The Benchmade 915 Triage and other Great Rescue Knives Reviewed

Having a rescue knife is not a necessity. In fact, a regular everyday carry should be enough to get you out of a sticky situation. But, if you know that you are going to be around rescue situations a lot, if you are a first responder, or if you just want a knife in your emergency kit, this list is for you. Rescue knives offer extra that you wouldn’t find on a regular knife. Some sport glass breakers, some are chunkier so you can still use them with gloves on, and some are just extra sturdy knives. So which rescue knife is the rescue knife for you? That’s what we’ll be going over today. I’ve compiled a list of rescue knives that I think are just a little bit better than other rescue knives. We’ll go over the pros and cons of each one and what makes each one a unique choice.

 

The Benchmade 915 Triage:

This knife is actually part of Benchmade’s Black Class, which is when Benchmade designs and builds a knife for professional use. This knife looks good and works like a charm.

The blade on the 915 Triage is 3.5 inches long made out of N680 stainless steel. This is a Swedish steel that is made to be very resistant to corrosion. This steel can even stand up to salt water without corroding. Because it can stand up to salt water, this is a great knife to have around if you are a diver or are going to be in wet situations often. Benchmade even heat treated this steel to make it tougher and to help it retain its edge for longer. Plus, the heat treatment on this steel makes it easier to sharpen. This is a great option of steel for a rescue knife because it is easy to maintain. This knife is probably going to have to endure a beating and you want your knife to stay quality throughout.

The blade on this knife is a modified sheepsfoot shape that has a high flat grind. The blade has a very slight curve on its edge that gives you a slight belly. The modified sheepsfoot blade shape is a great option for rescue knives because the tip is blunt. This lets you get closer to the people in need of help and you don’t have to worry about stabbing them. However, in the case of needing to stab something, you will be out of luck.

You can get this blade in either a plain edge or a combo edge. You can also choose between a plain satin finish or a BK1 matte black coating.

The handle on this knife is made out of textured G10 that you can either get in black or safety orange. The texture of the G10 looks like nothing special, but it is extremely grippy. The G10 is placed over full stainless steel liners which are made out of 420J steel. This steel is a very tough steel that will add weight and strength to your knife. Adding the weight is definitely worth it because of the added strength, especially since this knife is going to be taking a beating.

The handle is large, which helps provide good grip and it allows you to hold it with a forward or a reverse grip. The pocket clip is Benchmade’s deep carry pocket clip in black. It is a strong clip that allows the knife to be ambidextrous.

The Triage has been built with the AXIS lock, which is a strong and smooth locking mechanism.

When a lot of people are looking into buying a safety knife, they are really looking at what special features each different safety knife has. This knife features a safety cutter and a carbide glass breaker. The safety cutter is tucked into the handle and will fold out when needed. On the end of the cutter there is a large hook. The cutter is made out of 440C. This cutter can cut through seat belts, clothing, and almost any other material. The carbide glass breaker is at the butt end of the handle. It isn’t a large glass breaker, especially compared to other options, but it will be able to break the glass that you need it to.

The overall length of this knife is 8.2 inches long. The 915 Triage weighs 5.1 ounces. This is a hefty knife, but the materials used are going to give you reliability and quality. The weight is definitely worth it. This knife is made in America.

Pros:

• The steel is extremely resistant to corrosion and can even stand up to salt water.
• The steel can get crazy sharp and stay sharp, making it very maintainable.
• The tip of the knife is blunt, so you don’t have to worry about stabbing anyone.
• You can get two different finishes, plain edge, or combo edge.
• The handle offers fantastic grip.
• Sports the AXIS locking mechanism.
• Comes with a built in safety cutter and a glass breaker.

Cons:

• This is a heavy knife; you are going to notice it in your pocket.
• The tip is blunt, so if you do need to stab anything, you are out of luck.
• The glass breaker will get the job done, but it is smaller.

 

The Boker S2:

This knife was born out of a collaboration between Boker and Sniper Bladeworks. This knife has a very unique design that we will go over.

The blade on this knife is 4 inches long made out of 440C stainless steel. This is a solid steel that stands well to the competition. The blade and hardware has a stone wash finish. The blade is very wide with a large flat grind. The grind begins very close to the top of the knife. The spine is curved and then drops off into at the tip. The shape of the blade could probably be compared to a sheepsfoot. Because of the shape, this knife works well for everyday use, for defensive use, and for rescue use.

This knife is a flipper knife. You lock this knife up with a thick liner lock.

