Posts Tagged ‘self-defense tool’

Survival Knife – Why you Need One

If it’s that time of the year again and you want to pit your skills against the forces of Mother Nature, make sure you don’t leave the safety of your home without your old, trusty survival knife.

How Far Will Your Resourcefulness Go?
Survival knives are your #1 tool to support your resourcefulness. You can accomplish a lot of things just by letting your common sense, imagination, and resourcefulness work together. Survival knives can help you build fire, traps, rafts, and so much more. You just have to find a way to maximize on the resources you have in the wild.

Health and Safety
Contagious diseases are just as dangerous as wild animals that roam in the dark, but you can use your survival knife to make your camping trip as healthy as possible. You can create provisional mosquito nets and herbal remedies. You can ensure that your food and water remain sanitary with containers and covers made from wood, leaves, stones, and whatever else you can find of use in the woods.

Building a Home
In the even that you lose your tent and sleeping bag, your survival knife can be of help to build you functional shelter. It won’t be as luxurious, but it can at least give you protection from storms of all kinds.

When building a makeshift shelter in the wilds, be sure that you choose the ideal location. Even the sturdiest shelters won’t make a difference if you build them directly out in the open. Try to look for areas where you can use a solid surface to serve as at least one side of your shelter.

Feeding Yourself
If you run out of provisions, you need to find a way to get yourself food and water and again, your survival knife can help you with that. You can build traps on the ground or hanging from trees. You can spear fish with your knives and gather fruits from trees.

Defending Yourself
Last but not the least, a survival knife can do what it’s meant to and that’s to ensure you survive. If someone or something attacks you, use your knife.

An Important Reminder
Before leaving home, make sure that your survival knife is still in good working order. Be sure that its edges are still razor sharp and without any rust. It must also come with full tangs; if its handle was to break for whatever reason, its design allows you to use a makeshift handle for your knife.

How to Apply First Aid for Accidental Pepper spray Targets

Pepper spray products are great for self-defense because they’re easy and effective to use. In fact, they’re so easy to use that many a person ends up accidentally spraying someone…or themselves.

If a person has been accidentally hurt with pepper spray, here are several things you can do to apply first aid.

No One Panics
Pepper spray may not be harmful but it certainly won’t feel like it to the victim. Pepper spray has an intensely painful effect and it’s likely to cause the victim to panic and then make you panic as well!

Don’t let that happen. You, most especially, must stay calm for the victim’s sake because you’ll be able to move more efficiently when your brain isn’t clouded with hysterics.

Have Someone Call 911
It’s better to be safe than sorry. There have been unconfirmed reports that pepper spray has been the cause of death due to severe allergic reactions. Why risk that when you don’t have to? Have someone call 911 even as you work on giving the victim first aid.

No Rubbing!
Tie the victim’s hands and bind her to a chair so that the contaminated area remains undisturbed. Rubbing the affected area clean of pepper spray won’t put a stop to the pain. It’s only going to make it worse.

Remember: pepper spray is an inflammatory agent. When you try to rub the skin clean of it, you’re only serving to spread the inflammation, which means that more capillaries in the victim’s skin will be subject to the effects of pepper spray.

Apply Antidote
If you happen to have an OC decontamination treatment product with you then apply that directly to the exposed area. If not that then what about milk? Dip a clean towel in milk then gently place it on the affected area.

No milk available? Then use lots and lots of water. Any of that could help with the initial sting but because pepper spray is oil-based, you’ll need to do a lot more. Mix cold water with soap that’s NOT oil-based. Some suggest the use of detergents (again not oil based) so you could try that, too.

Next, dip yourself into the water several times. Afterwards, dip a towel into the same mixture and use it to very gently rub your face clean of the oil. Expect this to hurt so don’t panic if the victim starts reacting again.

From here, you’ll just have to wait. The victim could start feeling better in fifteen to forty-five minutes. If the eyes have been contaminated and the victim is wearing contacts, be sure to have those disposed as early as possible. They’re not worth using after this.

Are Self-Defense Batons Reliable?

A stick is a stick is a stick.  But when we’re talking about self-defense batons, it could be the difference between safety and physical threat.

