Benchmade 9CB

Weight: 0.80 oz.

Length: 5.19"

MSRP: $25.00

About 10 years ago (wow!) a friend of mine and I were driving on I-25 to Denver from Colorado Springs to see the Warped Tour. Just north of Monument we barely missed (and I mean by inches!!!) being involved in a 4 car, 1 motorcycle accident. The driver of a vehicle headed south bound on I-25 fell asleep at the wheel, while his car jumped the median and came into oncoming traffic. By barely missing being involved in this wreck, we were the first people on the scene. This was before I had any medical or first responder training, but by instinct we were out there doing what we could. We approached the passenger side of a Volkswagen Jetta and found a female passenger with her seatbelt tightened around her neck and choking her. We tried to undo the belt, but it wouldn't release, nor could we relieve the tension. Thankfully my friend always carried a pocket knife with him, and he was able to quickly and safely cut the seatbelt away from her. Since that day I have always carried a sharp knife, multi-tool, or a rescue tool in my vehicle.  This is one of those items I hope I never have to use, but I'll always be prepared to. The Benchmade 9CB is a safety cutter made convenient. This is a fun, smaller, light weight version of various other rescue hooks made by Benchmade. The handle is made out of nylon copolymer material known to Benchmade as Grivory. The entire length of the tool is 5.19 inches and doubles as a light weight caribeneer intended for clipping it to gear, jackets, packs, keychains, etc. not for climbing!!! However it is a handy tool to have if you are a climber. No climber ever wants to cut their rope, but if you had to it can handle diameters up to 1/2". This makes it great for slicing through webbing, smaller diameter ropes, or prusik chord. That reminds me I need to go buy some new rope, webbing, and chord. Along with the said items we also tried the blade on several different things around the house such as, plastic jugs, leather boots, canvas, cardboard, and many other things (we got carried away). Along with it being a caribeneer another nifty feature that sets this rescue tool apart from others is the retractable blade cover. It slides smoothly open, yet stays securely in place in the opened or closed positions. I doubted the integrity of this feature so I began to continuously slide the cover back and forth, to see if it would give over multiple use or not stay in it's fixed positions. After 317 slides back and forth and my attention span running thin, I gave up. 317 slides from open to close, yes I really counted this. Would you ever have to use the blade that much anyways? I hope not, it's a rescue tool! The only thing that concerned me with this product is the gate on the caribeneer. It's thin, and reminds me of a paper clip. The problem is it lines up in your grip with your pinky or ring finger (pending your hand size) and bends a little when using the blade. Is that really a big deal though? No, and even if it were to brake or bend non-repairably Benchmade has great product warranties! I saved my favorite feature for last, it's also has a kick-ass bottle opener!!! Which you know is highly valued around the UpaDowna crew!!! Features: Retractable Safety Blade Cover Stainless Steel Blade Grivory® handle material (nylon copolymer) Caribeneer Clip Bottle Opener Available in: Yellow, Red, or Black If you've been thinking about buying a rescue hook, but are a little intimidated by the bigger ones, or possibly just looking for more practicality, the Benchmade 9CB will fit the bill. Again it's light, it's handy, there's a bottle opener, the blade is backed by Benchmade, it has a convenient bottle opener, it carries as a caribeneer, did I mention it also has a bottle opener? But in all seriousness the 9CB is a rescue tool, and it could help save someones life! Last minute shoppers, this would make a great gift or stocking stuffer for any outdoor enthusiast. Menikmati, Bunny