Every now and then I run across one of those, “Gee, why didn’t I think of that…” products – and kick myself for not thinking of it. Anyone who has been around knives at all, probably know who Ken Onion is. He’s not only a very talented custom knife maker, but he has collaborated on a number of different knife designs, with various knife companies. I once did an article about Ken Onion, and one of his designs for Knives Illustrated magazine, when I was the West Cost Field Editor. Ken and I had a great talk on the phone – me in Oregon and he was in Hawaii – and to say he is a wild man is putting it mildly – but a lot of fun to talk to.
So, it was quite a surprise to me, to learn that, Onion designed a new Paracord bracelet. Anyone who is a Prepper or Survivalist, are aware of the popularity of the Paracord bracelets that folks have been wearing for a year or two, on their wrists. And, it’s a good idea, if you’re out camping, in combat or just out for a hike, to have some type of cord, you never know when you might need to lash something down, use it to replace a broken shoe lace – or any number of other emergencies that come along when you are out in the boonies or in a combat situation. So, I like the idea of the Paracord bracelet – and I own several!
Ken Onion collaborated with Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT) and created the new Parasaw bracelet. What they’ve done is, besides the woven Paracord bracelet, that you can find in many stores, Onion devised a way to place a small wire survival saw inside of the bracelet. And, the saw isn’t one of those cheap ones, either. Instead, it is a tungsten carbide coated wire saw – one that can actually cut, and it cuts quite well. The saw is encased in a plastic wrapper inside of the Paracord, and you have to unravel the bracelet to get the saw out.
So, you have 8 or 9 feet of Paracord – depending on the size of the bracelet – it comes in small and large, and you have that cleverly hidden wire saw, for cutting down small (very small) trees, or branches. I used the Parasaw around my homestead, to cut small tree limbs and other material, and it actually works quite well. Now, I wouldn’t be foolish enough to attempt to saw down one of the large pine trees on my place – it’s not going to happen. But you’d be surprised at the number of uses this little saw is good for.
I’ve always said that simple is better – and in this case, I don’t see how you can make anything more simple, than having some Paracord on your wrist, and a small wire saw hidden inside of it for emergency use. If you get outdoors a lot, you need to be prepared! Everyone in my family has the new CRKT Parasaw, and I have a few extras around – just in case.
One note, don’t take the Parasaw apart just to see the wire saw inside – you more than likely won’t get the bracelet back together – this is for emergency situations – not for playing around. At $24.99 each, they are a darn good thing to have – and they come in different colors, and as already noted, two sizes to fit just about any wrist. The Parasaw is very hot-seller for CRKT, and don’t be surprised if they are out-of-stock on some colors and sizes – get one now! – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio
Pat’s Product Review: CRKT Parasaw
