Kubotan

just make one. Get a piece of hard wood and run it on a lathe to carve it to about the size of a magic marker. It should protrude about an 1.5 inches passed the top and bottom of your closed fist. Slightly sharpen the ends but not too much to make it illegal.

I've read that you can make one out of Delrin plastic, but I haven't tried that one.
 
A kubotan is not a knife. Don't look for one in the General Knife Discussion. Moved to Gadgets & Gear.
 
Juramentado said:
just make one. Get a piece of hard wood and run it on a lathe to carve it to about the size of a magic marker. It should protrude about an 1.5 inches passed the top and bottom of your closed fist. Slightly sharpen the ends but not too much to make it illegal.

I've read that you can make one out of Delrin plastic, but I haven't tried that one.
Click to expand...

I made one out of white Delrin, about 1/2" in diameter and two inches longer than my fist. I just tapered the ends ever so slightly and round them off. Looks about as threatening as a box of popcorn... :thumbup:

Stitchawl
 
how easy its to carve the delrin? I have a dremel and I'm wondering if I can use that to grind delrin.

Kubotans are effective SD tools, as long as you have the training to use it.
 
A Dremel will carve anything....with the right bit. I had one years ago made from aluminum tubing; my dad welded the ends at his place of work and then ground finger-grooves.

But wood is certainly easier; and the thing works because it's hard, not heavy.
Any decent hardwood with a close grain should be fine; check out the cheap "hardwood dowels" at your local hardware store.
 
I have an ASP Street Defender and Key Defender. They are high-quality aluminum kubatons with OC spray inserts. Made by the same folks who produce the collapsible steel police batons. I've had to spray one dirtbag and the OC is VERY hot. One of my buddies also had good results with the spray from his Street Defender. I have not yet employed them as impact weapons.

DancesWithKnives
 
Juramentado said:
how easy its to carve the delrin? I have a dremel and I'm wondering if I can use that to grind delrin.

Kubotans are effective SD tools, as long as you have the training to use it.
Click to expand...

I used a Dremel to shape the one I made. At first I was running it much to fast, heated the rasping burr which softened the Delrin just enough to gum up the cutting teeth. I put in a new rasp, reduced the speed to the slowest setting, and had no more problems. 10 minutes work and I was done. I didn't want to make it fancy. All I did was taper and round out the ends, and cut some groves for grip. Then I used a Silver Sharpie to write "Silver Sands, Jamaica" in fancy script on the side to make it look more like some sort of souvenir.

Stitchawl
 
you mean one like this?

IMG_6305.jpg
 
I really think that you are better off with a small flashlight that can double as a kubotan.
With luck, you'll never have to use a kubotan in earnest anyway. A flashlight however has some utility value. Also, Kubotans are classed as weapons, flashlights are not ( though one's with deeply crenellated bezels might be). This means that you can take your flashlight on an aircraft and to all sorts of places that might frown on a dedicated kubotan.
Here in the U.K. I literally can't carry a kubotan but a flashlight is no problem. Also, I frequently fly all over the world and always have my flashlight on me. It's never caused a problem at airport security or clubs with metal detectors.
 
Good point. I can carry my ASPs most places but have to leave them in the car whenever I enter a "weapons prohibited" zone. Even an old beaten up Mini Maglite makes a decent kubotan and if you lose it for some reason, you're not out a lot of money.

DancesWithKnives
 
Agreed that a flashlight is the way to go these days: far more multi-purpose, not a dedicated weapon, and will go places that many kubotans cannot. Even pre-9/11 hysteria, you couldn't take a kubotan on a plane but to this day I still carry a light as carry-on.

