Do carbide glass breakers work well?

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drjones

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As titled, getting a MOD CQD Mk1 soon and wondering if carbide glass breakers really work that well.

Thanks!!
 
The boys on Mythbusters tried the spring loaded ones. They were amazed at how big of difference they made. They were working on the "escape from a car that plunges into a lake" myth.

I think it would be fun to take some knife based ones into a junk yard or recycling center to bust some glass.
 
xdshooter said:
The boys on Mythbusters tried the spring loaded ones. They were amazed at how big of difference they made. They were working on the "escape from a car that plunges into a lake" myth.

I think it would be fun to take some knife based ones into a junk yard or recycling center to bust some glass.
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Meaning that the spring-loaded ones were more or less effective than non-spring loaded?

I *really* want to try mine out.

Next time I notice a ding in the side of my car.....the car next to me gets it! :D :D
 
I reckon if you hit a window hard enough with the but of a knife its gonna break.
 
drjones said:
wondering if carbide glass breakers really work that well.
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Yup, if it's done right. In a first aid class, we saw a film where a paramedic use something similar to break a car window. From what I saw, you have to hit the glass HARD. The medic stood to the side and with his back to the car door, and did what looked like a fast karate chop, and it worked on the second try. The guy teaching our class told us that he thought they are all spring loaded now; doing it by hand apparently leaves you needing ibuprofen later. :p It's only done when other entry methods won't work, and you don't want to swing a hammer or prybar at a window with a person on the other side.

thx - cpr
 
Yes. Simple as that. With very Little force. almost just the weight of the knife will shatter almost any glass. even under water, But of course you will have to use all the force you have under water. But yes they work as advertized and intended. Spring loaded ones work better under water, but the regular one, like on a Microtech, or the MOD you want will work great. You can also carv letters like a scribe on any material with it. Like Initial your tools or something.

No ofense, But if it took the guy to Karate chops to break with sharp carbide glass breaker, he either didn't actually hit the glass on the first try with the small peice of carbide, or he was very very weak. Very weak. Like a small child.

In the City thieves will throw very small pebbles or small pieces of metal through a window with little effort to steal a purse or something they see and want. I have seen it done like that. and it's so fast and breaks so easily it's amazing. and that not even meant to break glass.

also work great as a Kabuton.

Go to junk yard and see. you will have fun and be amazed too.
 
Hammerhead7050 said:
In the City thieves will throw very small pebbles or small pieces of metal through a window with little effort to steal a purse or something they see and want. I have seen it done like that. and it's so fast and breaks so easily it's amazing. and that not even meant to break glass.
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What the thieves do is use broken ceramic from spark plugs.
Learned that watching cops :) theres a bunch of videos on youtube demonstrating
 
I used the carbide breaker on the end of my Assist to great effect on some scrap panes I had laying around. Quite satisfying. :) I would suspect a spring loaded one would be more useful in an "escape from the burning/sinking car" situation due to the limited range of motion.
 
I believe the Victorinox Rescue Tool has a small designed for safety glass and other mediums such as that, although I could be wrong. I ordered one from Campmor because I loved the handles, so I guess I'll let you know in a few days! :D

In regards to proper technique for window breaking on the side, just don't hit the window in the center! You'll just end up with a broken wrist; go for the corner of the glass where's it's more prone to breakage and cracking. It will also help you avoid putting your arm through the glass once broken and cutting yourself! I actually learned how to properly break car windows and such from some local EMT teams when earning my Emergency Preparedness merit badge a few years ago---it was a pretty enlightening experience.
 
drjones said:
Meaning that the spring-loaded ones were more or less effective than non-spring loaded?

I *really* want to try mine out.

Next time I notice a ding in the side of my car.....the car next to me gets it! :D :D
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They were only testing spring loaded, no other types. They were testing them vs blunt force. They were amazed at how hard a blunt object had to be swung to break the glass. Sorry for the confuse.
 
Hammerhead7050 said:
No ofense, But if it took the guy to Karate chops to break with sharp carbide glass breaker, he either didn't actually hit the glass on the first try with the small peice of carbide, or he was very very weak. Very weak. Like a small child.
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Actually, I think the reason for more than one (weak) hit was to make sure he didn't go through the glass (car door) and hit the person on the other side. (In the training film, it was a dummy.) He also made it a point to hit the bottom, so the glass would just fall down, and not end up on the victim, like it would if you hit from the top.

I wonder if there is a difference between how carbide & steel would break the glass? Maybe carbide has the extra hardness to get through the outer layer of tempered glass? Hmmmmm...

After reading what just10minreader said about the old broken spark plug thing, now I remember hearing about that when I was a kid.

Admit it guys - how many of ya'll are gonna go out and smash car windows in a junkyard now that you've read this thread? (This is all drjones' fault.) :D

thx - cpr
 
orca8589 said:
Actually, I think the reason for more than one (weak) hit was to make sure he didn't go through the glass (car door) and hit the person on the other side. (In the training film, it was a dummy.) He also made it a point to hit the bottom, so the glass would just fall down, and not end up on the victim, like it would if you hit from the top.

I wonder if there is a difference between how carbide & steel would break the glass? Maybe carbide has the extra hardness to get through the outer layer of tempered glass? Hmmmmm...

thx - cpr
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Hi,

Doesn't matter, carbide or steel works just fine. Tempered glass is almost as brittle as regular glass. It just breaks in to small "beads" rather than larger shards that can cut or puncture you like a knife. Automatic center punches are steel and are the preferred tool.

If you must try and break glass, please wear safety glasses, long sleeved shirt or coat, and heavy gloves. Stand to the side of the window, and with a hammer type tool, give a quick, sharp blow to the bottom corner. If you are using an auto punch type tool, place it up against the bottom corner and press punch to fire it. In either case, the idea is to drop the pieces straight down and not to have them scattered all over the interior or the patient.

I have a Vic Rescue Tool, (gift from my two youngest Daughters). I carry it in my own personal jump bag. I've tested the tools and they do work. The glass saw will cut safety glass. But as was pointed out by Josh, we use a Sawz-All to cut laminated glass. It's far faster and easier. If we cut the glass, we're probably going to remove the vehicle roof also. So a Sawz-All is better.

dalee
 
drjones said:
that's my understanding from searching around here. Same with the rear windshield.
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the rear windshields will often shatter like the sides, unless they are tinted. maybe some manufactures use the saftey glass on the back as well.

trying a glass breaker on a front windshield will just result in frustration.
 
I've had to break into my own home breaking a small window that had tempered glass. A huge element about breaking glass in your home, tempered especially, is tapping it tight in a corner. I learned the hardway and was cleaning pieces of broken, exploded window for weeks after that . . .
 
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