Ordinary items make for extraordinary weapons.
Some of my favorite self-defense items are the ones that, when you just glance at them, seem like ordinary things. But when you look closer, you see that they pack quite a punch.
I like these types of items because you can actually carry many of them in your hands when you’re out on the street and no one will know that you have a self-defense weapon ready for immediate use.
Most attackers are not too concerned when one of their potential victims is holding a cell phone, for example. In fact, they’re glad because they figure their target will be too distracted to successfully thwart an attack. If the cell phone is in a case that doubles as a stun gun, however, that attacker might be in for a real surprise.
From self-defense pens to pepper spray rings and smart phone covers…from flashlight stun guns to bullet-proof i-Pad cases and body-armor gloves…there are a myriad of items that can help protect you without it appearing that you’re out looking for a fight. Check out these “55 Safekeeping Self-Defense Gadgets.”
What is the most unusual item you’ve ever used to defend yourself from an attack? How successful were you with that item? Have you ever developed your own self-defense weapon? What was it and did you ever use it? Would love to hear from you.
Why get a license? That is just an advertisement of guns in the house for both bad guys or government.
Cannot find anything related here about the ‘product’.
When attending rallies I have taken a hard wood walking cane. Practice low sweeps aimed at shins. Good to block knife also. Can take on plane when traveling
I often carry a short piece of motorcycle chain. about 10inch will work just fine it rolls up takes little space and when you need it it’s easy to use and when you turn it in your hand to use one ay it get’s stiff like a short club and it’s safe to carry
Twice I was saved from trouble. I had no idea if the perps were armed or not. The first time I was 8 mos. pregnant (beached whale sized) and my husband took me to NYC for a last trip, before we had a baby (which we certainly didn’t want there! This was in 1969, BTW) As we were walking down Broadway, a scuzzy looking guy just walking by, got right in my ear and started making suggestive remarks. My husband, who fortunately was paying attention and knew exactly what was going on put his arm around me, pulled me to his side and said, “Back off, Buddy. I’ve already paid for the night!” The guy actually apologized to my husband! (I was so naive at the time that my husband had to explain it to me later!
The other time, 1993, I was alone in our antique shop and a Vetern friend of ours poked his head in the door and said to me. “Don’t say any thing.” and ducked back out. (This friend was a Viet Nam vet who had a sustained brain injury and was known around town for being ” a crazy Black man”. But he loved all things military and my husband had a military collectibles shop where he liked to hang out with us.) A couple of minutes after he left, a gang of Black thugs came in the door. This was very unusual in that small town. Right on their tail was my friend who had suddenly become the quintessential “Crazy Person”. He was hunched over and slobbering, and mumbling all kinds of offensive things. He followed these guys around the shop like he was their shadow, getting right up in their faces if they tried to stop and talk or said anything to him. They made a bee line out of the shop, staying only about 2 minutes. They never addressed me at all. (lone white woman). After they left the local police picked them up and I found out that they had been in other shops and had shop lifted from some of them. Our friend had been “working undercover” to follow them to see what they took, as well as to know where they were until the police could get there! So acting crazy and joining the “enemy” are a couple of things that also work!
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Another good defense tool to consider is the Impact Kerambit also known as a “travel wrench.” It is an L-shaped piece of plastic with a big hole in it that can be used to block attacks and also strike bone without injury to the striker. Can be found on Ebay, Shomer-Tec, and other places.
As days go by the more and more my belief Healthcare especially Veterans Healthcare Professionals such as Patient Advocates, Medical Directors, Doctors, and Medical Negligence Cases, can lied to Patients
I’m mot as agile as I once was being more a person with wisdom and ripening so to speak but I like a lot of the ideas. I was very pleased to know about the ballpoint pen trick and have practiced it several times. By golly, it WORKS!
I have been reading all of the stories and they all were interesting. If everybody in the world would be as ” on step” as these guys, we would be in a lot better shape. God bless.
If you have a home invader break into your home and he is armed with a pistol you are no match with a close up weapon. Tell him you are insured and to help him self. that you don’t care. Unless he came there to kill you ,stress to him the insurance company will over pay you so you will both be better off..The police can probably catch him with your valuables.
Don’t think that in ‘up close’ encounters you are not able to protect yourself! See Tim Larkins Target Focus Training and the USCCA and you will always be able to defend yourself!
I usually have a sign when you enter the house “In you are going to take anything, please take it all. The insurance company will pay me and I can get what I really wanted”
Love it!!! They can have it all. Who wants old stuff. Have no money no coins take my old Tv’s too. I don’t watch them either!!
