Emergency Knives
Gerber Crisis Hook, Strap Cutter & Ruike Rescue Knives

Three central differences: First, the use focus. Emergency knives are designed for urban rescue situations – EMS use, vehicle extrication, first aid. Survival knives are built for outdoor wilderness emergencies – batoning, bug-out bag, multi-day survival. Second, the blade size and shape. Emergency knives have compact blades (6–12 cm), often with hook shape or serration. Survival knives have larger blades (11–14 cm) with drop point or tanto shape. Third, the format. Emergency knives are often folders or compact special tools; survival knives mostly fixed blades with Full Tang. If you work in the car, in the first aid kit or in EMS, emergency knife is your choice. For wilderness outdoor the survival knife.

Yes. Emergency knives – both fixed-blade and one-hand folder – are freely available and may be carried without special restrictions under Article 4 of the Swiss Weapons Act. You don’t need a justified reason. Integrated glass breaker, seatbelt cutter or hook blade also do not legally make the knife a special weapon. Prohibited, however, are butterfly/balisong knives, gravity knives, switchblades with blades over 5 cm and throwing knives – but those are all special types and not emergency knives. Source: fedpol.admin.ch.

The hook blade is the key feature on the Gerber Crisis Hook Knife: a curved, protected edge where the actual cutting blade sits inside the hook. You slide clothing, bandages, belts or pieces of composite clothing into the hook, and pulling drives the internal blade through the material cleanly – without the tip being able to injure the skin of the person being rescued. This is exactly the decisive advantage over a normal blade: maximum safety when cutting directly on the body. Hook blades are standard with EMS personnel and in professional rescue services.

A strap cutter is a dedicated rescue tool without a classic cutting blade: instead, a protected hook mechanism designed exclusively for cutting seatbelts, straps and ropes. The Gerber Strap Cutter Rescue Tool is the specialist for this in our range. When do you need one? In first aid kits in the car, in the office, on public transport, or for firefighters and EMS personnel who must cut seatbelts and ropes without injury risk. Compared to the Crisis Hook’s hook blade, the strap cutter is less versatile (no clothing cutting), but more compact and lighter, and fits in any first aid pouch.

The glass breaker (also called striking pommel) is a hardened steel pin at the end of the handle. It is designed to shatter tempered safety glass like car side windows or emergency windows with a targeted strike – crucial, for example, in an accident, a car that has fallen into water or a trapped person in a vehicle. In our emergency knife range, the Ruike M195 and Ruike LD43 have an integrated glass breaker. Important: tempered safety glass (side window) shatters after impact into blunt cubes and is not to be confused with laminated glass (windshield), which cannot be broken by a glass breaker.

For the car, we primarily recommend the Ruike M195 rescue knife or the folding variant Ruike LD43. Both combine a glass breaker with seatbelt cutter and compact build – ideal for the glove compartment or centre console. In an emergency (accident, car in water, trapped occupant), this combination can be life-decisive. For preppers who additionally have a rescue kit in the trunk, the Gerber Strap Cutter Rescue Tool is a useful complement – specifically for cutting multiple belts. Important: emergency knives in the car must be quickly accessible – do not stow in the trunk or in locked compartments.

For emergency knives, stainless steels are mandatory because the tool often sits unused in the first aid kit or car for months. Recommendation: 14C28N (Sandvik, Ruike standard) as a low-maintenance, easy-to-sharpen all-rounder – first choice for most applications. Beta+ (Ruike proprietary recipe in LD and P series) offers improved toughness for EDC with emergency reserve. 12C27 (Sandvik) as an affordable stainless mid-range choice. D2 tool steel (Ruike F186) is very edge-retentive but slightly rust-prone – only suitable for emergency setup with regular care. Carbon steel is not recommended in the emergency knife segment.

It depends on the field of use. Folders (Ruike LD series, P series, LD43) are more compact, can be carried on the belt clip or stowed in pocket/first aid kit, and are ideal for EDC with emergency reserve. Disadvantage: opening costs one second more. Fixed blades (Gerber Crisis Hook, Strap Cutter, Ruike M195, F186) are immediately ready, more robust and better suited for professional use in EMS or fire department duty belt. Rule of thumb: for EDC and car emergency, a folder is enough; for professional use on the duty belt, rather fixed blade.

For EMS personnel and rescue services, the Gerber Crisis Hook Knife is the specialised first choice: the protected hook blade allows safe cutting of clothing, bandages and belts directly on the patient’s body, without injury risk. As a complement, the Gerber Strap Cutter Rescue Tool is useful for the quick cutting of seatbelts without blade risk. For EMS personnel with extended emergency tasks (vehicle extrication), the Ruike M195 or LD43 with glass breaker and seatbelt cutter is additionally useful. Important: blade safety has absolute priority in EMS use – a pointed blade on an already injured patient is risky.

Emergency knives often sit unused in the first aid kit, glove compartment or duty belt for months. Six points: First, choose stainless steel (14C28N, Beta+, 12C27). Second, before storage, rub the blade with a drop of Ballistol or corrosion protection oil. Third, do not store in a damp pouch or damp leather sheath. Fourth, inspect every three to six months while you also update other first aid kit contents (bandage, scissors, plasters). Fifth, check blade sharpness – a dull emergency knife is almost useless in use. Sixth, check the mechanism: open and close folders to test the smoothness of springs and detents.

For getting started, we recommend three models per field of use: for the car, the Ruike LD43 rescue knife – folder with glass breaker, seatbelt cutter and serration in a compact format. For the first aid kit or travel bag, the Gerber Strap Cutter Rescue Tool – small, safe and without injury risk. For EDC with emergency reserve, a Ruike folder from the LD series (LD11 as a compact entry model, LD31 as a medium-sized all-rounder). Professional upgrade to the Gerber Crisis Hook Knife for EMS personnel or to the Ruike M195 as an all-purpose rescue tool with fixed blade.

Yes. All emergency knives are available from our warehouse in Menzingen (ZG) – no waiting time, no customs fees. Free shipping within Switzerland and Liechtenstein from CHF 100. Personal advice in our showroom or by phone at 041 755 34 33. In case of dissatisfaction, our 30-day voluntary right of return applies.