Benchmade Rescue Hook

I use Sebenza in addition to shears when working as an EMT. I was thinking about getting one of those blunt knives with hook seat belt cutters but I never saw one in action. Until last Saturday… We get called to a very shady area in downtown Brooklyn for shots fired, men down. We get there and there is a guy in front of us saying that he got shot in the back. He is standing upright, crying for painkillers. I look at his back and there is no blood, not even a puncture on his leather jacket but if he got shot with 22 it will be hard to see anyway. I put a collar on him and dig up my shears to cut his jacket and my partner pulls that Benchmade hook from his belt and slices thru leather like it was nothing. In less than 6-7 seconds we have this guy’s leather jacket off. Shirt was even faster. Something that would take forever with regular shears or knife was done in no time. Of course guy wasn’t shot he just wanted some pain killers since he couldn’t afford or find his daily dose of crack. Bad enough for him we were the Basic Unit and couldn’t dispense medicine anyway so he got a night date with a PD. I was just really amazed how small this hook was and how sharp it was. If that was a real emergency those 20-30 seconds could have made a difference between life and death… Than I started thinking about it as a part of everyday carry for all other little jobs. Also this tool has a bottle opener and oxygen tank key so it’s a good deal.

See it here: http://www.benchmade.com/search.asp?blade_style=Hook

Matt

Matt:

That looks like a neat tool. I'm glad to hear they work.

In addition to shears I used to carry a pair of Fiskars serrated shears in my bag. They were good for cutting leather as well.

I also had one of those seatbelt cutters but never used it in 7 years. My regular EMT shears worked just fine on the belts.

Chris

Small follow up to this post:

Last night very sweet gril got beaten up outside the church (!!!!). It didn't seem like much at first but became a big big mess once in the ambulance. We made a notification, brought her to the trauma center and start working on her with team of amazing doctors. I gave my shears to a doc accross the table and I grabbed my hook, before he even got to her knee thru her pants, I had my side done and upper torso stripped clean, than I went around and did doctors side. This was one of those calls that every second counted. I highly recommend that tool to anyone. It works. I don't get a chance to use it often but when I do it's a life saver. Works amazing on seat belts and pay check envelopes.

Matt

This is one of the things I value the most about this forum, the real-world application of all the what-ifs and what would you do scenarios. Good stuff. Just one question - have you tried to go through airport security with this yet? It LOOKS harmless enough, but with the current level of "training" for our TSA baggage screeners, I'd hate to risk losing one.

I have a rescue hook, I love it. Excellent tool.

Damn! I want to be in your foxhole when the sh-t hits the fan.

Which model would you recommend? They have the model 5 ($35), the model 5W ($25) and the model 6 ($45). I'm leaning toward the model 6 but would appreciate your advice.

6 looks great to me and was not available when I purchased mine but... I think it's bit too big and expensive. For that amount of money and size I would rather get a dedicated knife such as Spyderco Assist. Don't get me wrong I understand the application of a bigger tool such as leverage and grip but in my case it is irrevalant. I would still stick with basic 5 model with soft pouch instead of hard sheat. I want something small and accesible on the outside. Having a hard sheat it's nice because it makes a tool smaller but than you have to carry the hook on your neck or in your pocket. If rescue turns bloody last thing I want to do is dig inside my uniform to get it out. Having a small nylon case attached to my rescue belt outside of my uniform puts the hook at my finger tips. Even if the case gets bloody I can wash it and I be sure that it's clean instead of trying to flush all the pathogens out of a hard sheat. That's just my opinion. In this case simpler is better. Maybe someday I will buy a hard sheat for a hook when I go on the road but I think my rescue knife is good for it for now. Hope that helps,

Matt

and vice versa my man. I take any of you guys on this board to hunt for charlie instead of some old platoon members I served with.

Matt

I never tried to get on the plane with it for the reason that it's not worth the agrevation. I know it's harmless, after all I'm a Member of Service but trying to explain all this and maybe loose it is not worth my time and money. I gave up and I will comply with rules and regulations of the FAA (even if they are retarded) because everytime my building shakes or plane flies too low I get a knot in my stomach that I had on 9/11 on 46th floor of WTC2. If somebody sets something off I will have to improvise and it won't be the first and hopefully also not the last time...

Matt

I went to the web site on this and there was a reference something to the effect of "authorized users/purchasers" or something to this effect.
Will they sell this tool to the non-professional, or do you have to be an "authorized user" of some sort?

Anyone can get this particular tool but "civilians" will have a limited use for it. How often do you cut clothes or open oxygen tanks on day to day basis? The bottle opener may come quite handy if you like imported beer but rest of the functions on the tool have pretty limited use (unless you want to get creative) I think their restrictions apply to assisted opening or spring loaded knives.

Matt

]Skater[

There's no restriction on buying the rescue hook. I bought them from Tadgear. Given a second chance, I would prefer to buy it with the soft pouch instead of the kydex sheath.

I agree that the handle for the Rescue 5 is a bit small. I'll go with the Model 6 H2O - Rescue Hook.

