Raptor vs Trauma Shears!

[Grant Lamontagne]

Don't get too excited just yet, the shears just arrived yesterday.  I haven't done any testing with them just yet!  Consider this the "Tale of the Tape" section, where the contenders will be measured and compared against each other on a purely factual level. 

I wanted to get some good pics of the contenders before I began!  Here are some pictures of what I got:





I got these ones because they said EDCGear on them and were tactical black.  For some reason that spoke to me... 

They cost a grand total of $6.99 with $.99 shipping, which means that they are approximately 1/10th of the cost of the Raptor.  Is the Raptor ten times as good?  Time will tell.  The Raptor certainly beats these by having more functions- this set can't open an O2 bottle for example.

So here are a few comparison shots:



Note the shears are pretty much the same size and shape.  The EDCGear set have the small lip on them that helps lift the fabric away from the skin during cutting clothing away.  The Raptor is missing that, but does have the handy ruler that allows you to measure just how much clothing you are cutting away- always handy for that police report!   



Overall the EDCGear shears and the Raptor are pretty well the same size although the Raptor does fold to make itself more compact, comes with a pocket clip and sheath, all making them more convenient to carry.  The EDCGear is just a pair of shears you stick in your pocket- not a big deal for an EMT since their pants have pockets designed for that, but I am not an EMT, so I'll be testing regular middle aged fat guy functions, not life saving sexy EMT functions.



It'll be fun cutting things with these- since I work in an accident prone industrial environment (two months ago they dropped four cylinders containing Uranium Hexaflouride  ) I will have all manner of potential hazards available that an EMT could theoretically have to cut through to get a victim- things like dirty, heavy nylon ratchet straps rated to tens of thousands of pounds to rubber bungee cords used to hold industrial tarps on transport trucks!  The grit and salt crusted into these things are amazingly punishing for cutting implements, but also the kind of thing that EMT's would have to deal with, so I feel it will be an accurate, if not accelerated test.

I'll also cut some more traditional items, like jeans and t shirts to see how they both handle softer materials.  This is going to be fun! 

Def

[sawman]

Go RAPTOR!!!

 

[Mr. Whippy]

The BossLady is a retired trauma nurse  (in fact, she's been on TV a few times, mostly "Rescue 911" in her days at Maryland's ShockTrauma, aka MIEMSS) and we have a bunch of trauma shears lying around.  The EDCgear tool is exactly like the standard trauma shears, only in black.  Those things are tough as nails.  Janene has been out of trauma for 20 years, so that's how long the NEWEST of them is.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have to say Nate, for an inexpensive set of shears (and these were close to being the most expensive ones found online) they do feel surprisingly sturdy.  If there was an easy/convenient way to sharpen these, I see no reason why they couldn't last for a long time.  At least, that's my initial impression- many cheap tools feel solid when you buy them but after a few used the hinges go to hell and the tool feels like it's going to fall apart.

As I said, I'm looking forward to trying them out!

Go RAPTOR!!!

 

I haven't heard that since I left Toronto! 



Def

[derekmac]

I'd like to have a couple of Raptor's, one for each vehicle.  Kind of expensive for that maybe though. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah the Raptors are a bit pricey:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/TOR.html

Oh, you mean the LM Raptors?  Yeah, still pricey but a downright bargain compared to Patrick Patterson! 

Rust resistance would be my biggest concern with something left in the vehicle.  You know I have had some problems with Leathermans and rust in the past, so I probably wouldn't be too thrilled leaving a $75 tool out there knowing it might get nasty.  A $7 tool is a lot more realistic, so we'll see how well it holds up.

Def

[RT1969]

I, for my part, am very excited to see how the Battle of the Shears­™ will go! 

Will you also test the other functions of the Raptor, maybe compare cutting certain materials with the shears or with the belt cutter?
And I want you to test the ring cutter, as I have no idea how this thing works. 

Edit:
Found a video of a medical procedure ring cutter that is a glorified Dremel and a steel shim...
I added the link for anyone interested, but this one is not for the faint of heart!

Show content

Really, you will see blood and will wish the operator would use the safety precausions.
You have been warned:

I would say another cutter design could only be better, but I am not sure you could develop enough pressure with the Raptor.
Why do I get interested in such detailed, as far from my studies as possible procedures? 

[sawman]

No matter what the results of the testing are, there's one thing the regular sheets just can't do: fold up compactly... I'm sold on my Raptor but curious to see how this goes

[RT1969]

I found a video about the Raptor's Ring cutter. Hm, I would say this also is not the end of all means, only for small rings nad the ones in the video were a pretty loose fit.

