]

As a Paramedic with 23 years in the business there is no way you cut an heavy leather combi suit for bikers in time with a knife. I suggest investing in a S-Cut Rescue Tool. They a very efficient (especially for lefties like me 😅). You can easily undress a biker in 30-40 seconds! The only drawback here is that I don’t know if they are available in the US. Anyhow, always great Videos from you guys. I am a knife collector as well. Cheers from Germany.

[@timsummers870]

@@RadDadisRad But in that case the problem is with the user, not the glass breaker. The glass breaker remains an essential tool.

[@albertyoder632]

Many good comments. I’m an EMT and I have carried the Benchmade Triage daily on & off duty for over 10 years! It’s assisted in treating many actual patients and is often used in place of EMS Shears for bandaging. I have a Gerber StrongArm as well; but it’s not really an EDC Rescue/Emergency blade; more a survival tool. Cheers

[@Leftyotism]

I am curious about how you would like the Boker Rescue OTF.

[@CIACaptainInappropriate]

I'm also EMT a friend has a triage & they r heavy

[@Haywoodjablomie100]

Have you ever used the seat belt cutter?

[@steceh2332]

The opposing bevel grind on the Benchmade Triage thins out the tip and is super useful. I’ve used it to gain access through locked apartment vestibule doors and pop interior locks off windows to gain access to patients. (Working as a inner city 911 medic)

[@eloiseharbeson2483]

I was very glad when Microtech changed their glass breakers from a spike to a ball bearing. The spikes were definitely prone to stick me when carrying.

[@bryceclarke5443]

Been in Fire and EMS since 2015 and good rescue tools are hard to come by. My Spyderco Assist has been a part of numerous extrications of injured patients 10/10 my favorite

[@Fender1031]

lol one of these gentlemen understood the assignment... the other ... did not. The only two "rescue knives" on that table were the Spyderco Assist and the Benchmade Triage. Rescue knives should not have a stabbing or poking point, should have serrations and as a bonus a seatbelt hook, glass breaker and it should be bright and easy to see with good deployment options. The Esee Imlay is what I use as a rafting knife.

[@benjbutton]

Exactly. Personally I carry a Boker Mag rescue knife, the medic edition. This selection was just bizarre. Gerber Strongarm? As a rescue knife & the straight blade at that? 😂

[@davehyer4178]

LEO. I have used a glass breaker on at least 8 occasions. I carry a bench made triage. Love the Gerber strong arm but would never carry it for emergency purposes. Fixed blades great for tactical, I’d almost carry a folder for every emergency situation. I rarely want the blade to help someone (as stated by one of the hosts, knife being the most important part). Mostly use glass breakers and seatbelt cutters. The exception is for swift water rescue, I carry the esee imlay. Out the front knifes are cool but many are expensive on low salaries of responders and I’d argue are less useful in an emergency situations. Maybe a poll of responders is in order because I felt blade HQ showed a little bit of ignorance here.

[@dr.oetqer]

I would like to add a few more *rescue knives* (and tools) as suggestion based on my own experience as a first responders and law enforcement officer for over 20 years, and a total knife-nerd of course. 1. Böker plus Rescom: cheap, small, easy to carry and safe to use. 2. Victorinox RescueTool: one-hand operated multi rescue tool, GIT scales. 3. Spyderco rescue: multiple versions. 4. Benchmade Rescue Hook 7 or 8: strong and capable. 5. Hogue Trauma: like the BM Triage. 6. Morakniv Companion Rescue: cheap, blunt tippet fixed blade, Sandvik 12C27. 7. Spyderco Salt 2 serrated: multiple versions. 8. Gerber CLS Combat Life Saver: strong well thought out Hinderer design. 9. Benchmade SOCP Rescue Cutter. 10. Benchmade H2O Fixed Black 112SBK-BLK: fixed rescue / dive knife. With the Böker Rescom always attached between an IFAK pouch and my duty belt, I had more options to choose from as my EDC. Over the last 10 years 2/3 of the time, I carried a Spyderco PM3 or Para 3 and for the remainder of the time I carried a CRK Umnumzaan, BM Triage or something else if I felt like it. When I saw the title, I was under the assumption you guys were going to talk about *rescue knives*. The only two you showed us were the Benchmade Triage and the Spyderco Assist, most others were for self-defense or survival. So, title threw me off a bit in the beginning.

[@SnoopyReads]

I like knives with rape whistle

[@My_kind_of_knife]

Always keep a knife in your car. Super helpful

[@eloiseharbeson2483]

I keep several knives and flashlights in my truck, even though I carry a knife and flashlight for EDC.

