A Double-Edged Multitool: Leatherman Releases The Raptor

While I’ve been licensed as a basic EMT (unlike paramedics in my state, I can only dispense certain specific medications, can’t start IVs, intubate, or use an EKG or non-automated defibrillator) since 2004, I’ve never actually worked professionally as an EMT. I’ve volunteered on multiple occasions for the Boston Marathon, and I’ve taught continuing education courses for an EMT training program. Grad school may have intervened before I was able to get a job with an ambulance company, but I like keeping my hand in the field. Two things keep me renewing my license every time it comes due. First, it’s an incredibly useful skill set to have and maintain. Second, the equipment is awesome. If you ever get a chance to poke around in the back of an ambulance, or have an EMT or paramedic show you his or her gear, take the opportunity. While most EMTs and paramedics don’t necessarily strike you as the biggest techhead geeks, many of us get excited when a new piece of kit comes out.

Multitool giant Leatherman recently announced the upcoming release this May of the Leatherman Raptor, a purpose-specific device for emergency medicine practitioners. Leatherman’s device combines several tools used by medics and EMTs into one compact package. The Leatherman Raptor is based around a pair of medical shears and includes a ring cutter, an oxygen tank wrench, a carbide glass breaker, a ruler on the side of the shears, and strap cutters. The device folds down in a manner similar to other multitools and comes with a MOLLE compatible holster than can be attached to a compatible pack or harness.

Information from Leatherman about the Raptor is a little light on the ground, at the moment. So far, my opinions are split in the following directions:

Pros

• The Raptor folds compactly, which is always good. Space can definitely be a premium in an ambulance.
• Having several smaller tools combined into one is more than just a time saver. Knowing that several different tools are in one unified location means you’ll spend less time digging around looking for things, which could end up saving lives.
• Some of the included tools may not be standard in certain jurisdictions, and it may be useful to have something like a glass breaker around rather than having to improvise with another piece of equipment that could break.

Cons

• I can’t tell if the Raptor can be disassembled for cleaning, which dovetails neatly with my next concern.
• One of the nice things about the cheap medical shears that ambulances usually stock is that they can either be sterilized in an autoclave or disposed of outright. At $70, I’d awfully hesitant to dispose of something like the Raptor and would want some sort of ability to clean or sterilize it if it were to become contaminated.
• You can cheaply replace a disposable medical shear when it loses its edge. I can’t tell if the Raptor’s blades can be sharpened after they start to wear down.

My concerns all circulate around the shears and don’t focus on the other tools contained in the Raptor. While I’d want those concerns answered before I start using the Raptor in a professional context, where they’d be more likely to surface, I’m definitely saving up my pennies to add it to my personal first aid kit when it comes out in May 2013.