I started out looking for a fishing knife to put in my new kayak. I was also looking for a safety tool to help free me from my vehicle if it ever went into the drink. I frequently drive over a bridge that goes 26 miles over water and I've seen too many vehicles fished out of the lake. This knife turned out to be the perfect combo.
A small disk inserted into the top of the blade near where it meets the handle makes it very easy to open, even when your hands are wet and slippery. The combo of half serrated and half sharpened edge makes it good for cleaning fish, cutting rope or other utility uses. The windshield shattering metal nib is on the butt of the handle and the seat belt cutter is right next to it. You can use both without having to open or turn the knife, a big plus in an emergency. It also has a very strong and long clip firmly attached to the handle. This is tight enough to slip onto the waist of your jeans or into a life vest pocket if you don't wear a belt. The knife is heavy enough to add some heft to your stroke should you ever have to break a windshield underwater. The metal looks similar to what might be used on one of their pistols and it is assembled with numerous star headed screws rather than rivets. You should be able to tighten or clean it as needed. Good purchase...patting myself on the back as I write!
I got this knife because it has the seatbelt cutter and window breaking tip to have as an all-around emergency and daily folding knife. This knife has good weight and balance. The handle fits perfectly in my hand and feels comfortable. This is my first Smith & Wesson knife and I'd buy another one based on the quality of this one.
I recently purchased this knife and was amazed at the wonderful quality for so cheap. The blade lock-up is VERY tight absolutly no wiggle what-so-ever. The deployment is quite slow but with some wrist flick it speeds up the process some. It is rather heavy at 5.7 ounces but it is a tough knife. It has the flow-through design so mud and water can flow on through. The clip is tip down non-movable, however is sits very deeply in the pocket. The steel liner is not skeletonized but it is attached with adjustable screws to disassemble the knife if necessary. Out of the box the blade needs quite the touching up on its edge, for it is rather dull. There is a small thumb ramp, but no grooves to catch your thumb, however the underneath hold the index finger superbly. The handle itself is very ergonomic and just wants to be held.
Its a good knife, if you aren't going to be using it as a rescuer. I kept it in the pocket of my turnout gear, but had to take it out. The steel isn't stainless so if it gets water on it, rust spots apear almost instantly. Also, the steel of the blade it soft enought that when I used it to try and tighten up a screw (Yes I know I should have used a screw driver, but on the fire ground you use what you have) the blade chipped all along its lengh. Its gotten moved to my car so I can use it if I have to get out, but its just not tough enough to use to help others. Bottom line - if you're going to be using a knife day-to-day, find something with a hard, stainless steel blade.
Got this to replace my Smith & Wesson work knife thinking that the glass breaker and the seat belt cutter would be a great addition. The blade itself comes very sharp and I'm pleased with that, though the profile is a bit larger than I'm used to. The liner lock is solid, like the other knife I had. The weight is good and I'm sure the glass breaker would work fine, but the safety cutter does NOT work. I work for a company that makes car seats and we have seat belt material sitting around, the safety cutter will not cut it, won't cut rope, can't cut paper, I see no applicable use for the safety cutter, in fact I feel that if you tried to use the safety cutter in an emergency situation it would do more harm than good because you would be waisting a lot of time trying to make it work instead of just turning the knife around and using the blade.
Maybe I got a defective blade, I don't know, I'm going to contact smith & wesson and if nothing happens there, I'm giong to take the knife apart and try to sharpen the safety cutter.
And if that doesn't work, I'll just use it as a regular knife until I can upgrade.
What prompted me to look at "First Responder Knives" was my wife's wish for me to purchase her one of those "Emergency Hammers" that can break the window and cut a seatbelt so you can get out of a wreck. Rather than get her something that might not ever be used, or be difficult to swing in a damaged and wrecked car, I thought the ideal solution would be a First Responder Knife. The SWFRS has a clip which can be clipped to a visor within reach if the car rolls, and will hold it in place. It can be held firmly in her hand (it is slightly small for me, since I have large hands, but still can be held comfortably and securely in mine.) A simple swing and it will shatter an automotive glass window with the strong metal tip. The seatbelt cutter appears to be easy to use and very sharp. The knife blade is large and locks into place firmly. My wife can open the knife with her thumb one handed quite easily too, and the lock mechanism (a liner lock) works well and again is easy for her to use, and she has no worries of the blade closing on her fingers. From my point of view I really like this knife (we bought two, one for each car). It is very well made, and appears that it could be totally disassembled with torx bits and hex wrenches. The knife blade opens smoothly with a snap role of my thumb, and locks into place and feels like a solid piece of steel. The pocket clip works well, and is bent over in such a way that pocketing it should not loosen the screws. As for the size, it fits my hand fairly well, and like one of the reviews stated "it begs to be held." The black portion, the stock, appears to be zytex. The blade is sharp too. It is very well designed. If Smith and Wesson is reading this, glow in the dark plastic stocks would be an even nicer touch.
The only thing I do not like about the knife is the serrated edge. If used, it should keep its edge for a long time, except serrated edges cannot be sharpened easily. However, this knife is better made than knives I have paid $80 for. I highly recommend this product. It is well made, thoughtfully designed, and inexpensive enough so you could put one in every car you own. - Knife - Folding Knife - Pocket Knife - Folding Knives'
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