[The_Original_Prep]

Hello all. I am in debate on which item, other than a knife, to which I may be able to protect myself in close hand-hand combat. Two options I am considering are a collapsible baton or a small handheld stun gun. Both have there ups and downs.

The baton is light weight and doesn't need to be charged what so ever. Also, it might be able to be better concealed on persons due to its lower profile (in my opinion).

Now, the stun gun is very effective when in really close quarters and can put the assailant down with one strike. It does have some limited factors though. First, it needs to have a charge. This may limit my options when carrying. For example: say I needed to bug out, and don't have it charged, or don't have any means to get it charged. What then? Second, it is a little bit bulkier than the Baton.

With all that, I was just wondering what everyones preferences are? Which would you choose over the other and why? Do you have any other options for EDC protection?

Thank you for any comments or constructive criticism. Will surely use anything I can squeeze out of you all.

Original Prep

 

[MrsInor]

A saber tooth turtle. Small compact durable. Not very fast but then your assailant just might laugh himself to death.

 

[The_Original_Prep]

A saber tooth turtle. Small compact durable. Not very fast but then your assailant just might laugh himself to death.

Haha that was classic! Very well done Sir/Ma'am! I might just laugh myself to death, not the assailant....

Stay Classy my friend!

Original Prep

 

[1skrewsloose]

Before deciding on what choice of defensive weapon, you need to educate yourself with all these weapons. just owning is not enough. I tell my 17 yr old daughter, BENT. Balls, eyes, nose and throat. If your personal close, to me, your in my space, and I'm threatend, I train to need no asisstance. My daughter goes to self-defense classes at the "Y", plus the leo I work with teaches. He is a black belt. When you're up close and that personal, you've not paid attention to let it get that far. just mho

 

[roy]

A collapsable baton is illegal in Texas. Might as well carry something useful like a compact Glock.

 

[The_Original_Prep]

Before deciding on what choice of defensive weapon, you need to educate yourself with all these weapons. just owning is not enough. I tell my 17 yr old daughter, BENT. Balls, eyes, nose and throat. If your personal close, to me, your in my space, and I'm threatend, I train to need no asisstance. My daughter goes to self-defense classes at the "Y", plus the leo I work with teaches. He is a black belt. When you're up close and that personal, you've not paid attention to let it get that far. just mho

Training is a given prior to purchasing either of these items. I am also getting my concealed permit soon, probably within a month or two. Really appreciate the information and tips.

 

[retired guard]

Look at your local laws. Stick with them you don't want to see TEOTWAWKI from inside a prison cell or with your income garnished for a plaintiff. Look at yourself if like me you are asthmatic OC and other sprays are a bad choice. What is your skill level with a baton? What training is available to you? I have seen OC, less lethal shotgun rounds, batons all fail. I have not seen tasers fail whether projected or dry stun but have read of it happening. Nothing is perfect but look at your options and consider if this failed what would I have time to do next?

 

[1skrewsloose]

A collapsable baton is illegal in Texas. Might as well carry something useful like a compact Glock.

Is this country crazy or what, no baton, but glock ok? Not that I'm complaining, just pointing out an obvious flaw in the liberal reasoning. peace.

 

[Fuzzee]

An ASP and a bottle of FOX pepper spray. Being you don't have your CCW to conceal carry yet. Spray them with the pepper spray in the eyes and mouth, than hit them in the knees and balls with the ASP while their blinded. Keep hitting them till you've definitely broken their knees and balls, than walk away and go home. Calling the police is a waste of time. The perpetrator is either going to get a slap on the wrist, completely let off due to procedural bungling or thrown back into the same jail they have been in many times before and let out after a short period of enjoying the food, cable, working out, doing drugs, and learning new ways to be a better criminal. Try to do the rest of us a favor and make sure they can't walk and reproduce ever again.

 

[Deebo]

Exactly what Fuzzee and 1skrewloose have stated. If it comes to defending myself, or my family, today, or EOTW, if you invade my "bubble", one of us is getting hurt, one is walking away.
Henry Bowman style, tell noone, admit nothing, deny, and most of all tell noone.
As far as your question originally, I would carry all if I had them, better on you than in a drawer somewhere, but the key is reaction. When shit looks/feels bad, don't wait to be on the defensive, make the BG be defensive. BENT- I like that.

 

[Rigged for Quiet]

Is this country crazy or what, no baton, but glock ok? Not that I'm complaining, just pointing out an obvious flaw in the liberal reasoning. peace.

Texas has some legal oddities. We have great gun laws but some of the most restrictive blade laws in the country. The only thing I can figure out is it's an attempt to keep idiots from bringing a knife to a gun fight.

 

[bigdogbuc]

Hello all. I am in debate on which item, other than a knife, to which I may be able to protect myself in close hand-hand combat. Two options I am considering are a collapsible baton or a small handheld stun gun. Both have there ups and downs.

The baton is light weight and doesn't need to be charged what so ever. Also, it might be able to be better concealed on persons due to its lower profile (in my opinion).

