One of the most important duties of being a prepper is knowing how to handle yourself in a dangerous situation. The prepper lifestyle is all about being ready for tomorrow today, and in the event of a catastrophe or SHTF situation, chances are you’re going to need to defend yourself in some way. During such a scenario, you’ll be wanting to have your hands on the best PDW.
PDWs (aka personal defense weapons) are weapons/gadgets that are made with the sole purpose of protecting yourself against an attack from someone or something. PDWs can take the shape of many different things, and today, we’re going to be looking at a list for the top 5 best weapons for personal defense.
This list is quite varied, and has a little bit of something for everyone — no matter your taste, desired feature set, budget, etc. This means that there’s a lot to talk about as well, so without further ado, let’s jump right into things.
1. Sabre 3-in-1 Pepper Spray
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For a lot of people, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about personal defense is pepper spray. Although often recommend and marketed towards females, pepper spray is an extremely effective tool for keeping yourself out of harm’s way.
Sabre’s pepper spray uses a maximum strength formula that was created in the company’s in-house HPLC laboratory. Sabre guarantees that this spray is capable of getting rid of the 30% failure rate that’s often associated with competing products, and the UV marking dye that’s present helps greatly for suspect ID.
Police departments all across the country rely on Sabre pepper spray for their officers’ duties, including the Chicago PD, Los Angeles County Sheriff, and even the U.S. Marshals. Sabre’s spray is made here in the United States, and it’s capable of shooting up to 10-feet away with 35 bursts per canister.
In addition to all of this, you also get a free training video for how to use the pepper spray and a twist lock that helps to prevent the chance for any unwanted discharges.
2. Fury Tactical Self Defense Keychain
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If pepper spray isn’t really your thing, we’ve got plenty of other options for you to look at — the next being the Fury Tactical Self Defense Keychain. As the name suggests, this is a PDW that attaches to your regular keychain, and because of this, it means that you’ve always got access to self-defense whenever you’ve got your keys on you.
Fury Tactical hand-crafts this tool out of lightweight aircraft aluminum, and this enables the weapon to be light and sturdy at the same time. Finger grooves throughout the weapon provide for great control and grip, and should you ever need to call upon it, this will allow you to have maximum confidence when going to attack your target.
You can buy the Fury Tactical Self Defense Keychain in a number of different colors, and it’s available in both 5-inch and 5.75-inch lengths. While the 5-inch one will certainly be more compact, the 5.75-inch option might be better-suited for those with larger hands.
3. Vipertek VTS-989 Heavy Duty Stun Gun
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The Vipertek VTS0989 Heavy Duty Stun Gun is one of the most highly-regarded personal defense weapons in the prepper community, and a quick look at the product will reveal just why this is. Vipertek’s stun gun is built like an absolute tank, and in addition to this, it’s also extremely powerful and very affordable.
Ultra-sharp spike electrodes at the tip of the stun gun helps to penetrate through thick clothing when using the weapon on your target, and the 750,000,000 power rating means that you’ve got more than enough force to keep yourself plenty protected.
The battery inside of the VTS-989 is completely rechargeable, and the non-slip rubber coating along the outside of the gadget provides it with a fantastic grip is pretty much all scenarios. And, as icing on the cake, the built-in Snatch Prevention system uses shock plates on the outside of the gun to prevent assailants from trying to use the VTS-989 against you.
4. TAC Force TF-705 Series Assisted Opening Tactical Folding Knife
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For those of you that prefer something a bit less technical, the TAC Force TF-705 Series Assisted Opening Tactical Folding Knife is a quality knife that offers plenty of features for keeping yourself safe in a dangerous setting.
A spring assist system allows the blade to pop out extremely quickly by using just one hand, and it also locks into the handle nice and snug thanks to a liner locking mechanism. The blade itself is a half-serrated stainless steel one, and in our testing, we found it to be wildly sharp, powerful, and durable.
TAC Force used aluminum for the construction of the TF-705’s handle, and along with giving you a nice surface area to hold onto, the handle also doubles as a blade opener and glass-beaker. Combine this with a pocket clip for easy mobility of the folding knife, and you’ve got a ton of protection for less than ten bucks.
5. Mace Brand Pepper Spray Pepper Gun
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Lastly, one of our favorite picks for the best PDW is the Mace Brand Pepper Spray pepper Gun. As the name of this product suggests, the Mace Pepper Spray Pepper Gun takes a typical pepper spray PDW and turns it into a handgun.
The gun is made out of plastic, and although it isn’t the most premium feeling in the world, it gets the job done and is decently sturdy. The UV dye found within the spray itself helps to leave an invisible marker on the targets that you shoot, and the steady stream that’s shot from the gun should allow you to hit targets within any reach.
The spray that Mace uses is extremely powerful and rather painful (a great thing), the handle for the gun is easy to grip onto, and the strobe light underneath the barrel makes it easy to see your target at night.
Final Thoughts
The best PDW will be different for every prepper, and that’s why we made the products on this list so different from one another. Some of you reading this might love the idea of a pepper spray gun, whereas others will likely feel more comfortable with a regular folding knife. No matter which PDW you do end up choosing, you can rest easy knowing that you’ve got a tool that won’t let you down when you need it the most.