Can I break a car window with a knife?

N

not so dull

Joined
Jan 4, 2023
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Can I break a car window with a knife? I mean, a regular knife, not the one with a carbide glass breaker tip. If I take a fixed blade, or even a folder which is strong enough (Cold Steel Spartan, etc.), will it get the job done?
 
Sure, especially if you choose the best spot. Dead center may not be that, as I've seen in different cases.
 
No. You'll snap the tip off. Likely cutting yourself.

You see, the glass is harder then the steel and it's tempered. A structural component of the car. That's why glass breakers use carbide.

It's also why the hard ceramic insulator off a spark plug will shatter it.

But if you wanna find out. Visit the local wrench a wreak and swing away.
 
Depends on how fast you can accelerate it. If you take this route with a folder, I'd suggest dense scales and keeping the knife closed to concentrate the impact.
 
Not easily, there have been videos of people stabbing side glass before in road rage incidents, knife tests, etc.... For every stab that seemed to work a bit, you had quite a few dangerous glance offs.
 
Some knives have non-carbide glass breakers that are much safer to use than the blade tip.

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Possibly. Newer cars sometimes use laminated glass on the front, side, and rear windows instead of just on the front window like older cars did. Even a true window punch is considered pretty ineffective for getting through a laminated glass window. For a tempered glass window, you likely can with damage to the knife and possibly yourself.

Figure out what sort of glass your vehicle has, buy a tool designed for that type of glass, learn how to effectively use it, and keep it somewhere accessible and secure so that the tool is there when you need it. That seems like the simplest solution to me.
 
I keep a keychain spring loaded glass breaker in the glove box, along with a spare spark plug. My plan, if needed, is to use the glass breaker to break a piece of the ceramic off the spark plug. Once broken, that ceramic will break a window if thrown hard enough.
 
Why weigh yourself down with glass window breakers? Out of all the people on BF, how many have actually needed to BREAK out a window to escape from a car?

My Toyota Tundra has one glass breaker for every occupant, they are called seat belt buckles. And in 48 years of driving, I've always been able to exit any vehicle by opening the door! Every single time! Even on Boeing 787 Max airplanes, the door opens when it's time to go, no need to break out the glass.

Next quiz will be: "What knife do I need to repel Anacondas?" "Best Knife for dispatching Vipers?" "Best Knife Material for slicing Monkeys?" Monkey fur is more coarse than reptile scales, is serrated appropriate if the monkeys are aggressive?
 
I'm sure it can be done, but I prefer a hammer. My last experiment in this department (involving a knife with a glass breaker) resulted in some pretty nasty lacerations to my elbow and forearm... I was standing outside too, not sure if I was sitting in the seat that it would have broken.
 
Zac in the Wild just did a video on breaking car windows a few weeks ago. You can search for it on YouTube. It is an interesting video. I have seen videos of people slamming hammers and such into car windows and being unable to break them, so it is not as easy as one might think.
 
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