I'm a doctor, who is an avid shooter. I love going to the range. I looked up this video, because I was suspicious of the tourniquets I have. Good video.
I have a few that I know are knockoffs. Have practiced/tested them and they do not stretch and show no signs of being damaged by use. Full occlusion with 1 1/2 turns. Could maybe get full 2 turns if I weren't such a baby. I'm not endorsing any alternatives in any way, just sharing the findings from my sample size. . By all means, go with the best trusted product you can get!
Things might've changed in the 3 years since this video was posted. I just bought (August 2023) an inexpensive Chinese made clone of a CAT-7 tourniquet and put it through the exact same tests as in the video, it worked exactly like the brand name CAT-7. Nothing broke or stretched out and it worked fine. I was suspicious however that maybe this was some kind of rare Chinese tourniquet so I tried another one from same source, again, worked just fine. One drawback to anything made from China is there are many manufacturers of stuff, and some companies put out a quality product and others put out garbage.
I’m not risking my life or any member of my family’s life with a counterfeit product. If it was good enough, it would be certified to a standard. If it’s not TCCC certified, it’s not good enough.
August 2024 update - tried out a Chinese clone I had that I was phasing out from my range kit in favor of a genuine CAT. (Ordered June 2024). Tried it around my arm as shown in the video and it worked just fine for one application. Achieved occlusion on my left arm, applied on my right arm, failed to occlude on my first go, I suspected my application was inadequate, applied again, achieved occlusion. To Kyle's point, I would much rather run CATs. I have faith in the Chinese clones to work well but if it's my life or my family's life on the line, I'll spend the $30 for the extra vote of confidence and knowing that I reduced one more risk. However, I disagree with the notion that all clones are crap. I have personally tested and verified several known clones as I started purchasing them and, more recently, as I phase them out. Yes, I would rather have a genuine CAT over a clone. However, money is limited and as I determined how to manage my resources, I determined that a clone in every location I desired was more valuable than a single CAT that I solely relied on. Clones can be had for $4 or so through AliExpress. I wanted to keep a tourniquet on each of my range belts(2x), on my range bag, in my car, and in my EDC bag to start. I was able to buy 10 for less than $40; 3 for my testing and practice, 1 for each of the locations I wanted one, and 2 spares to rotate though. Obviously going for the genuine CAT is optimal; I don't think anyone would argue against that. However, my opinion and my own decision was to buy enough clones to immediately stock every location that I identified as posing a risk, knowing that I'd replace them with genuine units as budget allowed. Just my 2 cents, but I'm leaning towards a semi-reliable clone in a location I have immediate access to is worth far more than the genuine CAT I'm saving up for or didn't have because my single CAT was left in my EDC bag when I went to the range.
@@KyleKalevra cool story bro. I’ve seen clones used to stop real life bleeds, so have fun spending more money In my opinion, North American quality is on the decline, not Chinese. (Not to mention north American inflation) There are legitimate factories in China that produce both brand names goods AND no name goods IN THE SAME FACTORY.
@ You want to risk your life over pennies, your choice. I’m not that cheap. Certified CATs, certified plates. No exceptions. You want that knock off crap on your life saving kit? Go for it, bro. Hopefully your HiPoint or PSA blemish deal doesn’t fail you either. Me? I’m not willing to take that risk. Nice sales pitch though. Good luck with that.
@@KyleKalevra The issue is quantity and cost. How many tourniquets do you have staged? Do you have kit in your car, a kit at home, a kit for the range, a kit for family members? Having one good tourniquets that is not around when you need it is worse than having a cheap one that might fail. How much hemostatic gauze do you have stashed? For every certified CAT you purchased, you could of bought a hemostatic agent and chinese CAT. Yeah your primary kit should have a certified CAT. The rest? It's not pennies, it's comes out to hundreds of dollars if you have many kits.
Glad I found your website and videos. I'm a physician and my church asked me to look into and help get trauma kit(s). Didn't realize the rabbit hole of knowledge I will be acquiring to help out effectively and to help individuals who are interested get the necessary training experiences. Thank you! Definitely subbed!
My problem with any manufacturer that does business with the government, particularly military, is that they can set a price that precludes business with much of the civilian market. And most of them seem to be fine with that.
I bought 2 of these they were advertised as a "CAT" tourniquets once I received them I could tell that they were not the same quality as my real CAT TQ's. I used them for range training with some of my students. The first one that we used worked a few times for practice and then the buckle broke with the second one the first time we used it the windless snapped in half. Invest in good quality medical equipment. Good video. Thank you!
This is why I order from NAR when I get tourniquets. When purchased from the maker, you know you're not getting a fake. I also like SOFF-T as they have metal buckles and windlasses!
Thank you for a VERY informative video ! I am a 73 years old veteran and avid trap shooter. I always have a trauma kit in my vehicles. Watching this video made me check my tourniquets for fakes ! All are good to go ! I appreciate you sharing your knowledge ! JJP
I put together a shooting range first aid kit and it looks like I have a couple crappy tourniquets in there. Fake ones! Thank you for opening my eyes to this
Thank you so much for the info. I have very limited funds to spend and was looking at cat Tourniquets (on amazon) something told me to wait before I buy one. now I know why I needed to see your info. Thanks again and God Bless
Excellent video. I just checked the several I have in various bug out and travel bags and find they are North American Rescue CAT so am very relieved for obvious reasons.
