I have a pair of the countycomm shears in each of my fak's. I'm not in the medical field so they don't get much use but they have held up great to the use I have put them through. The ones I have are the full size but the also make a couple smaller sizes so depending on the size of your kit that might be a good option.
A buddy asked for a pair so I remembered to take a pic, trimmed about 1" off the front (as seen with the packaging) so they fit in a Std holder. I also carry a Benchmade 7 Hook both have served me well.
I'm a fan of the 7.5" prestige medical shears. Not quite the cheapest, but only a couple of dollars more, and the general fit and finish (including the pivot tightness) seem a bit better than the cheapest ones... I carry blue handled ones at work as they're a bit easier to see than the all black ones if I put them down.
I love the County Comm Maratac shears. I work in a Level 1 trauma center and use my shears multiple times daily, and my current pair is going strong after 6 months.
I agree with your suggestion of making a cut then ripping the clothes but if you're in a situation where that won't work (Cause more injuries or a confined space) you'll just have to struggle on slowly cutting which may not always be suitable for the patient, just my $0.02
Those maratac shears, do they have 'made in pakistan' stamp like the millspec monkey? I suspect they are the same (also sold by a few other companies).
Rescue hooks work great for this. Getting started through the seam of blue jeans at the bottom of the leg slows you down, but then just pull the hook up and it slices through like a hot knife through butter. Way quicker than shears, but not as versatile overall.
I swore up and down the road I'd NEVER buy the Leatherman Raptor... I bought the Leatherman Raptor and it has never skipped a beat. I'm pretty sure it can cut a battle ship in half....
I like my Raptor too. I think the sturdiest, though, are the Big Shears (or Robin Safety Boy shears in Europe).
1+ for rescue hooks, also easier to keep a distance from the skin when using a hook compared to shears. Maybe its also less stressfull (not sure) for the patient.
Yep. I used mine to cut off a titanium ring off a patient's finger the other day. 4 snips with the ring cutter and it was off.We tried 3 conventional ring cutters, the dental floss trick, and the lace trick and none worked.
Cool. I'm out of the loop on Leatherman information. It's been a good while since the Raptor was introduced. I believe,they haven't introduced a subsequent revision at this point? Any rumors or hints to a Rev2 Raptor?
Get some cheap ADC trauma shears (the Medicuts) are pretty good. They're 7.25", two year warranty, autoclave rated (although, why bother). All that fluoride crap, Teflon coatings, blah blah blah is useless. You're either cutting through zippers, underwire, starting a cut so you can tear, or doing some precision cutting (think shoes). Either way, they do the job well, and the department has had them for as long as I remember.
