Wearable Defense

[kannonfyre]

The old adage, "A snubby in hand is worth a .44 at home" certainly rings true in these times that we live in. With that in mind, I would like to seek the views of y'all with regard to wearable defense.

I recently bought a pair of steel toed shoes and plan to wear them during my workday. Has anyone here had any experience kicking with steel toed footware during a self defense situation? Are they effective? Which brands are good and durable?

Going off at a tangent....anyone here own a hideaway knife or some similar "claw blade" (eg, CRKT bear claw) AND tried to wear it on the same lanyard as your company employee pass? Didja manage to escape notice from co-workers?

 

[Rupestris]

Steel toed boots can be heavy. If you are not required to have them and don't feel that you need them for safety then look for some of the reinforced toe boots.
Some have a fiberglass or rigid plastic toe that can protect up to a certain amount of weight. They're rigid enough that, if kicked with one, the recipient probably wouldn't know that they aren't steel.

Does this mean I have wandered into "light and fast" territory as opposed to my usual "slow and heavy"?

 

[No_Brakes23]

I have been trying to strike a balance between tinfoil hat loony survivalism and unarmed sheeple victim as of late. I guess you could call it passive survivalism. In addition to getting semi-bug-out ready, and stocking up on things that will actually get used, I have been thinking about personal/home defense.

Here in SoCal, CCW and TruckGuns are pretty much out of the question. But I try to keep a knife on me at all times. I had thought of getting a hideaway, but I have heard they are difficult to employ, and I don't like wearing anything around my neck. On the other hand, here in San Diego, even my leftist friends pretty much expect every Marine to have a pocket knife on hand, so no one gives me dirty looks.

Additionally, a "pocketknife" can be excused as a utilitarian need, but a hideaway or neckblade is a little more ominous. Not illegal to have, but as they say "perception is reality."

When I am on my motorcycle I wear Steel-Toed Flight-Line boots

 

[kannonfyre]

I currently wear a comtech stinger together with my company pass. A few odd comments about my "lucky charm" but nothing remotely serious.

Any experience with Catepillar steel toed boots?

 

[model 649]

I have been wearing steel toes for over twenty years on the job and they are heavy. I am quite used to them but that took a few months. I saw that Weinbrenner (Wisconsin) makes an ANSI/75 spec "composite" toe boot and I may try them on the next go-round as they are surely a bit lighter. The weight of a work boot is not all in the steel toes however. The shank can also be steel and the boot upper and sole add alot, too. The "composite" from Weinbrenner has no metal in it but meets all the specs of the all steel boots. On their site they are the EO-26 model. They might be good for your type of duty as they are also electric hazard rated. as far as weapon usage, I'm sure, as posted above, the recipient won't know they aren't steel. (Only your bootmaker knows for sure! lol.) Sap gloves with the fingers cut back might be good, too if you can wear them. Interesting thread.
Josh

 

[Kevlarman]

Sap gloves are a no-no in Cali. But I do have several pair of steel and composite toe boots. The composite weighs a lot less than the steel and as a bonus, doesn't set off metal detectors or conduct cold and electricity.

 

[Soap]

Cat's boots are pretty decent for the price. How do you practice kicking? The stiffness and weight of the steel toes might actually hinder your kicks depending on the techniques you use.