Thank you for this review. Our OHV club just went through STOP THE BLEED® First Aid Training sessions and bought 5 IFAK Trauma Kits for IFAK raffle prizes specifically with the CAT Tourniquet + SWAT-T tourniquets for individuals with smaller arms/legs + Israeli pressure wound bandages + compressed hemostatic gauze. This was very informative.
Having a substandard piece of safety gear is worse than none at all due to the false sense of security it provokes. If it fails you're done. Frankly, I prefer the Tactical Medical Solutions SOF T wide tourniquet (also approved by the TCCC) due to the metal windlass. But a genuine CAT is fine too. Have used both. Both work. Both are approved by the TCCC. TCCC testing includes the quality of the tourniquet, it's ease of use, and it's effectiveness. Your tourniquet has to have all those elements.
I have 4 copy cat tourniquets that I got from Amazon and had no pulse after 3 turns.. I will still grab a couple from NAR, but I’m going to keep the ones I already have as backups though. will edc with the real ones.
CAT was used on my right leg in Iraq. I trust them, but I got some that aren’t the NAR CAT’s. Rhino Rescue makes incredible tourniquets. Outside of NAR CAT’s and Rhino Rescue I don’t trust them. Had a fake fail. The windlass folded in half on me. Lol.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a four pack of tourniquets on Amazon for $29. They look exactly like the CAT, but after watching your video, I felt compelled to try one of them to make sure that it worked. I'm a Veteran, EMT, CNA, and nursing student, and I'm happy to say that within three turns of the windless, it was extremely tight and to my standards. I'm not entirely sure which brand I got but I'm happy to say that while others might not work, these ones definitely do.
It is VERY important to me to have peace of mind knowing the TQ I purchased is quality and has been well tested with real world data backing it up. The possibility of someone dying on my watch because I wanted to save a couple of bucks, isn't worth the risk to me. Are there knock off TQs on Amazon that might work? Maybe. Am I willing to live with an unnecessary death on my conscience because I'm a cheapskate and only saved $20? Nope. And doubly nope if it's my wife and kids on the line. I highly doubt your "test" meets the rigorous standards of the CoTCCC. Standards established by experienced combat medics, trauma nurses and doctors. There are plenty of other places in life to save money. This is is NOT one of them.
To be fair, the kindest tourniquet is a blood pressure cuff pumped just above systolic pressure (200 mm Hg is a good start). That will stop arterial blood flow. A TK, once applied, is fixed. A cuff may bleed pressure. CAT demonstrations on logs and salesman's arms are not reproducible. That's not to say that there aren't breakable counterfeits out there.
No, I don't. I've heard good things about them, but my requests to the company to review have gone unanswered. Hopefully I will have a review up after I get my hands on one.
I have both CAT and Recon. I trust both on my life. So I never got to use one on a pt as they were just coming back when I left EMS and became an LPN. However i tested both on myself: Recon 2-3 turns to occlude the radial pulse CAT 1-2 turns. To me the extra turns are minimal vs the 6-8 in this video on the fake. Both feel very heavy duty and I love the finger loop and metal windlass on the recon. I hope to hell I never need them but if I do I feel good about them both.
I have worked EMS, but mostly I grew up and still travel through a high crime area. There's a real possibility I'd need a tourniquet one day. So far, no. I did know the counterfeit ones exist and won't work. I didn't realize it was easy to tell the difference when checking purchased ones. I buy from NAR. But I never thought to check the ones on the truck when I was an EMT. I've always carried a trauma kit (even on the ambulance, and yes, safety had a fit... but got over it). I know I've got legit gear. I will most certainly pass this on so others know how bad the counterfeit is.
Excellent information, thanks! Question a little off topic. Just got CERT qualified, in med class was informed never put on a tourniquet...if done, never remove it but let ER or EMT do it. Talking to brother-in-law today and he disagrees. He's a 1st Cav combat medic with two Iraq tours, he advice was after 15 min, loosen tourniquet for couple of beats then retighten. Done every 15 mins. Your advice?
I agree with your CERT training. They used to teach loosening a TQ every 15 min a while ago, because they were worried guys were going to have more amputations. But that method is no longer encouraged, or taught. Research has shown that a TQ can be applied for up to 6 hours before causing so much tissue damage that an amputation is required. Experts recommend that a tourniquet be in place no longer then 2 hours to be on the safe side. Here's why you should leave the TQ tight: If you loosen the TQ because you're worried the casualty might loose the leg, you are risking them bleeding to death. It's better to lose the leg then your life, so leave the TQ and transport ASAP and you'll be fine. A TQ should only be removed by a surgeon because they are right there to patch up the artery.
I saw many fake CAT. and thanks to videos like this, i only bought real ones. Don't wanna someone or me get killed because my medkit have faulty tourniquet.
NAR CAT, $2 materials, $2 labor, $26 logo. If you're a person with a budget trying to get medical gear you'll probably never use, $30 for a single use item is a hard sell. Not to mention trying to have multiple of them. 4 per person, $120.
At the height of covid, the state of WA provided hospitals with pallets of counterfeit 3M N95. Furer Inslee got a screaming deal on them no doubt, the seller likely threw in a free boat for inslees family or something. Important stuff like this buy straight from the source. I only buy CAT straight from NAR
there is very simple solution for that problem - not charging $30 for a piece of belt with windlass. There is no reason for NAR to charge that much, other than pure profit. Notice there is little to none info about materials used in CAT - you know why? Cause it's not space technology, you use same belt to secure stuff on a trailer, so why the heck it cost $30?
