Ladybug vs Seat belt?

ProfessorMartini · #1

In an emergency situation, do you think a Ladybug could slice through a seat belt? I don't have an old one laying around to try it out on. Reason I am asking is that my wife will not carry a large knife, and I'd like her to have something on her person for such an emergency. She won't carry anything larger than a classic SAK, but she likes my Ladybug and I'm probably going to get her one imminently.

There is a rescue knife of mine in the car, but there's no place for it to rest where the driver can reach it if s/he needs to...

npueppke · #2

Yes it absolutely can! No experience but there is no reason it couldn't.

On a side note, what about one of these things?

http://blog.knifecenter.com/really-smar ... lt-cutter/

dialex · #3

What my forespeaker said. I used to cut even worse things than a seatbelt with my Ladybug (like TV cables) :eek: . And note that it was the older model, in AUS-6.
For an emergency knife, I'd choose one with serrated edge, maybe in H1 (those yellow handles look really good).

Buckles · #4

the boker rescuecom is pretty small and it has a seat belt cutter

ChrisR · #5

npueppke wrote:On a side note, what about one of these things?
http://blog.knifecenter.com/really-smar ... lt-cutter/

That looks a superb addition to any car. One of the problems with knives and other tools is that if (heaven forbid) you have just had a serious accident and the airbag has gone off and the seatbelt is jammed you are not going to be in any fit state to reach for a glovebox or your pocket ... and the car might have rolled so anything in the door pockets will have gone already. It has to be within easy reach and being attached to the seatbelt itself sounds about perfect.

The Deacon · #6

Assuming it's factory sharp, a serrated Ladybug will slice through a seat belt easily. The plain edged one will work too, but will take longer.

Blerv · #7

As a backup I would definitely go SE. A dull SE will still saw while a dull PE can keep slipping on the materials.

Note: I'm referring to "very dull" here. Not the norm by our standards.

angusW · #8

Smooth edge will work no problem but if it's dedicated to this task then serrated is the way to go. A while ago my daughters car-seat belt was starting to not stay tight so I immediately got a new seat for her and wanted to try an experiment. The car-seat comes with quite a bit of belts and I carry a Leatherman Wave so decided to try the serrated blade on it. It was like cutting through warm butter with a hot knife. I then tried the pe and it wasn't much more difficult.

It was actually quite fun. I got so carried away my wife walked in while I was cutting it up and asked if it was dead yet.

redyps04 · #9

I'm guessing a Ladybug's even sharper than the leatherman, right?

Thanks for showing your experiment. That's good to know.

gbelleh · #10

I remember seeing a show recently where the host demonstrated using broken rear view mirror glass to cut a seatbelt in an emergency. If that works, any Spydie should have no problem.

tonydahose · #11

i have used my endura to cut alot of seatbelts between drilling and accidents. serrations are the way to go and the ladybug wont have any problems. i suggest an H1 with serrations. i'd go with the H1 so you can forget about it and you wont have to worry about rust. you could also tie a few feet of paracord to it and then around the right front seat post and just leave it between the seat and arm rest. you should be able to reach down and get it. also a few good rubberbands on the visor would keep it a ladybug in place as well up there. if you had a designated spot for a larger knife i'd say get the orange assist with the window breaker.

bohica1998 · #12

ProfessorMartini wrote:There is a rescue knife of mine in the car, but there's no place for it to rest where the driver can reach it if s/he needs to...

??? I keep an FRN Rescue clipped on top of the sun visor. When the sun visor is up, all you can see is the clip. And it's lightweight enough not to be a problem.

About the original question, how about a Dragonfly? Just a bit bigger, but still about the size she requires.

butch · #13

i keep a cricket SE IWB and would neve rtingkj for a sec that it couldnt take care of a belt
(remembers its time to get the ppl in my fam a new knife )
even the most non knife ppl in my fam see not a proble with a cricket and the SE cuts like mad

ProfessorMartini · #14

Thanks, all. Great info. I've decided to get her her own H1 Ladybug, SE. That CRKT seat belt tool looks interesting, too...

ChrisM · #15

I would suggest one of those seat belt cutter tools mounted in an accessable location. If she did have to use it for herself it would probably be easier to use a tool designed for that rather than a fumble with a tiny knife that most probably open with two hands -stowed away in a purse, pocket, or hanging on keys.

Blerv · #16

ChrisM wrote:I would suggest one of those seat belt cutter tools mounted in an accessable location. If she did have to use it for herself it would probably be easier to use a tool designed for that rather than a fumble with a tiny knife that most probably open with two hands -stowed away in a purse, pocket, or hanging on keys.

A real seat belt tool would work but most that are marketed as "seat belt cutters/hammers" are really just crappy letter openers with a razorblade pinned at a weird angle.

I haven't used any "loop" cutter from Benchmade, Boker Plus (Rescom), or CRKT but I assume they work well. They also wouldn't have a sharp tip to injure oneself.

My guess is a small SE knife would still be more intuitive for the average person. We all know how to saw with a steak knife and it wouldn't take much pressure to get through a belt with a SE ladybug. Not sure how much effort a loop would take for a wounded weaker person.

Wevil · #17

I just cut through a large handful of nylon netting in 2 strokes with my SE Ladybug Salt. No sweat, and I would put it as twice as hard to cut as compared to a seat belt.

RJNC · #18

Thats why I love my Ladybug 2 sheepsfoot blade. Perfect for emergencies.