Scalpel or SAK

[Wasteland Charlie]

I am building two IFAK/TRAUMA pouches. Almost done, but I am thinking I should put a blade in the kits. Some sites recommend scalpels, but I am more inclined to using a folding knife, like a SAK ( w/tweezers), as it is more versatile.  I also have no business operating on people so a scalpel seems to be of limited use, in theory.

So.....

Do you carry a blade in the kit?

Do you think a scalpel is better than a small knife?

Do you think a small knife would be better than a scalpel?

Inquiring minds would like to know!

[Moab]

A scalpel is going to be sharper and sterile. And very lightweight. It's also meant for the job. Very small. And the right shape blade for that type of work. It would be very hard to replace that with a knife.

Normally I would say go for a dual use knife. But in this case I would carry the scalpel if it fits. It's made to fit in your hand like a Bic pen. Small, and very dexterous. You can make very tiny, difficult cuts. Not as easy with a knife.

But you also have to ask yourself "what is the likelihood I will need a scalpel?". Might be wiser to carry a couple sutures. Very tiny, very lightweight and may have more uses than a scalpel. They are also cheap. I would carry sutures before I carried a scalpel.

Honestly I'm not sure a scalpel is necessary. Even if I had one, about the only use I could think of, that I'm qualified for, would be cleaning a wound. It's not like I'm qualified to do ANY kind of scalpel type surgery. That I can think of. And for cleaning out a wound, a small knife blade and tweezers or pliers, would do.

The blades on Leathermans are extremely sharp. But again very unwieldy to operate.

[Rednex]

I keep a folding Derma Safe scale/razor in the FAK i make or add to bought ones. Not a surgeon, but i have been known to cut splinters out of myself. And to cut clothing i guess if you don't have big trauma shears. 

Link
https://www.amazon.com/Derma-safe-Folding-Utility-Survival-5-pack/dp/B0067EMCVI/ref=sr_1_3?crid=C05KWF12WX11&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mvSBCu9EwY8luHZ6G2z8vvw9KqKBt1fUH3EX3HYU0vdUyJ6rWxMya-7H7myD7E7TO0v71QP4oKsH9sCf_Dz1LZzk6JcOUsQR4rhBLO8imL0m6axvHSNwdWDKe0nNnqA3t2nV8FJX5NKRa_gGsD7SZWN00AKSTjehaRbYNnMQ0eb3DZycdXkLkPJNQ122t-6lt9Vi9S7Y5ZTKgZykP6ggsZvhmYetfoQEjHILU22I6PPOVMx15fL5LyB9aiA60RlStSk89b0RXV84B3hpo5BE0CewzaCMB4q7Qs1ht6Z8goPaxIoOhtpxoboqKnlvENcyrbvL4cRinTkMredq7cixnz9zjKLNIUcVuUb0PCQUS-pK_Tp-sg0EDe0AOXQ_gnjAS4KkanfxPu5peAEdZqem-p7KRmmezqF-h0FrzqIuFvaNhefBso1-qUGjC2nQglC7.AnYJU3Z3p9As2Rq7MZ-r4UuB4nizeHAhhCELxxX-M-8&dib_tag=se&keywords=dermasafe+folding+razor+knife&qid=1735382173&sprefix=dermasafe%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-3

[NT2C]

A box of 100 scalpel blades is pretty cheap, and there are a number of different handles you can get for them.

[Wasteland Charlie]

A box of 100 scalpel blades is pretty cheap, and there are a number of different handles you can get for them.

Yeah, I found some on Aliexpress with blades for a couple of bucks, so I am thinking about adding them.

[NT2C]

A box of 100 scalpel blades is pretty cheap, and there are a number of different handles you can get for them.

Yeah, I found some on Aliexpress with blades for a couple of bucks, so I am thinking about adding them.

Be very cautious about medical supplies from them. Quality can vary wildly, even from the same vendor, and sterility is very questionable.

[echo83]

The Derma-Safe is nice because it has a handle that protects the blade...if you're really tight on space a single-edge razor blade might do the trick too?