@@MountainManMedical but $10 to save life is even better deal, and people will buy that no matter what. Just like they buy shitty chinese phones because they are cheaper and they dont care that their battery will he dead after a year.
I did a video on them a while back when they were called the Recon Tourniquet. But a new video might be a good idea.... ruclips.net/video/fBLJc1-ORyI/видео.html
Thanks for the info I bought an everyday carry kit from Amazon that came with a tourniquet. I just checked it out and sure as shit I’ll have to buy a real tourniquet! Thanks again
North American quality should be a HUGE concern. Wages don’t meet inflation and worker happiness is very low. What makes y’all think we make unbreakable products?
Yes there are other good brands. Tac Med Solutions TQ, the "SOF Tourniquet" is a high quality option you should consider. I have videos about that and others on the channel.
You probably just saved my life or the life of another. I'm putting together what I call my "Home Defense Gear," and on the advice of my son who is currently active duty Air Force Security Forces and who knows a thing or two about combat gear, I included a CAT in my IFAK. I'm retired Air Force from the same service branch and career field, but they've made some pretty significant advances in medical and first aid gear since I retired 23 years ago, so I went to my son for advice. And yes, I f*cked up and bought it from Amazon for $14. (Yeah, I know, don't laugh.) After watching this video I checked the CAT that I bought, and guess what - yep, it's a FAKE. So it's now sitting in the trash and I'm getting ready to order a REAL one from YOUR company! Thank you so much for this video! I may literally owe you my life!
Thanks for the great video. Do you have any opinions on the Rats? I have Recon, SWAT-T (least favorite, keep them for extra pressure bandages and a last resort) and CAT, however i have two dogs and would love to get the RATS for them due to the significantly less width?
Thanks Rich. I'm not a big fan of the RATS. I think the SWAT-T does everything the RATS can do, but better, and it can be used as a pressure dressing and a few other things too. I'm not saying the RATS won't work to stop bleeding, there's just better TQs out there. There are a lot of K9 units carrying the SWAT-T, but they have big working dogs. If your dogs are smaller, I think you're right that a RATS might work better. Good thought process Rich, I love it!
Yep! I think they would work great for that since the CAT trainers are the same cost as a regular. Just make sure you write "FAKE" across the Time: so you don't get it mixed up.
@@MountainManMedical I just picked up another orange one as a training tourniquet. I just tried it today to confirm this before typing it in and I can tell you it only took 2 turns for total occlusion.
I am surprised in the US where suing for 10’s of millions of dollars is not uncommon saving $20 on a fake medical product is in any way considered a good idea.
I can’t believe that people have the guts to manufacture a bad quality, fake rip off of such an essential piece of gear that literally means the difference between life and death, thank goodness your buddy in the story had a spare because when you look at most people who carry a tourniquet it’s usually only one, absolutely disgusting that people are willing to gamble with peoples lives for money
No one can save you from your own stupidity. If you mindlessly buying supplies that meant to be a difference between life and death maybe you deserve what's coming for you as a result.
While not every clone CAT is junk, it’s too hard to tell which ones are bad. I’ve had a few and tested them all before considering carrying them and I’ve for sure cut off blood circulation with them. My best advice is just test your gear before trusting it.
Thanks Brian. Dammit I have some of the knockoffs. Sadly, NAR CATs are made in PRC. I noticed you carry TacMed SOF Gen 4 at Mountain Man Medical. It's made in the USA. Do you have a demo video?
No problem Motz! I think those counterfeit TQs have their place as cheap trainers, just make sure to label them so you don't get them mixed up with real CATs. And yes I do have a video on that, but I'm planning on a video dedicated to the SOF-T soon. ruclips.net/video/PMJiFbkWicU/видео.html
What to say..... It's much more like a cheaper substitution for the SOFTTW to me. (Somehow TMT's price is 1/4 lower than CAT GEN7 & SOFTTW here) Even just one of them is with the Velcro, I still feel like they have similar operations.In my opinion TMT's even much easier and faster to use than CAT and SOFTT. However as the TMT includes a lot of plastic parts,I'm still a bit worried if TMT could work normally like the other TQs at low temperature....
@@sledger2655 Low temperature is an important consideration that is often overlooked. Also, "plastic" is called that in part because is is not at a stable final state chemically when sold. Modern plastics are better than older ones, but eventually they will become brittle with age. I have a rifle and several pistols that are over 100 years old and are still safe to shoot (standard loadings only, no +P!). I wonder how many of the wonder-polymer guns will be able to say the same in 2120?
tourniquets need super tightening and that hurts like hell as arteries run DEEP...but we were always taught that since the arteries run on the inside of legs and arms you tighten down THERE, not on the outer side of the arm/leg. Just sayin'...
Ordered one of these cheap tourniquets from China - it had a nice pouch, pair of scissors, but the item itself is everything you describe here - low quality plastic and loose, slippery winding belt.
@@MountainManMedical Thanks. Looking forward to it. I bought a few because they were recommended to me by an EMT I know. Never had to use one yet(and hope I never do), but with the way things are you never know...
For real yall, the gucci rifle and tac gear is cool, but I know a real one when i see one, and he usually has at least 2 tourniquets on his gear. Remember: "its the small things that get You killed." Always.
