Seat Belt Cutter

[jerrob]

Looking for a couple seat belt cutters for the wife and I to throw into the door pocket of our vehicles to go with the glass breakers I ordered.

The stuff I've watched on YoosToobs range from gimmicky to questionable and not looking to **** away money or have something not up for the task if the need were ever at hand.

I've watched firemen extract an accident victim and they made short work of the seat belt, just wasn't close enough to see the tool. Was this a serrated knife or a specialty tool, not sure, but I'll take 2 please.

I'd like to eliminate anything that requires fine motor skills, the smallish ones that are held in the fingertips are an instant no-go, like the Res q me. (old age and arthritis isn't kind). The glass breakers I've ordered are small, weighted hammers designed specifically to break glass, I'd like to apply the same criteria and reasoning to the seat belt cutter.

What say you blade junkies, what would you put in your own or loved one's car for this task?

Thanks INGO.

 

[Expat]

@Edged Tools may have some for order.

 

[Edged Tools]

Have you seen the Res-q-me tools? They're very cheap and effective. And they can clip anywhere. I don't have any currently but I do plan to carry a few at a time next time I have an order.



They also have the bigger ones too

resqhammer® Ultimate Escape Hammer, Seatbelt Cutter / Window Breaker - resqme, Inc.

What is resqhammer™ This innovative and versatile emergency hammer features a sleek, modern design with a unique shape and knuckle guard. The stainless steel hammer head easily breaks car side windows, and the razor-sharp blade cuts swiftly through jammed seat belts. Easy to install in your car...

resqme.com

Otherwise you’re probably looking at something closer to a Benchmade or folding knife with built in cutter and glass breaker

 

[Basher]

I keep a Benchmade Triage in a backpack that goes with me everywhere. Spendy option, but it has a glass breaker, Sheepsfoot blade, and a fold-out seatbelt cutter that’s pretty freaking sharp, so it covers three bases for me.

 

[Dean C.]

Durable and Sharp 8 Hook Safety Cutter | Benchmade

Cut quickly and reliably in an emergency situation. Shop our safety cutter with 8 hooks and a longer handle providing greater reach and leverage. MOLLE® compatible.

www.benchmade.com

Here you go , any Benchmade dealer should be able to get you a couple. Specialty jobs require specialty tools , I keep an automatic Triage in my car.

 

[OurDee]

RAPTOR® RESCUE​

Pricey, but they will cut belts, rings, etc. They fold up and come with a holster for you belt.

 

[snapping turtle]

Being a low voltage technician I normally have a pair of electric snips on my belt (unless I am going to a funeral or a wedding). They are basically a very heavy duty pair of scissors. So I never thought of using anything else.
Since I have multiple pairs and a few older extras I have enough to throw a couple in anything I want. Under 20 to has high as 59 dollars and not much difference in them for the dollar.

Electrician's Scissors | Jonard

Designed for heavy duty use, these electrician’s scissors are made of chrome vanadium steel and reinforced with a special hardening process for greater durability and c

jonard.com

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I've used a regular serrated blade with no issue the few times I've had to cut a seat belt. I have one of those enclosed blades on the end of my Bokar mini-rescue but never used it. It's just quicker to grab the belt and cut it then thread it in the "zipper" thing.

FWIW, I wouldn't count on being able to reach anything in the door pocket in an accident severe enough to require me to cut the seat belt. Door crumpled in, vehicle rolled on its side or rolled over, etc.

 

[Mij]

I’ve always thought that was the reason/excuse for the rise in popularity of the 50/50 serrated/flat ground pocket knife. Half serrated half sharp blade.

 

[jerrob]

Durable and Sharp 8 Hook Safety Cutter | Benchmade

Cut quickly and reliably in an emergency situation. Shop our safety cutter with 8 hooks and a longer handle providing greater reach and leverage. MOLLE® compatible.

www.benchmade.com

Here you go , any Benchmade dealer should be able to get you a couple. Specialty jobs require specialty tools , I keep an automatic Triage in my car.

I've used a regular serrated blade with no issue the few times I've had to cut a seat belt. I have one of those enclosed blades on the end of my Bokar mini-rescue but never used it. It's just quicker to grab the belt and cut it then thread it in the "zipper" thing.

FWIW, I wouldn't count on being able to reach anything in the door pocket in an accident severe enough to require me to cut the seat belt. Door crumpled in, vehicle rolled on its side or rolled over, etc.

@ Dean Crail that's what I was looking for, something useable with gross motor skills and big enough to get a full purchase. Thank you.

@ BehindBlueI's thanks, didn't consider a damaged door keeping me from accessing the tool, would you recommend center console or fastened to the visor?

 

[BehindBlueI's]

@ Dean Crail that's what I was looking for, something useable with gross motor skills and big enough to get a full purchase. Thank you.

@ BehindBlueI's thanks, didn't consider a damaged door keeping me from accessing the tool, would you recommend center console or fastened to the visor?

