Rescue knives

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As a firefighter with an interest in knives I got my hands on a couple of different rescue knives, and I think it’s time that I do a comparison of them and share my thoughts on these types of knives in general.
The knives I’m going to review are the Benchmade 915 Triage, the Victorinox Rescue Tool, the Blackhawk Hawkhook and the Böker Magnum First Responder.

Seat belt cutters
Most dedicated seat belt cutters don’t work as they should and that’s why I prefer a serrated edge for cutting webbing, ropes and textile in general, even in rescue situations. The exception to this rule is of course the cutting hook on the triage. This hook is wide enough to fit smaller ropes and is razor sharp. The hook part on the Blackhawk isn’t as good, but the serrated edge next to it it makes up for it. The big problem with all cutting hooks is to make the initial cut, after that almost all of them tear easily through anything. While the Benchmade’s hook easily does this initial cut on its own, the Hawkhook can hold up with it’s serrated part. The Victorinox has a dedicated serrated blade instead of a hook. Not only is the tip blunt, but the edge is bent inwards, so when pressure is put on by the knife, the seat belt can’t slip off the blade.
I have to say that all three manufacturers executed their concept very well and although using three different methods their cutting ability is practically on par.
This is where I have to completely trash the Böker. Although the concept is the same as the Benchmade, the execution is horrible. The hook is tiny and has almost no cutting power. It takes a lot of effort even to cut paracord.

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