The baton is a self-defense tool that has risen in popularity over the past few years. It’s probably because the baton is a very basic weapon — straightforward, easy to carry and uncomplicated to use. In most cases, people really do not require a lot of background skills in order to utilize them, unlike knives or swords, for example. So if the self-defense baton seems to be your ideal weapon, here are some things you need to know about them:

Long, longer, longest
Most self-defense batons being sold today are telescopic — meaning, they can be extended to a certain length to increase their reach and efficacy. The most basic length you can expect from a baton is usually at 16″, handle included. Even if it’s not extendable, this length is usually enough to keep an attacker at a distance and strike at an assailant at close range.

With extendable self-defense batons, the stick can be extended to 21″, 26″ and even up to 31″. To extend the baton, you simply make a downward strike at a 45-degree angle. The extended portion of the baton will slide and lock in place. The lock is sturdy enough so the baton will keep its length even when used. Some models, however, can be slid in place to elongate them.

To return the baton to its original size, simply knock the stick down lightly on a solid surface such as the pavement or concrete and it will lock back into place. On other models, you simply slide the baton back.

Advantages of self-defense batons
Self-defense batons are compact, easy to carry and practical to conceal (provided you have an appropriately-sized bag or a pocket that’s deep enough). They are also very effective, capable of inflicting pain upon impact and stopping an attacker. They also tend to be intimidating enough so they can be used to scare away a potential assailant.

What to look for
Look for a solidly-built self-defense baton. If it’s extendable, make sure it’s sturdy enough that it will feel like one single length of wood. You should also have a comfortable grip on the handle so it won’t slip when used.

Be aware of the harm you can cause
Self-defense batons may look like harmless sticks but they can result to physical harm. If you use a self-defense baton, make sure you know how and when to use it correctly. If you are not careful, you could use more force than is necessary and end up inflicting excessive pain on someone who may not deserve as much. You could also end up hurting yourself.

What Is It About Rechargeable Stun Guns That Make Them So Effective?

Rechargeable stun guns used to be clunky, awkward pieces of self-defense equipment that were rather cumbersome to carry around because of their size and weight.  Over the years, though, they have improved remarkably well in design, size and function.  They have also become safer to operate and quite effective for self-defense purposes.  So just what is it about rechargeable stun guns that make them work so well as a tool for the prevention of crime?

The science behind rechargeable stun guns
Humans have adverse reaction to electricity, both physically and emotionally.  And with good reason.  Electricity produces a shock that leads to unpleasant feelings and involuntary reactions in people.  This type of effect is something that rechargeable stun guns make use of.

Each stun gun is built with a mechanism that can deliver electric shock when it comes in contact with the body of the attacker.  The shock leads to involuntary contractions in the muscles and a feeling of weakness.  A person can also experience difficulty in keeping his balance and may not have sufficient coordination to stand up, which explains why people shocked with stun guns fall down or collapse.

Do rechargeable stun guns cause long-term damage?
There are a lot of myths regarding the stun gun and this is just one of them.  Stun guns act on the particular muscle group that it comes in contact with, although their effects could be felt by the whole body.  This is often sufficient enough to cause pain and difficulty in moving.

The effects, however, are temporary.  Stun guns are not considered lethal weapons because they deliver a limited amount of current — although the voltage may seem terrifyingly high (up to 975,000 volts or more), the amperage is relatively low.  This limits the adverse effects of electricity to the muscles and avoids damaging important organs such as the heart, liver or kidneys.

Will a rechargeable stun gun work through fabric or clothing?
A rechargeable stun gun can deliver an electrical shock through clothing up to about half an inch thick.  This means that it can still work even if the attacker is wearing thick or tightly-woven clothing.

Why rechargeable?
Earlier types of stun guns derive their power from batteries.  Many of the stun guns being sold today still use batteries, although some consumers prefer rechargeable stun guns because they do away with the hassle of replacing old batteries with fresh ones.

Rechargeable stun guns are much more convenient because they only need to be plugged to a source of electricity for a few minutes and they can be used again multiple times.

