# window glass breaker?



## picard (Feb 17, 2006)

Is there a high quality window glass breaker? It is used when you are caught inside a car sinking in the water. It should be compact and dedicated to the task. I don't want it combine to other tools.


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## Mike Painter (Feb 17, 2006)

picard said:


> Is there a high quality window glass breaker? It is used when you are caught inside a car sinking in the water. It should be compact and dedicated to the task. I don't want it combine to other tools.



Yes there are, but they don't work any better or last any longer than the cheap brass spring loaded ones available almost anyplace.
Edit. Most are aluminium today but the old ones, that still work fine were brass

Any of these will last a lifetime even if you use them a lot.

Note that they only work on side and rear tempered glass windows and that may be changing soon. Some of the newer cars are using plastic windows rather than tempered glass.
A bit off topic if you want to break the glass but it also seems that the thinking about waiting until the water pressure equalizes before trying to open a door is falling out of favor. Start trying to get out as soon as posible if you can't roll the windows down. Doors usually can be forced a bit and waiting can put you into very deep water.


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## Sub_Umbra (Feb 17, 2006)

I only recall seeing two. One was like a little hammer with a pointed TC tip with no moving parts. The other was more like a _'captive bolt weapon'_ with a few moving parts. They were marketed to EMS/firemen and each had a built in seat belt cutter.


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## Lee1959 (Feb 17, 2006)

I carry in each vehicle a springloaded glass punch, and a Myerco Buddy System, also made by Gerber many years ago. The Buddy System is a small spyderco style serrated blade with a special sheath system designed by Blackie Collins called the Thumbolt Sheath. You press a small button on the edge of he sheath and it pops away. It hasa long lanyard and I hang it from the rearview mirror, the glass punch I clip to the lanyard by the sheath. They are both in easy reach to cut seat belts and punch out window glass in emergency.

The Gerber version was a bit better quality but the Myerco is still good and will cut seatbelts well. 







http://www.lockpickshop.com/p-glass-punch.html


Here is the plain edged version of the Buddy System:











http://www.knifepros.com/html/meyerco/buddysystem.htm

A.G. Russell Also sells a small knife with the ThumbBolt Sheath, the Hunters scapel, I have this also and it is very sharp and handy for a tiny blade on a long lanyard, it would work too.


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## CLHC (Feb 17, 2006)

There's one that Smith & Wesson sold some years ago built in to their knife. It was at the "butt" end. . .Some kind of SAR knife of sorts.


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## Mike Painter (Feb 18, 2006)

CHC said:


> There's one that Smith & Wesson sold some years ago built in to their knife. It was at the "butt" end. . .Some kind of SAR knife of sorts.



I've got one. Not a bad knife and the punch is always there but you have to **** it. The cheap ones are a lot faster if you have to take out a lot of windows


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## CLHC (Feb 18, 2006)

I prefer the "punches" or "scribers," "awls" that are readily available at OSH and the like. I thought the S&W SAR had a kind of "cheapie" feel to me. That's all. . .


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## scott.cr (Feb 18, 2006)

I wish I had a digi cam to show you this. I ground a tool steel window punch that screws in between the handle platforms of my CRKT folding knife. It fits awesome, and I hardened it in an electric furnace.

Either way, whatever tool you choose, it is imperative that you test it before fielding it. The reason why I made my own is because some of the supposed window punches were utter garbage. (I did my testing in a big junk yard where nobody could see me breaking windows.)


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## daloosh (Feb 18, 2006)

I have this little tool in the car: the Res Q Me tool, breaks the side window and has a blade to cut a seatbelt, in reach of the driver (no good putting it in the glovebox, cuz you may be pinned too far to reach it).





http://www.resqme.com/

daloosh


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## Blackbeagle (Feb 18, 2006)

Home Depot also sells them in their tool section.


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## ACMarina (Feb 18, 2006)

Please, please don't shatter the window WHILE the car is sinking!! I've seen this more than a couple of times, and I can tell you that you're not going to feel comfortable with all of that water rushing in on you, much less mixing that with glass bits. As was said above, wait until the car is submerged, get a good breath of air at the very last second, and then roll down the window and swim out. Electric windows used to be a worry of mine, but I've seen several instances where vehicles have been underwater for over an hour with still functioning electronics - headlights on, wipers running, windows go up and down..


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## nutz_about_lights (Feb 18, 2006)

In the event of something unfortunate like that happening, use your Surefire! :naughty: 

Ok jokes aside. I have seen some small tools that have a metalspike at the end (for smashing the window) and an inbuilt seatbelt cutter that cannot ever cut you because of the way it is designed. Look around the net.