I prefer a small .380 as first choice defense, second a razor sharp folding knife. When neither are available to me which is rare, I will easily disable an attacker with a ball point pen. With very little training you can be taught to dispatch an attacker with a pen and very few men will stand up to certain well placed strikes. You don’t have to be very strong or a trained fighter just practice a few simple strikes and a pen can put a man down. Don’t be afraid, be aware.
I’ve defended myself from 2 punks with pocket knives (I don’t know if they were drunk, stupid, or both) with a rolled up newspaper!! I had my belt knife that was double of both their knives combined, but never felt the need to use it! Rolled up newspapers work just like a “Billy club”. Just cheaper and easier to carry around without being noticed!!
I’ve got a compact flashlight that is very bright and flashes rapidly.
I had to use it a couple of nights ago, when another truck driver backed into my trailer hard enough to knock me out of bed!
I got dressed, grabbed my light, and went to check on any damages.
Then I walked up to the other driver’s door, telling me that he hit me and needed to move.
He came out of his truck cussing, and when he got on the ground, began to swing at me! I already had my little flashlight in my hand, having used it to look for damage, so I put it on flash, and shined it in his eyes.
Evidently, this disoriented him, and gave me a chance to get a little distance, and even though he was still trying to swing at me, he hadn’t connected, yet, so I kicked him in the jewels, and while he was on the ground, (Merrill hikers are as good as duty boots! ) I retrieved my phone and called 911.
The officers thought that little flashlight, which I got through ‘survivor Joe’s’ website recently, was a handy tool!
This would probably only work at night, but thankfully it DID work, or I’m afraid I would have had to REALLY hurt this other guy!
I used a flashlight to found and question a would-be thief in the shrubs at my house. Light in the eyes is good.
‘In November 1990 I was deployed to Saudi Arabia during, “Operation Iraqi Freedom”). I was a Airborne Medic, and one of the few people in the military that spoke Farsi and Arabic. My stepfather was Egyptian. I was sent overseas for the most part to translate and act as a Lesions between the Saudis’ and our troops.
We, the U.S. Army had already reached Bagdad. They people were really happy to see us come into the city. But, I had cautioned our troops to be aware of their environment. I told the commanders that it is easy for an exsoldier to shave his face and put on civilian cloths and walk up to you and blow you away with a bomb or shoot you.
One day I was at the University of Bagdad. I was in civilian cloths walking on campus. I noticed a food truck selling cold drinks and hot food to the students. That is when I noticed a U.S. Soldier standing in line with about 20 people in front of him. He had his weapon on his shoulder, shoulder arms. He was just staring off into space, looking at the women on campus.
From the corner of my eye I noticed something moving off from my right. I noticed a guy that was walking stiffly, quickly toward the food truck. I looked at his face and noticed the look of determination on his face. I immediately knew that this guy was trouble. He was walking straight towards the U.S. Soldier.
I quickly picked up my pace. I kept my eye on this guy making sure that he didn’t see me. I noticed that his right hand was inside his Arabic garb. I noticed that he had his hand on something and he was starting to pull it out was he was walking toward the U.S. soldier.
On my left, I noticed a male student talking to a girl. the guy was deep into his conversation with her. But the student had set his backpack down next to him as he was talking to the girl.
I was unarmed. Medics are not allowed to carry weapons into combat, Geneva Convention rules. My heart was racing because I knew that this guy was intent of harming the unsuspecting U.S. soldier. With my right hand, I reached over toward my left and grabbed the backpack. I spun around to my left. As I faced the guy was that intent of harming the soldier I noticed that he had pulled a handgun and was starting to point it at the soldier. As I spun around, I yelled “Catch!!!” and threw the backpack at the guy. I threw it at his upper chest. It would have hit him in the face, blocking his eyesight.
The guy used his gun hand to deflect the backpack. The gun went off, shooting into the air. As the guy turned to face the direction where the backpack came from; I already knew what I was going to do next.
As I spun around and threw the backpack at the guy; I reached into my pocket and pulled the only thing I had on me, my Cross gold plated pen. So as I threw the backpack at the guy, I had in my hand my pen. As I released the backpack, I lunged at the guy with my pen in my hand. Using my pen as a weapon, I plunged the pen deep into the gut’s shoulder right into the nerve center, just as he turned to face me. I knew where this nerve center was. If I hit it just right the guy would lose his ability to use his arm and the pain would be so intense the guy would drop to the ground in pain.
I stabbed the guy in the left shoulder with my pen. I then knocked the weapon out of his right hand with my left hand. I followed it up with a right knee to his groin and a chop to the back of his neck.