Now, the stun gun is very effective when in really close quarters and can put the assailant down with one strike. It does have some limited factors though. First, it needs to have a charge. This may limit my options when carrying. For example: say I needed to bug out, and don't have it charged, or don't have any means to get it charged. What then? Second, it is a little bit bulkier than the Baton.

With all that, I was just wondering what everyones preferences are? Which would you choose over the other and why? Do you have any other options for EDC protection?

Thank you for any comments or constructive criticism. Will surely use anything I can squeeze out of you all.

Original Prep

A TASER maybe, a stun gun no. A stun gun requires you to get in extremely close (unless it's a 3' long Cattle Prod) and it does not incapacitate. It "stuns". My department issues the X26 TASER. I can use it with the cartridge which shoots the probes, or I can can pull the cartridge off and use it like a stun gun, which is nothing more than pain compliance. As soon as you lose or remove contact, it doesn't hurt anymore and the bad guy can carry on. With the cartridge, it's a 5 second ride, it hurts like hell and most people don't want anymore to do with it. But also realize it doesn't take long to recover; so run, get them restrained or zap them again.

An expandable baton (ASP) is a good choice, but you definitely need training. I like impact weapons, so the old PR-24 (side handle baton) is an excellent choice, but not concealable, unless you get the expandable one. Chemical irritants are a good choice but get one that shoots foam or a solid stream, not a fog. The "fogger" is susceptible to wind and gets all over everything, including you. Used indoors, I've seen them get sucked into the ventilation system requiring the entire building to get evacuated. Which resulted in getting the guy fired. It was our building and he was goofing around with his spray, he sprayed himself and another guy, then we watched the cloud get sucked into a vent. Nothing like having nearly a dozen officers and a bunch of secretaries spending the next half hour coughing like they had emphysema.

 

[csi-tech]

I have used both many times in real world situations. The collapsible baton generally sucks. If you choose a stun gun that is the same as a Taser you are probably OK. As far as a defensive weapon that will buy time to escape I wouldn't rule out pepper spray.

 

[Meangreen]

Call me old fashioned but I really like my collapsible Steel Baton or as I call it, "my pipe!" Unless you're willing to spend a lot of money on a Taser, the little ones that get sold to the public are really junk. Where I work we screw around with the little hand held ones and think it's really funny to during muster to hit an unsuspecting person when they are sitting in a steel chair. Place the little electrodes on the leg of the chair, hit the power and watch the show! Steel batons always works and it's so easy even a caveman can do it!

 

[Prepadoodle]

I have to say a gun is the only real choice.

I wouldn't want to take any of the other choices up against a knife, let alone against someone armed with a gun.

I'm a fan of open carry, if it's legal where you are. Nobody is going to attack someone who is openly carrying a sidearm. All of the other choices mentioned, including concealed carry, let you react after the situation has already gone to hell. Only open carry prevents the problem in the first place.

Since someone is bound to jump on me for this...

Our local grocery store has an armed guard in plain view. I asked them about this and they said they got robbed 3 times in an 8 month period. So they hired the guard and in 14 months, haven't been robbed once. I have seen several different guards there at various times, and none of them would scare a robber if not for the gun on their sides. Thieves look for easy prey, it's as simple as that.

Contrast this with how many shops get robbed when they have their weapons out of sight. Yeah, sometimes the element of surprise gives the clerk the upper hand once they pull out their gun, but it doesn't always end well for the clerks.

Hidden weapons allow one to be reactive, open carry deters crime and is proactive. I would much rather prevent it in the first place.

 

[paraquack]

What Prepadoodle said.

 

[rickkyw1720pf]

If the SHTF I am just going to carry a pistol, if a threat all of a sudden shows up I don't want to loose critical seconds thinking what should I grab my pistol, knife, taser, asp or prepper spray.

 

[dannydefense]

I have to say a gun is the only real choice.

I wouldn't want to take any of the other choices up against a knife, let alone against someone armed with a gun.

I'm a fan of open carry, if it's legal where you are. Nobody is going to attack someone who is openly carrying a sidearm. All of the other choices mentioned, including concealed carry, let you react after the situation has already gone to hell. Only open carry prevents the problem in the first place.

Since someone is bound to jump on me for this...

That someone isn't going to be me. I'm a huge advocate of open carry; it's a million times more comfortable, much easier to draw from and it's one hell of a good deterrent. There is a myth that it will somehow make you a target for bad guys. It's nothing more than a myth with absolutely no basis in reality.

The only problem with open carry is that you do become a target for poorly trained police officers, and sadly some may think you're one of those bozos on youtube who go around provoking situations so they can regurgitate their knowledge of case files they read about on a forum somewhere.

 

[Chipper]

Take two steps back draw gun and fire. Baton really?? Your tactics suck, no offense.

 

[bigdogbuc]

Okay folks...gun was not one of his "options". Yes we would all prefer a gun, but he wanted to know of the two (baton or stun gun) which you would prefer.