Breaching tools open locked doors, windows, and other barriers for tactical entries, fire and rescue calls, and vehicle extrications. The category covers everything from full-size hammers and rams to small hand tools used for lighter entry and rescue tasks. Tactical teams, patrol officers, fire and rescue personnel, and military users all rely on breaching tools for their jobs.

Options include breaching hammers, Halligan tools, rams and more from top brands like Double-Tap Breaching Tools. Smaller tools like shove knives, window breakers, and seatbelt cutters are also available for breaching and rescue.

Different tools do different jobs. Hammers and rams work by impact, driving a door open with a strike. Halligan tools work by leverage, using a prying head, typically with an adz and a spike, to open doors and hardware. The two are often used together, with a hammer driving the Halligan into the gap before the door is pried open. Hammers come in several weights: a heavier head delivers more force per strike, while a lighter one is easier to carry and swing. Heads are commonly heat-treated steel, with steel or titanium shafts, and some handles collapse to a shorter length for carrying. Choosing a tool comes down to the type of door or barrier, the user's role, and how the tool will be carried.

Round out an entry kit with responder bags to carry equipment, tactical gloves to protect hands, and trauma kits for injuries on scene. See more duty equipment, including flashlights, handcuffs, and batons.