Pepper Spray in a Key Chain is the Way to Go

Because of the rise of criminal cases and personal attacks, people, especially women have been very serious in finding self-defense strategies to protect themselves.  One of the popular self-defense tools for both men and women is the pepper spray. Pepper Sprays contain oleoresin capsicum or the oil from hot peppers.  This could definitely cause temporary blindness to the attacker for an hour.  Pepper spray is a very simple, practical and very effective way to fight back when you are being attacked.

Pepper sprays come in different designs.  The most discrete of them is the pepper spray keychain.  Most people who have been attacked carried keys on their hands.  That is why the pepper key chain was developed.  Pepper key chains can be a very good form of disguise.  They are very handy and easy to use.  The pepper spray is contained in a small container that is attached to the key chain.   So it would just look like something of a dangling toy. Pepper sprays can be small but is as effective and strong as the ones contained in larger containers.  Also, pepper spray key chains can be detached in case you want to put your keys inside your purse or wallet.

Pepper key chains are always ready in your hands because it is very handy.  Say, you are in an ATM machine and there are just a few people around and there’s this attacker. Because you have your key chains on hand with a pepper spray attached to it, you are very much ready to defend yourself. One spray is actually enough to incapacitate the attacker.

For women, pepper spray key chains can be a very effective self-defense product for them.  The attackers might think that women are particularly frail and defenseless.  But because pepper key chain sprays present a very good disguise, attackers could be very wrong.  For all they know, they could easily attack them but the thing is, they will not be able to stand and run after a complete spray from the pepper spray that is attached on their key chains.

There are many available keychain pepper sprays available online.  They come in dainty designs and colors so you can choose the best key chain that will suit you. Key chain pepper spray is a very powerful and practical self-defense instrument. Small but definitely powerful.

Cell Phone Stun Guns to Fight Criminals

There are loads of self-defense tools that have been developed due to the increase in crime rates and personal attacks.   One of the effective self-defense tools that have been manufactured is the cell phone stun gun.  The cell phone stun gun looks just like your ordinary cell phone.  Cell phone stun guns are equipped with 900,000 volts -   the highest possible that means loads of protection for you.  There are lots of cell phone stun gun brands available online.

Cell phone stun guns can be very effective for both men and women.  This self-defense tool enables the user to send a high-voltage electricity charge through the skin of the attacker.  This can disrupt a person’s nervous system. Attackers won’t be able to function normally that they would completely lose control, making them fall over and they won’t be able to move.

Cell phone stun gun ranges from 90, 000 to 900,000 volts.  These could send the attackers to the ground.  So far, the success rate in using stun guns is 80 to 85%.  The self-defense tool is very easy to use.  If you have been attacked, try to get a hold of this cell phone stun gun as if you are going to make a call. If the attacker gets close to you, put and hold the cell phone stun gun toward the attacker, 3 to 7 seconds are good enough to send shock waves to the attacker’s body, making them fall over, although he could get up, it will take him some time to move normally again.  This will be your best time to have a run and call for the police.

Women, being the frailest targets of criminals, can fear no more if they have the cell phone stun guns with them.  All you need to do is be aggressive and brave enough.  Never permit the attackers to take over you.  Cell phone stun gun is very easy to use, but a very powerful one.  It is very handy; you can place it on your pocket or purse like your ordinary cell phone.  Some of them are equipped also with flashlights.

Cell phone stun guns are available online.  They come in different designs, usually in the latest cell phone models to make them look like the real ones. Street predators can turn to a disoriented and frail criminal with these cell phone stun guns.  So get yourself one! Remember, you only live once, so protect you life and defend it.

Cell phone stun guns is a great disguise to protect yourself.  A very powerful self defense to stop your attackers.

Ways How NOT to Use Folding Knives

Knives in one form or another are one of the earliest forms of manmade weapons.  As tools for self-defense, knives are considered handy, practical and with enough skill, quite effective to use.  Knives come in a variety of designs and styles and one of the most popular among self-defense enthusiasts is the folding knife.  It’s compact, lightweight and protects the user from accidental cuts when concealed in the clothing.  Unfortunately, having a folding knife does not automatically make one a self-defense expert.  Accidents can happen, particularly if the user is unskilled, inexperienced and doesn’t have a good understanding of how to utilize this tool.  Do not make the same mistakes that beginners do and learn how NOT to use a folding knife:

Do NOT keep the knife open when carrying or concealing it
The design of the folding knife is such that it conceals the blade and prevents the user from cutting himself.  When carrying the folding knife or concealing it in your purse or person, make sure that the blade is folded back to the sheath and that the lock is in place.  This will keep you secure and prevent any physical harm to you.

