Provoke First Responder Knife

From Core77:

Farming Knife Redesigned for EMTs Working in Close Quarters

Knife designer Joe Caswell's Provoke First Responder 

A farming implement has been redesigned to assist EMTs working in close quarters.

A karambit is a traditional curved knife from Southeast Asia, originally developed for farming and planting tasks. It is held in the manner of a hammer, but with the blade curving forwards from the bottom, like an elephant's tusk. A finger ring up top keeps the knife securely in hand.

In recent years EMTs and other first responders have taken to carrying folding karambits. When working in close quarters — imagine trying to extract a person from the collapsed interior of a crushed car — the configuration of the short, curved blade provides leverage from a cramped position. The knife makes it easier, in these tight situations, to saw through a seatbelt or cut clothing away to reveal a wound.

But in speaking to first responders, veteran knife designer Joe Caswell learned about the pain points of the karambit. Users had two issues: One was that deploying the blade in close quarters was often difficult. Two was that putting the blade away was also difficult, even unsafe; one's fingers are directly in the way of the blade's edge.

Caswell incorporated this feedback to design his Provoke First Responder knife for manufacturer CRKT.

The deployment mechanism is clever, space-saving and elegant. "The blade is designed to be deployed from a clenched fist," Caswell explains. Additionally, "Your fingers are never exposed to the rotational path of the blade."

The butt end of the knife also features a glassbreaker.

Not including the fasteners, the knife is made of five parts. Caswell has trademarked the knife's action as Kinematic™. 

$225.