Cutting corners and cost is one thing; but to do this and cost someone there life.. My God , what's wrong with some of these companies?? There's got to be some kind of law against selling equipment like this.. If not, there should be.
Thank you for all your informative videos! Can anyone recommend a good training course in S FL? It's nice to have all the gear advertised but if you don't know how to use it, you might actually do more damage than help.
I got a med kit online and the Israeli bandage the nasal pharyngeal and so on where the same brand as I got in the army but the CAT didn't look or feel right I had heard of knock offs before and was immediately suspicious of it I'm gonna got test it and see how it fails
One of your points was it was harder to turn? Maybe because you put it on in the opposite direction as the first one ? Not saying the product is any better just noticed the inconsistency of your test. Like doing one with your right hand and one with your left, not an equal assessment. I do agree that you get what you pay for.
I could see the fakes being good for training purposes where you have large groups where full function is not critically necessary for practical hands on concept and the cost savings would be worth it. just inform the group In the difference
Yes I think that is an acceptable way to use the counterfeits. I have done that in the past too and what I like to do is write "Training" or "Fake" on the time band so that it doesn't get confused with a real CAT.
Wow! Thank you so much brotha! Just found a fake turkey neck in my daily pouch. Good thing I have a real G7 CAT as a back up. Thank you for the vid. What a life saver this man! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼🇺🇸 Gonna go buy some more legit stuff. 🤙🏼
I never understood cheaping out on life saving equipment. Good ammo for conceal carry self defense is $35 a box? Oh well. Good tourniquet is $35? so what? I'll never think risking a life is worth saving $20 or even $100
@@worstcase519 I've had cake icing for dinner. Just save up a little more. It's a few dollars more. If you're THAT broke, you should rethink priorities
![BRASIL vs. URUGUAY [1-1] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-hWBAuxF1eY/mqdefault.jpg)
Paying $30 for a C.A.T is better than spending thousands on a funeral in my book.
$30 tourniquet vs $2,500 casket 🤔
True I have 2 real cats and one cheap for practice and teaching my buddies have the cheap one very clearly marked👌
3$ vs 9,000$ + Lower Life quality of remaining others + Emotional damage
Coffins are expensive af
Yeah, BUT, Spend 30 Bucks, and still get a knock-off, WTF?
I'm a doctor, who is an avid shooter. I love going to the range. I looked up this video, because I was suspicious of the tourniquets I have. Good video.
Thanks Doc! Feel free to stick around and lend your insights and explanations,
ty
I have a few that I know are knockoffs. Have practiced/tested them and they do not stretch and show no signs of being damaged by use. Full occlusion with 1 1/2 turns. Could maybe get full 2 turns if I weren't such a baby. I'm not endorsing any alternatives in any way, just sharing the findings from my sample size. . By all means, go with the best trusted product you can get!
Things might've changed in the 3 years since this video was posted. I just bought (August 2023) an inexpensive Chinese made clone of a CAT-7 tourniquet and put it through the exact same tests as in the video, it worked exactly like the brand name CAT-7. Nothing broke or stretched out and it worked fine. I was suspicious however that maybe this was some kind of rare Chinese tourniquet so I tried another one from same source, again, worked just fine.
One drawback to anything made from China is there are many manufacturers of stuff, and some companies put out a quality product and others put out garbage.
I’m not risking my life or any member of my family’s life with a counterfeit product.
If it was good enough, it would be certified to a standard.
If it’s not TCCC certified, it’s not good enough.
August 2024 update - tried out a Chinese clone I had that I was phasing out from my range kit in favor of a genuine CAT. (Ordered June 2024). Tried it around my arm as shown in the video and it worked just fine for one application. Achieved occlusion on my left arm, applied on my right arm, failed to occlude on my first go, I suspected my application was inadequate, applied again, achieved occlusion.
To Kyle's point, I would much rather run CATs. I have faith in the Chinese clones to work well but if it's my life or my family's life on the line, I'll spend the $30 for the extra vote of confidence and knowing that I reduced one more risk.
However, I disagree with the notion that all clones are crap. I have personally tested and verified several known clones as I started purchasing them and, more recently, as I phase them out. Yes, I would rather have a genuine CAT over a clone. However, money is limited and as I determined how to manage my resources, I determined that a clone in every location I desired was more valuable than a single CAT that I solely relied on. Clones can be had for $4 or so through AliExpress. I wanted to keep a tourniquet on each of my range belts(2x), on my range bag, in my car, and in my EDC bag to start. I was able to buy 10 for less than $40; 3 for my testing and practice, 1 for each of the locations I wanted one, and 2 spares to rotate though.
Obviously going for the genuine CAT is optimal; I don't think anyone would argue against that. However, my opinion and my own decision was to buy enough clones to immediately stock every location that I identified as posing a risk, knowing that I'd replace them with genuine units as budget allowed. Just my 2 cents, but I'm leaning towards a semi-reliable clone in a location I have immediate access to is worth far more than the genuine CAT I'm saving up for or didn't have because my single CAT was left in my EDC bag when I went to the range.
@@KyleKalevra cool story bro.
I’ve seen clones used to stop real life bleeds, so have fun spending more money
In my opinion, North American quality is on the decline, not Chinese. (Not to mention north American inflation)
There are legitimate factories in China that produce both brand names goods AND no name goods IN THE SAME FACTORY.
@ You want to risk your life over pennies, your choice. I’m not that cheap.
