gerber hinderer cls??

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beta_medic88

Joined
Nov 11, 2008
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hey, so i'm new here and i'm currently in paramedic school. i've been working as an emt and i carry a complete piece of crap folding knife i've had since high school, but it's still nice to have for cutting clothes, seatbelts, etc. and for carrying off duty in case of emergency. i've been looking for a new EDC for on/off duty, and the gerber hinderer CLS looks very nice, and has great functionality. anyone own one, hold one, try one out, anything? if not, does anyone have suggestions for other good utility/rescue folders? not looking to spend more than $100, so any help would be appreciated.
 
Welcome to bladeforums :thumbup:

If not that version of the gerber/hinderer collaboration, look at the red handled version with the blunt tip for prying:

http://www.gerbergear.com/index.php/product/id/112

Don't let the price on the site fool you, I've found then stocked at my local Academy for about $75.00 usd. Great knife to have for your line of work.
 
Where are you going to school, and what level are you after?

You will never use your knife to cut clothes, you have shears for that, they work well and are safe. If you cut a patient bad things will happen. For paramedics the knife is an emergency only thing, granted one to carry. You may want to look for one with a glass breaker, or take a glass breaker with you for the odd time when you show up before fire. I also like to use a rescue hook instead of a knife for seat belts. Benchmade makes a few good once, take your pick.

So my recommendation for a knife, is just anything you would EDC. I use a delica. I don't like blunted tips and serrations myself. I feel that a knife should have a stabbing capability, not for stabbing people mind you but punching through things. I keep a little pry bar on my key chain.

Now, i know you didn't make a post about this. But you'll want to get yourself a good light as well for working at night. Something sturdy enough to bash in heads. I like the bright flashing strobe too, It's great to disorientating violent drunks. Get something sizable, but pocket able. You'll be using it a lot.
 
i'm at a hospital in chicago, going on 3 months in the paramedic program. i liked the gerber because it has a hook cutter for seat belts and clothes, as to not harm a patient. it also has the glass breaker. so those are nice for emergency off duty when i wont have shears or a real glass punch. and i really like the look of the knife part, drop point, black coating. real sexy. and yeah, i'll need a nice light. maybe a big mag light for bashing skulls haha
 
ah, American paramedic programs are totally different.

I'm going into PCP in spring, but have been on a few ride alongs as an EMR. The light was much loved.

The glass breakers like that scare me. You have to swing your arm into falling glass. Punches are much safer, and a pro tip- the older wire antenna with the little ball onto break glass great. Just snap them off, hold the antenna against the window and pull back on the ball. works better than anything if its an old car.

but on second look that knife does look quite useful if you for some reason are against carrying everything around separately. I still think its best to carry around spicificly made tools that are generaly higher quality. This is the one time in your life when having a bat belt makes it look like you know what your doing.
 
i'm guessing EMR is the first level and PCP is the advanced one? here in the states it's technically EMT-Basic first, which I am already certified, and then the advanced one is EMT-Paramedic, which i'm in now and absolutely love. and yeah, now that i think about it, if i'm off duty and want to break glass with that, i'm essentially thrusting my bare fist into a window... yikes. but i do like the utility of the knife. i could probably carry a kit in my car with shears, a rescue hook, gauze, etc. but for simplicity, i like this a lot. anyone else got any points, pro or con? or suggestions?
 
There's a company selling some really nice tailcaps for maglites and streamlights. They're designed to bust through glass, and if the videos are any indication they're extremely effective and will keep your hand from being cut. http://www.bustacap.net/
 
wow, those are nasty. that's even cooler than safety hammers. a mag light/glass punch? that's wicked. i need to get me one of those...
 
beta_medic88 said:
i'm guessing EMR is the first level and PCP is the advanced one? here in the states it's technically EMT-Basic first, which I am already certified, and then the advanced one is EMT-Paramedic, which i'm in now and absolutely love. and yeah, now that i think about it, if i'm off duty and want to break glass with that, i'm essentially thrusting my bare fist into a window... yikes. but i do like the utility of the knife. i could probably carry a kit in my car with shears, a rescue hook, gauze, etc. but for simplicity, i like this a lot. anyone else got any points, pro or con? or suggestions?
Click to expand...

guess we just have different names. Interesting that your courses are at a hospital though.
EMR is your EMT basic, PCP stands for primary care paramedic which is standard. Advanced is ALS, or advanced life support. we have other specialty units also like cardiac, and pediatrics.

Does anybody know what the Hinderer is made of?
 
interesting... so EMR is basic, PCP is intermediate, and ALS is advanced. i guess technically there is an EMT-Intermediate here, but in illinois where i'm from they stopped licensing that level, so i go right from basic to full paramedic, which is considered ALS. both hinderers, the CLS and the Rescue, are 440A stainless.
 
I looked up a chart on Wiki of what protocol is for each classes is.

EMR, is halfway between your basic, and EMT-I. PCP is your EMT-P

and damn it, ALS gets to do lots fun stuff! How long is the schooling?
 
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my EMT-B was 8 hours a week in the classroom for 6 months, plus 48 hours of volunteer time in the ER, and 24 hours on an ambulance. Paramedic is 5 hours a week for 16-18 months, depending on how well you test, and about 500 hours in the ER. yeah, ALS is fun :) IV hookups, chest compressions, tracheal tubing, manual defib, fun stuff!
 
heres mine:D its a tank of a folder very large:eek: Excellent FF and it looks pretty cool, the CLS looks very similar cept with a combo blade rather than the blunt, serrated mine has
good luck
ivan
gerber1.jpg


gerber2.jpg
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Great pics Ivan, I miss that knife, I've owned 3 or 4 of them in the past but sold/traded them off. Great knife and really easy to open even with thick gloves on. It's one of the few that I like from Gerber :thumbup:

edit: That little tool that comes with it is a really nice bonus too. I still have those and they work out great around the house or when I used to do maintenance work.
 
ivan, is the front of the blade really blunt? as in functions solely for prying, not slicing at all? and is it too large to carry in your pocket everyday?
 
Not to answer in Ivan's place, but I used to own it too. It is blunt, it's a signature tip from Hinderer himself, it's called a "spanto" tip. It's meant for prying (it is a rescue knife) and even can be used as a screwdriver if needed. It's basically just like the CLS that you are interested in but it just has a slightly different tip (and color difference).

edit: oh yeah, it's actually slim enough that you don't notice it in your pocket.
 
hmm... ok. i wish there was a retail store near me that i could handle them both. i don't like buying things off the internet before i can actually see them and feel them. there are so many factors that make a good knife great that really can only be determined by trying them out. but you say you liked the gerber when you had it?
 
beta_medic88 said:
hmm... ok. i wish there was a retail store near me that i could handle them both. i don't like buying things off the internet before i can actually see them and feel them. there are so many factors that make a good knife great that really can only be determined by trying them out. but you say you liked the gerber when you had it?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I know what you mean. It is a great knife, I just had other interests at the time so I sold/traded mine off. I wish now that I had kept at least one of them. It's an all around great tool. I was actually able to shave with the serrated edge because it came that sharp (all of the ones I owned were very consistent and all shaved quite well right out of the box/clampack :thumbup:).
 
the knife carries fine, like i said its large but fairly light and not all that thick, easy to open, etc. My only gripe was the thumbstud it had alot of tooth to it and kinda tore up the pockets on a pair of levis (yeah i tried edc'ing it:D). Really excellent knife and the serrations chewed through whatever i needed to cut:thumbup:
I dont use mine much but i like it.
Not all Gerbers are created equal:) (freemans are good also)
ivan
 
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