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Any recommendation for a pocket knife/escaping tool?

ovilla

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Joined
Dec 18, 2005
Messages
2,342
Location
Plainfield, IL
My EDC blade is an OTF Microtech X85 switchblade. These are USA made and come with a lifetime warranty. They also comes with a rolling window breaker on the base.334d3c1b7b99f02718ae2927d4d493bc.jpg236c8fb4242821b3b1e9836424b13128.jpg
 

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qqzj

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Nov 28, 2017
Messages
3,747
I finally bought the Kershaw Barricade I initially liked. Today my daughter opened the gifts and I can borrow the knife to write a mini review now.

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On the left is the Harbor Freight Gordon knife that is pretty commonly seen. So I used it as a reference for size. So this Kershaw is quite a bit larger. Especially unfolded.

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So I do prefer that it has a bright orange color so it looks less like a weapon.

Here are the juicy part. Belt cutter and glass breaker. Hopefully she will never use it. But if she ever uses it once, this could be the most useful thing I ever bought.

PXL_20201225_190720559.MP.jpg

The knife opener is assisted. So I don't have to flip the wrist to open it. But that is not a big deal. I have drenched the HF Gordon with ATF, it is super easy to slip it open.

I do like the fact that the Kershaw doesn't have serrated blade. So it is less for camping etc, more for cutting fruits. As a side note, the HF Gordon doesn't seem to be a screaming value even with 30% off coupon. I also bought a Kershaw Filter for myself from Amazon for $10. For the extra $3, Filter is much larger and better machined. You can't go wrong with it for $10.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using The Garage Journal mobile app
 

Dave455

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Joined
Mar 19, 2013
Messages
5,821
Location
Sussex, England
^ Great mini review.^

A belt cutter that doesn’t need to be “opened” is a useful feature.

As it’s Christmas, I thought I’d share a (hopefully relevant) story.

Although a machine and vehicle restorer (not to mention tool enthusiast) by hobby, I’m a British airline pilot and flying instructor by trade.

Over the years, we’ve learnt an awful lot of lessons about escaping from vehicles, most of them the hard way. We try to pass on as many of these as possible, but sadly, as memories of conflicts pass, and “convenience” raises it’s ugly head, many tend to be forgotten.

“Always have a knife - better still if it can be used one handed”, “If you carry an inflatable lifejacket or dingy, have a means to deflate it” and “Never use a self inflating lifejacket in an aircraft” are all examples of things we teach. They’re not rules, just guidance, but forget at your peril!

A couple of years ago, an aircraft from a flying club I work with sustained an engine failure at a seaside air show. By a freak accident, a bit of burst balloon lodged in the air intake. The pilot made a text book job of ditching safely in the shallow water, but the aircraft flipped over.

The pilot’s self inflating lifejacket trapped him in the inverted aircraft, head under water, and he was unable to release his straps. Thankfully, he was released by spectators who flipped the aircraft upright. Had there been none, the story might have been different. The sequence of pictures below show the actual event.

So, listen to those with experience, and learn from their mistakes. You might not fly a light aircraft at low level over a British beach, but you might drive a car, sail a boat, or do any number of similar things, and as the Boy Scouts say “be prepared”! I tend to be wary of “single purpose” tools too. Events seldom unfold as their designers envisage!

Merry Christmas and a safe New Year everyone!
 

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