Cheap effective last minute weapons for close quarter self defence?

Originally posted by Capt.Spaulding


No offense, but that looked a lot like pro-wrestling. The jabbing looked effective, but hitting someone with a rolled up magazine looked as affective as hitting a puppy on the nose with a newspaper for peeing in the house.

It took me 12 years to get my black belt in Karate in L.A. Good street fighters can trump all that "controlled environment" training any day.

Yes, by if "looked a lot like pro-wrestling" you mean choreographed, of course it was, lol. Sorry, I don't have any videos of anyone being bludgeoned to death in prison with the same basic weapon (rolled paper). =P


Glad you took Karate, but in my opinion, although classified as a martial art, it's more of a sport imo, hence the tournaments, etc.

I've yet to see any "street fighter" worth his salt get dealt with by a Karate expert. Trying to use karate on the streets isn't a good idea, best saved for class, as it's not designed for the streets in my opinion. 90% of All streetfights end up on the ground, and this means doom for the Karate practitioner. A bit of a striking art, and something with a ground game is advisable in my opinion for suitable self defense regarding picking a sensible street worthy martial art.

Wing Chun + Brazilian Jujitsu = GAME OVER.

Anything in reach that can cut, break, blind or disable is good (Iamp bases, writing instruments, vases, etc but as one poster replied, the best thing is to not underestimate your attacker, assume they will win for the moment, and find a quick exit, then beat feat to safety, and then once you've established safety or your personal being, then you can can get strategic.

There's nothing in your home (unless you family members) worth fighting for, and risking your life over.

p.s. An aluminum can is harder to crush than the human trachea.

Two words...Army Shovel. Can be used as a tool and a weapon. Put an edge on this little sucker and you have yourself a mean little tool.

reply to post by gimme_some_truth


Its not that expensive, its a dog almost everyone in America has a dog.

If you can't find a conventional weapon anything with a thin end is always useful. Take a toothbrush for example. The power you can generate wont be any more than a fist but the area of impact is significantly smaller. The power would be concentrated into a single point rather than spread out over an area producing more damage to the aggressor. It works with pretty much anything.

Plus, it means where ever you are in the house you can pretty much find a weapon. Even something as simple as a rolled up magazine/newspaper can be useful! Providing you don't fall under pressure and roll it loose, aha.



The vid is amusing, and he beats a guy up for stealing his chair, but never the less he atleast shows you how to use it.

There is a lot of really poor advice on this thread. Many of you thinking sprays and cleaners and lighters and keys are "go-to" weapons are going to die.
Yes there are many things that can be used as a weapon in a last ditch effort. If you have no other options and no other methods then you might go to this. That said however these should not be a "choice". You dont carry or keep this with the intention of it being your weapon. All of these suggestions are tools and tools are the least important aspect of defense.

Tools
Tactics
Skills
Awareness
Mindset

In the order of least to greatest importance. All else matters not if you are not willing to KILL for your protection.
Deterance is a tactic. Its a valid tactic but you do not plan on scaring or detering an attackor. you do things that may or may not deter an attacker. If you do the right things then an attacker may pass you by, if not you better be prepared to KILL them. Not wound them, not degrease their face or hit them with some odd farm implement. You better be prepared to kill them. The human body runs on fluid. You stop the fluid and it shuts down. Stop the fluid by letting it out in as many places as possible. Thats it, thats what you need to do. The best tool for doing that is a modern semi-automatic handgun in any significant caliber.
Get one and build the skills and tactics needed to put it into service. You dont risk the life of you or your family on wasp spray.

reply to post by CharlesBronson


good idea, How about a sock full of quarters?

I'm not sure how effective this would be but it is free........your acting skills. Start screaming jibberish at the top of your lungs and run around knocking stuff over. Yell as loud as you can, because if your crazy act doesn't scare someone off then at least maybe someone will hear the ruckus and come to help.

If you have to ask such a question, you should avoid trying to defend yourself at close quarters at all cost. Unless you have experience with close quarter combat and defense you should defiantly not even try to bring a weapon into that mix. Without proper training the weapons you bring to the fight could prove to be more dangerous to yourself than having no weapons at all. I know it sounds a little cliché, but the best defense is a good offence. In short, the best weapons for close combat are rash thought and a clear understanding of your situation, and if there is any doubt in that situation, the best thing to do is always conceal and cover. Follow this advice and you should be just fine.

if you think about it as a last minute weapon then it has to be available almost instantly so theres no point in having a firearm or anything else in another room since the invader will possibly be coming for you so realistically you should consider it more of what do i have at hand to stop the person who's running towards me now and depending on the situation do you always have even your firearm available within the few seconds needed if some idiot comes through the door with a shotgun while you are watching a movie with the missus while trying to get some sexy time started for example

Anything that furthers the gap between me and my opponent, whether it's a stick, a vacuum, or a fishing pole...

use a truck/s.u.v antenna, the thick kind with the metal spirals down it. It has a screw on the bottom which you can attach a handle from a gardening tool to it. Very effective at close range! It will lacerate upon contact. I know a person who used one in self defense on an attacker. He whipped them in the face/head and it totally filleted the attacker from the back of the head across the face. Go to a pick-&-pull auto scrap yard and get one off an old truck for cheap. Keep it by your front door along with a can of hornet/wasp spray and you can defend your house from a group of intruders by yourself.

