My wife tells me that I'm a tool and belong in an institution...

These however, are tools that NO CAR SHOULD BE WITHOUT (yes, I stood on the mountain top, and shouted that from on high!!).

These can, will, and have saved lives. Someone here asked about a steel toe boot accomplishing the same thing. In a car that is on it's roof, with gasoline leaking and smoke coming from under the hood, hanging in a jammed seatbelt, I challenge Macho Man to get out faster with his boot than with this.

Seriously. The best $7 investment for your car since Armor All.

does it also come with a hack saw, so i can saw off my legs if they are trapped under the steering wheel, and the water is rising...?

ben

This price for two of them is less than our distributor price for one of them from Benchmade.

Great deal!

the window breaker thing reminds me of a mini version of what the guy from "no country for old men" goes around killing people with ;)

don't forget to wear your driving helmet.

Really? This is a feature?

Features:

* There are over 6 million auto accidents in the US every year, leaving hundreds of thousands of people trapped in their cars


Damn... I was really hoping for a feature of "thousands of people die every year from snake bites" or something like that.

itstherobotdevil wrote:
* There are over 6 million auto accidents in the US every year, leaving hundreds of thousands of people trapped in their cars

Someone really should start helping those people. I mean, some of them are probably dead by now.

I know someone who's son died tragically when dad couldn't cut the seat belt that was strangling him after an accident. I'm buying these for everyone in my family.

I had one of these several years ago and lost it. Seems like it could be useful in the situation it's designed for. One thing you shouldn't do is test the window smasher on your finger....it's more painful than you would think!

Hmmm ships smartpost, hope it gets here before I need it.

This is the best item Woot has sold IMO. Bought three (six) for our vehicles and parents. One of my greatest fears is being submerged and can't get out.

The glass breaker is pretty much a center punch with the tip shrouded so it doesnt poke you. You press it down on a hard surface which compresses a spring. At a certain compression, it pops and the spring drives the tip into what ever surface it is on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_center_punch

http://www.harborfreight.com/spring-loaded-center-punch-621.html

Basically, if you tried to 'center punch' yourself, the pain of the spring compression would usually prevent you from ever getting to the 'punch' part. I have tried it on myself with a very weak punch. It hurts.

There were only three reviews. Biggest complaint was it was smaller than expected. Boy, do I know that feeling...

jessiebyrd004 wrote:The average rating on Buzzillions is 2.6 stars or so. Not that otterific.
http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/houdini-automotive-escape-tool-reviews

I just bought one set of two. I think I'll try these on the wife's car when they come in.

I learned this from a TV show years ago:

If your car really does begin to submerge, two helpful things to remember are 1) Don't panic! Obviously, calm is going to be relative under such circumstances, but focusing hard on your task should help keep you from freezing, and 2) There will be a sizable pocket of air at the "top corner" of you car, and you can return to it repeatedly to take breaths. Good news - that pocket will be close to where you want to break out.

The Houdini may be a great lifesaving tool, but you're better off if you need fewer of its functions. Read below for some How Tos:

How to Escape from a Sinking Car

After a Car Crash You're Submerged Under Water, What Do You Do?

Escape a Sinking Car

I own two full-size Houdini Pros, one for each car. They're secured in the car so within reach if buckled in (i.e. not in glove box). I live in an area of England that has many irrigation ditches, literally 6' of water just 3' off the road and 10' down (huge drops). No guardrails. One of my coworkers drove home at night, lost control and ended upside down in the ditch, underwater. The only reason he got out was the broken back window and the air pocket. The claw hammer/steel toe/whatever you want doesn't work when it's somewhere and you can't find it and you're swimming.

The punch is spring loaded and you apply constant pressure as if pushing against the window and it springs. It will NOT accidently trigger (I've tried)

Huge Benchmade fan, they're worth the money.

casey00001 wrote:Couldn't I just keep a cheap claw hammer under the front seat that I am sure would work? It would also provide me a little more protection.
$4.99 at Walmart online.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Grip-41140-1-lb.-Fiberglass-Claw-Hammer/14698606

Just duct tape a couple of razor blades to the hammer so you can cut the seat belt.

nottafinga wrote:Does anyone know if these will float?

They look like they should.

If we have an accident before Woot ships these, can we send the bill to Woot?

nottafinga wrote:Does anyone know if these will float?

I think the real question is what else floats!?!
Bread? Apples? Very small rocks?

GitEmSteveDave wrote:For those wondering how center punches work, or them "going off", I took a photo of mine taken apart...


