When I first started in police work the rescue tool was a tire iron. It was used to break out a window so that someone could be extricated from a burning car. When I needed to justify carrying my knife, THAT became my rescue tool so that my Chief wouldn't tell me not to carry it. I had to be able to cut that seatbelt for the person stuck in the burning car (wink, wink). Now Buck Knives has come out with a specifically designed folding lock blade knife that actually IS a rescue tool: let me introduce you to the Buck Bravo Rescue.
Manufactured by Buck Knives, a LONG trusted and well known name in knife making, the 855 Bravo Rescue was specifically designed as a Rescue Tool first, and a Knife second. When designing the knife it's as if the folks at Buck Knives had listened to all those cops across the past couple decades give reasons for why they carried that pocket knife - and then they built a knife to fit all the reasons given. "To break out the window in case someone is stuck in a burning car." Okay. The Bravo Rescue has a window breaking tip built into the end of the handle. It is shaped like a pyramid and is designed to break tempered glass.
"I might need to cut someone out of their seatbelt if they're trapped in a burning car." Okay. Also in the end of the handle / grip is a cutter that Buck specifically calls a "seatbelt cutter", but that can be used to cut seatbelts, straps, cords, etc. Wow... you mean this is a knife that allows you to make such statements to your Chief or supervisor and NOT be, ah, creatively thinking?
The knife comes with a black nylon sheath. The sheath can be worn on a belt, or it can be mounted on a MOLLE system horizontally. If you wear a 1/25" belt, you can also put the sheath horizontally on that - but it would be a balancing act - top to bottom - to put it on a garrison belt of the typical 1.75" or 2".
The 3.5" blade is easily opened by levering out the stainless steel thumb stud and the liner lock engages with authority. I like that the Buck Knives designers cut the liner lock so that it sits just a tad above the cuts of the grips - making it easier to push over when you're ready to. Now let's talk about the blade some more...
Made from 420HC steel, the blade is shaped like a Tanto but actually has multiple cutting surfaces thanks to the Besh Wedge design. This method of beveling allows the blade to maintain full thickness all the way to the tip, increasing its strength. It also creates a unique geometry at the tip that gives you THREE cutting edges instead of only two. In some thrust / puncture tests this has actually proven superior to regular spear point blades that have only two cutting edges. If you HAVE to use the blade to pry with, the Besh Wedge design gives the blade greater strength closer to the tip so you stand less chance of breaking it.
The handle is stainless steel with thick rubber overmolds made from Santoprene. The handles themselves are cut so that there is a definitive place for your index finger. The overall handle design shape combined with the thick rubber slabs make this a very comfortable knife in the hand. There is also a lanyard hole in the end of the handle for those of you who like to tie your tools to your belt, etc. This isn't a knife I'd happily lose overboard on a boat, so using that lanyard hole probably isn't a bad idea. The handles are 5.25" long (which is also the length of the knife when closed), and when the knife is opened the full length is 8.75". It weighs just under a half pound.
Now, all you faithful readers know I can't report on a knife without abusing hell out of it first. Given the design of the Buck Bravo Rescue, I had to come up with some unique testing scenarios. First I collected by stuff to be cut. I had 1" nylon straps, twine, fishing line (120 pound test), 1/2" rope, 11mm climing rope, my plastic construction bucket and some pieces of 1/4" plywood. Just for grins and giggles, when I was done with the cutting tests, I visited a nearby junk yard to test the glass breaker. More on that in a moment.
With the open blade I was able to cut all of the materials at hand pretty easily. For the bucket I both chopped and punctured, pushing the Besh Wedge tip in pretty easily and pulling it out with equal ease. On the 1/4" plywood sheets, set on saw horses, I was able to get the blade plunged through (so that I could see the tip sticking out the other side) on five out of six tries using an overhand swing. Although I was a little careful about the strength of my swing because I was worried about breaking the blade at the pivot pin, I needn't have worried. It wasn't even wiggly a little bit when I was done. With the seatbelt cutter I cut all of the stuff that would fit into the opening which is about 1/4".
I didn't have an MSRP on hand from Buck Knives for the Bravo Rescue, but a Google search online for "Buck Bravo Rescue" found me several listed under $70. At that price it's well worth it!
Stay Safe!