I'd recommend pants pocket if feasible, but I would think center console would be the next best option. Anything that crushes that far and seat belts aren't the concern any longer. It's contained so it won't fly out. Only concern would be if you're on your roof, but even then it should be reasonably easy to find. I've been in one vehicle rollover that ended wheels up and it's a fairly disorienting event. I believe I briefly lost consciousness. I was able to undo my seat belt and crawl out the back. Honestly, I was near panic as I felt like I was on a timeline before the vehicle crushed in any further, which logically is pretty unlikely but in the heat of the moment of waking up dangling upside down from a seat belt it seemed a reasonable concern.

 

[jerrob]

Just picked up a Benchmade model 8 on eBay to try out.
I see a trip to the junkyard in my future.

 

[bdybdall]

When I was a volunteer firefighter, I carried a S&W branded folder w/ a guthook style cutter and a window punch on the end. FYI, if you just want to break windows, an automatic center punch works great.

 

[Twangbanger]

@ Dean Crail that's what I was looking for, something useable with gross motor skills and big enough to get a full purchase. Thank you.

@ BehindBlueI's thanks, didn't consider a damaged door keeping me from accessing the tool, would you recommend center console or fastened to the visor?

The Harbor Freight spring-loaded center-punch marker mentioned above, re-purposed for glassbreaking, is what I kept before I started keeping the ResQMe on my keychain. I do recommend NOT putting anything loose in your center console. Keep it in a baggie you can easily retrieve, without having to rummage through that console in a crash looking for loose items, or having to catch a falling, loose object as it falls out of your console when upside-down. I keep a light, knife, and center-punch marker in a quart baggie in there, which will be easy to find and retrieve as an intact unit, if I can't reach my pocket knife or the steering column has crumpled to the point I can't get the RsQM.

Clipped to visor is anybody's guess where it will end up.

If pants-pocket means deep down in the pocket, not clipped to the top of it, then don't assume you'll be able to get down in your pocket in crash position.

 

[bwframe]

Have you seen the Res-q-me tools? They're very cheap and effective. And they can clip anywhere. I don't have any currently but I do plan to carry a few at a time next time I have an order.



They also have the bigger ones too

resqhammer® Ultimate Escape Hammer, Seatbelt Cutter / Window Breaker - resqme, Inc.

What is resqhammer™ This innovative and versatile emergency hammer features a sleek, modern design with a unique shape and knuckle guard. The stainless steel hammer head easily breaks car side windows, and the razor-sharp blade cuts swiftly through jammed seat belts. Easy to install in your car...

resqme.com

Otherwise you’re probably looking at something closer to a Benchmade or folding knife with built in cutter and glass breaker

I have yellow Res-q-me's zip tied to the passenger headrest mount rod on both of my vehicles. It's a universal thing that will be placed the same on all vehicles going forward. I can reach it, so can the grandkids in the back. They have been trained how to use it if the vehicle ends up underwater or on fire.

In recent years, I added one to the motorcycle in case of coming up on a wreck.

This thread is great reminder. Just ordered two ($9, on sale at Amazon) for the daughter's vehicles. Great Christmas presents that will be, without a doubt, used. I'll zip tie them myself.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Great Christmas presents that will be, without a doubt, used.

Well... let's hope not.

 

[kickbacked]

a few years back a family went off the road into a decoration pond about 30 minutes after i drove past the location. 1 or more children died. Ever since then i have the glass breakers/ seatbelt cutters in every car. I have an actual glass breaking hammer in my daily driver. For some reason that accident did something to me and now im prepared if I ever come up on an accident or find myself in that circumstance. If you have a car that uses a physical turn key id recommend throwing a cheap glass break on the key ring too. I keep mine in the certain console.

 

[rlfrye]

Maybe I overthought it, but I keep a knife and glass breaker, in a sheath attached to the seat belt. Seemed like a good place, and prolly wouldnt remember where I put them otherwise.

 

[wcd]

Maybe I overthought it, but I keep a knife and glass breaker, in a sheath attached to the seat belt. Seemed like a good place, and prolly wouldnt remember where I put them otherwise.

They make one in a small hammer form and it has a seatbelt cutter. It has a clip designed to attach to the seatbelt. We have one of each of our vehicles and my work suv.

 

[Cameramonkey]

I'd recommend pants pocket if feasible, but I would think center console would be the next best option. Anything that crushes that far and seat belts aren't the concern any longer. It's contained so it won't fly out. Only concern would be if you're on your roof, but even then it should be reasonably easy to find. I've been in one vehicle rollover that ended wheels up and it's a fairly disorienting event. I believe I briefly lost consciousness. I was able to undo my seat belt and crawl out the back. Honestly, I was near panic as I felt like I was on a timeline before the vehicle crushed in any further, which logically is pretty unlikely but in the heat of the moment of waking up dangling upside down from a seat belt it seemed a reasonable concern.

THIS. Anything not fastened down or contained will NOT be where it was before the crash. Especially guns on those stupid gun magnets.
And that benchmade is called a hook knife. you cant get any more low motor skills. or have to worry about accidentally stabbing/cutting somebody. Just draw it across the body and it will snag the belt and cut it. Or cords. Worst case is you may ruin a shirt.

I used to have one of these sewn to my jumpsuits. and attached to the plane by the door. They work well.

YELLOW JACK THE RIPPER KNIFE - Para Gear