Aircrew Survival Egress Knife (ASEK)

Hi Guys,

Has anyone tried one of these yet?
http://www.army.mil/usar/news/2003/07jul/asek.html
http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/current_knotes.htm

I have been looking for a good tool to keep in my airplane for emergencies/survival. I currently keep a CRKT Polkowski/Kasper Companion http://www.crkt.com/plkasper.html in my plane. I like it because it is super strong and has a generious blade guard which I think would help keep my hand from slipping up the blade if I need to jab/break my Plexiglas canopy. However there is no saw to help cut through aluminum sheet or a safe way to cut seat belts.

What do you guys think?

well for escaping from a plane it may would be handy, but a survivalknife for wilderness type survival no !

First, I'm not a pilot.

Second I've never survived a plane crash (or been killed in one).

Third, this thing may work exactly as advertised.

But, IMHO, this looks more like something designed by a deskbound marketing guru than any aviator or knife enthusiast. The "harness cutter" is what gives me this impression. The blade, such as it is, already incorporates a serrated portion. I've always been told that this is to aid in cutting webbing and line, so either the cutter or serrations would seem redundant. I also question how well thought out it is to have a pilot, possibly inverted, underwater, facing a fire or in near total darkness, trying to get that pointed blade under his harness without eviscerating himself.

I'd also wager that the cutter notch would be apt to hang up on the return stroke as you tried to saw your way out. I doubt that this would be insurmountable but if you've already crashed and need to cut an egress from the plane, how many more distractions do you want?

Lastly, after your escape you're left with a knife that has a big hole right in the main working edge, at least the way I use a knife. You are given a push dagger to augment the main blade but I think the utility of such a blade is pretty limited, except maybe as an improvised spear point.

Just my $.02

Ed