The guy went down screaming in pain. I jumped on him, rolled him over on his stomach, grabbed an arm and put him in an arm bar behind his back.
I looked around to see what was going on. I noticed the look of horror on the faces of the people around me. Most of the students had taken cover behind corners, the food truck, and a few trees. I looked at the U.S. soldier who was just standing there with his mouth opened and his weapon still on his shoulder.
I yelled at him, “Well! Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to help me out!!!” That woke the soldier to action as he pulled his weapon off his shoulder and pointed it at the guy’s head.
I was angry at the soldier for being oblivious to his surroundings. I yelled at the soldier, “Next time you want a Coke you move to the front of the line instead of making yourself a target!” All the solider could say is, “Thanks.”
If it wasn’t for a backpack and my Cross pen; someone, maybe two, would be killed that day.
It pays to have a plan of action in your mind before the SHTF. I never leave home without a metal jacket pen in my pocket or a knife. By the way, I got two of my knives from Frank Bates. One is a credit card knife that I got free from Frank Bates. The other is a survival knife that I also got free from Frank Bates that I have on my hip. I never leave home without them, either should you.
“I was unarmed. Medics are not allowed to carry weapons into combat, Geneva Convention rules.”…..
Rules, rules, rules for all; but not for the elite corrupt career criminals. Bill Clinton who still has armed body guards for life (puke) uses them to go to the voting polls and block voters from getting in….. not that I am for socialist Sanders or any other Democrat civil rights sucking parasite but it’s the principal of the matter.
It sickens me that people like you are left defenseless.
Everyone should carry a comb.. yes a sturdy plastic comb. You can use is in multiple ways best of all like a knife to the hands and throat area. The attacker thinks they are cut and it gives you a chance to get the heck out of dodge. I used to run bars for a living and have used the comb over 6 times to slow down and stop attacks. Hammer striking the opponent on a few occasions with the comb extended from my hand and slashing on others. Some of the times the comb actually cut the skin others it left one heck of a welt. The goal in most occasions should be get out of there and not stomping someone to death… I have been to court due to bar room incidents and Jail is not fun! Just strike and get our of Dodge.
I like this suggestion, Bill.
Years ago, while living in west-central Florida, I was threatened by a person who held a knife toward me, between his truck & mine, at a mall. He was very angry that I “had taken his parking spot”, altho I had been cruising the lot several minutes waiting for one. As I exited my vehicle he blocked my way in a very aggressive stance & aggrivating vocals. As I was still at about my door window, I looked to the left to see his female companion, somewhat startled at her partner’s attitude, but, I said, “He’s not trying to threaten me with that little thing is he?” It was load enough for him to hear also & he decided that I must have made an honest mistake, so he chose to leave. My 12 yr old son was amazed that it all happened without incident, & will still occasionally remind me of it. We were lucky that day.
Your fancy high tech weapons are OK. you fail to show that anything can be used as weapon when things go south. A lot of things the average person has no idea what you can do with anything even a piece of paper. Even a stray cat if it is in reach.
There is one simple one that nobody would pay attention to. Find a locking carabiner, some would call it a d-ring or a snap link, that you can comfortably fit your fingers through & close your fist. Hook your key rings onto it. If you can find a steel one it will add a bit of mass to your fist, if not no real big deal since it will still leave a rigid metal bar across the front of your knuckles, top & bottom of your fist to impact on an opponent. It is not as good as a well fitting set of brass knuckles but it is far better than nothing & won’t get you in trouble with the law.
Your car key held like you would the ball point pen is good. Won’t kill or injury but will certainly give you time to run. Oh, fainting is good, too
best weapon for home use is an ABC fire extinguisure, because your spray that in someones face and their in trouble, also a bigger one has alot of shots to stop an intuder. It also helps people who are afraid of guns.
Wasp spray is good and you don’t have to be close to use it. Aim for the eyes. They will end up at the emergency room
Stun master hot shot 4.5 million volts the size of a pager. Then a good kick in the nuts or a swift punch in the throat followed by monkeystomping them till their ribs touch.
Car key held correctly; small compressed air horn (boat store) held to the auditory canal, etc.
The list was a bunch of gadgets that are a joke…and Orrin’s story is straight from a Borne Supremacy script…get real people….
Frank,
While working undercover in 1984, I was approached by two thugs in a shitty neighborhood and was not under arms due to the nature of the assignment.
Knowing that physical attack muggings were a real threat in that area after the bars closed I always walked carrying a copy of Sports Afield magazine in my hand, just in case.