[sawman]

Very impressive. I'll take his demo for it though as I don't have any rings I'm willing to test on 

[neillcurrie]

It's not clear to my aging eyes, and small netbook screen, but are those security bits in the center of the shear pivot? They look like 6-pointed torx, but I can't tell if they have the dimple in the middle.
It'd be nice to be able to easily disassemble them for cleaning and sharpening.

[Syph007]

Ive been using mine for odd jobs and I do like it for a shear based tool.  I noticed the measurements on the blade are cm, but there is another above that in mm/s  What do EMT's need to measure in mm/s ?  Some sort of flow rate or pressure?

[sawman]

It's not clear to my aging eyes, and small netbook screen, but are those security bits in the center of the shear pivot? They look like 6-pointed torx, but I can't tell if they have the dimple in the middle.
It'd be nice to be able to easily disassemble them for cleaning and sharpening.

They are in fact security bits at the pivot where the handles close, but not at the axis that holds the scissors together.

[hiraethus]

Ive been using mine for odd jobs and I do like it for a shear based tool.  I noticed the measurements on the blade are cm, but there is another above that in mm/s  What do EMT's need to measure in mm/s ?  Some sort of flow rate or pressure?

I believe ECGs are printed at 25mm/s, so the markings are for 2 seconds of ECG print.

[Syph007]

Ive been using mine for odd jobs and I do like it for a shear based tool.  I noticed the measurements on the blade are cm, but there is another above that in mm/s  What do EMT's need to measure in mm/s ?  Some sort of flow rate or pressure?

I believe ECGs are printed at 25mm/s, so the markings are for 2 seconds of ECG print.

AH! I knew there had to be a reason.

[Mr. Whippy]

Ive been using mine for odd jobs and I do like it for a shear based tool.  I noticed the measurements on the blade are cm, but there is another above that in mm/s  What do EMT's need to measure in mm/s ?  Some sort of flow rate or pressure?

I believe ECGs are printed at 25mm/s, so the markings are for 2 seconds of ECG print.

AH! I knew there had to be a reason.

Sort of goofy now though, since all ECG machines give basic readouts and I doubt EMT's are interpreting complex ECGs.  Gawd, I remember taking an elective course in just interpreting ECG's and listening to heart sounds.  Like reading tea leaves nowadays...

[Grant Lamontagne]

As someone who has actually used these types of shears for what they are meant for I would greatly appreciate hearing the Boss Lady's thoughts on the Raptor.  I'd be happy to send mine along to you for some testing and evaluation if she's willing.  I'm married too, so I understand completely if that's not an option! 

As for the ring cutter, it seems to me that if you need to cut a ring there's likely going to be a lot of swelling and therefore the lip seems like it might be a bit big for getting under a ring.  Most ring cutters I am familiar with are kind of like the Dremel style, although I have seen non powered ones too.  Usually the lower lip is a flat piece of steel that provides an anvil for the blade on the top to hit so that it doesn't press into the skin below.  Again, this is my limited experience, and I am perfectly willing to relinquish the floor to someone who has actual experience!

Def

[sawman]

 

[Mr. Whippy]

As someone who has actually used these types of shears for what they are meant for I would greatly appreciate hearing the Boss Lady's thoughts on the Raptor.  I'd be happy to send mine along to you for some testing and evaluation if she's willing.  I'm married too, so I understand completely if that's not an option! 

As for the ring cutter, it seems to me that if you need to cut a ring there's likely going to be a lot of swelling and therefore the lip seems like it might be a bit big for getting under a ring.  Most ring cutters I am familiar with are kind of like the Dremel style, although I have seen non powered ones too.  Usually the lower lip is a flat piece of steel that provides an anvil for the blade on the top to hit so that it doesn't press into the skin below.  Again, this is my limited experience, and I am perfectly willing to relinquish the floor to someone who has actual experience!

Def

Ring cutters in the ER are anvil type cutters (at least back in the late 80's), with a small, smooth curved hook to go between the patient and the ring. BTW, they are more often used for rings stuck on other body parts other than fingers, fwiw (at least in the city). 

Let me ask the BossLady.  I'm sure she'll be game. 

[Syph007]

Ive been using mine for odd jobs and I do like it for a shear based tool.  I noticed the measurements on the blade are cm, but there is another above that in mm/s  What do EMT's need to measure in mm/s ?  Some sort of flow rate or pressure?

I believe ECGs are printed at 25mm/s, so the markings are for 2 seconds of ECG print.

AH! I knew there had to be a reason.

