need one for a backup blowout kit; have a IFAK, but this is secondary

thanks

The standard is the North American Rescue one. I have bought a few of the Recon Medical tourniquet on Amazon and they are just as good as the NAR ones for a whole lot less.

These cheap ones work fine -

https://www.amazon.com/Tourniquets-SZCTKlink-Portable-Tourniquet-Emergency/dp/B06XD51983/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3KJBT1GLB9CX6&dchild=1&keywords=tourniquets&qid=1609684922&sprefix=tour%2Caps%2C282&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExREQ4Vk1KTk0yNkMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA4MjQ0OTRXSElUOThKVEdYUkwmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDc0Nzk4MDE5TE5TMlE0S01YVlQmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

The description in that ad can barely be described as written in English.  Please don’t recommend Chicom TQs.  Of all the things to cheap out on, a life saving tool (where you’ll have no second chance if it experiences a failure) that is already pretty cheap to begin with isn’t it.

Works fine based off what? Anything will work in a pinch, belt, paracord or whatever you can source at the moment, but if you're going to buy one, spend the extra money and get one that has been used with success many times.

This is one of the things that you should spend the extra $ for

There was a great comparison somewhere.  
Basically the fake/cheap ones aren't as fast to set up, take more turns to work, etc.
There is a youtube emt'er who only sells real ones IIRC.

yep.

https://www.tacmedsolutions.com/SOF-Tourniquet-Gen-4

thanks; think i'll spend the extra $$$; Fuck chicoms

One of the things I think is important to prepare for is the possibility that you cannot slip the TQ over the end of your limb (trapped in a car, limited mobility, etc.).  Do you really want to be fishing the strap through a buckle with limited mobility, adrenaline dump, and time ticking away?

I'm a big fan of the SOFTTW (quick detach version of the SOF-T). The buckle is very easy to manipulate one-handed. When I was working overseas we were encouraged to practice with our tourniquets frequently. Time is everything. I tried many, many TQs (I worked with the SOF community and they had all the Gucci stuff so I could get my hands in just about anything I wanted). The fastest TQ, hands down, 1-handed and 2-handed was the SOFTTW.

Now, I will caveat, my last trip over was about 4 years ago. I can't speak to anything released more recently than that.

Yes absolutely, the SOFTTW or SOF-T, or later gen CAT are the standard, in that order.  Not sure why anyone would recommend anything else.

CAT or SOFTT-W w/TRAC. FWIW my training TQs break the TRAC fairly quickly, have spares and once again dedicated training TQs for training.

This is a great idea!

I buy blue for trainers since blue is generally accepted as the color for training tools. Sims have blue marked mags, blue guns, etc. I have some old black CATs and I spray painted the windlass blue when they were relegated to training duty.

As mentioned, SOFT-T or CAT are the current gold standard.  Nothing else even comes close, especially not the Chinese knockoff garbage, ive seen documented cases of those failing in real world use.


Both are great but have their differences.

CAT is easy to setup to use one handed because of a prepositioned loop,but that also means you are locked into looping around an extremity unless you unfo the velcro. The downside is that they are not as robust as the SOFT-T, and can suffer from abrasions, tears, and exposure to UV light.  If you are really out and about the velcro can pick up burrs from plants, or get caked with mud making it completely slick.  The windlass is attached to an extremely light ribbon to create tension which will stretch and become useless if you tighten it for training, so as mentioned get a training piece or save an old one.  The CAT has a lot more aftermarket carry options as well.

SOFT-T is more of a long time use item, with a metal windlass and thicker material. The newer gens all use a metal clip to lock around the extremity, which can be pre-positioned for one hand use but you may have to cut or tape the extra tail of material.  It has no velcro but also no writing surface for time like the CAT. It packs down shorter but a little fatter than the CAT.  I would suggest "breaking in" the clip, and popping it in and put several times to make it easier to do, it can be a bit tight.

I use a mix of both and have had success with both.  Its really just shooters preference.

The shitty chinese tourniquets and other first aid supplies really aren't that much cheaper than legitimate first aid supplies.

When a legitimate tourniquet is $30 and the shitty chinese ones are $15-$20, spend the extra ten bucks and don't roll the dice with chinese quality control for something that's supposed to save your life.

Ratcheting RMT from V Development Group

Seems like an easy way of tightening, but still requires fine motor skills to thread the loose end through the double loops if you can't slip the tourniquet over the end of the limb. Double loops like that are especially fickle and prone to strap routing mistakes that would leave no tension on the strap.

Yep, that's why the Gen 7 CAT got rid of the double loop and went with a single.

I was so happy about that, even using your other hand and finger to keep them apart it still sucked as that velcro is super grabby.