[@BladeHQ]

Also keep one in your backpack, your pocket, your desk, your kitchen, your shop, etc.! -George

[@tanosantos1993]

I really like the Spyderco assist. Because it is a tool that is very purpose-built. It's not the prettiest sleakest looking thing in the world, but that's not what it's for. It has all the tools and features you want for the situation You're going to use it in and I think that's really cool and shows their dedication to making good tools

[@scottplagmann3411]

When it comes to a knife/tool for emergency services it is not the time to cheap out, you do get what you pay for. Have carried the Benchmade triage for many years with no problems or complaints. When my 1st triage finally wore out it was almost impossible to find the same model with the emergency orange grips and blunted blade...almost impossible to lose it and no worries of accidental pokes. Reminiscent of the blaze orange paratrooper knives issued by our military made by Camillus.

[@tenncutt]

I have that orange Benchmade with the glass breaker and while i have never used it in an emergency situation, I tried it once on a Coke bottle and it punched a hole in that bottle so easily it was amazing. Being a carbide tip makes all the difference. Like butter!

[@douglasfromalberta2456]

I daily carry….. 1. Benchmade Socp rigged horizontally on the front of my belt for rapid access from either hand 2. Leatherman free K4 in my left pocket 3. A Milwaukee fastback with serrated blades in my right pocket. 4 a cold steel AD 10 in my right leg pocket of my T2 work pants by Truewerk.

[@victorcaceres9603]

Theo's selections are what I consider Emergency Knives.

[@ZerBEruS159753]

Böker recenly released an otf rescue knife here in germany. It looks very nice. Can't wait till my arrives.

[@dmitrylysachev6784]

Victorinox Huntsman - boom! Here you have it! A knife (tool) you can carry almost everywhere all day long without being "That guy who carries a knife". Just practice some -MacGyver- Felix Immler skills 😄

[@dillonkolsky6559]

y'all should make a video where you go over the different blade shapes and what their differences and purposes are good, bad, and so forth ya know?

[@nickmartino2839]

The strongarm is ABSOLUTELY a full tang knife!!!!

[@mbwt310]

@bladehq - you guys didn’t mention it so I’m thinking you didn’t know about it - that Hogue fixed blade with the bit hidden in the handle is to access a secret stash spot within the scales of the knife. So you can store fire starting stuff, medicine, recreationals……….. ya know, all that fun stuff. Holler🤘🏻

[@highdesert50]

Interesting to see these tools and I suspect we are all a bit different with regard to our needs and training. I was a FF, both structural and wildland. The tools I typically carried in my turnouts were a spring-loaded centerpunch for windows, linesman pliers for the obvious uses as well as for cutting should a ceiling fall on me and I became entangled and needed to cut through the coiled wire of heating ducts, a length of stout webbing for room sweeps and escape, and EMT shears. At the other extreme, I often found the tiny 58mm Classic SD SAK to be quite handy as a wilderness paramedic. Defense was part of scene size up and included positioning oneself for escape.

[@jmacfadyen9392]

The Cold Steele AD10 is great. I recommend adding a Snaggle Tooth accessory (economically priced) so it opens like an Emerson.

[@davidbaize4825]

Field test that Atax thing, with an edge. It looks interesting, but is it really useful? We want to know!!! C’mon George, test it!!!!

[@jayr526]

Me, too.

[@jayr526]

I like the AD-10.

[@HobbyHobbit-ue6oi]

Theos picks were much better. He seemed to choose knives that made sense for an easy edc but specifically for rescue. Georges knives seemed more like bugout bag items; bushcrafty.

[@mattboyer7466]

Leatherman P4 is my choice of best overall emergency carry.

[@mattconklin4026]

My Leatherman sidekick comes first, mines been in service since 2016 it's my go to tool

[@mattboyer7466]

@@mattconklin4026 heck yeah

[@samkelly697]

should have had the Gerber 06 auto in here lol, WHAT A BEAST OF A BLADE!

[@PirminZemp2731]

My Favorite Knife is the Microtech Ultratech Magnacut Steel

[@eloiseharbeson2483]

I got one. Nice knife but I would prefer some serration. My first Ultratech was fully serrated on one edge, but not so great to carry because of the sharp glass breaker. Glad Microtech changed that.

[@stout_tossme7541]

George, We need a test of the glass breakers. Different styles of glass breakers vs a hammer etc. Would be interesting

[@haydenrosin]

I have a benchmade Triage and I use it as a flat head screwdriver all the time.