Model 5 - Rescue Hook


Model 6 H2O - Rescue Hook

Thank you very much for the input.
I have to ask, what is the purpose of the (what appears to be) yellow insert on the 6?
Thanks again.

The model 5 is fine for the average user, the 6 is made for people who will use it often with thick gloves and it is made of a special metal that doesn't rust like regular steel will. I have a 5 with the hard sheath and belt clip for the hard sheath, I also wear it around my neck. I prefer the kydex sheath to the nylon, much easier to clean. All you do is flush it out, cleaning the nylon is a bit more involved.

The yellow is just to make it more noticable.

My husband likes to sail and I know they use a lot of ropes. Is there anyone here that knows if the Benchmade Hook would be a good present for someone who likes to sail? I would then have to decide which one would be the best for him. I would tend towards model 5 with a soft pouch.

I might have to wait and get it for his birthday though, since I already have his Christmas present picked out.

I just read an article "Excalibur Down!"," in one of his magazines (Sail Magazine 12/2003 - special issue on safety at sea) where one of the survivors had to cut his safety line to keep from drowning. John Rogers, the survivor said: I was on deck, clipped on with my safety harness, and suddenly found myself trapped under water in complete darkness. Fortuenately, I had immediate access to my knife, as I could not get the safety clip on my tether undone and had to cut myself free. I found my way out from under the boat, inflated my PFD, and started looking around and calling for other survivors."

He said in the subtitle of this article: "In the ultimate survival test, it's the gear in your pockets that counts the most!" - sounds like you guys!

So, I am wondering if the Benchmade is something that you can have easy access to on your person if you ever found youself in a situaltion like this, or would his knife be better?

Here's an article on this accident on the web if someone is interested. The accident occured last year: Father clings to hope after yacht overturns

After reading articles on boating safety, and this artcile about how he had to cut himself free, it makes me think that maybe a tool like the Benchmade would be a good one to have. However, it may be easier to have a knife handy like he did then a Benchmade Rescue Hook. What do you think? Can it be attached on your outer clothes pretty easy to get to quickly?

Thanks!
Jan

When cutting close to the body in an emergency situation a tool like the rescue hook is preferable to a regular knife. They make it impossible to stab yourself or a person you want to rescue.

At first I couln't make sense of the 6 H2O image. Then it dawned on me that the iamge is actually showing two knives, the one on the bottom is in a sheath. Dough!

The manufacturer includes "rope" in it's list of items it will cut.

Well there is a difference between cutting a paracord and cutting 10 mm climbing rope or something even thicker. Rope is such a broad term. Just my 2 cents.

Matt

Agreed. That's why I referenced it as the manufacturers claim. Another comment on her question about effectiveness on a boat, I would still want a knife in addition to the rescue hook even if the rescue hook will cut most lines.

<img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. Aah yes, well spotted.

I thought that safety lines on ocean-going yachts would be made of webbing rather than rope. I don't know what gave me that idea, it may have been the following entry from the coroner's report on the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race:

(http://www.equipped.org/sydneytohobart.pdf)

...
THAT GLYN RODERICK CHARLES DIED ... WHEN THE LANYARD WHICH
WAS ATTACHED TO HIS HARNESS FAILED AT THE
STITCHING, HE THEN BEING WASHED OVERBOARD ....

"Stitching" sounds more like webbing than rope or cord; however, I'm not a sailor and may not have understood it correctly.

I agree that the ability of the rescue hook to cut rope would appear to depend on the diameter of the rope and whether it fit inside the hook or not.

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your replies. I looked through my husbands books and they use several names for the lines, but 'rope' is the term used a lot. I looked up 'rope' on the West Marine website, which is where the guys buy most of their ropes , since it is right near the harbor. Here is the page, so you can see what the lines look like, etc. West Marine ropes

I think I agree that having a knife too would be the best way to go. I should ask him if he keeps a knife on him at all times when he is out sailing. I have a small knife on my keychain, but I am not sure if he does. Guess I better look and see what he keeps on his keychain! I know he has a Pulsar II LED light and he might have his small leatherman. I don't see him carry his large leatherman around with him all the time. He works in computers and can't have it hanging on him at work.

He has been in 2 boating accidents already, so I get a little nervous now when he goes out.

Your replies have gotten me to thinking and asking more questions. I will pay closer attention and then decide if this is a good thing to get him. Then the question would be, would he take it with him and use it. 'That' none of us could answer of course. His first attitude with some of the presents I get him are that they are dumb presents, until he uses them and then he falls in love with them. Like the Headlamp I bought him one Christmas. He had never had one, and thought it was a silly thing to get, and he uses it ALL the time now. He would like to get an LED headlamp some day!

Maybe because I am a woman he thinks I won't have any good sense in what I get him when it comes to 'gear.' So you can see why I am into figuring out if this will be worth getting him or not. You never know, it could save his life! I will at least encourage him to have a knife on him from now on (if he doesn't already). I had never really thought about someone getting caught up in sailing lines like that until I read this article, so I never asked him about these things.

BTW, I love reading all your posts on the gear that you use.