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## Steve Andrews (Feb 18, 2006)

nutz_about_lights said:


> In the event of something unfortunate like that happening, use your Surefire! :naughty:
> 
> Ok jokes aside. I have seen some small tools that have a metalspike at the end (for smashing the window) and an inbuilt seatbelt cutter that cannot ever cut you because of the way it is designed. Look around the net.



People don't realise just how tough vehicle glass is. Good luck using any tool that relies on you swinging it at the glass - especially if you're on the inside, trying to get out.
The spring loaded punches are the ones to go for.

In my fire jacket I carry the Res-Q-Me that daloosh mentioned. It is an excellent little tool.


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## Malpaso (Feb 18, 2006)

CHC said:


> There's one that Smith & Wesson sold some years ago built in to their knife. It was at the "butt" end. . .Some kind of SAR knife of sorts.



http://slygear.com/e_m_t_knife_smith_wesson_first_response_rescue_knife_.html

I've got one. It's a great EDC tool for many situations. It is a knife, screwdriver, prybar and scribe as well as a window punch.


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## picard (Feb 18, 2006)

Malpaso said:


> http://slygear.com/e_m_t_knife_smith_wesson_first_response_rescue_knife_.html
> 
> I've got one. It's a great EDC tool for many situations. It is a knife, screwdriver, prybar and scribe as well as a window punch.


 
interesting tool I will check it out.


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## cobb (Feb 18, 2006)

My brother bought something from the ad on hte envelope of one of his credit card bills. Its a gizmo with the window breaker, seat belt cutter, roll of red blinking leds on its side, magnet on the bottom to put it on your car so the folks behind you can see the lights and I believe a small white led light. 

Depending on your situation, it maybe easier to get out the windshield or rear window. I know the front ones are hard to remove unless you plant your feet on it and push really hard. The rear should shatter like the side ones. One day at the junk yard I decided to try breaking a window with a 12 inch adjustibe wrench. It bounced off the window and made small dots on it. I tried three times and gave up. The window sure flexed when I did that. Seems you need to hit them just right to make them pop.


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## Mike Painter (Feb 18, 2006)

cobb said:


> The rear should shatter like the side ones. One day at the junk yard I decided to try breaking a window with a 12 inch adjustibe wrench. It bounced off the window and made small dots on it. I tried three times and gave up. The window sure flexed when I did that. Seems you need to hit them just right to make them pop.



The rear does break and you need a lot of force on a small area, i.e. high presssure to break the tempered glass.
A car antenna with a little ball on it will work, although it usually takes several tries.
Hold it flat against the window with the ball in a lower corner then pull the tip back and let it go.


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## sotyakr (Feb 18, 2006)

For around $15, something like the ResQMe seems like it could be a valuable little tool, especially if you ever have to put it to use. 

During the New Year's floods we had here in Northern CA, a reporter for a San Francisco all-news radio station (KCBS) found out the hard way how a tool like this might be a good thing to have. While driving home late in the evening during a downpour, he inadvertently drove onto a section of flooded roadway that was several feet deep in water. Naturally his car (a Subaru Outback) died, including the electrical system. With the door locks and windows out of commission, he unsuccesfully tried to kick out the side glass as the car rapidly filled with water. He climbed into the back where the air pocket was rapidly diminishing, but fortunately had the presence of mind to get out the car's jack and smashed the rear window. He got out with only some cuts on his hands. A passing fire truck gave him a ride home. He could have very easily been a casualty of the storm, but instead was on the air to tell his story by phone that morning.


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## xtalman (Feb 19, 2006)

I saw a video where a reporter was doing a piece on vandalism. She would do her intro, then try to break the driver's side window with a bat. It took her several out-takes before she was able to successfully break the glass.

The little ResQMe tool looks good. I've seen it on ebay for less than $15. It's cheap enough to pick one up and test it out.


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## Steve Andrews (Feb 19, 2006)

xtalman said:


> The little ResQMe tool looks good. I've seen it on ebay for less than $15. It's cheap enough to pick one up and test it out.



$9.95 from here 

I bought sixty of them and sold them on to my firefighter colleagues and some fellow Forumites at British Blades. 
I have used the glass punch operationally and have had reports back from the guys that they have performed well at incidents.

I have never come across a seat belt that won't simply undo after a Road Traffic Collision, but apparently they may get jammed after a Seatbelt Pretensioner has fired.

I can see the safety blade being more useful to safely cut a casualty's clothing to attend to injuries.


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## Safety1st (Feb 19, 2006)

Buy one..and keep it in your car....somewhere easily reached from your driver's seat.....

Affixed, with the spikes they come with..into the carpet/upholstery...

Mine is just near the gearstick/stickshift.

As a Road Policing officer, I can thoroughly recommend them..and they work perfectly.....

You might NEVER need one...but it might be something else that you come across and you might need it to save someone else's life...

On ebay they go for about $5......

Value for money...or what...!


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## daloosh (Feb 19, 2006)

Well, I'm glad we got some discussion on this topic. and some reports on this tool from the field. I know there are a lot of opinions on botach, and not unwarranted ones, but my experience on this one purchase, I got some from botach:

http://store.botachtactical.com/resqme.html

I think I got the 3 for $27 quantity, and it turned out fine.

daloosh


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## bfg9000 (Feb 20, 2006)

I've seen videos where even burly 300lb guys could not break a side window using those little metal-tipped plastic hammer-type commercial "escape" tools, and that's using a big overhead swing you can't do in a car.

You may already be carrying a more versatile all-purpose tool that would do the job in true CPF overkill fashion--a pistol.


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## twentysixtwo (Feb 20, 2006)

I'd go with the spring loaded punch - breaking tempered window glass is tricky, but really requires almost zero force if you have the right tool. The right tool is something that concentrates the force onto a very small area - this requires a very hard material. A wooden baseball bat swung as hard as you can will not work nearly as well as a 1/2" ball bearing flicked with your wrist. I would guess that if you put a towel or two over a car side window, it would almost be impossible to break the glass with a wood baseball bat.

I saw something on TV about vandalism in Europe - kids would do exactly that - walk down the street with a fistful of ball bearings, breaking windows with no effort at all.

The ball bearing is hardened steel and when striking the window will focus the impact on a tiny point.

That's why the spring loaded punches work so well. For those who are unfamiliar, you press down in one motion and it automatically cocks and releases in one motion.


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## greg_in_canada (Feb 20, 2006)

Steve Andrews said:


> I have never come across a seat belt that won't simply undo after a Road Traffic Collision, but apparently they may get jammed after a Seatbelt Pretensioner has fired.


 
Thats funny because the only accident scene I ever helped at (the pickup in front of me spun his back wheels on the ice, crossed the line and hit a car head-on) the truck driver's seat belt buckle was jammed and we couldn't get it open. So we just pulled out all the slack and made enough room for him to crawl out of it. (The truck was a mid to late 80's Ford or GM product if that makes a difference.)

Greg


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## adeadlyfart (Feb 20, 2006)

A spring loaded glass breaker is nice but the ones like guardfather's auto scribe are a bit in the grey area. I do believe that this was discussed in knifeforums.com and someone found a court case stating that the auto scribe was intended to be covered under federal switchblade laws or something.


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## Safety1st (Feb 20, 2006)

For every one (seatbelt) that jams in a collision.....1000s more will open ok...

It's like the worry about being trapped in a submerged vehicle or one on fire and not being able to release yourself...For every freak accident where that occurs....a seat belt with save 25,000 others....

I attended a collision on the motorway today where a female had lost control and ended up (upside down), in trees off the carriageway...Only her seatbelt prevented more serious injury....

Your lads (Steve Andrews), the firefighters, did a sterling good job releasing her from the car...:goodjob:


Gary


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## dniice87 (Feb 20, 2006)

Swamp rat's ice pick could work...

https://www.shop.ratknives.com/displayProductDocument.hg?productId=57&categoryId=1


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## Mike Painter (Feb 21, 2006)

dniice87 said:


> Swamp rat's ice pick could work...
> 
> https://www.shop.ratknives.com/displayProductDocument.hg?productId=57&categoryId=1



I wouldn't want to bet on it and I wouldn't want to be in the car if it did go through.
If it didn't break and is very rigid I think you would end up with the pick still in your hand and your hand against the glass. It looks like there is an edge on that thing.


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## Acme (Feb 21, 2006)

daloosh said:


> Well, I'm glad we got some discussion on this topic. and some reports on this tool from the field. I know there are a lot of opinions on botach, and not unwarranted ones, but my experience on this one purchase, I got some from botach:
> 
> http://store.botachtactical.com/resqme.html
> 
> ...



I bought that too from Botach, back in August. However, regarding a second item I ordered with that order, they shipped the wrong version, and 6 months later they still haven't got it right. They don't respond to emails or US Mail, and sometimes don't even answer their phones.

Caveat emptor,

Acme


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## daloosh (Feb 21, 2006)

I hear ya Acme, that's why I noted this one experience, I've had mishaps with them, too. Last year at SHOT I met a guy who worked there, and he was able to manage my orders, but sadly and not unexpectedly, he left them for greener pastures.

daloosh


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