Check these 3 things now to see if your CAT Tourniquet is FAKE!
Carrying a CAT Tourniquet or combat application tourniquet is a great idea. But have you ever wondered if the tourniquet you have is a fake. Below we have a list of our top 3 ways to determine if its a FAKE!
1.) No writing on the backplate
If you flip your CAT over and there is no writing on the backplate its a fake! North American Rescue, the manufacturer of the CAT TQ, places the information on the back of the baseplate. What we are looking for here is the initials C-A-T, a website, and a few other items written on the backplate.
2.) Deep ribbing on the windlass rod
The windlass rod is what creates the circumferential pressure to occlude bloodflow distal from application. I know that’s a lot of big words there but essential all it means is that we are cutting off bloodflow past where the tourniquet is applied. So, when you look at the windlass rod we are looking for deep ribbing. On the fake cat tourniquet the ribbing is not nearly as deep as in the Gen 7 Combat Application Tourniquet from North American Rescue.
3.) No raised writing on the buckle
Another great way to identify a fake cat tourniquet is by looking at the buckle. On the real CAT Tq we have raised writing on the buckle indicating “CAT” and you are able to read it from either direction. As we see in the fake CAT TQ there is no raised lettering on the buckle denoting that it is a real cat tq.
Bonus – You paid less than $25 for your Combat Application Tourniquet
If you paid less than $25 for your CAT TQ there’s a good chance that it is a fake cat tourniquet. We sell the North America Rescue Combat Application Tourniquet on our website for $32.99. Often times you see a great deal for a CAT TQ on eBay or Amazon and think wow I’m going to buy that. However often times at a reduced price you are getting a reduced product.
Where to buy quality first aid kits and items?
Here at Frontline Medical Defense we only buy our first aid supplies from quality distributors and manufacturers. We then take those quality supplies to develop and build out medical kits and trauma kits. Itp takes quality medical supplies to be able to assemble those quality med and trauma kits we are known to produce. Head on over to our Bleeding Control kit to get bonafied tourniquet in a medical kit.
As always be safe, and get out there and train with your tourniquets and if you have any questions please reach out and let us know.