Check out today's Woot deal. It's a 2 pack of Houdini Auto escape tools, with the whistle, for $8 plus $5 shipping. Not a bad price at all.

There went $13.

Me too! Thanx.

Thanks for heads-up. Killer deal!

Grabbed mine.

I stashed inexpensive "rescue knives" with glass breakers and seatbelt cutting notches in my car and my wife's car, but we travel through jurisdictions where the blade length makes them illegal, so something more innocuous and easier to stash makes more sense for us.

Grabbed them too!

It's rare that I see something on Woot that's actually useful. . .

Just remember how Woot works...One Day, One Deal! Anyone that wants in will have to score one by Midnite tonite.

I saw this this morning and was going to pass, but by pure luck I got an email with $5 off so i just had to pull the plug.

One of my hesitations on buying this is I wonder if it will really work - that is, will it break a window? I was thinking of buying a small Wonder bar or pry bar. But at $8.00 for two it won't break the bank if it doesn't work, but how will I know if it works? I don't even know if a pry bar would work as I am not in the habit of going around breaking car windows. :-)

Does anyone know if this will reliably break a window? I suppose I could go to a junk yard and ask if I could try it out.

There is a Youtube demo here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wimk4PeyG7Y

It seems to do the job, but believe it or not I don't always believe everything I read or see on the internet.

Same principle as spring-loaded center punch, which will reliably do the job on non-laminated car window (which excludes windshields).

Some vehicles do have laminated side-window, e.g. some Volvo, Lexus, Jaguar, Mercedes and, I believe, Dodge Ram pick-ups. There are others.

Houdini mentioned in Doug Ritter's Blog.

Shooting Industry Magazine's 2009 Safety Product of the Year

I thought by the time features come down to low end Chevy's they are on everything. My wife's 2001 has laminated side windows.

Not sure if you watched the demo on YouTube but that seems to show it breaking a laminated side window.

Unsuccessful locating database with side-window info on all vehicles. You'd think Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would have.

Many articles to suggest still not a standard. One such from 2007 Market Trends in the Automotive Glazing Industry says in part, ""In North America, roughly 5-8% of all vehicles sold in the North American market have laminated front side glass. When you look at SUVs, I believe the total is in the 8-9% range which comes with laminated side glass - it is not an option but vehicles are sold with it as standard fitment. Now that the Dodge Ram pick-up truck features [laminated side glass as standard], that by itself means some 15% of the pick-up trucks sold in North America have laminated front side glass."

This from early-2010 suggests standards/requirements still being hammered out in proposed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 226.

I know my ol' beater doesn't have laminated side glass.

Is the punch "one use only" or can it be reset?

Works like standard spring-loaded center punch. For window-breaking, push/release repeatedly until window breaks. No separate "reset" required. Works forever, or at least until/unless spring fails to perform as designed.

Aside: The written instructions accompanying Houdini don't specify, but I've read (but no personal experience) that faster results if tool used in a lower-corner (vs. middle of window where there might be some "give" to glass) AND where the tiny coded numbers/letters are etched at bottom lower-left because, supposedly, the etching process creates an ever-so-slight "weak spot" in the glass. YMMV.

Thanks, xbanker.

The video shows the firefighters hitting the corners. Makes sense.

I got mine a couple days ago. I'm sure not gonna try 'em out on my car windows but they leave a pretty darned good dimple in the arm of my computer chair.

Some comments on my Houdini purchase. Its a lot heavier than my ResQme, although more compact. The snap release is very tight and it must be disconnected to employ the punch. I had to unsnap and resnap it about 30 times to lossen it up. The tightness might well interfere with functioning in an emergency. I may add a dab of silicon. Seatbelt cutter is sharp, but not as well angled as on the ResQme. The flashlight switch must be held in the "on" position to keep it lit, albeit its bright. Finally, the whistle is not very loud or easy to blow. The two-for-one price was right, but its somewhat inferior to the ResQme.

Agree with your assessment.

- Houdini is heavier. .95 oz (27 gr) vs Res-Q-Me's .60 oz (17 gr); outside dimensions are similar.
- I experienced same problem with both Houdini units' cutter-guards ... difficult to remove, and unlike Res-Q-Me, must be removed in order for window-punch to function.
- Res-Q-Me lanyard attachment point is sturdier.
- Houdini rates flashlight at 5 lumens/10 hours run-time. Requires 2 x CR1216 lithium coin cells.
- Houdini flashlight switch is rudimentary and not very robust. Of the two units I received, one flashlight hasn't worked.
- No doubt in my mind that both will shatter non-laminated auto glass as claimed, but using both punches on a birch plywood board, the Houdini's spring seemed to be a little more robust and made a slightly larger impression in the board.

The Houdini Tool was discussed on the forum about 8 months ago so I bought one to put on my key-ring that I clip to my work belt, I figured it could replace my Fox 40 whistle, and be more multi-functional.

The Houdini looked OK with the same features/limits that other people have noted.

The first day I used the tool this happened (quote from previous post),

"I received my Houdini Automotive Rescue Tool and it appeared really functional, but the connection was kind of flimsy looking.

I clipped it onto my key ring which then clipped to my belt. It made it all the way to my office, then the first time I sat down the bottom of the tool pushed against my thigh and the plastic connection piece broke off. I managed to snap it back together but it was not very secure, an hour later the connector clip was in 2 pieces. Not Good!

I like the multi-purpose concept of the tool (window punch, seatbelt cutter, whistle, LED Light) and I will return it for a replacement, but they need to improve the attachment method.

I contacted the online retailer where I bought the Houdini Tool ( Warriors and Wonders ) and they gave me a full price store credit "sight-unseen", excellent Customer Service and a nice guy! Now what should I buy with a credit at a knife store?"

I later spent the store credit on a big, beater of a bush knife, I have always wanted one, the store credit just made it easier to buy.

Mike

I agree with you all. The light is rudimentary, the whistle isn't super loud and the set belt cutter could be better, although I suspect it's adequate. The big draw for me, though, is the glass breaker. While I haven't tried it on glass it makes a pretty good dent in anything I've swacked with it. For $6.50 shipped that's enough for me.