I've posted several things over the last 3 or 4 of years about the importance of stopping heavy bleeding and some methods for doing it. The title of this article indicates that you only have 3 minutes to get the bleeding stopped before you bleed out. 3 minutes is an average, depending on the severity of the wound. It could be less than 2 minutes and may be over 5. Either way, you don't have time to mess around. The article HERE emphasizes that!
If you don't have at LEAST one good quality tourniquet in each 1st aid kit that you have, you don't have much of a 1st aid kit. The knowledge of when and how to use them is equally important!
The CAT tourniquets are arguably the best strap-style tourniquets on the market, but are they the only ones that work? They are pretty expensive at usually over $30 each.
So, here's my unsolicited analysis of a few of the more economical tourniquets that are readily available.
I bought 3 different kinds, all were WAY cheaper than the CAT. As I said, you pay a lot for the CAT name. That said, during training, I have seen straps break and stretch and windlasses bend and break on some of the earlier cheap ones. Probably 15 years ago, or so. HOWEVER, at least one company puts out what I consider a very acceptable alternative and there may be others as well.
My test consisted of applying the tourniquet to my arm above the bicep and tightening it until I had no pulse. I did that with each of them 5 times. Besides stopping the pulse, which was non-negotiable, I checked for ease of use and damage to the unit after each application.
The first one (and the best of the ones I tested) was called Bencai. You can get two of them for $12.99.
It has a metal windlass with fairly aggressive knurled ends. It also comes with a Sharpie in each package. The instructions had small, hard to see pictures but the procedure was explained adequately.
I applied it and it only took about 1½ turns to stop the pulse. The knurling was aggressive enough that the windlass never slipped and I had no problem achieving maximum tightness. Even after 5 times, I didn't notice any stretching of the nylon strap that is threaded through the windlass.
For all intents and purposes, this one seemed as good as the CAT and did everything I expected of it for 20% of the price.
The 2nd one was a total piece of crap!
It was the ProbTis and cost $8.99 for a package of two.
The only upside to this one was the instructions were clear and diagrams (instead of photos) were easy to see. As cheap as these are, they are worth buying just for the directions!
It, too, has a metal windlass with knurled ends, almost identical to the Bencai. However... overall
construction looks cheap and the nylon strap that the windlass tightens had 3 times as much slack as the Bencai, right out of the package before I ever even tightened it. Because of that, it took about 4 turns to tighten adequately, and that wastes precious time. It also caused a big knot under the windlass that interfered with securing the windlass in the clip.
This one is a 100% no-go!
The third one was Buperor, also $8.99 for two. The instructions for this one were quite clear and the photos were better than the Bencai, but not as clear as the diagrams on the ProbTis
The windlass on this one was a huge problem. It was very slick plastic or polymer of some kind. It was strong enough but slipped out of my grasp 3 times trying to tighten it enough!
It had a tad more slack in the windlass strap than the Bencai, but only enough to cause me tighten it ½ more turn to achieve adequate tightness. I really like the serrated buckle on it, but the slick windlass made this one a no-go but it did come in 2nd place.
One small issue with all of them, including the CAT, is the velcro time strap that locks everything down. Be sure when you apply the tourniquet to start twisting the windlass in the opposite direction that the strap runs. It is time consuming and difficult to latch the windlass with the white strap constantly in the way. (See pic)
So, there you have it. If you want to buy cheaper tourniquets, these are the things that you should look for to ensure that your tourniquet will serve you adequately. As in most things, you get what you pay for. If you one that I didn't mention, buy only one or two and test them vigorously, using the guidelines above, before buying multiple units for all your kits!
There is also another type that I like very much is the RATS (Rapid Application Tourniquet System) tourniquet. . It is technically a strap-style tourniquet, but is of very strong and durable elastic construction. The great thing about the RATS tourniquet, is that it is built in such a way that it can be used on children and pets because it can be made smaller than ANY of the conventional, strap-styletourniquets. It is easy to use and can be applied to self with one hand. Ideally, at least one of each type might be the ticket!
You're welcome!