[@michaeltrombino3888]

I saw 2 dedicated rescue knives. The Spyderco and the Benchmade. In a rescue, anything can be used, but why was this called a rescue knife buyers guide? 🤔

[@donrowlett2886]

Answer: marketing. All rescue knives are variations of a basic sailor's knife. One reason to overpay for a knife is for claiming a business deduction for work tools. Byrd is a lower cost brand that is owned by Spyderco and the comet shaped hole on the blade is useful as a shackle key.

[@davidfrye7713]

I carry 2 or 3 knives every day. Generally a Bark River Bravo 1 or 1.25, a Spydero Spydiechef or a Microtech Ultratech or a Microtech Hera, & a Bark River Little Creek.

[@jlee7811]

As an EMT, I use my Leatherman Wave + way more than my spyderco Endela.

[@kevinreese5656]

I'm sure others have already said this, but just in case: the weird geometry on the Triage's blade is because it is designed to be used for prying. I'm pretty sure Benchmade had a video about this, but I can't seem to find it.

[@stantom100]

I'd go with the old adage .. "one is none" - or- the best knife is the one you have on you ever since I was in a head on collision, I switched to carrying a Benchmade Triage with the blunt tip ( not that it can pry crates like their video says it can .. LOL ) the seatbelt cutter and the glass breaker were why I chose it ! BUT ... I do have a keychain knife ( and in winter , my coat pocket has at least one extra , like a Swiss army knife ) Also have similar to Triage in my center console and a Leatherman Raptor in my luggage ( too bulky to EDC )

[@evocati6523]

Would have been nice to get the opinion of someone who actually deals with emergency situations...

[@stephengonzalez2530]

The best knife is the one in your pocket 😎👍🗡

[@lyncchoo]

Nice video guys! Big thing that caught my eye. With all those awesome knives on the table. That was ten knives. What is in your pocket? A Benchmade Freak. I have always been drawn to the Freak and I don't know why. Great job. I also really like that SALT!!

[@guysevedz3581]

So, did this Benchmade Triage replace the Boost 591 Prybar version of the Boost?

[@Mavo1122]

The Rapid Fire Rescue knife from Off Grid Knives is a great option too for Emts and Firefighters.

[@jirinafrankova166]

Houw could you forgot mentioning a Victorinox Rescue Tool ??? 😮😮😮

[@FBOConcrete]

I have the Benchmade triage it works as a screwdriver scraper and prying great knife

[@franciscomedina7034]

Used my ultratech recently doing some yard work and got some dirt in it. Wouldn't fire probably until I thoroughly cleaned it out

[@gordonmacdowell8117]

I've got a Benchmade Triage and the only thing I don't like about it is that it didn't exist back when my dad was a firefighter, because it would have been the perfect gift. The Boker Cop Tool is a pretty good piece of kit too.

[@Jonahch2v9]

In my rescue gear is the Ontario US Air Survival knife. Rugged and reliable. Blade, sawback and hammer butt. I have the Victorinox rescue tool, but sometimes more feels like too much. It's never been used.

[@mikesmith8313]

Emergency workers should carry brass knuckles for a glassbreaker. The box they came in, shows its function as breaking glass of submerged cars.

[@colewesley1752]

Where’d you guys get that knife knowledge poster in the background. 👀 i need it.

[@Cahwai]

i’ve used a Gerber StrongArm to break glass after a tornado so an associate could get into their car. I used the pommel and it worked.

[@BladeHQ]

That sounds like the sickest knife story! -George

[@Cahwai]

@@BladeHQ Went through an E3 Enhanced, (E4 but not quite) i was at work at the time and we got hit pretty much ground zero. We got outside due to a gas leak and we were told to go get our stuff from our cars as needed. We worked at an outdoor store so many people had firearms in the vehicles. One guy none of his glass broke but all his doors were jammed, i had one door that opened and was next to the glove box and had the strongarm in it, i took off my over shirt and wrapped my hand and used the pommel to break the glass. It worked but i wouldn’t do it without that layer of protection! My luck would’ve been i would hit that vein in the wrist and been in a new world of problems.

[@Cahwai]

Now i sometimes carry a Pro-Tech TR5 with the pommel as it works really nice to break a box down or anything else related!

[@eriklundquist3588]

I think you guys overestimate the percentage of emergency situations that require stabbing a person. 😂 Kudos to Theo for choosing a couple rescue knives, and that Adamas is a solid pick except I think something like a naked Esee Izula would be a more likely EDC for most peeps. There’s not a more important characteristic for an emergency knife than having it on you.

[@brendanbinniker5817]

Please do field test the Atax!

