Harbor Freight has a generic life hammer for only $3. The name brand ones are $20+.

These are for breaking a window in an emergency and your power windows have failed. They also can cut seatbelts. Maybe I'm a safety nerd, but I think it's a good idea to carry these things in a car with power windows.

Excellent post. Had two friends in that situation. One said she really had to beat the chit out of her window before it broke. That hammer dealy seems like a wicked deal for the horror it could save you from.
It's kinda like that ripcord for the rear seats that a lot of our MINIs don not have even though it states that there is one in the owners manual. :roll: Cheap bastards! Gotta pay to have one put in. How lame.
Cheers,

I was laughing at my dad the other day for having one of those life hammers in his trunk. I wondered how he expected to get to the life hammer in the trunk without having a life hammer to cut off his seatbelt and smash his windows to get to it.

In order for such a thing to even approach being useful, you will have to mount it somewhere where both driver and passenger can easily reach it. The generic one that my dad has comes with a really cheezy bracket that is sure to disgorge the hammer in a severe impact.

And of course, you have to be conscious in order to actually save your life with it.

All in all, I think it is nothing but a product that uses baseless fear to sell itself.

I could be wrong, but I doubt that anybody's life has ever been saved with a life hammer. . . .

I'll look forward to seeing the installation pics. . . . .

I'm sure that if I'm in a wreck that is bad enough to need the hammer that my windshield will be gone and I could just walk out the opening where it used to be. :razz:

Earl

>>All in all, I think it is nothing but a product that uses baseless fear to sell itself.
>>I'll look forward to seeing the installation pics. . . . .

For $3 it's cheap insurance. I have one but haven't mounted it yet. I was thinking about anchoring double sided velcro somewhere and strapping the thing down. It sits in my glove box right now, for all the good it will do me there.

I don't mean to discourage anyones use of these products, but I have worked in the public safety field for a long time, and I have never, and I mean never, seen anyone use a life hammer or other comparable product before. As for cutting a seatbelt, why not just reach over and unbuckle it? Works much easier that way. As a window punch, if your in the water, your already dead.

>>All in all, I think it is nothing but a product that uses baseless fear to sell itself.
>>
>>I'll look forward to seeing the installation pics. . . . .


Maybe you could use a piece of small chain then hang it from the mirror.

A much better (and smaller) solution than the hammer is a spring-loaded nail punch. Just push it up against the window and it shatters.

Why is it better?

!) It's smaller (think glovebox, or velcro it to the side of the parking brake console).
2) You don't need room to swing it.
3) What if your car ends up under water? Ever tried to swing a hammer underwater? I know it takes some time for a submerged car to fill with water, but still...

LINK

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/pho...0699/00621.gif

In the delta area of California there is often thick fog and people who drive a lot on the roads in the area (there are many roads on top of levies) all have the hammers or something else to break windows. Cars do end up in the water and a few people have gotten out of their cars with this tool. I've never heard of anybody cutting a seatbelt with one.

That being said, I think it is totally unecessary unless you drive a lot in this type of situation. Just be prepared for whatever your driving conditions are. Carry extra water driving in the heat, carry extra beer driving in Texas, carry extra donuts while speeding anywhere, (women only) unbutton an extra button when speeding anywhere, carry extra money driving in Mexico. . . I think I've gotten far enough off topic now. Motor on!

Cheers,

I think I will plan on using my quick-release Whalen knob to save my life when my MINI falls into a river teeming with crocodiles. I'll smash open my window with it and then bash crocodile skulls with it all the way to the shore or until the weight of the knob in my hand pulls me down to a watery grave . . .

ha ha ha !!!! that was great keep it up....... :lol:

>>I don't mean to discourage anyones use of these products, but I have worked in the public safety field for a long time, and I have never, and I mean never, seen anyone use a life hammer or other comparable product before. As for cutting a seatbelt, why not just reach over and unbuckle it? Works much easier that way. As a window punch, if your in the water, your already dead.


I know of someone who died in a car crash. He survived the impact of a head-on crash only to die horribly from burns because he could not get the seat belt unlatched and was trapped in the burning car. He could have been saved but notbody around had anything available to cut the seatbelt. All said, I think a tool that could help you escape and increase your chance of survival is worth considering.

I will chew through my seatbelt and break the window with my head. :smile:

The last 7 times I’ve crashed and rolled a car and after coming conscious required me to break the window to crawl out because of the fire engulfing the only part of the car that was not immersed under water has been only 3 times. I didn’t seem to have any problem then so I’ll save my $3 bucks for a real thrill. :lol: :lol: :lol:

_________________
http://mcs.maximus-consulting.com/sndwave4.jpg

I don't remember if it was road and track or Car and Driver but one of them had an article on these "Life Hammers." It was a great article because you really got a sense of how useless these things are. They went to a junk yard to test out the hammer and break some window glass and try to cut seat belts. I believe it cut the seat belt but the author figures that if you needed to cut the belt chances are you couldn't reach the glove box where you kept it. As for the hammer? They went to a car with it's side window and tried to break it. "ping!" and no crack. Hrm, "ping, ping ping ping ping" Nothing. The reporter and the guy from the scrap yard both tried whalling at this thing, nothing. The junk yard guy finally broke it, running and then swinging with all his might. RUNNING! I don't know about you but last time I checked the MINI was too big to run in.

Lesson: Just because someone sells a product doesn't mean it's any good.

I'll try to find an online version of this article, it was priceless.

Paul

Just keep a small piece of gravel in your pocket and hurl it at the windshield when needed!

Does anyone know if they make these for motorcycles?

>>Just keep a small piece of gravel in your pocket and hurl it at the windshield when needed!
>>


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

_________________
http://mcs.maximus-consulting.com/sndwave4.jpg

>>Just keep a small piece of gravel in your pocket and hurl it at the windshield when needed!

:razz: :grin: :lol:

>>Does anyone know if they make these for motorcycles?

I heard they're good sellers amoungst the Honda and Kawasaki crowd. The Harley riders steered clear of purchasing the hammer. :razz: )

Funniest post ever? :grin:

I don't know why you guys are making fun of a very serious issue. For those poor disadvantaged souls that do not have a JCW kit, I will have you know the price includes one of these babies nicely tucked right by the rip cord for the rear latch, which BTW is TOO there, under the rear seat cushion. You do get to pay extra though if you buy a BRG job......

I'm thinking this is a great TV commercial idea for Doug Whalen. When I read this, I actually visualized it as a comic-book storyline. Good stuff, Yucca :lol:


>>I think I will plan on using my quick-release Whalen knob to save my life when my MINI falls into a river teeming with crocodiles. I'll smash open my window with it and then bash crocodile skulls with it all the way to the shore or until the weight of the knob in my hand pulls me down to a watery grave . . .

If my S ending up in the ocean, can I use the bottom seat cushion as a floatation device?

I decided to practice before I find myself in a situation needing to save my life. It didn't budge when I yank on it. Can someone please help me!

If it's intended to save your life why try to save a few bucks and get the cheap-o generic one, why not spring for the real deal? Is your life only worth $3?

bad idea if you ask me.