Thanks again everyone. I look forward to anything else you have to offer. However, I will warn you that we are taking off for a week for our 25th Anniversary and so I won't be around to respond until next week. I will be looking forward to your posts when I get back!

Jan

My two cent’s worth, as a former nautical klutz … all of the safety harnesses I have ever seen/used on sailboats are webbing, generally nylon at least ¾-inch wide or wider and fairly thick. While I always wore a knife on the boat, it was almost always a short, stubby “bosun’s knife” that had a fairly short but thick straight-edged blade on one end and a spike on the other for splicing, opening sheaves and, um … popping beer cans. If you want to get your husband a do-it-all tool he’s more likely to carry, opt for a fixed-blade knife. On the other hand, cutting nylon webbing in a hurry is rough unless you’ve got that I’m-going-to-die adrenaline surge going.
If you’re really concerned about his safety, look into the self-inflating PDFs that are worn around the waist and inflate when a sensor is immersed in water for more than a few seconds. He can slip the knife sheath on the PDF belt and be good to go no matter what happens. It’s not as good as having a PDF on your chest, but it’s flotation if you get knocked overboard unexpectedly (been there, done that.)

Jan,

You're on the right track, even the best tool is no good if it is not with you when you need it.

Just a thought, have you considered one of the new personal EPIRB's and/or PLB's that broadcast GPS position data as well as identifying the user it is assigned to? A bit pricey as yet, but...it is a high tech device and is already credited with several rescues. Please look at Doug's excellent commentary regarding these and their use.

Of course, if you're stuck in the rigging underwater, a knife will do more at the time to ensure survival. Perhaps getting a decent fixed blade and the Rescue Hook might be an alternative path. The knife could be worn in one manner and the hook in a different manner. If you're stuck in lines, you may not be able to reach one of the two...

Enjoy your anniversary, congratulations. <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Regards,
Comanche7

Echoing billvan, it had me confused as well. Figured it was just the late hour that I was looking at it. Feeling better now. <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Thank you Comanche7! We are really looking forward to having this time together!

Yes, he does have an EPIRB, so he is cool there.

And guess what? I just looked at his knife and it is a "Benchmade!" So at least now I know he likes the brand! Now he just has to wear it when he goes sailing. He would probably like the Rescue Hook.

Thank you everyone for your ideas, they have given me a lot to think about and check into. I really appreciate it!

Jan

Hi Maggot,

Yes, he has been over board too, a couple times when he had trouble with his dinghy. I don't think he has been over board when he went sailing/racing with his buddies though. I'll check into the PDF's.

Thank you again!
Jan

Maybe a good knife for use in wet conditions may be the answer to your husbands gift.
A Benchmade 100SH20 might be a good choice:

100SH20

High visability, Blunt tipped, almost rust proof steel, serrated so it cuts line/cord/rope/webbing with ease, benchmade quality, ect. If he carries a regular folder this would be a good addition for his PFD, especially if he constantly wears one (with the inflatable style PFD would be a good gift too, I find them more comfortable so I wear them more often, which means I have a better chance).

Paul, that looks like a great idea!!! I bookmarked it and want you to know that I liked it a lot! It fits just what I am looking for. If he knows it is made for wet conditions, then maybe he will wear it. The Benchmade knife he already has probably isn't to wear sailing in wet conditions. That is probably why he doesn't take it with him when he sails. I am learning a lot from you guys! I'll read more about it when I get back from my trip. If I keep playing on this board and not packing he is going to get mad at me!!!!!

See you when I get back! Have a great week!
Jan

Yeah Paul pretty much nailed it. If you want to get little fancier and take a risk with different brand you can try one of these:



Spyderco Assist is a rescue knife which is going to be bit bigger than what Paul recommended. Difference is that this knife has a whistle build in (average), handle offers you more secure grip (therefore bigger knife) and it can be opened with one hand. Also you can place a rope across the hand and fold the blade close and it works are your personal rope cutter. Knife has a blunt tip so it very safe to use when your hand coordination is little off or you work close to your body.

But again it is bit bigger and different brand. My boss gave me this knife one week ago and I like it. The thing is that Assist is not a multi purpose knife. Its purpose it rescue. You can't cut food with it, use it for defense or filet fish. It should stay on your PFD or on your neck, belt etc.

Just another idea.

Matt

The bottom line with tools on a boat is, if it's not attached to your body, you won't have it when you really, Really, REALLY need it.

I wouls suspect that the rescue hook would work on most ropes found on a boat. If no one on the forum has real life experience, contact Benchmade and ask them what they know about that application. I'm sure they'll be happy to respond.

If the response is reasonably positive, I'd go ahead and give it to him. As you mention in another post, he already owns the brand plus most guys just can't resist another gear toy. The rescue hook is unique enough that that it'll get his curiousity going and I suspect he will wear it on the boat. (He should try it on similar lines as a test so he'll have experience what to expect in a true emergency.) Even if he wears a knife or multi-tool, having the rescue hook that can be used with one hand may make the difference some day. Even if he wears a fixed blade or a one-handed folder, they may require the use of second hand to hold the roop to cut. The hook would do just that, "hook" the rope allowing for true one handed use.

BTW, happy anniversay! <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />