When confronted by an assailant it’s wise to have access to a self defense product. You would of course, need to deploy your self defense strategy in a hurry. Just a few seconds too long in hesitation or fumbling with a deterrent can cost you a beating or even your life.

A quality pepper spray with a quick release keychain can form a self defense strategy that will assist you in a lightning quick self defense response. Pepper spray will stop an attacker in their tracks or have them flailing about blindly while you escape or mount a counter attack.

There’s a couple of great things about pepper spray. It’s non-lethal, it’s legal to own, it’s easy and effective in use against attackers of all sizes and species of mammals. Get some!

I have watched many videos of OC Pepper spray being used at Police and Military academies for training exercises. The recruit is allowed to experience and try to do their job after taking a face full of pepper spray. It has a very profound effect on them and almost without exception, incapacitates the person who was sprayed.

Pepper spray is made under various brand names like Pepper Shot, Wildfire and Mace. Two of the best are Mace pepper spray and wildfire pepper spray. They are very hot. Wildfire has a whopping 18% solution, and Mace’s private blend is smoking hot. Mace pepper foam and pepper gel are both great products. They stick to the person who is sprayed and the harder they try to get it off, the worse they rub it in.

Not everyone can carry firearms or has advanced fighting skills but they can use a defense spray and level the playing field. Click here to see pepper spray in action!

I was watching another of my favorite Animal Planet programs, called Headline Attacks I believe. This episode was about big cats attacking their owners and keepers.

The first segment showed an animal expert working with a mountain lion. For some reason, the cat went sour on him and began sorting him out very quickly. It was only through the heroic actions of a quick thinking friend that he was saved. His friend had picked up an ice chest and began beating the big cat until it decided to go elsewhere, to find a tasty morsel that put up less of a fuss.

The narrator said that no one involved had pepper spray or used the proper precautions in handling this American lion.

In the second segment, there was a trio of juvenile (very large) tigers in an enclosure. A hired hand who had cleaned up after them since they were cubs, turned his back and upon bending over, set off one of the juvenile tigers. Once one of these young tigers jumped on him playfully, it triggered a response and all of them swarmed him with bites and raking paws. A co-worker bravely got into the enclosure and started yelling and hitting them with a gardening implement until they broke of their playful attack. Not before mauling the 1st man badly and nearly costing him his life however.

Again, the narrator mentioned that the man shouldn’t have turned his back to them and that neither man was equipped with a proper pole or pepper spray.

So where am I going with this? I believe in self defense and these attack victims put themselves “at risk” which one should never do. I can’t stress enough, how effective pepper spray is in warding off an attacker, whether human or the king of beasts. Get some and learn to use it. It may save your life!

I wanted to give you a “heads up” on the sale of stun guns, pepper spray, Mace and personal alarms that’s going on at SafetyEnforcement.com, an online outlet.

This website is a Yahoo! Top Rated merchant and has a huge inventory of these products at prices generally below anywhere else on the internet.

If you need a non-lethal self defense product, now’s your chance to stock up. There is only one low flat rate to anywhere in the USA and buying 2 or 3 items doesn’t affect the shipping fees. Get Some!

Some of us knife collecting addicts had a lively discussion on this topic. The original question was posed: “Why do people use cheap blades. I’m talking quality not price. Why do people use the knives that clearly wobble when locked, with mystery blade steel, dull as a rock… get what I’m saying? Why do they choose the knife. My friend is like this. He has very few even halfway decent knives.”

One answer was “because they do not know better and most people feel its insanity to pay $30-$300 for knife”

Another disagreed with knife elitists saying: “I carry a knife which costs 20 bucks, and they don’t advertise their steel, and it is just fine for 99% of what I need. I think you have no idea. I prefer to look at it this way – most folks cut with their knife – and carry one which is in their price range and does what they want it to do. You guys are an exception – caring about what steel your knife is made of is unique to your subset of people – I think you’re being unnecessarily harsh on folks who carry a knife – like you.”

In the end the consensus boiled down to one shared opinion: “the issue is not cheap vs. expensive, but well made for the user’s purpose versus poorly made. I picked up my every day carry knife for 23 bucks. That is a cheap knife, in my opinion, but a good quality tool for my purposes.”

I’ve purchased some cheap but well made folding knives from Safety Enforcement online website. They run from about $12.95 down to $8.95 and with their flat rate shipping fees I usually pick up 2 or 3 of them and the shipping charge stays the same. That’s a deal – they come sharp and for the price point they’re well made folders.

I have some very expensive knives in my collection but for everyday chores like opening cardboard boxes, cutting cords etc, they sure fit the bill!

When we find ourselves in any self defense scenario, the ability to move quickly, run or strike back is in some cases determined by training.  In others, simply being “physically fit” will help in assuring your of survival.

A physically fit person is usually more alert and avoids or responds to an attack better than the person who is not.  Being lethargic, grossly overweight or having poor muscle tone, will make you more susceptible to becoming injured or victimized in a violent crime.

Of course no one can dodge a bullet, but one can easily duck out of the way of a haymaker or rip themselves away from an attacker’s grip if they are fit and alert.

The more physically fit a person is, their reaction time and strength to perform any task is increased proportionately, thus enabling them to survive a physical encounter with greater assurance than one who is out of shape and has an apathetic mindset.

