Tourniquets are a hot topic again: they save lives in traffic accidents, on the mountain or in military conflicts – if you know how to use them and make the right choice. In order to get an orientation on the market, we had three experts from Critical Knowledge test common “TQs” for Ranger Magazine (made by Militär Aktuell) for their practicality (-> To the large test overview).
Replica Tourniquet
The replica tourniquet is offered as a cheaper alternative to the CAT Gen7 offered by major mail order companies. In direct comparison to the original, however, a softer and thinner material was chosen. The tension band, which increases the pressure on the limb by turning the toggle, is looser and not as tight as the original. In order to build up tension and pressure, it is therefore necessary to twist the strap much more often than with the original, as a direct comparison showed: when tested with thick outerwear, the original CAT Gen7 needed four turns to stop the blood flow, while the replica needed eleven, which illustrates the generally inferior quality of the materials used. The toggle bends so much that you get the feeling that it could snap at any time. The Zeit-Klett is also only velcroed and not fixed, which not only means the loss of the Velcro as a platform for the setting time, but also the loss of the second securing of the gag in the receptacle. As with the original, the skin is often pulled into the plastic loop when the tourniquet is tightened.
Product: Replica Tourniquet
Manufacturer: No-name product
Price: approx. 10 Euro
Source of supply/manufacturer: amazon.at
Test & evaluation*
Haptics & optics: 5
Even OE: 6
Self UE: 7
Foreign OE: 7
Foreign UE: 7
Gloves: 7
Training intensity: 10
Total points: 49
Ranking in the test: 9th place
*Self OE: self application upper extremities, self UE = self application lower extremities, external OE = external application upper extremities, external UE = external application lower extremities, gloves = application with gloves, training intensity = can the tourniquet be used without much practice? 15 points were achievable in each test category = a total of 105 points could be scored
This review first appeared in Ranger Magazine #2 (available here as an e-paper).
Click here for the overview article of the big Tourniquet test.