Certified CATs, certified plates. No exceptions.
You want that knock off crap on your life saving kit? Go for it, bro. Hopefully your HiPoint or PSA blemish deal doesn’t fail you either. Me? I’m not willing to take that risk.
Nice sales pitch though. Good luck with that.
@@KyleKalevra The issue is quantity and cost. How many tourniquets do you have staged? Do you have kit in your car, a kit at home, a kit for the range, a kit for family members? Having one good tourniquets that is not around when you need it is worse than having a cheap one that might fail. How much hemostatic gauze do you have stashed? For every certified CAT you purchased, you could of bought a hemostatic agent and chinese CAT. Yeah your primary kit should have a certified CAT. The rest? It's not pennies, it's comes out to hundreds of dollars if you have many kits.
Wow, that's insane... Good on your buddy for carrying a backup.
Glad I found your website and videos. I'm a physician and my church asked me to look into and help get trauma kit(s). Didn't realize the rabbit hole of knowledge I will be acquiring to help out effectively and to help individuals who are interested get the necessary training experiences. Thank you! Definitely subbed!
Thanks Doc! I appreciate the encouragement
@@MountainManMedical Just ordered a bunch of gear from your site lastnight. Thank you!
@@DrSteveMorreale Thanks Doc! I appreciate the support!
My problem with any manufacturer that does business with the government, particularly military, is that they can set a price that precludes business with much of the civilian market. And most of them seem to be fine with that.
I bought 2 of these they were advertised as a "CAT" tourniquets once I received them I could tell that they were not the same quality as my real CAT TQ's. I used them for range training with some of my students. The first one that we used worked a few times for practice and then the buckle broke with the second one the first time we used it the windless snapped in half. Invest in good quality medical equipment. Good video. Thank you!
This is why I order from NAR when I get tourniquets. When purchased from the maker, you know you're not getting a fake.
I also like SOFF-T as they have metal buckles and windlasses!
Thank you for a VERY informative video ! I am a 73 years old veteran and avid trap shooter. I always have a trauma kit in my vehicles. Watching this video made me check my tourniquets for fakes ! All are good to go ! I appreciate you sharing your knowledge ! JJP
Hooyah! Thanks for the comment!
I put together a shooting range first aid kit and it looks like I have a couple crappy tourniquets in there. Fake ones! Thank you for opening my eyes to this
Thank you so much for the info. I have very limited funds to spend and was looking at cat Tourniquets (on amazon) something told me to wait before I buy one. now I know why I needed to see your info. Thanks again and God Bless
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video. I just checked the several I have in various bug out and travel bags and find they are North American Rescue CAT so am very relieved for obvious reasons.
Its a fucked up world - when you have to be suspicious of every “customer review video” as being a possible paid commercial .
Here from your "short".... many thanks for your time and effort putting this video together.
Thanks Daniel! I appreciate that.
Thank you for this review. Our OHV club just went through STOP THE BLEED® First Aid Training sessions and bought 5 IFAK Trauma Kits for IFAK raffle prizes specifically with the CAT Tourniquet + SWAT-T tourniquets for individuals with smaller arms/legs + Israeli pressure wound bandages + compressed hemostatic gauze. This was very informative.
You're welcome! I'm glad you found it useful.
Thank you thank you. This should be in the newspaper for those who do not subscribe to to mountain man. Serious stuff!
I agree. Get the word out and eventually no one will buy them hopefully.
I was trying to give myself a stranger with an imitation tourniquet. Totally wrecked the mood.
Just kidding.
Thanks for the info.
This video will most definitely save lives. Good man.
Having a substandard piece of safety gear is worse than none at all due to the false sense of security it provokes. If it fails you're done.
Frankly, I prefer the Tactical Medical Solutions SOF T wide tourniquet (also approved by the TCCC) due to the metal windlass. But a genuine CAT is fine too. Have used both. Both work. Both are approved by the TCCC. TCCC testing includes the quality of the tourniquet, it's ease of use, and it's effectiveness. Your tourniquet has to have all those elements.
Well said Eric. I agree.
I have 4 copy cat tourniquets that I got from Amazon and had no pulse after 3 turns.. I will still grab a couple from NAR, but I’m going to keep the ones I already have as backups though. will edc with the real ones.
I don't have money for an authentic TC, I'm just an ordinary good Samaritan overseas, and the dollar is too high.
CAT was used on my right leg in Iraq. I trust them, but I got some that aren’t the NAR CAT’s. Rhino Rescue makes incredible tourniquets. Outside of NAR CAT’s and Rhino Rescue I don’t trust them. Had a fake fail. The windlass folded in half on me. Lol.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a four pack of tourniquets on Amazon for $29. They look exactly like the CAT, but after watching your video, I felt compelled to try one of them to make sure that it worked. I'm a Veteran, EMT, CNA, and nursing student, and I'm happy to say that within three turns of the windless, it was extremely tight and to my standards. I'm not entirely sure which brand I got but I'm happy to say that while others might not work, these ones definitely do.
It is VERY important to me to have peace of mind knowing the TQ I purchased is quality and has been well tested with real world data backing it up. The possibility of someone dying on my watch because I wanted to save a couple of bucks, isn't worth the risk to me.
Are there knock off TQs on Amazon that might work? Maybe. Am I willing to live with an unnecessary death on my conscience because I'm a cheapskate and only saved $20? Nope. And doubly nope if it's my wife and kids on the line.
