We first posted this article about six months ago so many of you have already seen this. But since that time, we’ve added thousands of daily readers and there has been a change of authority downrange so there may be deployed personnel that haven’t seen Rip Shears.
Rip Shears are a new attachment for standard EMT shears that transforms them into a tool that combines the shears with a safety knife and reflex hammer. Designed to attach directly to the handle of most 7-1/4″ shears, it provides a quick means of cutting through loose material and gear in order to access wounds.
Designed by Naval Special Warfare Corpsmen, Rip Shears are Made in the USA and crafted from fiberglass-reinforced nylon that can be autoclaved up to 270 deg F. Additionally, the blades are 440A stainless steel and are treated with a special DLC tungsten coating for increased lubricity. In fact, the coating will extend the life of the blades 4-5 times normal stainless steel. The design is simple and safe to clean with your fingers as well as replace blades. In fact, when you finally do need to change the blades, they are designed in such a manner that they are impossible to install incorrectly.
Rip Shears are offered in three models. The RS-1 is the Ripper unit by itself for installation on your current EMT shears. The RS-2 model combines the Ripper with EMT shears and the RS-3 or “Firefly” version is a Ripper featuring a glow in the dark material for civilian EMTs and flight medics.
A lot of folks are carrying hook knives to cut through webbing but they can be ineffective if the material is slack. With Rip Shears the cutting stroke is a pulling motion, offering a great deal of strength and control which can help to avoid further injuries. Rip Shears have been used on boots, leather jackets, and rigger belts. In fact, this video will give you a great idea of how well it works.
In fact, I had the chance to try them out myself and I am duly impressed. To get yours visit their distributor page www.ripshears.com and be sure to look around while you are there.