That said, when I went to serve on Jury Duty last year I went to the courthouse website to figure out the logistics. Amongst the list of prohibited items they now include flashlights. So at least some secure areas are locking down:

Prohibited Items:
You are not allowed to bring these items: Penknives, flashlights, scissors, craft needles (e.g., knitting, crocheting, etc.), and any type of weapon is strictly forbidden.
Click to expand...
(Of course, when I got there security was a joke and given the way they treated me I'm confident I could have smuggled in a midget with his own arsenal of flashlights, craft needles, and an assortment of other deadly weapons)
 
I went to see a LA Kings game (free tickets given to girlfriend) and that facility also prohibits flashlights. Carried a couple Photon microlights in case of a blackout and those got through. They don't make much of an impact weapon though! On the other hand, you can easily bring a cane with you.

DancesWithKnives
 
Cougar Allen said:
That's the first I've heard of flashlights being prohibited anywhere. What jurisdiction is that?
Click to expand...
Baltimore City Circuit Court

I have no idea when they started doing it. In 2005/6 I worked an IT contract that had me in and out of at least a dozen different state correctional facilities here in MD, a number of which were in the city. I took a hand-held flashlight in every time (a Longbow Eco in 2xAA) and only once was I ever stopped or questioned about it. In that case, the guard at security check-in said I wasn't allowed to take it in. I told him I needed it for my job so that I could look inside the computers I was working on. This was a total lie as everything I was doing was software based, but he simply said, "Oh, well if you need it for your job I can't stop you. Just fill in this tool sheet and show me the light when you leave so I can confirm no one inside got their hands on it." I filled out the sheet but he didn't care to stop me when I left.

I got that thing into facilities that confiscated my PB&J sandwich I had brought along for lunch. Bear in mind, I was traveling through and working in areas amongst the general population: not hidden away. The only facility I didn't even bother trying to get into with the light was the SuperMax. That place is no joke and at the time they had an armed guard walking around outside with a loaded shotgun. That wouldn't sound like a big deal if you thought of it as a facility on its own grounds but the SuperMax is right in the heart of the city. The sidewalk that guard patrolled was a public one that anyone could walk down, on a street that gets heavy traffic towards the highway. Here's the Google Street View of it. Not sure what the hell those grills are doing set up outside (hahaha), but that's where the shotgun-toting guard patrolled when I was working there briefly.

Anyway, my rambling point is that I found it quite amusing to get my flashlight into a dozen state correctional facilities but apparently wasn't allowed to bring it to court. Granted, there was a 2-3 year gap between that job and the time I served for Jury Duty, so maybe the rules simply changed within that time frame.
 
I think it's only a matter of time before flashlights are prohibited on aircraft and places like courtrooms. I did jury service at the Old Baily last year and my flashlight was allowed. Being the Old Baily I expected a serious, juicy case to ponder but it was a petty little affair, very disappointing.
Anyway, I expect we will all have to get more creative with improvised weapons. Pens might be the way to go. There are a few nice 'weaponised' pens out there and any pen could be useful though no substitute for some empty hand skills.
 
Jockohomo said:
I think it's only a matter of time before flashlights are prohibited on aircraft and places like courtrooms.
Click to expand...
That certainly seems to be the trend as I have heard (second hand only) of other secure facilities banning flashlights. A slow trend perhaps, but it seems like some are going in that direction.

The thing that really bothers me is that I really do carry a flashlight for illumination. I use one daily and would find it a huge inconvenience if I could no longer carry one in many public spaces.

And then what? Write them into weapon laws somehow? Otherwise, if you break the rule what happens to you?

That last question is genuine: not rhetorical. If a facility bans an item like a flashlight, which is a legal device to own and carry in public, what happens to you if you are caught breaking the rules? What happens if you get into a court with a light you're not supposed to have and are caught? Can you be charged with a crime or is it simply grounds to be kicked out?

The ability to use one as a weapon is very very tiny consideration for me: it sucks that it is clearly becoming the primary concern in some places.

Of course, I'm sure these places will allow something like a Photon, but it seems like we'll eventually have restrictions on flashlight specs like knife specs :jerkit:
I.E. "No flashlights will be allowed in this facility over 2" in OAL."

:barf:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top