Not for self admin!
One of the first things I do with a tourniquet is try and put it on myself, and this one is not easy to manipulate with one hand. I do have a fair bit of medical training and I have slapped on CAT / SWAT T types on limbs countless times with one hand, but the one thing I need in a tourniquet is the ability to strap it on myself tightly. There is an intrinsic design issue with these in that the hook and loop backing on the strap adds to the friction of the strap coming through the buckle, thus making the initial "pull tightening" of this tourniquet very difficult with one hand. You have about eight seconds to put this thing on in the worst-case scenario, it takes me about twenty seconds to put it on my arm. That does not sound bad unless you have seen an arterial bleed, you then realize that extra twelves seconds is about the time it takes to go unconscious from a femoral bleed.<br /><br />With that said this tourniquet is very strong, and it definitely compresses hard enough to stop blood flow. There might be some trauma around the buckle which is cinched up against the victim- a not so ideal situation but tolerable for emergencies.  The windlass holds up under standard temperatures, but I have yet to test it in colder temps where cheaper tourniquets usually fail / snap. After living in minus 30-degree Fahrenheit weather for years being involved with outdoor casualty care, windlasses snap like twigs in cold weather. DO YOUR OWN TESTING.<br /><br />The value of these tourniquets comes with a price. You do get a serviceable tourniquet but not for self-administration rather, it is good to use on another person if needed. Other than that, these are robust enough that they can be used as emergency standby units or mass casualty events where multiple providers are tending to multiple injuries. For first responders especially those of a martial nature, I am hesitant to say these are appropriate. If you want a great latitude of use, then half of the utility of this tourniquet is lost if you cannot put this on yourself.
Rating: 3 stars