First Responders, anyone have experience with the Spyderco Assisted Rescue Knife?

NikkiR

NikkiR

Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Messages
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I ask because I used to be a Firefighter, and I used the Gerber Hinderer for a while, and then just used my Griptilian. I'm looking into joining the local search and rescue team here, and would like to have a folder to carry in addition to my BK11. I'm looking at the Spyderco Assisted Rescue knife, and wanted to know if anyone has any real world experience with it. It has more bells and whistles than I'm accustomed to working with.
 
NikkiR said:
It has more bells and whistles than I'm accustomed to working with.
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Literally ;)

Although I am not a first responder I do own an Assist. For "rescue" type work I can see it being a handy knife to have. I think the biggest perk to the knife is that it is quite thick so it's easy to grab and feels good in hands when wearing bulky gloves. Some other knives tend to "get lost" in pockets or even in the hand. The assist also has the cobra hood which makes deploying the blade quite easy with gloves as well.

The blade shape is nice and has a blunted tip. Serrations are super sharp and make easy work of any material.

The glass breaker seems to do its job as intended but I have never tried it(YouTube has some videos on it).

As for the whistle... Using my imagination but maybe it could be useful in S&R applications when you yourself need to be located.

Hope this might have helped you in making a decision. The Assist is a great knife.
 
Cosmo7809 said:
Literally ;)

Although I am not a first responder I do own an Assist. For "rescue" type work I can see it being a handy knife to have. I think the biggest perk to the knife is that it is quite thick so it's easy to grab and feels good in hands when wearing bulky gloves. Some other knives tend to "get lost" in pockets or even in the hand. The assist also has the cobra hood which makes deploying the blade quite easy with gloves as well.

The blade shape is nice and has a blunted tip. Serrations are super sharp and make easy work of any material.

The glass breaker seems to do its job as intended but I have never tried it(YouTube has some videos on it).

As for the whistle... Using my imagination but maybe it could be useful in S&R applications when you yourself need to be located.

Hope this might have helped you in making a decision. The Assist is a great knife.
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This does help a lot, thank you. I was looking at the BM Triage as well, but I do not like BM's serrations. I also like the idea of an assisted open for search and rescue applications, as I will probably be wearing gloves.
 
NikkiR said:
This does help a lot, thank you. I was looking at the BM Triage as well, but I do not like BM's serrations. I also like the idea of an assisted open for search and rescue applications, as I will probably be wearing gloves.
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Wait, you do know the spyderco assist has no form of assisted opening device right? There were some old rescue 93's with the Emerson wave but afaik no assist even got one of those.
 
Cereal_killer said:
Wait, you do know the spyderco assist has no form of assisted opening device right? There were some old rescue 93's with the Emerson wave but afaik no assist even got one of those.
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I did not know that, thank you. I just assumed.
 
Nikki, its a beautiful day outside, off from work and was bored. I took a few pictures for you just cause...










Spydie Assist and Benchmade Minigrip. Took a shot to compare thickness too.
 
Cosmo7809 said:
Nikki, its a beautiful day outside, off from work and was bored. I took a few pictures for you just cause...










Spydie Assist and Benchmade Minigrip. Took a shot to compare thickness too.
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This is perfect! Thank you so much! The size comparison is exactly what I needed. You rock!
 
Its a god knife, I like all the extra features on it and perfect for Search and Rescue!
 
I am a first responder LEO. I carry one every day in my uniform pants. Love it. It is a fantastic knife. It replaced my BM Triage. I like the blade shape, the serrations are razor sharp, the clip is stronger than it looks, and VG-10 is a pretty decent steel. All in all, I don't have a single complaint. I HIGHLY recommend the knife. I have a Survive! 5.1 in my "Go Bag", and The Assist in my uniform. Oh, forgot to mention the Spydie hole is oversized, and has a hood on it which makes it super easy with gloves on.
 
Thank you for all the feed back. I think I'm pretty much sold on this one!
 
It looks like a good knife. Honestly though, a good pair of paramedic shears will work better for its intended purpose.
 
retzius said:
It looks like a good knife. Honestly though, a good pair of paramedic shears will work better for its intended purpose.
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I will be doing a lot of out door search and rescue type stuff, ropes...swift water rescue...I honestly would prefer something a little more sturdy than paramedic shears....and I do already have a pair...
 
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