Kookla
Member
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2015
- Messages
- 1,115
It occurs to me that the criteria "• Must have a utilitarian use - This is essential" needs a corollary.
• The item's use/necessity must be plausible, considering both you and your environment.
This is why screwdrivers or ball-peen hammers are going to be red flag today, unless you're doing some kind of maintenance or construction at the time of LEO contact.
Goes to who carries a can of wasp spray with them?
John mentioned the carabiner as a potential weapon in another thread. I curious what people's thoughts are. I have this steel one pictured, which weighs a hefty 200g and fits on my hand. But I found when hitting a heavy bag that using it for straight punches like brass knuckles doesn't seem like a good idea. It hurts my hand, and at full speed I think there is a risk of injury. However it seems to work very well with hammer blows, both downwards and upwards. And with the mass of this particular one, I wonder if it might be feasible as a flexible weapon.
I have used a heavy carabiner on a braided 550 lanyard, with either keys or a light on the other end. I have carried such through multiple high-security checkpoints. When working security jobs, or any other job where you frequently need a light, the light/carabiner lanyard is very practical, since you can clip the carabiner around a belt loop or your Wildderness Systems belt buckle. It takes up less space than the traditional 2-5 cell MagLite, while giving more reach, should you have to use it defensively. It also takes up much less room and weighs less.
The Cold Steel shovel is an excellent item to keep in the car.
I actually am talking about a cheap disposable unopened plastic water bottle.
I have been unable to strike a hard object with enough force to rupture one.
Mason jar with a matching lid. Drilled a hole through the top and put on a 1/4" nipple so I could attach it to a pump. I was surprised at how much pressure it could take. I have used the same setup to stabilize wooden knife scales. It really doesn't take much of a vacuum to pull the air out. You will see air bubbles coming out of the wood quickly at first and then more slowly until no more bubbles form.
Instead of epoxy or Fiberglass resin, wood hardener like Pentacryl wood stabilizer will work. If you use epoxy, it actually isn't that hard to clean out of the jar - wipe it out with acetone or wait until it dries and use a sharp edge to scrape it out. Speaking of acetone, if you are in a really DIY mood, you can melt plexiglas or lexan in acetone and use that in place of epoxy, resin or wood stabilizer but it takes a little trial and error to get it to the right thickness.
Context is everything. I wouldn't walk down the street with one or put it on the floorboard.I can't imagine any police officer not giving it the hairy eye, at least around here.
I taught for 30 years, most of them in Industrial Arts. I always figured if we had a school shooting I'd issue "tools" to all of the kids. Anyone who got through the door with a firearm would be bombarded with hammers, circular saw blades, files, and wrenches. Better than hiding in a closet.
Don't discount your clothing...
I doubt it or I wouldn't keep a small shovel in my car.What the heck, is the officer going to arrest you for having a small shovel to dig yourself out of a rut?