Kubotan Advice

Which are more effective, the flat end ones or the pointed ones?

All my training has been with flat end ones, and I carry a batonlite, so I am probably biased. Flat ends probably work better for pinch holds. Pointed ends are probably better for escapes where you need to jab the end into a muscle.

Having said all that, the last training I did we ended the session using a grab-bag of "found" items (pens, AA Maglights, laser pointers, etc.) Both flat and pointed ends. They all worked well enough to get the job done, so I don't think it really matters.

(I think it is pretty funny that Kubotans are listed as prohibited items for carry-on, but a AA Maglight is OK.)

My lady carries a particularly nasty one. A picture would work better, but I'll try to describe it. It's a pretty standard aluminum octagonal kubotan, with a rounded taper on one end, but it has 2 thin rounded "spikes" perpendicular to the main shaft, long enough to poke out through the knuckles a centimeter or 2.

this bugger can be used more or less as a standard kubotan, or as brass knuckles/(dull) punch dagger.

I agree with jack above on the merits of either style, but I would also like to add that the smaller the point of impact, the greater the force multiplier. That's why knives are so nasty: all that force is being concentrated on that tiny little edge.

If it looks like this one, it sure is a nasty little bugger.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

Ninja keychain

That's the guy. It even has the same silly name that convinced her to buy one.

I like the ones made by ASP. It is a Kubotan type device that is hollow, and has a small container of OC inside (the cartridge can be replaced of course). It gives you another option.
Actually I don't really like Kubatons too much as self defense weapons. Most of the uses of them are for pain compliance. Unless you are carrying handcuffs and are going to restrain you attacker, what do you do after getting them in a wrist lock?
If you use some of the techniques that Monadnock developed for it's Persuader. It included some strikes and jabs, but even then I'd rather try the OC in their face first.

For great pocket stick advice, visit:

www.donrearic.com
www.selfdefenseforums.com

I don't think it would make a huge difference whether the end is flat, pointed or rounded when the Kobutan hits the skull, collarbone or rib et al. Pointed/rounded might hurt more, though pain-compliance isn't something you should rely on unless you are a cop. The idea is to damage as much as you can as soon as you can, then get the hell out of Dodge.

It really depends on the situation. My recommendation is to gauge the situation. There is no sense to maming someone who does something silly like grab your wrist or shirt or pushes you. If they have a weapon, things change. If there is more than one attacker, things change. A neat way to think of it might be to say it would be silly to kill a fly with a sledge hammer ( /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif though some people might like that /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif ).

- G!mpy

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Mr. Bombastic said:
The idea is to damage as much as you can as soon as you can, then get the hell out of Dodge.

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don't forget the legal implications either

oiy!