You can buy a telescoping baton for $10-$20 at your local "spy" shop, gun shop, or online.

Telescoping Baton Google Search results

You can also buy high voltage(between 100,000 and 10 million volt) stun guns that, I assure you, are extremely effective at stopping an assailant.

High Voltage Stun Gun Google Search Results

I also recommend (Pepper/Tear Gas combo)OC Spray with high visibility skin dye so the police can id the assailant should you require them to be involved.

Tear Gas/OC Spray with Dye Google Search Results

reply to post by Dylan201


Sling Shot

Is there a reason why you are looking for non-lethal alternatives to a firearm? If I missed it I am sorry. But conventionally any intruder breaking into your home will have a lethal weapon whether it is a knife or gun.

I would say stay away from any aerosol based weapons. Unfortunately you run the chance of running into residual spray and taking yourself out as well. If the intruder is hopped up on something then it may not be enough.

Remember you are fighting in close quarter where do you think that spray will go? I am not even a stun gun would work. 1. You would have to let the intruder get close enough to you to use it. 2. If it fires the electrodes I believe it is a one shot thing. You miss your well.....you get the idea.

so many silly answers...

melee :

to carry on person : kukri
to carry in the car : a rounders bat / sawn-off baseball bat, crow bar.

gun :
sawn-off shotgun.
shotguns are cheap, so get an old one and saw the stock and barrel down.

Anything. Literally. A cast iron frying pan is surprisingly effective. As as virtually any aerosol spray to the eyes. CD cases are great thrown weapons with a little practice, keys do damage to necks, eyes and other tender spots, punches and kicks to the neck, elbows, knees and solar plexus can be devastating, stomping the instep of an attacker ends any fight -- even with a trained combat veteran -- in seconds, etc. Everything you see is a potential weapon. That is because the real weapon is YOU, and everything else is just method and opportunity. Of course, the absolute best weapon is not being in a situation where you need to use one.

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


Cosigned.

Well said!

You guys scare me!

Honestly, this sounds more like you think you're in a zombie movie. Almost every answer is something that will not only incapacitate an attacker, but something that will maim or even kill. Fighting fire with fire is the problem to begin with.

If you're worried about getting attacked at close quarters learn methods of TEMPORARILY disabling your attacker. A direct blunt force to the diaphragm will disable even the angriest attacker, can be delivered with many instruments (including those of advantageous range) that unless used with that intent wont kill or maim. Additionally they don't require you to be boosting sales of weapons and chemicals, which so many of you on this site identify as one of the biggest problems with social attitudes and world economies.

If it's a SHTF scenario you're worried about, buy and learn to use a cast net. I'm sure it'll serve many other purposes, and it requires no ammo so will last longer.

Really though, the first step towards peace is peaceful thoughts.

TL: DR
So much blood-thirst. I don't think it's the right attitude to have.

Everyone loves to get creative with close weaponry. Stick to the basics. Knives and clubs are best but really anything can be turned into a weapon. Simply pick up something close by and use it. The real trick is conquering the fear to become a killer when the need arises.
Stay away from chemicals and flammables. Remember you will be in close proximity.
That said, don't forget that you are covered in weapons. Hands, feet, teeth, and your body weight also make effective weapons.

One time someone broke into my apartment while I was sleeping - they made enough noise that I woke up and realized quickly I had no weapon. Fortunately, my room mate had a bowling pin. That worked really good.

The metal tube for vacuum cleaner extensions are good, any reasonable sized pot or pan, chairs, lamps, forks, steak knives, ironing boards, irons - especially hot ones, can all find their uses.

For that matter, there are teachers in California who believe that peppermint candy canes during Christmas can be sharpened and turned into - deadly weapons. So, on that score - chicken bones, spare ribs, moldy tuna casseroles, and a stale loaf of 3' long French Bread can also be considered back-up weapons.

Of course, box cutters, finger nail clippers and filing boards, sewing kits, scissors are enough to scare the begezus out of the TSA. If you are going for a more psychological warfare angle - a gallon of ice cold milk waved threateningly in the direction of any would-be assailant can do wonders. This works exceedingly well against police if you put a really big label on the carton that reads, "Unpasteurized Milk" - figure they'll call for 2-3 SWAT Teams as back up.

Sharpened pencils and good ball point pens - even the cheap $ .19 variety... well might be $ .49 now - also make for good close quarter weapons. Sometimes you can get them on sell at Office Depot, 12 for $3.99.

And finally, when all else fails, and you've got nothing left - you can take all of your spare change and put it in a good sturdy sock, maybe add a few nails or spikes, and you've got the modern day equivalent of medieval flail.

For that matter, there are teachers in California who believe that peppermint candy canes during Christmas can be sharpened and turned into - deadly weapons. So, on that score - chicken bones, spare ribs, moldy tuna casseroles, and a stale loaf of 3' long French Bread can also be considered back-up weapons. Of course, box cutters, finger nail clippers and filing boards, sewing kits, scissors are enough to scare the begezus out of the TSA. If you are going for a more psychological warfare angle - a gallon of ice cold milk waved threateningly in the direction of any would-be assailant can do wonders. This works exceedingly well against police if you put a really big label on the carton that reads, "Unpasteurized Milk" - figure they'll call for 2-3 SWAT Teams as back up.

reply to post by USXpat
That's quite good.