[@BeginnerOutdoors]

Native5 salt, and a benchmade triage as my emergency everyday (used to carry an assist)

[@barrybaldwin5535]

Boys, let's not confuse "rescue" with "tactical" or "self-defense". There is no place for a double edged blade in rescue. My favorite folding rescue knife is the "Vintage" Cold Steel " Land & Sea Rescue", 4" VG-1 steel, modified Warncliff semi-serrated blade with 1/2" plain edge tip. Long enough to saw through seatbelts & clothing, but a long enough plain edge tip to incise the Trachea for a Stoma insertion tube. Unfortunately unavailable but highly collectable. Seen it advertised for $600 online.

[@FrankTranDesign]

Curious: could you use the Benchmade Triage for gutting as well? Would the lack of the poke-y end help with preventing accidental punctures when field dressing?

[@crux85]

Would love to see the palm hatchet field test! 😅

[@chrisminton8563]

most of these are NOT rescue or emergency knives???????

[@BladeHQ]

In an emergency, any knife is a rescue knife! -George

[@donrowlett2886]

@@BladeHQ With enough velocity, anything is a knife. LoL.

[@tobedetermand212]

Id take a OKC-XR1 full serration … For the folder but i have the Assist and its solid too

[@thestevecbr]

i use the Gerber Strongarm in SAR operations….

[@NMiller_]

FWIW - Everything I've ever been told by self defense instructors is that the data clearly shows that "the sound" is not an effective deterrent.

[@BladeHQ]

Thanks! If you can't tell, I have exactly zero seconds of self defense training and education under my belt! -George

[@NMiller_]

@@BladeHQ No worries. And not going to lie, I'm carrying my Manticore S Bowie (with that turquoise and the milled lines that scream SW to me) and I love just listening to it snap in and out :)

[@J.Young808]

I have a discontinued black and orange Auto Triage. I don’t think I have the blunt tip.

[@nickmartino2839]

The benchmade outlast should have made the cut...... tho i know it's been discontinued..... still a excellent rescue knife option

[@028fn48dne]

In order of appearance: Rescue knife, weapon, weapon, obvious weapon, weapon, bushcraft weapon, obvious weapon, klingon weapon, bushcraft weapon, rescue knife, adumbass weapon.

[@donrowlett2886]

My thoughts exactly.

[@AlaskanFrontier1]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@DavidDoingLife]

Good so i can grab that emergency knife vs my EDC knife ahead of time

[@legionofdoom9165]

The mediator is the dedicated knife for my sprinter van

[@franciscojchacon6053]

Any reason not to consider the Tops pry tool

[@caryvanarsdall3957]

fire/ems worker and I carry the spyderco clip-n-rescue

[@aznelite325]

George won this round in my opinion. Would love to see a field test of the Atax lol. I keep a Strongarm in my car as a backup/emergency knife; the gauntlet testing was great to see and I wish it were still around. In a similar vein, my backup knife for hiking is a Mora Garberg - just a bombproof woods knife that's not too expensive to wail on.

[@ryanbates1496]

yes to the field test for the TOPS

[@flushot6513]

I bought the benchmade mini barrage with that in mind to have a knife on me all the time rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it

[@isaiahbarnett9062]

What's a good recommendation for a 50-60 dollar folder knife? Not rescue just in general

[@BladeHQ]

I recommend the CJRB Pyrite (goes for about $50), the Kershaw Iridium (goes for $65), the CIVIVI Elementum (starts at $50), and the Sencut Sachse (goes for $46). -George

[@isaiahbarnett9062]

@@BladeHQ thanks George!!

[@andrewgonzalez7143]

​@@isaiahbarnett9062 can confirm, i own all of these, and it's VERY hard to go wrong with any of the specific options available. All reputable companies, and the form factor is excellent for a size M or L hand.

[@schmeisserS4f]

Victorinox Rescue Tool

[@jessefleming1421]

I want to work at / for Blade HQ!

[@AMBOSHER]

This isn't really a knife, but how about the S&W 911N? For only 50 bucks, I thought it would make this list.

[@My_kind_of_knife]

Heck yeah!!

[@ingy421]

No one in my family understands why I have to carry a knife. Let alone have an addiction to knives. Bruh.. What IF?? That's all I'm sayin'

[@donrowlett2886]

My paternal grandmother deluded that I wanted to murder random people with a knife for enjoyment of sadism. She refused to believe that anyone would own a knife and not have an overwhelming compulsion to plunge it repeatedly into a person and take a shower in their spurting blood as they die a violent death. Not so ironically, she owned unregistered firearms and was openly racist. A lot of ignorant people have an aversion to knives for bizarre and incoherent reasons while praising gun ownership and the 2nd Amendment.