I highly doubt your "test" meets the rigorous standards of the CoTCCC. Standards established by experienced combat medics, trauma nurses and doctors.
There are plenty of other places in life to save money. This is is NOT one of them.
To be fair, the kindest tourniquet is a blood pressure cuff pumped just above systolic pressure (200 mm Hg is a good start). That will stop arterial blood flow. A TK, once applied, is fixed. A cuff may bleed pressure. CAT demonstrations on logs and salesman's arms are not reproducible. That's not to say that there aren't breakable counterfeits out there.
@@roberth5435 you put a pair of hemostats on the tubing to cut off the air to use a blood pressure cuff as a tourniquet.
I ordered one cheap orange one for TRAINING. I marked it all over for TRAINING. This way, I can keep my $30 units ready to go and not wore out.
I like the Recon Medical (CAT) ones so far.. they work VERY good. At least for now.. do you have an opinion on them?
No, I don't. I've heard good things about them, but my requests to the company to review have gone unanswered. Hopefully I will have a review up after I get my hands on one.
I like the Recon also. I like their metal windlass. Haven't encountered any problems with them. Bought 2 for the price of 1 NAR.
I have both CAT and Recon. I trust both on my life. So I never got to use one on a pt as they were just coming back when I left EMS and became an LPN. However i tested both on myself: Recon 2-3 turns to occlude the radial pulse CAT 1-2 turns. To me the extra turns are minimal vs the 6-8 in this video on the fake. Both feel very heavy duty and I love the finger loop and metal windlass on the recon. I hope to hell I never need them but if I do I feel good about them both.
I was about to comment this lol
I’ve tested the fake CATs and they work fine
Except for the dude in Denver, that he’s speaking of, that it didn’t.
RHINO makes a good product too
I have worked EMS, but mostly I grew up and still travel through a high crime area. There's a real possibility I'd need a tourniquet one day. So far, no. I did know the counterfeit ones exist and won't work. I didn't realize it was easy to tell the difference when checking purchased ones. I buy from NAR. But I never thought to check the ones on the truck when I was an EMT. I've always carried a trauma kit (even on the ambulance, and yes, safety had a fit... but got over it). I know I've got legit gear. I will most certainly pass this on so others know how bad the counterfeit is.
Thanks for the comment! Spread the word!
Excellent information, thanks! Question a little off topic. Just got CERT qualified, in med class was informed never put on a tourniquet...if done, never remove it but let ER or EMT do it. Talking to brother-in-law today and he disagrees. He's a 1st Cav combat medic with two Iraq tours, he advice was after 15 min, loosen tourniquet for couple of beats then retighten. Done every 15 mins. Your advice?
I agree with your CERT training. They used to teach loosening a TQ every 15 min a while ago, because they were worried guys were going to have more amputations.
But that method is no longer encouraged, or taught.
Research has shown that a TQ can be applied for up to 6 hours before causing so much tissue damage that an amputation is required.
Experts recommend that a tourniquet be in place no longer then 2 hours to be on the safe side.
Here's why you should leave the TQ tight:
If you loosen the TQ because you're worried the casualty might loose the leg, you are risking them bleeding to death.
It's better to lose the leg then your life, so leave the TQ and transport ASAP and you'll be fine.
A TQ should only be removed by a surgeon because they are right there to patch up the artery.
@@MountainManMedical Thanks for the advice!
Dude. Thanks for the info. I just looked in both of my medical kits and they both are fake ones I have. Thanks for the heads up
I saw many fake CAT. and thanks to videos like this, i only bought real ones. Don't wanna someone or me get killed because my medkit have faulty tourniquet.
NAR CAT, $2 materials, $2 labor, $26 logo. If you're a person with a budget trying to get medical gear you'll probably never use, $30 for a single use item is a hard sell. Not to mention trying to have multiple of them. 4 per person, $120.
Your putting money before your or someone's life. You spend more on insurance a year than a couple good IFAK kits.
@@TheChubbyKid knock off tourniquets work. You think Chinese military buy NAR? Use your brain
At the height of covid, the state of WA provided hospitals with pallets of counterfeit 3M N95. Furer Inslee got a screaming deal on them no doubt, the seller likely threw in a free boat for inslees family or something. Important stuff like this buy straight from the source. I only buy CAT straight from NAR
there is very simple solution for that problem - not charging $30 for a piece of belt with windlass. There is no reason for NAR to charge that much, other than pure profit. Notice there is little to none info about materials used in CAT - you know why? Cause it's not space technology, you use same belt to secure stuff on a trailer, so why the heck it cost $30?
Perhaps, but $30 to save a life is a pretty sweet deal either way. And all the other companies charge about the same for their TQs as well.
@@MountainManMedical but $10 to save life is even better deal, and people will buy that no matter what. Just like they buy shitty chinese phones because they are cheaper and they dont care that their battery will he dead after a year.
Hell I buy $9 cat gen 7 models at Fort Campbell KY.
That's a pretty good deal.
Just go to your medic and get them for free.
Hey bro, I’d love to see what you think of the Rhino Rescue tourniquets that exist now, they seem pretty dang solid.
I did a video on them a while back when they were called the Recon Tourniquet. But a new video might be a good idea.... ruclips.net/video/fBLJc1-ORyI/видео.html
Without using them, how can I tell the difference between genuine NAR and a counterfeit? What tells are there?
