For just over 3 years BattlBox has been mailing little cardboard boxes full of camping, hiking, tactical, survival, and EDC gear to people all over the country — including me, once. They’re a growing name in the community and, in my opinion, doing a great job at spreading the tools and knowledge critical to being a man’s man.
Finding success in their main pursuit, the folks there decided to create a line of their own original products under the new brand name BattlTac (not to be confused with the airsoft situational awareness app). The first of those products is this every-day-carry poker thing based on the Kubotan tool popularized in the United States in the 1970s.
The Kubotan is an intermediate last resort self-defense weapon designed to control or deter an assailant through pressure point holds and painful submission moves. The Kubotan started as something you carry on a keychain and has evolved into the independent spike you see here.
I have been carrying this pokey boy for a couple weeks with much success. I haven’t really needed to use it, but it stays where I need and is easy to deploy.
WHAT: BattlTac Kubotan EDC spike with clip. Weighs next to nothing and is a little thicker and longer than a normal pen. Costs $25, which is in line with other similar EDC tools.
WHEN: Out and about every day. If you’ve got the extra pocket space. Good for crowded places where a gun or large knife wouldn’t be practical.
WHERE: In a hip pocket. If you carry it in a back pocket it’ll be super uncomfortable to sit on.
HOW: Use the little clip.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION: It sits high when clipped on; the ring is very obvious and shiny. This kubotan draws attention. I have to just drop it in my back pocket next to my wallet to carry it successfully.
For what it is designed to do, this thing is great. It is solid and hurts like Hades when poked into ribs, pressure points, the neck, or other soft bits on the human body. The armpit is a great place to jam this. Get an arm around the person you’re trying to control with this in your hand, make sure the point is facing them, and they’ll submit pretty quickly — at least, that’s how it worked with my friends (sorry guys).
As a tool to carry out and about in Miami, it didn’t really work for me. The clip on the Kubotan sits too low, so the tool sits very high above the pocket. Carried fully in a pocket, it creates a weird bulge and can get uncomfortable.
A second, more valuable insight on this tool, is the connotation carrying something like this gives to others and to authorities that might spot it if searched. A cop buddy of mine asked “What is that?” and I pulled it out. He said “This is only good for one thing,” and got me thinking.
I generally don’t carry EDC tools outside of my knife, a robust pen, or my favorite nail because I can easily write those things off as commonplace: “Oh, I am a dockmaster, I use it at work,” or “Oh, I’m building a deck at work, sorry,” and the items fall back into the everyday item category. A purpose-built spike however, has no dual purpose and is only good for assault or self-defense. If you want to blend in, this might not be the best pick.
This item’s physical form gives away its sole use immediately. The spike is for poking and the ring is for grip. Ah, the ring, I almost forgot. My assistant demonstrated a few different ways to use the ringed Kubotan on the person wielding it so the ring acts as a binding agent (quite painfully) on their fingers. I’ve broken all my fingers in weird ways and am not a fan of having one mangled by an aluminum ring — having my weapons used against me — in a self-defense situation.
May as well carry a knife if you’re going to carry an overt EDC tool. If this and a knife fall out of your pocket, what’s easier to justify?
Though well-constructed and good for what it is designed for (pressure point manipulation/submission moves), it is not good for carry option in a busy metropolitan area because it doesn’t blend in with the environment.
But it is great fun to train with and will definitely come back into rotation in specific situations.
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Material Disclosure
I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.
*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.