Do NOT show off the folding knife
The less your potential attacker knows, the better.  If you’re carrying around a folding knife, do not whip it out for no reason just to show off or perform a demo in front of your friends or co-workers.  This is probably fine for private parties but it’s best that not a lot of people know you have one.  That way, you have the element of surprise to your advantage.

Do NOT use the folding knife without practicing first
Even a Jedi had to learn to wield the light saber, so why not you with your folding knife?  With practice, you become familiar with your weapon.  The more you know how to wield it, the more confident you will be using it.

Do NOT use the folding knife without clipping the lock in place
The lock is meant to keep the blade from folding back into the sheath.  If you have to use the folding knife, make sure that it’s locked and stable.

Do NOT expose the folding knife to moisture
Some types of steel blades are vulnerable to corrosion when exposed repeatedly to moisture and/or air.  Clean it regularly and wipe any moisture off with a clean cloth.

Do NOT use the folding knife without knowing if it still works
Always keep your folding knife clean and try to inspect it periodically when not in use.  This will help prevent any corrosion that could occur, which could lead to tighter blades that won’t ’swing’.  Check the parts regularly to determine if they’re still working properly.  If you’ve been keeping a folding knife in a drawer somewhere for at least a year or two, inspect it for any damage before carrying it with you.  That way, you’ll know for sure that it will work in your defense.

Stun Pen:Small but Terrible Self-Defense Product

The stun pen is the latest innovation in stun gun development. Now, anyone can own a stun gun that is less bulky but with even greater power. Self defense specialists has made the stun gun smaller, more unnoticeable but with more protective power against attackers. What’s more is that it does not cost much, the price ranging from $30 to $60 .

The stun pen is battery-powered, usually CR123A lithium batteries, that readily releases dozens of shots on assailants. And since it has been designed to look like a pen, its pocket clip will allow you to put it in a place where it can easily be reached. But for those who prefer to carry it in their belts, most stun pens come with holsters. More importantly, anyone can secretly carry this weapon around without being given away. Makers of stun pens have innovatively added built-in LED flashlights into their pens, making them even more discreet.

At a short length of 5-6 inches, approximately the size of a marker, it has a slim design that can surprisingly shoot up electricity of up to 800,000 volts! Now, that’s amazing! A mere shot into the air will send the offender running because of the strong electrical sound it emits. Just the sheer sight and sound of it will drive away anyone who attempts to make an attack. If this does not work, the electrical jolt surely will.

But with this much power, the question is, doesn’t it become too dangerous even to the owner? Though accidents do occur, that is most unlikely to happen with stun pens because it comes with a safety switch and a protective cover. They have also been designed to have several levels of safety. In order to press the trigger, the cover should be removed and switched on.

It is important for those who want to own a stun pen or who already own one to be aware there are certain state laws that warn about the carrying of such protective devices. Each state has its own provisions but all states consider the stun pen as a destructive device that has the ability to stun or to disable a person through the delivery of an electric shock. Because of this, some states would require that anyone who owns one should have a valid registration firearm certificate is necessary.

One ought to know, too, that its tremendous output voltage may be powerful but is not lethal because of its low amperage. What it can actually do is to make the muscles of the attacker painfully contract, like a major cramp, because of the lactic acid released by the body. However, unlike a cramp, the effect is on most part of the body. Although really painful, the effect is temporary and is not lethal. The only after effects evident would be small burn spots or puncture wounds on the contact area.

stun pen image

Tips on how to use an army knife

An army knife can be a great thing for you to use, whether you are planning out a trip to the wilderness or are simply going to chop up a few things in your hotel room for a quick snack in between meetings. An army knife is also useful as a means of surviving most anywhere, so if you are stuck at work or school and need to stay away from the snow or rain, then you can find a way to stay alive.