[@Ohhtartar]

Skeletool RX?

[@mattpowell2391]

that kind of tang on the strong arm is called a hidden tang

[@1337flite]

Sorry the comments about the glass breaker drove me crazy. It's like the guys don't understand what an emergency is - amongst other things an *unsual* situation unless your are an emergency services worker or maybe in the military. I.e. it's not somethjing you deal with everryday, therefore you may need tools you don't use every day. Like a glass breaker. Road vehicles, trains (including commuter trains) modern buildings all have large amounts of safetey glass - which is to say glass that is hard to break. If you need to get into or out of a modern vehicle or building to escape an emergnecy or into one to rescue a casualty and the doors are inoperable or un-accessable e.g. there's a fire or a depressed youth with an AR-15 between you are the door - then a glass breaker is something that will be very useful. Even thoough you will probably never need to use it at any other time in your life. Unreasonable rant over.

[@jdmDC2ftw]

Any other more affordable folding knife options? I understand paying for quality, but im going to be in a very hectic and hands-on environment AND there's a high chance of just losing gear. I don't want to lose a $250 knife.

[@James-ke5sx]

Victorinox rescue knife versus Microtech. What in the world are you going to do with a Microtech in an emergency situation.

[@iwillrentyoursoul]

George is giving out subtle serial killer vibes…😂”you ever plan for the emergency with your tactical fixed blade”…. “You have to worry about the cops confiscating your knife as evidence”

[@jayr526]

I do not carry a knife everyday. The reason being is that I always have more than one on me

[@tenncutt]

You know why I carry 3 guns on me? Because 4 would be ridiculous!

[@CIACaptainInappropriate]

EDC= 940

[@justaguy2795]

The best emergency knife is the one you can knock up youself in 15 minutes out of chunk of unidentified steel with a random rock as a sharpener Prove me wrong

[@happykt]

Emergency rescue knives are different from survival knives, just saying. The guy on the right doesn't seem to realize that.

[@BladeHQ]

Yeah, after I saw Theo's picks I felt a little unprepared. -The guy on the right

[@solidus1995]

I think these fellers slightly misunderstood what constitutes an emergency tool. We all love knives, its a given. Show knives like the triage if you want to do an emergency video.

[@tjpighin]

No benchmade auto triage?

[@Jonescam23]

Blade HQ if you send me a knife I will go and buy lunch for a homeless man today and send you the video

[@Haywoodjablomie100]

Has anyone in emergency services ever used the seat belt cutter? Personally i have never once attended an accident where i thought damn, i cant cut the belt without risking injury to the casualty when using my knife.

[@BladeHQ]

We actually ran a community post about this very thing, I had the same question you did. You should check it out, the comments on it told a lot of interesting stories. I've only ever had to extricate one person from a car, and my ESEE Xancudo did the job just right, no glass breaker, no seatbelt cutter. -George

[@Haywoodjablomie100]

@@BladeHQ Mind blown, i never realized there was a community feature on KZbin! I found the post, and read all the replies awesome. :) I've never used the seatbelt cutter, there's always somewhere to cut especially on the b-pillar and the knife blade is so much easier to deploy and cut with. We are trained to always cut the belt and leave the buckle in the receptacle rather than undo it, then it helps crash investigation see the belt was being worn. And we use a spring loaded center punch on windows as part of the glass management equipment. And kudos on the extrication, it warms the heart to hear of (i assume) untrained civilians like yourself dealing with such situations. Also George, just want to say you are an absolute asset to BladeHQ. Your video's, presentation, passion and knife knowledge is truly incredible. Cheers. 👍

[@guerillamike5150]

I think my definition of “rescue” knife is a little different than yours.

[@sethshockey1114]

SRK over Strong Arm all day

[@brycedorey360]

It's called a hidden tang

[@ElStriker777]

🔥👍💯

[@sebastianrau5780]

You missed Eickhorn and Victorinox

[@kingtjk6096]

first comment baby

[@williamm4366]

10 knives for emergencies ? I only saw one and that was the first one lol

[@BushCampingTools]

The only rescue suitable knife here if you're rescuing a living person is that yellow Spyderco, the rest presented here are for someone's fantasy about being a rescuer LOL.

[@felinebline7154]

Every bidy names one which means most anythingbreaks glass😂

[@jonathandalton2921]

i wouldnt use any out the front in any emergency.

[@tombeckett2442]

Always carry a knife, and multi tool

[@andrewdrittler5307]

All of these knifes are way to expensive. I would like to see some more budget friendly knifes please.