Spyderco Assist I Orange Handle Rescue Knife
July 12, 2010 | Posted by admin 
- Ambidextrous tip-up clip; David Boye Dent; Bi-Directional® Textured 3-D FRN Handle
- Cobra Hood; Hollow-ground blade
- Specifications: Closed – 4-7/8″; Overall – 8-3/8″; Blade – 3-11/16″; Blade Steel – VG-10
- Weight – 4.0 oz.; Handle Material – Orange FRN
- Hole Diameter – 9/16″; Blade Thickness – 1/8″
Product Description
The Assist was designed for emergency/fire/rescue professionals (and for the well-equipped civilian) who rely on their knives to function flawlessly under pressure. Left of right hand tip-up carry. Orange FRN handles… More >>
Spyderco Assist I Orange Handle Rescue Knife
Categories: Any Brand, Spyderco | 
Tags: ASSIST, Handle, Knife, Orange, Rescue, Spyderco | 
2 Comments »
i loved the idea of this knife’s design and i am happy with my purchase. but the design is not 5 stars for a couple reasons which may make a difference to you. first, the knife is too light. while it appears quite sturdily built, the handle plastic is too lightweight and ruins the heft. second, the grip definitely favors large hands. EXCEPT when using the carbide tip (exposed by squeezing the blade into the handle when closed). a large hand hangs off the end of the knife so if you try to hit a window, your hand will hit glass before the carbide tip. i tried the action a few times and its quite awkward — enough so that i wonder if the designer ever tried it. that said, i expect i could make it work in a pinch. overall, i definitely like the blade and the rest of the knife almost backs it up.
Rating: 4 / 5
I work as a full time emergency medical technician for a large ambulance company that provides 911 EMS response. I carried a Spyderco Nautical knife I bought 24 years ago, but lost it recently during a call. It was important to me to replace it with another Spyderco knife since the quality of the blade is unsurpassed and Spyderco is THE name in rescue knives. I like the improvements made to the blade design–especially the rounded tip that prevents injuring the patient or inadvertently puncturing something while trying to insert the knife under clothing or a seat belt. The small straight section of edge at the tip makes it useful for opening boxes or trimming without using the heavy-duty serrated edge. The large, grooved thumb rest also makes cutting through thick or stubborn objects easier. The carbide glass breaking tip is a nice touch.
As for drawbacks–the plastic handle is very lightweight which makes the knife less hefty overall. The non-slip pattern works very well. I really liked the heft of the all-metal handle on my earlier version. The plastic handle gives the knife a lightweight feeling that could be mistaken for a lower quality knife. I think it’s an awesome knife–it just feels a little light to the touch. The whistle–well that’s just completely idiotic. It works, but I just can’t think of a single situation in which this would be useful–and it’s just a silly thing to include on a rescue knife. Silly silly silly.
Overall, I really like the knife. It gets used all the time. It’s sharp as a scalpel, tough, and very non-slip.
Rating: 4 / 5