EMT shears

Cheap, light, and honest. Steel EMT shears with a blunt tip that slips between rope and skin without nicking either. The standard tool for getting someone out of a tie fast. Every kit should have a pair.

Designed for paramedics cutting clothes off in seconds. They cut shibari rope too, but the edge dulls within a handful of cuts. These are not the shear you reach for to size and finish rope at home. They’re the shear you keep on you when something goes wrong.

A clip on the handle attaches them to a belt, pocket, or strap so they ride with you, not on a table across the room. Carry one.