Any thoughts on the Assist I

[deeker]

My brother-in-law is drooling over this knife. I wonder why so little is mentioned about it? Any of you have any insights or experiences with this one?

Assist I FRN, from Spyderco's site:

[JD Spydo]

I have a Spyderco Assist I with the glassbreaker just like the one you have in the picture. I find it to be an indispensible tool that I carry in my vehicle at all times. The Tungsten Carbide glassbreaker really does work. That is a knife that I plan on getting at least 2 to 3 more of them to have on hand.

IT's a knife with specific purposes in mind so if a person who expects this to be their every day carry I think they might be a bit disappointed. It is strictly an emergency/survival type knife but could be used for other purposes. I like mine and want a couple more. :spyder:

[Gerard Breuker]

I also have an Assist 1 in my car. I have it for its obvious purpose and because I hope it is legal everywhere around here as it can IMO not be considered suitable for stabbing. I never had to use it yet and I hope I never will but if I ever have to I am sure I will be glad to have it.

I once complained about a crack in the handle which turned out to be a design feature for carbid tip replacement :o

[pjrocco]

I also have an Assist I in my car. The Carbide tip and built in whistle make it an excellent "survival" knife.

[eljay]

I have one in my car and one in my wife's. Hopefully they'll never be needed, but it's pretty cheap insurance.

[Gerard Breuker]

Just wanted to add that if you are involved in an accident yourself you should have other means to free yourself too unless you can find a way to assure the knife is always within reach and stays there no matter what.
A Life Hammer fixed to the floor or the roof of your car is even cheaper insurance and IMO a must have for everyone who owns a car.
A knife in your pocket is not a bad idea either but that sounds rather silly on this forum.

[Tyler!]

I wish the Assist 2 had the same 'bells n whistles' as the Assist 1. I would love to have the full fledged blade (Ass2) with the glass breaker, that would make it a candidate for EDC....

Um, so I just noticed that the Assist 2 is no longer around ( :spyder: .com catalog)...was i sleeping?

But I think that the Assist is on the growing list of under-recognized hard-workers around here, IMO because they are not SS & #ed, or Coral Inlayed......

Tyler.

[deeker]

Tyler - I just noticed the same thing! Was that a silent death? :confused:

I think I will have to search out the Assist II for myself. I wish it came with the carbide tip also, as I prefer the Rescue-style tip on the blade.

I think either would be a good 'glove box' tool to have, the carbide tip making the A-1 a better choice for automotive assistance, the A-2 blade better all-arounder.

[Halfneck]

I bought a Assist 1 for a friend of mine in Iraq. His job is to train the Iraqi Riot Police and then assist them in looking for suspects - Door Kicker. Additionally they run road blocks & auto check points. He e-mailed me saying he needed a knife that could cut seat belts and shatter auto glass. Not so much for a rescue scenario but in case of a suspected car bomb - Ask the driver to step out>Driver refuses>Shatter window>Cut seatbelt>Yank driver out of car. When he got the knife he told me he loved the feel of the handle and how sharp it was - up till that point he had never really owned a good quality knife. I found the handle a bit big, but he is a 6'4", 240lbs former Football player at West Point so it fit his mitts fine.

I had planned on asking him for a run down on how the knife performed while over there and posting it. Last time I had asked though it came with a bad story. For the most part he had just been using it for mundane cutting tasks. Then one day while on patrol they were ambushed and one of the humvees was hit by RPG's. The 2 soldiers inside were killed and the vehicle was a loss. Needing to get out of there quickly yet not about to leave anyone behind ( The Ranger in him) he went to help get the bodies out. Well the RPG's had damaged the doors jamming them shut. My friend then used his Assist 1 to cut the straps of the doors and was then able to get his fallen soldiers out of the vehicle. He said the Assist 1 did it's job well.

[DAYWALKER]

Aloha deeker,

I been juggling the Assist 2 and the older Rescue 75mm's in blue in my mind for awhile..I simply find these models fascinating.

I prefer the Assist2 for the tip though. :o

God bless :cool: