It's official- Raker Ring Tool from CRKT!

[Nikos]

The first batch of CRKT Ray Kirk K.E.R.T. tools from Ray were waiting when I got home last night.  I have just listed some of them at EDCSource.com:

http://www.edcsource.com/CRKT-Ray-Kirk-Designed-KERT,name,114968,auction_id,auction_details

Thanks to Ray and his friendship with Multitool.org, we have the tools before CRKT shows them as available on their site.

Any chance of getting a batch of tools engraved for us?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Will work on that as soon as we get the first ones out. You wouldn't believe how much trouble we had to go through to get the first batch! CRKT says these are not available yet!

Def

Sent from my Motorola Atrix digital multitool.

[Nikos]

Cool, thanks!

[Grathr]

Had to order one right away. Can't wait to get it.



Thanks!

That makes two of us 

[allyourblood]

Had to order one right away. Can't wait to get it.



Thanks!

That makes two of us 

 
That price is hard to beat. I imagine these are gonna move fast.


Congratulations, Ray!

[Grant Lamontagne]

In case I forgot to mention it, there's a limited number in the first batch.  There will be more (many more!) in the future, but for now I think we only managed to get 50 or so.

There's nothing special about this bunch, so if you miss out all you really lose is the pride of saying you were part of the first group to get one, which may or may not be a big deal for you! 

Def

[hugh_h]

...I have had only one person tell me that he used the tool to help save his friends life when he had to cut his seat belt to get him out of a truck that rolled over.  Made my day.

That makes the first one I've ever heard of. I work in the an automotive air bag group, and besides the design of safety items, we also do analyses after crashes. Up until your post, I've never heard of someone being trapped by a seatbelt. It may have been that someone would have been trapped had he or she been conscious, but being unconscious renders your mini-rescue-tool useless anyway.

Wearing a seat belt also makes it a lot more likely you'll be conscious after an impact. Having the head of an unbelted occupant bouncing off the various surfaces makes it more likely to no only be knocked out, but be killed so that the next steps don't matter. In the couple instances I know of where someone drove into a lake/pond, the driver was unconscious (belted or not), so a rescue tool wouldn't have helped.

It seems like the full sizes rescue tool might be useful for emergengy responders. 

When the firemen bring out the jaws of life to free trapped occupants, that occupant wouldn't have been helped by having a seatbelt cutter and a window breaker. But, if carrying the such a thing makes someone feel better, he can use it as a rabbit's foot.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Excellent points Hugh, and obviously backed up by real world testing.

I have heard though that seatbelt release can jam after an impact, or if the car is on it's side, may not be accessible.  In those instances a seatbelt cutter seems like a really handy thing to have.  Or, while there may physically be no damage to the seatbelt release, the person may be unable to use it due to injury, shock or loss of fine motor skills due to adrenalin.  While some of those may make using a small rescue cutter impossible too, for the extremely minor cost I think it's worth the extra 1% chance of getting out of a wreck.

Now if it was a $50 or $100 tool then maybe the cost wouldn't outweigh the benefit, but for under $10 (not to mention the function/use as an EDC tool!) I think this tool is well worth many times more.

Def

[Raker]

Hugh_h,
Thank you for your reply and am glad I was the first one to let you know that a seat belt cutter had been used for its intended purpose.  Whether it really had saved his friends life or not is immaterial to me.  He used it to cut his friend free of a seat belt  after the small pickup had  rolled over.  “IF” his friend had a Raker Ring Tool on his key ring then he might have been able to get himself free. The “if’s” in life are things we will never know.  What I do know is that the key ring was used for what it was designed for “Once”?
 I may have just assumed the situation was a lot worse than it was.  Listening to a story of how a tool you designed cut some one free, I probably just figured the worse case scenario. 
Being a multi tool, the seat belt is just one of the many functions that this small tool was designed for.  Of the five useful functions listed, the seat belt cutting being only one, it was hoped that the tool would never HAVE TO BE used for that function. 
The bottle opener, O2 wrench, 1/4" wrench and screwdriver were the important ones.  The tool can also be used as a small prybar for opening paint cans and stuck blades.  This little tool can be used in a variety of ways that have nothing to do with cutting a seat belt.  As it’s most important function, that was the name that went with it. 
Speaking of being useful to emergency responders, early on I donated over a 100 of the Ring Tools to the Police department, Sheriffs’s department, Fire Department, and most of the EMT drivers that I see in restaurants.  They carry them on their key ring daily.  I have not had anyone get back with me that they saved a life.  I just wanted to make it easier for them and felt strongly that my little tool may make a difference. 
I apologize to you if I came across as some one that would promote fear to sell a product.  I strongly believe in the KERT and had found some one else that shared my belief.  CRKT is the third company that I had shown my tool to. Grant Lamontagne also shared my belief in the too.   If I had not believed in it, I would have stopped after the first two.  For those that would like to know who they are, Kaybar, and Tops.
Did not mean to rant on for so long.  I kind of feel like some one said tht my baby was ” Ugly” and you know how Fathers are.
May I suggest you email me you name and address and I will send you one to see if you think it is just a lucky rabbits foot.  No charge this time. 
Have a great day and look forward to your future analysis of our multi tools and if you think of something that can be improved on, designed, or invented, please let me know so I can be a part of it.
  Got to have a problem before you can get a solution.
 

[AHB]

I have two on the way from Travis..

[scrappy]

If someone really wants to quote safety then you should point out that if you need to wear seatbelts in a forklift then you should also be required to wear a full helmet and not just a hard hat.  After all, if it falls over sideways then your arse is firmly planted in the seat meaning your unprotected head is going right into the ground.  At least if you aren't belted in you have a decent enough chance of absorbing some of the impact with your shoulder hip and side when it falls.

Don't ask how I know these things...

 

Def

That explains so much


If anything it must have made you smarter. After all, you were smart enough to build this place.


I am buying mine from edc source right now.

[scrappy]

Payment sent

[allyourblood]

"Your package is on its way."

Yay!

[Whoey]

I may have to get one of these to go with my MTO stamped original...

[Grant Lamontagne]

A package from Ray arrived today with a few KERTs in it!  I'm all excitable and setting up my camera now so pictures in a few minutes!

Def

[Raker]

It does take a little longer to get to Halifax. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Of course it does, Halifax is all uphill! 

Pictures posted!

Def

[82brutus]

I just opened my package from Travis with three in it.  This is a very well made and sharp tool. 

One is on the key ring already and I toyed around with some strap already.  Had an old bicycle helmet and it slices through that like butter.

Thanks Travis and thanks Ray!

Now i just need a clever storage place for the cars.

Edit:  worked great on paracord and zip ties.

[allyourblood]

Oops! I received my KERT over a week ago and forgot to report in.




Really well-machined; no rough edges or bad patches. The cutter tool works amazingly well. It's extremely sharp and zips through various materials quickly and without catching. I haven't had a chance to try the pry/driver tip nor the can opener, but thus far I'm pretty pleased with it.


Nice work, Ray!

[Grant Lamontagne]

Glad to hear you all like them!  The Ring Tool went through a lot of changes as Ray worked out all the kinks and I think he's done a great job of it. 

Def

[stealth007s]

Got mine y'day

[derekmac]

Got mine y'day

You know the rules Terry. 

 

 

[stealth007s]

I'll get some up soon

[stealth007s]

Here ya go.......


Sent from Endor using Schlapatok

[derekmac]

Very nice! 

I almost found out yesterday on the way home from work how well these work by accident.  There were no car crashes, but where I keep it on my work pass that stays around my neck, it caught on my belt, and I started to give it a tug to take my pass off when I realized what was caught, and what it was caught on.    

So moral of the story is, if you happen to have it around your neck, take it off before you get in your car or you might be replacing your seat belt!

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's why I was looking forward to the little hat- that happens to me an awful lot.  Of course the little hat fell off somewhere and I have no idea where, so I have to be careful with it again. 

Of course, I'm in and out of my car several times during the average day as I go from job to job and sometimes just other parts of the same job, so this is a situation I face an awful lot.  At the end of the day I put the ID and Ring Tool/KERT/ID in the console of the Jeep, both to make sure I have it the next day (I forget things a lot!  ) and to make sure that I don't kill a seatbelt on the way home.  The rest of the day I just have to try and be careful. 

About the best method I have found is to tuck my ID and KERT into my work vest or jacket when I am driving around at work.  This is handy for more than just not killing seatbelts too- it keeps everything handy but also lessens the likelihood of it snagging on something and either damaging anything of getting itself lost.  I already have one ID at the bottom of the harbour, I'd rather not lose another!
 
Def

[stealth007s]

This is one of the reasons that I will put a lanyard on mine and tether it to the shifter in my car(s).

[Grant Lamontagne]

I thought about that but I use it so much at work that I like to have it with me rather than tied to the car shifter.

Def

[Raker]

I like the idea that they are inexpensive enough that you can have several of them hanging in different places where you may need them. 
One man I know hangs one on his tractor to cut the string on the round bales of hay.  I don't know how long the edge holds up but haven't heard from him in a while. 
They have lots of cutting uses and the longer they are on the market, the more uses people will find for them.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well, since you are looking for new uses, I find them perfect for slicing open bags of rock salt. 

Def

Sent from my Motorola Atrix digital multitool.