The handle of this knife is made out of G10 that lies over matte gray steel liners. To help reduce the weight of the knife, these liners have been milled.

The shape of this handle looks boxy and boxy is never comfortable. But, it’s a pistol grip. That means that the handle attaches to the blade at a specific angle, this angle orients the blade toward whatever you are cutting. The back of the handle is flatter and it actually fits against your palm fantastically. There is a jimped thumb ramp that your thumb fits on greatly. To add to grip, there are milled grooves on one side. A unique thing about the S2 is that it is sold with two different pocket clips. One pocket clip is for tip up carry and one is for tip down carry. This clip is a deep pocket clip. However, you can only carry this knife right handedly.

The knife has an overall length of 8 ¾ inches. The knife weighs 5 ounces. The S2 is made in China.

Pros:

• This knife has a wide blade. Like a REALLY wide blade.
• This knife can be used for a variety of different purposes.
• Because it is not designed as a rescue knife, you won’t feel ridiculous having with you at all times.
• This knife can cut through seat belts.
• To reduce weight, the liners in the handle are milled.
• Unique handle fits in your hand perfectly.
• Comes with two different pocket clips.

Cons:

• This is not designed specifically as a rescue knife, so it isn’t going to have any of the extras.
• Not ambidextrous.

 

The Cold Steel Survival Rescue Knife:

The Survival Rescue Knife or SRK has been on Cold Steel’s product list for over a decade. This knife has been a fan favorite for a very long time. There is a reason that it has lasted so long.

This a fixed blade with a 6-inch blade. This is a very versatile knife; it can be a rescue knife, a survival knife, a utility knife, a camping knife, or a combat knife.

The silhouette on this knife is a clip point. The knife is 3/16 of an inch thick with a hollow grind that starts about 2/3 of the way up the blade. Cold Steel has also added a swedge which results in a very fine tip. This tip is crazy sharp and it still stands up to heavy use. This blade can take on heavy duty tasks, but it doesn’t excel. It will be able to perform almost any task that you need it to, but it doesn’t specialize in any specific task. Sometimes with a survival knife, you want it to excel in a specific ability.

The blade is made out of AUS 8 steel. AUS 8 is easy to maintain. It is very tough, which means that it won’t chip during harder tasks. AUS 8 can get so sharp, but it won’t keep the edge for as long as some other steels.

The blade is coated in black, but the coating comes off when presented with heavy use. There is another version of this knife: The San Mai III. This other version does not have the black coating, instead it has a laminated stainless steel.

The handle on this knife is made out of Kraton, which is a high density rubber. Kraton is often found on survival knives. This handle is very large and thick. The Kraton is textured helping give you the best possible grip. Sometimes excessive texture can rough up your hands, especially after using it for long periods. This handle is not that way at all. The handle has been known to be very comfortable, even after using it for long periods of time. On the top of the handle there is a finger guard that helps protect your fingers while keeping them in place. At the bottom of the handle there is a lanyard hole. This is perfect for stringing Para Cord through.  A complaint about the handle on this knife is that it has been reported to get loose around the blade.

When your knife comes with a great sheath, you know that you purchased a quality knife. Often times, the sheath is overlooked because companies want to put more of the budget into the blade and handle. The SRK has a fantastic sheath. The sheath is made out of Secure-Ex, which is a molded plastic. The sheath is reliable and sturdy and weighing in at around 4 ounces, it won’t weigh you down. The knife fits securely in the sheath.

On the sheath, you will find a nylon belt loop that is ambidextrous. This loop is also removable; in case you don’t like carrying your knife on your belt. If you are using this belt loop, you have easy access to your knife to easily draw it out. There are also wide slots available on the sheath so you can put straps through. You will also find a small draining hole.

The overall length of this knife is 10 ¾ inches long and weighs 8.2 ounces. With the sheath on the knife, it will weigh around 12 ounces.

Pros:

• The AUS 8 steel is tough, easy to maintain, and can get a crazy sharp edge.
• This is super versatile.
• The tip is fine, but still holds up.
• The Kraton handle is heavily textured.
• This knife is comfortable even after long periods of use.
• The sheath is sturdy and light.
• The sheath has a belt loop, wide slots, and a draining hole.

Cons:

• The coating on this blade will come off during heavy use.
• The steel won’t hold an edge for long periods of time.
• This is a heavier knife.

 

Conclusion:

Rescue knives can be the tool that determines if you, or someone else, lives or dies. You need to make sure that you are purchasing a high quality knife. This is list of three high quality rescue knives that would make a great addition to your knife collection.