Can a knife blade tip be used as a glass breaker?

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ShooterMcgavin

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Jan 20, 2008
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I would like to have an edc with a glass breaker, but there are so few options that have glass breakers. Would the tip of a knife blade be as good for an emergency window break as a carbide glass breaker?

I'm doubtful, but curious to hear what others have for experience or knowledge on the subject.
 
There's a lot of factors involved - steel, heat treat, strength of tip, whether a fixed blade or folder, etc.

Probably be better off using the butt or bolster instead of the tip.

No matter which end you use there is a very strong possibility of suffering cuts to the flesh.
 
What is your aversion to getting a knife with a breaker? Not being a butt hole I'm just wondering. I'm trying to find a Contego myself, and although I don't care about the breaker it just seems like a great knife overall. Just a thought. :)
 
I have tested my carbide glass breaker fitted on a MOD CQD Mark 2 with bare hands before, and glass managed to scratch the aluminum alloy surface.

IMO breaking glass with anything barehanded (gloves should be worn) is simply unsafe, and I second the idea of using the butt or bolster or something blunt.

Let's see, Blackhawk has the CQD Mark 2 series, Benchmade has the Contego and Kershaw has the red Blur, all of them should have glass breakers attached.

Just my relatively worthless 2 cents' worth.
 
All you need to easily break glass is a focus point. If you take you knife (closed) and turn it slightly sideways you now have a focus point for force. It won't work exactly like a glass breaker, but it is way better than nothing... Unless that knife has soft rubber handles. You need solid metal for it to work definitely.

The tip of the blade will work, but note that the knife will either break or accumulate serious injury from this. Glass is hard, and most all knives have pretty fragile tips unless they are made from 1/4" steel.
 
I'm not the biggest fan of benchmade but I do have to say the benchmade triage 915 is a very nice knife. The glass breaker works very well as does the seatbelt cutter! I honestly would not use the tip. I was in a bad wreck on the highway that left me trapped in a pick up truck upside down with the door jammed. I tried using everypart of my knife to break the window (the knife didn't have a breaker on it) and it failed in every attempt. Now I have a dedicated breaker in my car in a secured place.
 
It's probably a bad idea, and not one guaranteed to work--I've heard stories of knife blades snapping while trying to break glass with the tip.

I have shattered a glass bottle by impacting it with a cheap, beater, quarter-inch bladed tanto before, but the amount of force I had to use would probably have snapped a regular pocketknife blade, or possibly caused a lock failure.
 
Strigamort said:
What is your aversion to getting a knife with a breaker? Not being a butt hole I'm just wondering. I'm trying to find a Contego myself, and although I don't care about the breaker it just seems like a great knife overall. Just a thought. :)
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I have no aversion to getting a knife with a carbide glass breaker. In fact, that is what I want :) It's just that so few come with them.

I REALLY like everything about the Contego, except for the blade length (illegal in my area). I like the Triage, but not sure about N680 steel. I don't need much rust resistence in my daily carried knife; I would prefer to have greater toughness in my blades.

I can understand damaging the tip and cutting my hand. I'd like to avoid that, but this would most likely be an emergency situation.

onimusha said:
It's probably a bad idea, and not one guaranteed to work--I've heard stories of knife blades snapping while trying to break glass with the tip.

I have shattered a glass bottle by impacting it with a cheap, beater, quarter-inch bladed tanto before, but the amount of force I had to use would probably have snapped a regular pocketknife blade, or possibly caused a lock failure.
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Yeah, I guess it does sound like a bad idea. I think you guys have convinced me of that.
 
I would say grab a resQme car escape tool, designed to break the glass of your car window and fits on your keychain. they are only 10 bucks, better than ruining your $100+ blade IMO of course. Oh and it also features a seatbealt cutter and quick release function so you can get it off your keys in an emergency, say you run off a bridge , you can get the resqme off your keychain it's spring loaded so it will pop the glass and if need be you also have a blade to cut your paasengers out of there safety belts if need be.
 
Eternalgameplayer said:
I'm not the biggest fan of benchmade but I do have to say the benchmade triage 915 is a very nice knife. The glass breaker works very well as does the seatbelt cutter! I honestly would not use the tip. I was in a bad wreck on the highway that left me trapped in a pick up truck upside down with the door jammed. I tried using everypart of my knife to break the window (the knife didn't have a breaker on it) and it failed in every attempt. Now I have a dedicated breaker in my car in a secured place.
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Glad you got out okay. I guess that Experience IS the best teacher.
 
Glass is harder than steel, a carbide tip is required because it is harder than the glass. If you want a super cheap glass breaker, use a ceramic chunk of an old spark plug ;)
 
ShooterMcgavin said:
I would like to have an edc with a glass breaker, but there are so few options that have glass breakers. Would the tip of a knife blade be as good for an emergency window break as a carbide glass breaker?

I'm doubtful, but curious to hear what others have for experience or knowledge on the subject.
Click to expand...

i had wondered that myself,i agressivly smashed the side window out of a scrap car we had here. i used my trusty edc, a scrapyard 311.it blunted the tip substancialy to my surpise
 
I recently picked up a BM houdini pro and think it is an excellent well made tool for a very reasonable price, spring loaded glass punch, seatbelt cutter and flashlight rolled into one. I hope i never have to use it but it could save a life in the right, or should I say wrong situation. BM also makes a smaller version as well, the pro model is basically the size of a large folder, but I have never held one for comparison. Of course the downside is the lack of a standard knife blade on it which would make it even better in my opinion, something like the mariner or rescue style sheepsfoot blades would be a perfect addition.
 
bpeezer said:
Glass is harder than steel, a carbide tip is required because it is harder than the glass.
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A carbide tip in NOT required as mentioned above. You can break a glass window with all manner of implements from softer materials. Again, as mentioned above, you simply need a focal point and sufficient force behind it. A smaller focal point demands the less force to accomplish the task. Ceramic carbide is popular because it is inexpensive and resists deformation, maintaining a small impact focal point. But steel will work just fine:

Victorinox Rescue Tool
[video=youtube;zApUSw0xsRY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zApUSw0xsRY[/video]

ESEE-3 mil
[video=youtube;PrXOwV_4k6Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrXOwV_4k6Y[/video]
 
I have been to a few vehicle extrication classes over the years. We have tested many objects for glass breaking.
The best for controlled breakage in my opinion;
Purposed glass breaker. Be it a carbide tip on a knife, a spring loaded center punch or a fancy so called escape tool.

While broken spark plug ceramic works extremely well, it is not a controlled break and ceramic ricochets make nasty cuts.

I edc a BM915 and it works well.

If you find a knife that you really like and it does not have a glass breaker why not put one on it?
I had a CS Scimitar that I put a bit of carbide on that I recycled from an old saw blade.
A small propane torch gets hot enough to melt the brazing that holds the carbide to the blade. Mapp gas is even quicker.

During one of the above mentioned classes a friend of mine was bragging on an Emerson he had just gotten.
It was funny for the rest of us when he broke the tip trying to pop a side window...
Later I got to reshape the tip of the knife for him.
 
Carbide punches can be added to almost any knife ;)
Stay safe
James
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