How many of us have decided that this year we will lose weight, quit smoking, build up some muscle?  Lots of folks have I’m sure, but getting started is the hardest part of any discipline.  Once begun, a fitness program of any type will have a snow-balling effect and build up momentum as time goes by.  Just get started!

Stew Smith is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former Navy SEAL, and author of several fitness and self defense books such as The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Fitness, Maximum Fitness, and SWAT Workout. His books are available at Amazon and are all 4.5 and 5 star rated by customers who have purchased them.

Stew has released as a gift, in the first week of January, his 45 Day Beginner Plan.  Check it out and see how easy it to increase your energy and drop a few pounds.  Don’t forget his other books either.  If you go to Amazon online, just copy and paste the titles into the search box, or enter his name and you’ll find them!

I was on my way home and a State Highway Patrol cruiser came whizzing past me at a high rate of speed.  I wondered where he was heading in such a hurry?

I pulled into the driveway and came inside to find my wife on the phone with a family member who has a police scanner.  One of our local youths was killed in an auto accident, only minutes before.  No other details are known as of this post.  That’s where the police car was headed.

I pondered how painful this Christmas would be for the family of that youth who lost his life.  A terrible blow to be sure.  It gives one pause to consider how precious life is.

So, as I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, my hopes are that you’ll all be careful in your comings in and your  goings out.  Use common sense and defend your lives by being aware and not driving if you drink.  See you in 2010!

I sharpened my Benchmade 710D2 the other day and it was a new experience for me.  I’m not accustomed to sharpening re-curve blades, but my Spyderco Sharpmaker and strop was more than up to the task.

D2 is a high grade tool steel and will grind similar to S30V, maybe even a little faster it’s doubtful that you’ll see much difference.  The part you’ll see the difference with is when you pass the brown ceramic stones and start to polish. D2 seems to like a coarser edge better than a polished one, the edge will polish and get very sharp but you do a lot of burr chasing and the performance is no better than if you stopped around 1000 grit.

I began with the diamond rods corners and flats, then the brown, ending with the white ceramic rods.  I put a pencil under the Sharpmaker to get about a 22.5 degree primary bevel, since I like a finer, wider,  edge.  Next, I used the same rods as above at the 30 degree setting to obtain a secondary micro-bevel.   I moved on to the 40 degree setting and repeated again putting a 3rd micro-bevel on the edge. 

This consumed about a good hour but was well worth it as the knife was razor sharp but still just a little bit toothy.  I took a few minute break and took out my stop block which is a shaved, suede leather and soaked with just enough of the green stropping compound, like you get in the Bark River bars.  I then began to lightly strop the toothy D2 edge back and forth, paying attention to my strokes and not missing that re-curved area.  I probably hit it about 30 times per side, softly and letting the blade’s weight do the work.  On the last few passes, I lifted the spine up a bit to convex these bevels. I applied no pressure.

When you strop after sharpening, the slight give that the leather has, follows this multi-angle bevel you’ve applied and blends it into one.  What you end up with is a micro-convexed edge and it’s beautiful.  With my glasses on I could see no more gritty look to the edge, only a mirror like surface.  I had to get a magnifying glass to see the little spikes that the D2 steel retained.

Not bad at all - it shaved hair and cut the finest curly-q’s on a paper cutting test.  It’s no Spyderco edge, but for a hard use blade made of D2 tool steel, I’ll take it.  It’s way sharper than when I got it and better than any grind you’re going to see on a D2 production folding knife.  If you’re going to carry folding knives they’re much safer when they’re sharp!

I rotate my EDC folders and another of my favorites is the Benchmade 940 Osborne folding knife. It’s 4.47 inches closed with an Aluminum handle and a plain edge, reverse Tanto blade that’s 3.4 inches of razor sharp S30V premium steel.

With an overall length of 7.87 inches, this knife is very slim in profile and features a stylish design by Warren Osborne.
 
The anodized green handle is just a smidge chalky and feel very good in hand. It has a purple titanium spacer on the knife’s back with custom ridges – very cool – it changes color in the lighting.

The patented AXIS lock is a Benchmade feature that makes your knife easy to unlock while remaining bombshell tough. The 940 has a reversible pocket clip with dual thumbstuds for right and left hand users. This lightweight marvel weighs in at a mere 2.9 ounces!

The S30V blade is easy to keep razor sharp with just a few passes over a fine stone or a kit such as the Spyderco Sharpmaker. The trick is to touch them up before they get really dull.

I lubricate my folders with “Militec-1″ and Latama’s “Quick Release” here’s my system:

I heat the pivot joint with a blow dryer and apply two drops of Militec-1 on top and bottom. Next, I work the blade a dozen times with each side in the up position and wipe off any excess with a bit of cloth and Q-tips. This process is performed 3 consecutive 24 hour days.

After my 3 applications of Militec-1 with heat is completed and everything’s bone dry again, I use a couple of drops of Latama’s Quick Release. The Militec-1 lays down some sort of ultra-thin barrier of lubrication that bonds with the steel on a molecular level.  The Quick Release is just a super slick oil that lays on top of that barrier.

I love folding knives that are very fast on deployment and this has worked for me to date. I’m very happy with the results.  I enjoy maintaining my guns and knives, it’s a lot of fun and probably what keeps them looking and working like brand new!!