Spyderco named this knife after its principal job function, to Assist. The Assist was designed for emergency/fire/rescue professionals (and for the well-equipped civilian) who rely on their knives to function flawlessly under pressure. Even with twenty-five years experience in making rescue knives, Spyderco is still offering new high-tech features and the Assist model showcases the latest and greatest in this knife genre.
The VG-10 patented blunt-tipped blade is a toothy eighty-percent Spyder Edged for aggressively cutting seatbelts and fibrous material. The last inch of the tip we've left Plain Edge for detailed cutting (think sharpening pencils). Perched above the Round Hole, a Cobra Hood positions the thumb directly over the hole for quick blade deployment, then doubles as a leveraging platform for the thumb. The wavy pattern cut from the top of the blade (created by a fireman from Sweden) and along the inside of the handle let you place a piece of rope (between the half-open blade and handle) and scissor the blade shut- especially convenient for cutting rope in-and-around flesh without having to fully open/expose the knife's blade. The FRN handle is a molded wonder of Bi-Directional textured contours and bulges that ergonomically wrap around your palm. In the closed position, squeeze the blade deeper into the handle and a retractable carbide tip protrudes out from the base for breaking glass. Outlined in safety orange on the handle's spine is a shrill and attention-pitched survival whistle. Carries left/right handed, tip-up by means of a tension wire clip.