The Best Window Breakers for Convenience & Safety [2021]

How an Emergency Window Breaker Works

A window breaker works through the use of two important features. The material touching the glass needs to be made of something extremely hard. This could he high carbon steel, carbide or tungsten carbide. It also helps if the tool is spring-loaded. This ensures that even those who can’t swing very hard can still get enough energy behind the window breaker point to break the glass.

The second important feature for a good window breaker to have is a very fine point. Window breakers work by focusing all of the energy of your swing into the tip of the device. Because the material is so hard when it hits the glass all of the energy being directed into the small area of the fine tip is enough to shatter it. The user should be able to do this with very little effort when using a high-quality glass breaker. The idea is that children and the elderly should both be able to use one without too much effort.

If you’re concerned about safety then you may enjoy our article on LED light bars. These aren’t just for show but allow for extreme visibility, increasing both safety and reaction times when driving at night.

OUR FAVORITE WINDOW BREAKERS!

Overall Best

The best window breaker tool and seatbelt cutter that we could find is the Resqme Car Escape Glass Breaker Tool. This tool made it to the top of our list for a few reasons. For starters, it is extremely small and lightweight. This allows it to be added to a keychain so no matter who’s car you’re in you will always have the safety tool with you! This is a smart idea but even if you end up leaving it in your car it is small enough to fit into any glove box or side door compartment.

The second important feature is the stainless steel seatbelt cutter. If you are in an emergency situation and you can’t get out of your seatbelt then this razor-sharp stainless steel blade will cut you out with one quick motion. Don’t worry, The blade is well covered to remain safe when the tool is on your keychain or in your pocket.

The most important part is the window breaker. This tool has a spring-loaded spike that remains covered when not in use. The cover ensures sure that the spike won’t accidentally bump your phone or anything else it’s not supposed to touch. But when pushed against a window will spring out giving a nice hard punch that can break the glass and allow you to get to safety. Because of all of these features this Resqme window breaker was a no brainer as #1 on our list. 

Window Breaker Pen

The Atomic Bear Tactical Pen is one of the only window breaker pens we’ve found with a tungsten carbide tip! This is very important because with a pen unlike a hammer you’re not going to be able to get as much energy behind it. Additionally, a pen isn’t going to be spring-loaded to help assist you in your swing. So they used the next best advantage a car window breaker can have and gave this pen an extremely hard material tip.

Tungsten Carbide is almost as hard as a diamond. Having this will increase your chances of breaking the window with your first hit. This pen is great for Police or Military as they always have a pen nearby, so when the time comes that you need a window breaker, you know you’ll have the right tool for the job. This pen is also perfect for these applications because although it is useful it still looks like a professional pen so it can be carried without worry on the job.

Glass Breaker Knife

The CRKT M16-14ZLEK EDC Folding Pocket Knife made it to the top of our list for the best window breaker on a knife. Our first priority was finding a brand that makes good knives! We figured that it doesn’t matter if it has a good window breaker because if it’s not a good knife then you’re not going to carry it.

CRKT is a good quality brand and this is an amazing knife with equally amazing reviews. This knife is especially useful in emergency situations because on the back of the blade is a seatbelt cutter. Most knives assume that someone will open the blade to cut their seatbelt. But what if you are hurt or you only have one free hand? With this knife, you can still easily cut a seatbelt just by running it along the back of the knife! There is no need to actually open it for this function to work.

The second amazing addition they made was a tungsten carbide window breaker. Again the hardness of the material used plays a major role in how easily it will break a window. When talking about material density tungsten carbide is as hard as it gets. This is an exceptional knife with some extremely well thought out features and is sure to keep you safe. This is the perfect glass breaker for military, police, firefighters or anyone who might carry a knife with them throughout the day.

Best Window Breaker for First Responders

The Raptor Emergency Response Shears are something that should be given out to every first responder on their first day on the job. These aren’t just shears but they are a solid window breaker and contain everything you would need in an emergency situation. It starts with heavy-duty shears for cutting through pretty much anything that you can fit between the blades.

It has a strap cutter built-in for seatbelts or rope. Also built into the shears is a ruler, a ring cutter, and an oxygen wrench. Most importantly for us, it has a carbide window breaker on the handle. Carbide is an extremely hard material and a perfect way to top off this first responder’s dream tool. Get everything you need built right into these shears, and remain confident they’ll work and last with their 25-year warranty.

Multipurpose USB Glass Breaker

If you’re worried that you won’t keep a window breaker in your car. And you’re not keen on keeping one on your keychain. Then your next best bet is to get it built into something that you already use. Ideally, something that you will already have in your car when the time comes. The Ztylus Stinger Plus is a high output USB car charger. It gives 3.1A output through two USB charging ports to ensure that it can charge anything you need.

They built these ports in such a way that they look good when plugged into the car. But the block can also function as a handle to put additional force behind the window breaker when needed. The top features a concealed but easy to use seatbelt cutter. And inside of the piece that goes into your cigarette lighter is a spring-loaded window breaker. Giving anyone, even a child or the elderly enough force behind it to make sure they can break the glass when needed.

Keychain Window Breaker

Although the Resqme tool was our best window breaker overall and it does fit on a keychain. If I am going to add extra weight to my keys I want to maximize the bang for my buck. For this purpose in comes the SABRE RED Safe Escape Pepper Gel. This is a pepper spray from the famous Sabre brand who is one of the biggest in the industry.

They have created a keychain pepper spray that uses gel instead of a mist. This eliminates potential blowback into the victim’s face as well as coating the perpetrator in a UV dye for easier identification later on. It shoots 20% farther than the competition. As well as being able to hold 25 bursts of pepper spray. Saber then added on a razor-sharp seatbelt cutter and a steel window breaker. Making this just about the best safety device you could clip onto anything.

How to Use a Window Breaker Effectively

• When using a window breaker make sure that you hit the glass dead on with the tip of your tool
• Make sure that you are trying to break a side window and not the windshield, as windshields have safety glass, so they will crack but not shatter
• When trying to break out a window hit any of the four corners, not the center. This will increase your odds of breaking the glass
• If you can try and hit the window in the top two corners. This will ensure that when the glass falls it’s not falling onto your hands

How to Break Safety Glass or Windows With Tint

We always instruct people to try and use their window breaker to shatter a side window instead of the windshield. This is because windshields have safety glass and they won’t break out like a side window will. If you have a newer car, however, it is likely that your side windows will have safety glass as well. That’s okay and a window breaker will still work. The only difference is that after you break the side window it will shatter but be held in place by a plastic film. If you push on this film the window will fall out of the door and you can make your escape to safety.

This same principal applies to vehicles with a tint film on the inside as well!

Instructional Video on How To Properly Use a Window Breaker