When two punks were obviously targeting me, I rolled the magazine tight. When the leader demanded my wallet and cocked back a fist, I instantly stepped into him, blocked his swing then rammed the rolled magazine end into hit gut, then as he hunched forward I truck him in the face with the magazine three quick strikes., The perp dropped like a stone bleeding from the face and writhing is pain. Seeing his pal drop the brave sidekick ran like a scolded dog and was captured later.
The use of this inocuous weapon is not my creation, but has been taught by many self-defense martial arts professionals since the “cold war” spy era.
Your friend,
Orrin
That, sir, is a fantastic story.
And add an 1″ wooden dowel inside that magazine or newspaper…Wow!
I had a friend that showed me the right attitude will get you out of most problems. He had a drunk in a bar wanting to take him out back and beat him (lover’s triangle). He took off his coat and acted like he slipped something into his waistband then suggested they do go out back. The drunk (who was far bigger than my friend) didn’t see any fear in my friend’s face and had seen him slip something into his waistband and suddenly felt that going out back was a really bad idea. He promptly left.
A friend of mine was leaving his office in D.C. late at night, a few decades ago, and was jumped by some thug in the parking lot. All he had were a couple of pens and a pencil in his shirt pocket, but he instinctively grabbed the pencil and jammed it as hard as he could into the guy’s ear. It apparently went in quite a ways since the thug just shook for a bit and fell over, apparently dead or close to it.
My friend removed his pencil, got in his car & drove home, figuring it was better to not even deal with the crooked cops in D.C.
Edged weapons like knives are often restricted, but sharp-pointed objects are not — and they can be deadly if used properly. The pencil is such a tool, but hard to grip securely, so in my self-defense classed I recommended that people carry a sturdy screwdriver and aim for the throat or eyes, or even the thin part of the skull just above the ear, using every bit of strength you have, and wiggling the tool around as much as possible once it pokes into the other guy.
For the squeamish I recommended either a spray can of hornet spray (good for distance spraying), or even a can of spray paint. In the eyes or nose, these will discourage anyone. Just keep spraying and spraying — you want to seriously disable them, not just make them mad.
Whether you wipe off these weapons and leave them, dump them a long ways away, or even report it to the authorities at all is strictly a personal decision, based on circumstances.
In Flagstaff AZ, one night, years ago, on the interstate taking my finace home from too many drinks at a local club. I stopped quickly so she could exit, passenger side, to vomit. A carload of young men screeched to a halt and I heard one say, you guys get the girl, we’ll take care of him. I stretched out my arms over the hood of my pickup with my hands gripped as those they were full, and shouted: “You guys better hit the road or this 357 is going to start talkin’.” They immediately peeled rubber and left at high speed. The same ploy worked when I was sleeping in my unhitched 5th wheel close to my pickup and two men came down the alley and started to rumage through the load on my truck. I shouted out the sleeping area window, “You two better hightail it or this 357 is gonna start talkin'” Yes, if someone is armed I could be in danger. But all cowards so far, have assumed I already have the drop on them. One guy threatened me at a highschool Halloween prom. I was wound up with guaze like the Mummy shortly after the films debut. He was head & shoulders taller than I was, but when I put my arms straight out in front of me and hollered, “Uhhhhhhhh!”, he turned and ran. Thanks, James
Hi, I read a report several years ago about research showing that those communities that required each home to have a loaded weapon for protection were the communities with the lowest rate of crimes and also those with the lowest rates of death or injury via fire arms. It has been a while but why are these results not mentioned by defenders of our constitutional rights to bear arms. Also the reason this was in the Constitution was to protect us from govt. gone amuk as we had done with Great Britain. In principle, we would have to have weapons on the same level as those of government to supply that Constitutional mandate. Now, I’m not recommending nuclear weapons for private citizens but hand guns, even with multiple firing capability and rifles with a clip should be accepted even though, given what even the local governments have these would be the bare necessities to give us a little edge for our rights considering the criminals are arming themselves to the teeth. Thanks for the opportunity. Personally, all I have is a hunting knife in a kitchen box. Thanks again, James Schlup
Hi James, thanks for your input. I live in ‘Socialist Canada’ and thank every day that we have Harper in the Prime Ministers Chair. There are many in Canada who are waking up to the threat of a Government which would wear down our defenses as well as limit our property rights and the lawful right to own firearms. We are heading into perilous times and my husband and I have been preparing though think I am going to look into getting my gun license and you know the stats you stated on communities where the citizens were not badgered about their ‘arms’; these communities here have similar stats and they vary from any given social/economic standpoints as well. Problem is that the Anti Christ spirit is now in the world and it is certainly time to prepare. Ciao, Glenna or Multiplicity Hall