Thanks for the info I bought an everyday carry kit from Amazon that came with a tourniquet. I just checked it out and sure as shit I’ll have to buy a real tourniquet! Thanks again
Glad it helps. Thanks for letting me know. That fake can still make for a good training TQ as long as you mark it so you don't get it mixed up.
I have cheap ones but ive tested mine before putting them in my IFAKs
Ive got a Fake one that i only use for Training stuff… tho also no Puls at 2 Full turns
A large portion of my legitimate C-A-T ts have stitching unraveling. Single stitched straps fall apart. Quality control is a concern.
Interesting! Good to know, thanks for the heads up. Always need to check our gear to make sure it's operational. Sucks finding out when you need it...
North American quality should be a HUGE concern.
Wages don’t meet inflation and worker happiness is very low. What makes y’all think we make unbreakable products?
Absolutely fantastic video, content, and presentation!! Thanks!!
You're Welcome! Thanks for sticking around.
How do you know what you have? The preferred brand is stated, but how to identify a bad one is not. And are there other good brands?
Yes there are other good brands. Tac Med Solutions TQ, the "SOF Tourniquet" is a high quality option you should consider. I have videos about that and others on the channel.
You probably just saved my life or the life of another. I'm putting together what I call my "Home Defense Gear," and on the advice of my son who is currently active duty Air Force Security Forces and who knows a thing or two about combat gear, I included a CAT in my IFAK. I'm retired Air Force from the same service branch and career field, but they've made some pretty significant advances in medical and first aid gear since I retired 23 years ago, so I went to my son for advice.
And yes, I f*cked up and bought it from Amazon for $14. (Yeah, I know, don't laugh.) After watching this video I checked the CAT that I bought, and guess what - yep, it's a FAKE. So it's now sitting in the trash and I'm getting ready to order a REAL one from YOUR company!
Thank you so much for this video! I may literally owe you my life!
Happy to help. And no worries, you aren't alone. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, for the info! JD, (Michigan)
Thanks for the great video. Do you have any opinions on the Rats? I have Recon, SWAT-T (least favorite, keep them for extra pressure bandages and a last resort) and CAT, however i have two dogs and would love to get the RATS for them due to the significantly less width?
Thanks Rich.
I'm not a big fan of the RATS. I think the SWAT-T does everything the RATS can do, but better, and it can be used as a pressure dressing and a few other things too.
I'm not saying the RATS won't work to stop bleeding, there's just better TQs out there.
There are a lot of K9 units carrying the SWAT-T, but they have big working dogs. If your dogs are smaller, I think you're right that a RATS might work better.
Good thought process Rich, I love it!
Would you recommend using the counterfeit as an inexpensive way to practice instead of buying an expensive real CAT for practice?
Yep! I think they would work great for that since the CAT trainers are the same cost as a regular. Just make sure you write "FAKE" across the Time: so you don't get it mixed up.
Have you checked out Recon Medical tourniquets? I think you'll be happily surprised.
I haven't had a chance to check them out yet, but I've heard good things. Hopefully I'll get a review up soon.
@@MountainManMedical I just picked up another orange one as a training tourniquet. I just tried it today to confirm this before typing it in and I can tell you it only took 2 turns for total occlusion.
This is good infromation thank you for sharing
Opinions on rhino rescue?
Good info, but you did put 1st one on bare arm and 2nd over your sleeve.
Hint hint: he’s trying to sell his stuff
Like 6 or 7 times.
Thank you! May save a life with that info.
Thanks for the great videos. Learning a lot and Got a ankle kit on the way so I’m ready if ever need be.
Awesome! Glad it's helpful. Enjoy the Kit! I hope you never have to use it.
I am surprised in the US where suing for 10’s of millions of dollars is not uncommon saving $20 on a fake medical product is in any way considered a good idea.
Thanks
Big knife with a pair of brass knuckles
yes i also noticed the posing kit
I just got a couple of first aid kits from Amazon that had tourniquets in them and both are fakes! I will be buying the authentic CAT ones ASAP!
I can’t believe that people have the guts to manufacture a bad quality, fake rip off of such an essential piece of gear that literally means the difference between life and death, thank goodness your buddy in the story had a spare because when you look at most people who carry a tourniquet it’s usually only one, absolutely disgusting that people are willing to gamble with peoples lives for money
Agreed, it is sad. Thanks for the comment!
There is the argument that something is better than nothing, if you have to make a lot of kits and cannot afford expensive ones
Thanks for this! This may save a lot of lives. I almost bought some Amazon ones and wouldn't have known any better.
No one can save you from your own stupidity. If you mindlessly buying supplies that meant to be a difference between life and death maybe you deserve what's coming for you as a result.
Name of the knife on wall? Near Brass knuckles.
I believe it's a Tracker
Buy only from the North American Rescue site only. Then you won't have to worry. I use the cheap ones for training only and mark them as such
You realize people knock off NAR too right?
Thanks for the video Brian. I like your "man room".
Thanks. It's coming along nicely.
While not every clone CAT is junk, it’s too hard to tell which ones are bad. I’ve had a few and tested them all before considering carrying them and I’ve for sure cut off blood circulation with them.
My best advice is just test your gear before trusting it.
Thanks Brian. Dammit I have some of the knockoffs. Sadly, NAR CATs are made in PRC. I noticed you carry TacMed SOF Gen 4 at Mountain Man Medical. It's made in the USA. Do you have a demo video?