...Trust me when I say that you would know when you are pressing up against the tip way before it builds up enough pressure to spring, so you have more chance of being injured by keys in your pocket than a center punch firing.

Good to know. With as many car wrecks that I've been in (read: caused), this may soon be a necessity. Also, Jigoo.

I bought a bunch of these for family members after we had a rash of cars going into canals. To answer some questions:

1. I've gone through airport security with one. Either the TSA ignored mine because it was on a keychain with a wad of keys and they don't pay much attention to keychains, or they didn't care.

2. I've had mine on my keychain for three or four years and have gotten used to the extra bulk. They're lightweight and in a shape that doesn't seem to be a bother.

3. I've worked a gazillion car wrecks as a newspaper photographer. Very seldom have I seen the keys come out of the ignition. Having them on your keyring pretty much insures that the device is going to be in a place that's intuitive to reach. Trust me, you're not going to find it in the glove box or the center console when you're upside down, underwater and in the dark.

4. The spring loaded center punch is VERY effective. I find that out every time I'm playing with it in my pocket and make the mistake of pressing in too hard, which causes it to fire into my thumb. It IS repeatable, which says something about my lack of good judgment.

5. I'm not ashamed of being paranoid. I've seen what folks look like when their car has gone into a canal. I can't think of many worse ways to go than taking that last gulp of air in the bubble.

I'm in for four. I like the idea of the light and the whistle, which mine doesn't have.

urbsnspices wrote:I think the real question is what else floats!?!
Bread? Apples? Very small rocks?

Witches? A Duck?

I bought 4. I've got a new driver in my household, and a couple of friends I like. For a while, I was into giving fire extinguishers to friends. Only one of them ever had to use it. A grease fire started in his kitchen and ended up big enough to catch his kitchen cabinets on fire. He's been thanking me for years. When I give someone something like this, I honestly hope they'll always think it's a silly, useless, "paranoid" gift.

In a panic and disoriented state, cognitive impairment is expected and will limit one's abilities. So, keep it simple folks. A very simple spring-loaded center punch is the tool that we typically used in the Fire Service to gain access to the side glass. As mentioned, these tools do not work on laminated glass such as the windshield.

I'm buying them for everyone in my family. I hope we never need them, but there is alot of water around here.

Even if you don't live in a place with lots of water, do you live in a place where everyone else is a careful driver? I sure don't. The locals are bad enough, but the tourists think nothing of crossing over several lanes of traffic to make their exit.

I'm happy to have something that might keep me or someone else from remaining trapped in a car. Whether I will use it to free the tourists from their car depends on how apologetic they seem.

PLUS, I FINALLY remembered to use my coupon code from the 6th anniversary woot light sale, so shipping is free! Score!

Please Wootmeister... no links to sites with pop-ups, like snopes.com. I am sure if there were a butt-kicking line for the guy who invented pop-up ads, it would encircle the globe many times. Thank you.

sdc100 wrote:Only if you're inhumanly endowed and/or very excited, with very binding underwear that forces the relevant bits against your body.

More seriously, the tip seems to be very very short, probably less than the thickness of the glass The point (no pun intended) is not to puncture the glass but to shock the glass into breaking. In that case, the "needle" probably isn't even very sharp. Unless you're very unlucky, it's unlikely to strike anything anatomical, including your thighs.

Actually, in almost all center punches, you want the tip very sharp. Trying to break your window with a dull object, even a heavy one, could result in failure: http://jalopnik.com/5549179/tv-reporter-is-worse-car-thief-ever

scyld wrote:It has a metal cutting element.

I think it's pretty obvious.

So you think that logic has something to do with the implementation of safety regulations at landmarks / government buildings?

LEM- wrote:Oh, and one more thing before I will start hoovering my mouse over the "Want One" button.....

How exactly are they triggered? Is there any chance of the glass breaker thingy going off accidentally? It could be VERY PAINFUL if that happened in the front pocket of my pants, which is where I usually carry my keys.

Pretty close to zero chance of that happening. The tip has to be pressed firmly against a hard surface for it to go off. Unfortunately, this was not the case with the can of pepper spray I had in my back pocket while eating at a nice restaurant one night. I had to excuse myself to the restroom and apply numerous paper towels soaked in cold water to my posterior, which resembled that of a baboon.

GitEmSteveDave wrote:Actually, in almost all center punches, you want the tip very sharp.