Sort of goofy now though, since all ECG machines give basic readouts and I doubt EMT's are interpreting complex ECGs.  Gawd, I remember taking an elective course in just interpreting ECG's and listening to heart sounds.  Like reading tea leaves nowadays...

My wife just had to take an updated skills course to read the ECG the old way (or at least it seemed that way to me).  I thought it was kind of neat, my background has no biology/medicine in it, so it was interesting from a machine readout interpretation point of view.  Im an analytical chemist so I am used to machines like gas chromatography, mass spec, xray diffraction etc on non living things. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I had a chance to throw these head to head today and test them out.  Nothing too strenuous, but I did learn a few things.  But, let's start at the beginning.

My kayak racks (aka J Racks) are a few years old now and the foam needed to be replaced.  I bought pipe insulation foam at the hardware store the other day.  Here's what the old stuff looked like.







First step was to take the old foam off.  I started with the EDCGear shears and found the first problem- the bottom jaw was too big to fit into the foam to make a good cut.



Luckily flipping the shears upside down worked, although the handle was kind of awkward on this angle.



The Raptor shears don't have that lip on the bottom jaw that the EDCGear shears do, but the jaw is much thicker which meant there was no way in heck it was going to fit in either.



Flipping the Raptor over like I did with the EDCGear shears really wasn't that effective either.



While the Raptor may not have been as effective there as the EDCGear shears were, they did have a saving grace.  The Rescue Cutter worked beautifully.  Otherwise this would have been a point for the shears.







So basically that is a point against the Raptor for the shears, but then recovered by the rescue cutter.

The next job was cutting the foam insulation to fit.  The EDCGear shears and Raptor both did a good job of that, but then there shouldn't really be any challenge to cutting foam.  If I had to pick a winner I'd give this to the Raptor as well, but only because it seemed like it cut just a slight bit cleaner.  That could however be because when I cut it with the EDCGear shears I was cutting it straight, while I bent it and cut on the crease with the Raptor.  It could very well be the method of the cut, not the tool, but as it was relatively limited testing I have to go with the results I found.



Sorry for the sideways and upside down photos.  Apparently this job was very distressing for my phone's orientation sensor.   

You can see the new foam is much thicker than the old stuff, so hopefully it will keep my boats safe and happy for a long time.



Nothing to do with the test, but in keeping with the job, one of my racks had developed some rust bubbles so I brought out the wire brush and used some leftover paint from the fenders to seal them again.  The yellow spots should be completely covered by the foam so it doesn't really matter what color they are. 



And the finished product.  Not too shabby.  Both the EDCShears and the Raptor made short work of the electrical tape I used to secure the foam.  I should have used some stretch and seal tape, but I forgot to get some when I was buying foam, so electrical tape had to suffice.  If it doesn't last I'll replace it. 

Bottom line?  The Leatherman Raptor is better than shears for this job- barely.  Given the price difference I would choose the shears for this job as the Raptor could not manage enough of an advantage to justify being ten times the price.  Without the rescue cutter though I think it would be even, and since the old foam pulls apart as soon as you put a little cut in it the rescue cutter wasn't even a huge benefit.

Def

[David]

Nice opening test.       I hope there is more to come.      

[RT1969]

Nice opening test.       I hope there is more to come.      

Coming up after the break:
-Which shears are better at beard maintenance?
-Which is better as a climbing anchor?
-Watch as the winner becomes a gold-plated wall piece!
 

On a serious note: I like this tests, it's much more informative than a tabletop review. Well done, boss! 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Nice opening test.       I hope there is more to come.      

No worries. I have wanted a shears based tool for years so the Raptor will get a good workout.  I just wish it was more EDC oriented.

Def

Sent from a digital multitool

[AaronX]

Hello, I'm seriously considering buying the Raptor now, but before I do, I have one question - has anybody managed to take one apart and put it back together? I don't want to buy a $70 pair of scissors that needs to be sent back for tightening, and even the best scissors get loose over time.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I haven't tried but I'll give it a shot when I get home.

Def

Sent from a digital multitool

[David]

I have not had the Raptor apart. But all you need to keep it tight is a T8 for the scissor pivot and a T10H for the handle pivots. Those are the sizes that fit my Raptor. No need to send it in to keep it tight.   

[ironraven]

Uranium Hexaflouride

Very few words inspire that much terror in me.

You are a very brave man.

[Grant Lamontagne]

All in a day's work.

Def

Sent from a digital multitool

[CanadianLMfan]

The Raptor is totally going to win this. I'm still interested in seeing what happens.