emergency rope cutting

jlubas

jlubas

Joined
Jan 22, 2008
Messages
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Hey guys I am a college student studying arboriculture. With this come a lot of climbing trees using ropes or spurs. A lot of rigging is involved in the tree and i want a knife that could be use in an emergency to cut any ropes free. I have quite a good collection already and have been using a Spyderco harpy or 93mm rescue. These seem like good options but i am discouraged that they are folders. I was looking at the Spyderco spot SE but dont like only a 1" blade.

So if you guys have any recommendations on a good rope cutter Im open to suggestions or on the flip side any encouragement that would make me more confident in the folders.

thanks in advance
 
The Spyderco Aqua Salt in fully serrated would be suitable.

For a lower cost, the Mora 861 serrated Clipper would work well, but you may want to invest in a more secure kydex sheath for it.



 
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The new Jumpmaster in SE. It was specifically designed to cut rope by Sal Glesser. That would work right?
 
the spyderco spot would be a great choice imo, for emergency cutting
one serrated inch is good enough i believe to cut any rope
 
That brings back memories,I worked as a climber for a few years after I got out of high school for Asplundh.I never ran into a situation where I had to use a knife to cut a rope and there was always a pole clip within reach that would have been much quicker.That said,I think I'd prefer a folder,something with a flipper that could be opened one handed with either hand.If you go with something big enough to cut 1/2in nylon rope,it would probably be a hindrance to your climbing gear,a neck knife might be another option,you could probably get one with a decent 3 or 4in blade.Be careful out there,it's an interesting job and brings back some good memories.:D
 
Jumpmaster would rock your world, but for sole rope cutting, look at the Tasman Salt. H1 nonrusting steel, hawkbill blade makes cutting rope much easier. Get the fully SE one and a Sharpmaker for sharpening.
 
Pretty much anything serrated. The Harpy sounds excellent, the only argument I can give you for a fixed blade over a folding blade is a fixed blade is already open, and in an emergency that extra second or two opening it can make all the difference.

Good luck on your quest.:thumbup:
 
Definitely go for full serrated. I don't generally like them, but for this kind of an application, as well as for rescue work, they can't be beat for speed.
 
I would go with the Spyderco Assist or anything else with serrations and a blunt tip. Getting cut free of a tangled rope doesn't do you any good if you stab yourself five times in the process.
 
I have a serrated hawkbill shaped spyderco. Although it does a great job with fiberous things (roots, vines and ropes), its’ a folder. Something like a Benchmade Rescue Hook which is specifically designed to cut rope in an emergancy situation maybe better than trying to deploy a folder.
 
Anybody knows what guys from "Deadliest Catch" use? Looks like a simple cheap steak or paring knife.His life depend on his knife so maybe we should take advise from them.

Or not...
 
They got them from Spyderco. I believe it where yellow AquaSalts? Well at least it are fully serrated Spydies:thumbup:
 
I would like to second that suggestion on the spyderco atlantic salt or if you want assisted opening try an sog flash rescue. it opens very fast is partially serrated and comes in aus8 steel. This is extremely easy to operate with one hand and is strong and comfortable. I have used mine to cut carpet and it has performed remarkably.
 
I've climbed for years, there is NOTHING like running a saw 150+ feet up a tree or dropping a 2' foot thick top on a windy day before blocking down big chunks.

as for cutting a rope at height, better be sure to know which rope your cutting, especially when you are under duress, tired etc.

If the rope is TENSIONED (like a bull rope), simply touching an edge to the rope will blow it. same if its your lifeline and its tensioned. You want to be extremely careful in your cut.

I carry and recomend the Spydie Rescue Assist, both because its blaze orange and easy to find if you drop it in the woods, but also because the serrations rip thru doublebraided ropes no matter the thickness. It also has a built in whistle, which i will attest DOES work to alert people. Its also ROUNDED at the tip.

I highly recomend NOT using a FIXED BLADE. Main reason is if you cut a line, and suddenly swing free, you can stab yourself. A cut or stab at height is extremely dangerous, not to mention distracting, which may cause you to lose control of your descender, etc. Another reason a fixed blade is a nono in the trees, if you drop the knife you risk killing your groundcrew if they are in the drop zone. The point WILL drive thru their neck, shoulder, face, head. There was an incident about 12 years back where this happened, a Buck 119 was dropped from 180' up and impaled the shoulder of the ground guy. Surgeons removed the blade from inside his ribcage, it drove clean thru.

just to let you know, the number of times a tree climber has had to cut a rope in an emergency in the USA and Canada, is in the neighborhood of around 20 , in the last 60 years. It is extremely rare to need to cut a rope up high. Ground crews on the other hand, cut ropes a lot (little inside joke about groundsman running saws around ropes...)
 
jiggybaw said:
Anybody knows what guys from "Deadliest Catch" use? Looks like a simple cheap steak or paring knife.His life depend on his knife so maybe we should take advise from them.

Or not...
Click to expand...

Not. see my post above for reasons why. big difference between cutting a rope while on a flat ship deck, VS cutting a rope high up in a tree while in a harness and spurs, with a chainsaw hanging off your belt..........

;)
 
You can simply get a sheath for a folding knife, if you believe it will help. I mean a sheath to hold the knife in the open position.

Otherwise listen the Bushman5.

If you really need a cutting tool, carry a small pruning saw since it's in keeping with your course study.
 
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