No problem Motz! I think those counterfeit TQs have their place as cheap trainers, just make sure to label them so you don't get them mixed up with real CATs.
And yes I do have a video on that, but I'm planning on a video dedicated to the SOF-T soon.
ruclips.net/video/PMJiFbkWicU/видео.html
What do you guys think of the TMT?
What to say.....
It's much more like a cheaper substitution for the SOFTTW to me.
(Somehow TMT's price is 1/4 lower than CAT GEN7 & SOFTTW here)
Even just one of them is with the Velcro, I still feel like they have similar operations.In my opinion TMT's even much easier and faster to use than CAT and SOFTT.
However as the TMT includes a lot of plastic parts,I'm still a bit worried if TMT could work normally like the other TQs at low temperature....
@@sledger2655 Low temperature is an important consideration that is often overlooked. Also, "plastic" is called that in part because is is not at a stable final state chemically when sold. Modern plastics are better than older ones, but eventually they will become brittle with age. I have a rifle and several pistols that are over 100 years old and are still safe to shoot (standard loadings only, no +P!). I wonder how many of the wonder-polymer guns will be able to say the same in 2120?
I'm afraid that eventually we'll start to see knockoff CATs that *have* the NSN numbers and other details on them.
There are plenty out there
tourniquets need super tightening and that hurts like hell as arteries run DEEP...but we were always taught that since the arteries run on the inside of legs and arms you tighten down THERE, not on the outer side of the arm/leg. Just sayin'...
Heard about bad Amazon tourniquets so I purchased mine through LA Police gear.
Hi this infomation its very important.
Thanks DOC for the heads up
Glad it helps!
I’m glad I clicked on the video, my C.A.T T is legit.
Ordered one of these cheap tourniquets from China - it had a nice pouch, pair of scissors, but the item itself is everything you describe here - low quality plastic and loose, slippery winding belt.
I received a $125+ kit from a reputable company that had a counterfeit CAT
What do you think of Recon Medical's tourniquets?
I haven't had the chance to play with one yet. I'm planning on doing a review in the future, and see how it stacks up against the CAT and SOF-T.
@@MountainManMedical Thanks. Looking forward to it. I bought a few because they were recommended to me by an EMT I know. Never had to use one yet(and hope I never do), but with the way things are you never know...
I bought 2 from eBay 3 years ago. Be careful.
For real yall, the gucci rifle and tac gear is cool, but I know a real one when i see one, and he usually has at least 2 tourniquets on his gear.
Remember: "its the small things that get You killed."
Always.
Wish real CAT were easier to get in Canada. Pay crazy high prices if you can find someone to sell or crazy cheap fakes
Sounds like the cheap CAT tourniquet is a dog.
There's places to save $, your life saving gear, is not of them...
the fake ones have a issue where the bar snaps too
Nice SXB
Cutting corners and cost is one thing; but to do this and cost someone there life.. My God , what's wrong with some of these companies?? There's got to be some kind of law against selling equipment like this.. If not, there should be.
Thank you for all your informative videos! Can anyone recommend a good training course in S FL? It's nice to have all the gear advertised but if you don't know how to use it, you might actually do more damage than help.
I got a med kit online and the Israeli bandage the nasal pharyngeal and so on where the same brand as I got in the army but the CAT didn't look or feel right I had heard of knock offs before and was immediately suspicious of it I'm gonna got test it and see how it fails
Yeah if it's missing the CAT markings in the places I described in the video, it's probably a fake.
One of your points was it was harder to turn? Maybe because you put it on in the opposite direction as the first one ? Not saying the product is any better just noticed the inconsistency of your test. Like doing one with your right hand and one with your left, not an equal assessment. I do agree that you get what you pay for.
I could see the fakes being good for training purposes where you have large groups where full function is not critically necessary for practical hands on concept and the cost savings would be worth it. just inform the group In the difference
Yes I think that is an acceptable way to use the counterfeits. I have done that in the past too and what I like to do is write "Training" or "Fake" on the time band so that it doesn't get confused with a real CAT.
I have a friend in CBP who said the Chinese are getting better at copying the real ones, labels etc. If it's cheap...
Wow! Thank you so much brotha! Just found a fake turkey neck in my daily pouch. Good thing I have a real G7 CAT as a back up. Thank you for the vid. What a life saver this man! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼🇺🇸 Gonna go buy some more legit stuff. 🤙🏼
Turkey Neck!? Haha! I'm stealing that. Glad it helps!
6-8 turns! 🤣 try 4 1/2 when you let go of it mate. The drama was hilarious👍🏻😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I never understood cheaping out on life saving equipment.
Good ammo for conceal carry self defense is $35 a box? Oh well.
Good tourniquet is $35? so what?
I'll never think risking a life is worth saving $20 or even $100
You haven’t been poor enough then.
@@worstcase519 I've had cake icing for dinner. Just save up a little more. It's a few dollars more. If you're THAT broke, you should rethink priorities
I'm ok with using an aliexpress tourniquet for practice but not for real life
SOFT-TW Gen 4
Someone should takeamazon to task for allowing the sale of these on amazon
yeah i just broke my shit tourniquit by turning in 6 times and flexing. smh
Yikes! Thanks for the comment.
These counters are all over ebay
Yep, they're everywhere.
misleading fakes being sold on amazon like that should should definitely not be allowed in the US.
Great video bro. You know your stuff!👏👏👏👏💪💯.