Assist Rescue

[arty]

How well does the Assist work as a glass breaker? I just realized that my driver side car window is laminated, and I have been relying on a useless Lifehammer as an emergency safety device. The LifeHammer won't work on laminated glass.

[mattman]

Never used mine to break any glass yet, but I imagine it won't work well at all on laminated glass, unless you can break both layers of glass, and cut the plastic layer with the blade... There are some YouTube vids on the Assists glass breaker, but, if you done already know, it's just a retractable carbide point...

There are several emergency responders around that may drop by with more appropriate advice regarding laminated glass solutions.

[arty]

I wonder if Spyderco tested the knife on tempered glass or on laminated glass as well. I hope someone from Spyderco responds.

[nicked.onaut]

I wonder if Spyderco tested the knife on tempered glass or on laminated glass as well. I hope someone from Spyderco responds.

Sal tested prototypes on hundreds of windows.

As with most other equipment obtained for use in emergencies, it is best for the user to try it/practice prior to needing it in an emergency. You may need to persuade a junkyard owner to humor a peculiar request. (there will usually be some vehicles with cracked windows unsuitable for salvage). There is a learning curve--perhaps especially without adrenaline. Subtle technique fine-tuning; it is not as easy as one may think.

Laminated glass requires other means to cut through although the glass will break when struck by the carbide breaker.

An old spark plug works well for safety glass car windows; the back bay of Newport Beach has a few streets where otherwise out of place spark plugs are the residue of vehicle breakins. Plausible deniability "officer, that's NOT a burglary tool, it's for my Vdub."

Laminated vs safety glass for side windows: weigh the issues re: theft vs. escape, and discussion from 1st responders of lamo glass methods.

https://www.overlawyered.com/2005/05/la ... r-windows/

good luck

[ZMW]

I have used it on a driver side window during firefighter training. It worked very well! Once solid strike and the window was toast. Not sure if it was laminated or what...

I got a little ambitious and tried it on a front windshield. That took many strikes in the corners and even then I had to kick it in. Front windshields are insanely tough, but a side window it works very well. Strike the corner with a little bit of explosive power, if that makes sense...

[Michael Janich]

I've used the Assist glass breaker and several similar knife-mounted glass breakers on both types of windows. On safety glass, surprisingly little force is needed. For best results, hit the corner of the window where it flexes less and it will literally break into pieces.

When I was shooting product videos at the junkyard for my old job, the crusty old guy in bib overalls who owned the place told me that the roll-down safety glass windows were $40.00 each. That adds up pretty quickly when you're trying to get multiple camera angles and your employer gives you no budget to work with. The owner then explained that he did not have a tool to pull the rear quarterpanel windows, which are attached by a gasket all the way around and are often made of laminated glass instead of safety glass. He said I could break all of those I wanted. We settled on two door windows and "open season" on the quarterpanel windows. The quarterpanel windows "spider" when hit, but remain in place and do not break into pieces. Some could be laboriously "raked" to clear the window hole, but others--those made with laminated glass--stayed intact.

If you want to get a feel for breaking glass with an Assist, I teach people by emptying a beer or soda bottle (a great way to get people to buy you beer) and then placing it in a plastic bag (for safety and to make clean-up easier). Wearing gloves and eye protection for further safety, hold the bottle by the neck and stretch the bag tightly over one side. Then hit it with the glass breaker to break it. The convex shape of the bottle makes it surprisingly strong and gives you a good feel for the force needed to break a car window.

Stay safe,

Mike

[arty]

There was a recent report in my local news of a Mom and baby who drowned when their car spun off the road and would up submerged in a pond.
I ordered the Rescue Assist, but I am beginning to think that I might want to keep a small sledge or ball peen hammer in the map pocket. It sounds like my car windows are designed to keep me in the car.

[swisspyder]

There was a recent report in my local news of a Mom and baby who drowned when their car spun off the road and would up submerged in a pond.
I ordered the Rescue Assist, but I am beginning to think that I might want to keep a small sledge or ball peen hammer in the map pocket. It sounds like my car windows are designed to keep me in the car.

Small pointy things are usually better for breaking car side windows (which are tempered/safety glass these days). The window is designed to shatter due to the stress within the glass. The shattering can be induced with a small pointy object, hence the "tip" on the glass breaker. There's a good chance a hammer will only flex the window and fail to shatter it. In a pinch people have used small pebbles thrown against car windows to break them.

[Michael Janich]

Laminated glass is becoming more common in car windows, so you need to check your specific car(s) to see if the windows are safety glass or laminated. The side windows are marked near the bottom corner, although the markings and terminology are not always self-evident.

Watch this for more information: http://www.wtsp.com/news/investigations ... /459958218.

Stay safe,

Mike

[ZMW]

Wow Mike, thanks for sharing. I had no idea. That would really put a damper on a civilian rescue effort! You go to help a victim and think you are just going to shatter the side window and the darn thing is laminated! Knowing that, in a land/fire scenario I would still think if you feverishly hit all 4 corners of the laminated side glass a couple times and then elbowed or used a tool to smash in the center that the side window would fold in - what do you think?

Underwater that literally sounds like a nightmare rescue scenario. At least with a front windshield there is some hope to kick it out from the inside, but if the side window goes deeper into the door frame that may not work well on a laminated side window. Knowledge is power. See what you type of window your car has!

[arty]

I spoke to a service rep at my local Honda dealership and my cars don't have laminated side windows, just safety glass.
I guess you can't have too many Spyderco Rescue knives.
I recommend checking with the dealership for your late model car. It is hard to get this info online. It isn't just luxury cars that have gone to laminated glass for the side windows. I believe some Subaru and Chevy models have this glass.

[sal]

Hi Arty,

We had a customer in the UK that was in an accident and kicked at his windshield until it broke, then he used a small Clipit to cut the plastic between the broken pieces of glass. It can be done, but I believe it would take more of a point than the Assist has?>

sal

[SpyderNut]

Fascinating info. This begs the question, would there be a possibility for a "pointier" Assist some day?

[arty]

Hi Sal: thanks for making the Assist. I got mine yesterday. I always have one of the older Rescue models in the driver's map pocket along with a LifeHammer. I'll add the new Rescue Assist to the mix.
I always make sure to have an effective seat belt cutter in my cars. It can be difficult to get to my pocket knife (most recently a Caly3 in ZDP) while seated.
I used to work with someone whose car stalled out on railroad tracks. His seat belt locked up and trapped him in the car and he was hit by a train. He survived, but was very badly injured. The train did a lot of damage, and he had trouble walking years later- he needed to use a cane for support. I knew someone else who had a similar experience, but just lost a couple of teeth, went into a coma, and lost some memory. These are not common events, but if it happens to you, it would be helpful to have escape tools handy.