There are many different kinds of army knives. The most well known, the Swiss army knife, is probably also the most versatile. It can come in many different colors. For instance, the common red or ruby knives are smaller and can come in different sizes: you can have extra small ones that fit in the smallest pockets but have very few tools, or you can have oodles of tools that are enough for fixing up a house (or even building one!) but that can burn holes in your pocket. There are many knives to buy and choose from, and how you use one depends on what model you get. Moreover, what model you get will depend on what you want to do.

Your army knife will come with a manual, so be sure to read this manual carefully. As you read the manual, explore the different knives and tools in the army knife. The knives will have their own hinges or fingernail digs that will allow you to pull them out, so use these to explore your knives. Be careful, however, and recognize which sides of your knives are sharp. This will allow you to hold the knife expertly and use the tools. It will also keep you from spontaneously chopping your fingers off.

You also need to maintain your army knife. Your tools all work along a hinge, and with no oil, your tools can rust and you will not be able to pull them out quickly. Read about how to maintain your knife and how to clean it. With age, use, and grime, you will make your knife dirty and hard to use, so be sure to maintain it. For this purpose, you will need to get some oils or grease in order to keep your hinges working.

Basically, an army knife will have a bevy of tools, most of them for screwing in screws, opening bottles, pulling corks out of wine bottles, and slicing or cutting. When using your handy screw drivers, maintain a good grip on your army knife, and make sure that the edge of the screw driver is securely fastened onto the grooves in your screw. The same rules apply for nearly all the tools in the army knife: you need to maintain a good grip on your knife, since its lack of torque and the small area in which you can maintain a grip can also limit your movement, not to mention the knife’s functionality. You will want to hold it well, moreover, to avoid it flying out of your grasp and hurting yourself, or anyone close to you.

Panic Alarms: How to Use and Different Types

In this day and age, you’ll never know when you’ll need a panic alarm.  Not only are panic alarms a necessity for people who have physical limitations, they are also important self-defense and medical emergency tools for those who might require immediate assistance.

What is a panic alarm?
Panic alarms are portable electronic devices that are used to trigger an alert – either in the form of an audible alarm or as a remote alert to a monitoring station.  As their name suggests, they are used in case panic situations emerge that may threaten or endanger an individual, his home or other properties.

Types of panic alarms

Handheld types
These panic alarms are directly controlled by the user.  In many handheld models, a trigger device such as an alarm button, switch or pin built into the panic alarm unit is pushed or pulled off.  This causes the panic alarm to produce a loud alert, such as a siren or a bell.

This type of panic alarm is handy enough to be carried in a purse or used as a key chain.  They are quite useful for individuals who wish to use panic alarms as self-defense tools to prevent an attack (such as during an attempted robbery, hold-up or sexual assault) and/or to call for help.

Once triggered, this type of panic alarm will require a reset.

Receiver-Transmitter types
This type of panic alarm is an excellent choice for home use by the elderly, the sick or very young children left alone in the house.  The transmitter device is either handheld or portable (such as those worn around the neck or wrist) or fixed (such as those installed on the wall).

The transmitter device can be triggered two ways – manually or automatically through a pre-set electronic signal.  In the case of a manual panic alarm, a receiver unit detects the signal and sends out an audible alarm. This alarm is usually loud enough to be audible to people within the same house or to the neighbor next door.  An automatic signal, on the other hand, is triggered by a sensor on the transmitter.

Monitored alarms
Monitored panic alarms usually require the assistance of a third party to work.  They are usually the alarm of choice for people who require emergency medical services.  The panic button or transmitter is usually worn.  When triggered, it will send a signal wirelessly to a receiver console.  The console will then automatically call a pre-set number of a monitoring center to alert them.

From hereon, there are different scenarios that could occur, depending on the service subscribed to.  The monitoring center could:

- dial the nearest 911 center to alert them of the user’s needs and current condition
- alert an emergency medical team who can assist the user
- call an emergency number specified by the user, such as a family member, friend or medical facility

Services and features can differ, offering users enough choices to customize the options according to their needs.

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