Recon Medical Tourniquet (TAN) GEN 4 - Mil-Spec Kevlar Metal Windlass Aluminum First Aid Tactical Swat Medic Pre-Hospital Life Saving Hemorrhage Control Registration Card 2 Pack

Quality product that does what it is meant to do and doesn't break the bank.TQ's are essential kit that everyone should carry: whether it's for your own use or in case you stumble across an emergency.You will save a life if you have to use one of these.

I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH NOR COMPENSATED IN ANYWAY...BY ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE PRODUCTS!As a retired Flight and LEO/Tactical Paramedic, that now runs a Biologicals manufacturing and testing business...I want to review Recon’s tourniquets. Particularly the Gen 4.I have purchased numerous...why? Because they work, and are priced so there is really no excuse for not having them.I am retired from LEO and field medicine now...after 20+ years. However I’m still involved as the owner of a company that manufactures biological products for the medical industry. I am still heavily involved in the world of tactical operations and tactical medicine as well.The advent of tourniquet use in field medicine in the last 15 years has unquestionably save thousands of lives. In fact a tourniquet used in the correct manner and time frame, is one of the BEST lifesaving items in existence. As with most trauma medicine advanced their design and use has been mostly due to military research, in time of war.I hear almost every week how the only “effective tourniquets” are those that are TCCC approved. I saw the Recons, after paying $30 for NAR CATS and at the time $35 a piece of Softt’s. Now...I don’t believe in scrimping on equipment that may very well save my life...but looking at tourniquets, and what it requires to make them, then paying that price for them made me question the true value.TCCC approval requires a product to fall into compliance with the Berry Amendment. This requires that any product sold to the military for issue to soldiers be manufactured from entirely US sourced material. Now I believe in this...for the military. However...getting a product approved through the TCCC is NOT free. It costs thousands and thousands of dollars. It also requires manufacturing capability to meet the staggering numbers of units required for issue. Think millions of tourniquets.Of course these costs are passed on. With the numbers the government purchases, they might pay say $1 per unit. Thus the regular Joe buying retail...is going to pay $30. So... a regular Joe has four limbs, therefore regular Joe participating in any activity or say driving a car, to be truly prepared, has to have four available. $120 worth. For me...a weeks worth of groceries. Not considering a family of four...I asked Recon if they are Berry compliant...answer...nope. Wanted to make their product available to as many as possible.I tested their tourniquets on a group of people of various ages and sizes, and determined when applied exactly in the same method, and location by measurement, as the other TCCC brands...Recon tourniquets required the same number of windlass turns, and completely occluded arterial blood flow distal to the tourniquet as measured by ultrasound. In short...they work. For about 1/2 the price. Plus they have features that...in my opinion are better then the others...the thumb hole to assist pulling them tight, nylon and blood covered hands equals slick as snot. The aluminum windlass, that should never snap, when being tightened on a thigh. Metal reenforced buckle to keep high or extremely cold temps from breaking the buckle. Kevlar thread to resist stretch as it’s tightenedWould I trust my life, and those I love to them? Yep I do...Of course...this is all my opinion and research...do your own...it’s your life.

I debated buying these for A LONG TIME. The price was great. Not cheap like the Chinese knock offs but definitely cheaper than the NAR CAT tourniquets. I was falling for the hype that you have to only buy the North American Rescue tourniquets because that’s the one that TCCC recommends. But its the exact same thing only better. I went through the Stop the Bleed class and First Aid and they actually taught with the cheap Chinese knockoffs. So I saw them first hand.The Recon Medical tourniquets work EXACTLY the same way as the NAR AND they have aluminum windlass and a finger hole for self application. Most of the people on YouTube will only recommend the NAR one because it was recommended by TCCC. Trust me there are some “know it alls” out there that wont even consider this tourniquet because its made by Recon not NAR.I’m not knocking TCCC at all, they know what they are talking about. But this is the same thing. Kevlar stitching. Aluminum windlass. In my opinion its better. You do what you want. Spend the extra money if you want. Recon Medical is legit. Do the research and you will see what I mean. I automatically pushed Recon to the side just because people were saying its fake. And its not. I can carry 6 of these tourniquets from Recon for the price of 2 NAR.Either way folks, stay away from the Chinese knock offs no matter what. Cheap plastic windlass and buckles will snap and you cant afford that. Ive seen the knock offs selling for under 8 bucks and that’s absolutely scary! Look up the review from GunUniversity dot com. Many of the responses on why people would not recommend this tourniquet is just because its not NAR. And they are correct. This is an upgrade. I carry two with me every day along with a full ankle trauma kit.

I like the linkage solution between the aluminum windlass and the tensioning system. I have used the field version and a few others and believe the linkage fabric would be the most likely failure point. Many of the polymer windlass versions do not instill confidence when practicing with them. In a stressed situation, I don't want to worry if it will hold while hunting or if a novice would be able to use it on me in less than a minute. The average person has had no first aid training and reacts with confusion or dialing 911, without realizing they are the first responder. Don't trust your hunting partner, ask to to see his/her class certificate.I think that term causes great confusion, 911 is the second responder.Contrasting color to the area it is stored is very important. You know where you put it, but it should be readily visible to someone intending on using it on you if incapacitated.I have not had the time to test the UV bag but it is a nice touch as nylon fades over time.To the designers, speaking of readily identifiable, instead of the tip being red, I recommend making the tip past the finger hole, (great engineering by the way), to the first major perpendicular stitching. Red is a universal color that is always prominently displayed and respected by all signatories of the Geneva Conventions.Excellent work, looking for Gen 4.

I could not give them full * purely on the basis that I have not used them as of yet,but they definietly look the part,Communications with Recon Excellent.Well packaged and well thought out and they look good qaulity.