I completely concur, but this isn't a center punch. It's a glass-breaking tool, and if it were too sharp, it would merely poke a neat hole in the glass. The tip on this, as well as every glass-breaking hammer I've seen, is actually quite dull.

I drive directly along a body of water everyday, for 20 miles, and there are some areas that don't have guardrails. Prayers are said daily, in the winter, as I fly by these areas. This will be in my glove compartment. In for two sets...giving them to the kids for their cars!

OutbackJon wrote:Witches? A Duck?

Churches? Lead?

casey00001 wrote:Couldn't I just keep a cheap claw hammer under the front seat that I am sure would work? It would also provide me a little more protection.
$4.99 at Walmart online.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Grip-41140-1-lb.-Fiberglass-Claw-Hammer/14698606

Duct tape a knife, an LED flashlight, and a whistle to that hammer, and I think you'll have yourself a marketable product!

roadhunter wrote:Duct tape a knife, an LED flashlight, and a whistle to that hammer, and I think you'll have yourself a marketable product!

And, for the record, I carry a Glock Model 27 in .40 S&W for breaking out car windows. It comes in handy in other emergencies, too.

jessiebyrd004 wrote:The average rating on Buzzillions is 2.6 stars or so. Not that otterific.
http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/houdini-automotive-escape-tool-reviews

Nobody on that site has even used it, I don't know why they would even review it.

shamcy wrote:Why would u put this in your pocket ? you should leave it in your glove compartment.

You leave it in your pocket so no matter what car you are in, you will be safe from an unexpected water tradegy (oh how things would be different had the Kennedys known about this little tool).

I myself have been carrying around a 10 LB sledge hammer in my pocket for years, just in case. Thank God Woot is selling this product and I can get rid of the sledgehammer. Soon, I shall again be walking without a limp ... What hump?

CaptainWes wrote:Also great for those long road trips when the kids just won't shut up.

Seriously though, every driver should have one of these. You never know when some distracted driver swerves her car and sends you into a conveniently located body of water. This may even save your life.

I agree that it would be a woman to send you careening into a river

sdc100 wrote:REGARDING SALES TAX ON WOOT and AMAZON



And TAXSUCKS is limited to $5. Basically, it's a s/h refund to offset the tax we pay. I believe the lower limit is $40.01, which annoys me because all my post-Amazon Woots have been less -- including this one.

As a fellow NYer,I'm ashamed to point out that our state is to blame for the Amazon/Woot tax policy. It was a 2003 NY tax law that forced Amazon to start collecting taxesm even if they have no physical presence here. Amazon filed a lawsuit against NYS, which is pending. Most experts believe that it will reach the Supreme Court. Until this is resolved, Amazon/Woot wisely decided to comply. I say that because Amazon won't then be forced to pay (or collect) zillions in back sales tax in case they lose the suit.

Many Wooters have already heard my rants about this but I'll repeat this bit of info. Amazon is partly arguing that it should not be forced to play tax collector for NY because they have no physical presence there. This is crucial because the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the company in a related case, Quill Corp v North Dakota. It ruled that ND cannot force Quill to pay taxes just because they have clients in ND. The decision hinged on the fact that Quill had no physical presence in the state. Unfortunately, Amazon v NY is a bit different. NY is not arguing that Amazon must pay taxes but rather that Amazon must collect sales taxes from their NY customers, to hand over to NY.

I dispute NY's case for several reasons, mostly because NY should have no jurisdiction over out-of-state Amazon's accounting practices. Why should Amazon be compelled to be NY's tax collector without any compensation, and to their detriment (because the higher apparent prices will lower sales)? This is matter between NY and its residents, and out-of-state entities like Amazon should not be penalized.

I don't know about others but the added tax has certainly made me less likely to buy from Amazon. And I've almost completely stopped buying from Buy.com for the same reason. The prices are simply less competitive. Where is my money going? A lot of it is now going to Hong Kong via eBay. Sorry NY, but your stupid policy is going to backfire with Internet savvy shoppers. We'll always find an alternative whether it be eBay, Craig's list or elsewhere. In fact, friends and co-workers in NJ have been my personal shoppers... and my Woots may be going there.

Hopefully this bill should change all that:
http://www.ebaymainstreet.com/news-events/ebay-applauds-resolution-support-small-internet-businesses

jgreen0101 wrote:These are popular in Alabama (according to the current sales), guess they still don't use auto insurance.

I think you're mixing up "getting out of a sinking car" with "being covered for expenses after an accident".

Common error.