Swiss Army knives are not just for opening letters. They can also be used to defend yourself in a variety of ways. Though they’re no substitute for pepper spray, stun guns, or tasers, there are many instances where you might find your Swiss Army Knife more useful than these other weapons. Read on to find out how to use a Swiss army knife for self defense.
What Is A Swiss Army Knife and How Can It Be Used For Self Defense
In 1891, the Swiss Army Knife was actually designed as a tool used by soldiers in battle. It is now a common household item that has a variety of uses.
Self defense is one of its uses and it can be an intimidating weapon if you know how to use it properly. The classic Swiss army knife has a number of different features that can be used for self defense. In roughly ascending order of lethality, these are:
1. Large blade
This blade is typically quite large, giving weaker blows but greater reach than smaller blades such as those found on box cutters or pocket knives.
2. Scissors
Scissor attacks have been described as being somewhat similar to using brass knuckles or hand razors. They can be used to slash or stab, and they may cause lacerations as well as break bones.
3. Bottle Opener
This feature is usually found on the back of Swiss army knives, but you could probably find a way to use it as a weapon if you wanted to try.
If you have ever carried around a pocket knife long enough, then chances are that you have been asked by somebody for their ‘bottle opener’ at least once!
4. Can Opener
Can openers are often found on bench models which utilize both an upper and lower blade so that they can cut through metal cans more effectively than the standard Swiss army knife can. They might cause puncture wounds, but you could also use them like a kubaton if you needed to.
5. Screwdriver
This Swiss Army Knife feature can be used in a variety of ways, and the design is actually based on an earlier version which was created for mechanics or engineers that were working on machines in rough terrains.
If you wanted to use the screwdriver as a weapon, then it would probably give less penetrating power than even the bottle opener (which itself isn’t exactly especially effective).
The screwdriver design may however allow for more precise targeting than some other elements such as blades or openers so it might come in handy against soft areas such as eyes and necks.
6. Wire Stripper
You can use wire cutters to make wire attacks, but these are generally not as effective as whips or lashes. Whips and lashes typically act by entangling the target, which is why they work so well for defending yourself against opponents with long weapons such as swords or staffs.
The wire stripper on the other hand works more like a knife than it does like a whip or lash, making it somewhat more difficult to use against opponents who aren’t standing close to you.
7. Pliers
The pliers on a Swiss army knife might be effective for grabbing onto an opponent or squeezing them, but they don’t cause much damage at all. Perhaps you could use it like brass knuckles if you had no other options available, but such an attack would offer lesser impact than using your fists and would also leave your fingers more exposed to injury themselves.
8. Fish Scaler
While this feature of a Swiss army knife is somewhat interesting in and of itself (is there really any point to having a fish scaler on a knife when you can just as easily use it with your hands?), it does not actually serve very many practical purposes aside from that one specific task.
You might try using the fish scaler against an opponent’s eyes, but it would probably not be very effective.
9. Scissors
While the design of this tool leaves much to be desired (scissors on a knife aren’t particularly useful when you could just use your pocket scissors instead), it can still perhaps serve as an effective self defense weapon in some cases if only because it is sharp and pointy enough to cause cutting injuries.
10. Tweezers
These are actually pretty useless for self defense purposes, since they don’t even come with a built-in cutting edge or any other sort of blade or sharp object. You might try using tweezers like brass knuckles if you had nothing else available, but this approach is typically less effective than using your fists.
11. Toothpick
The toothpick on a Swiss army knife is actually pretty useless for self defense purposes, and this most likely explains why it doesn’t contain any sort of sharp or piercing blades like most other elements found on the knife.
You might be able to use it like brass knuckles if you had nothing else available, but since most people who carry knives around with them are typically male (and therefore don’t usually have any fingernails that need picking), this approach wouldn’t be especially effective in most cases.
12. Cleaner Pin
While some models do indeed include cleaner pins which can be very useful for picking out dirt between your teeth, these pins are not particularly sharp or pointy and therefore don’t function especially well as weapons.
You might try using it like brass knuckles if you had nothing else available, but this approach wouldn’t be very effective since your fingers would still remain exposed to injury.
13. Reamer
The reamer on a Swiss army knife is actually pretty useless for self defense purposes, and this most likely explains why it doesn’t contain any sort of sharp or piercing blades like most other elements found on the knife.
You might be able to use it like brass knuckles if you had nothing else available, but since most people who carry knives around with them are typically male (and therefore don’t usually have any fingernails that need picking), this approach wouldn’t be especially effective in most cases.
14. Punch
The punch on a Swiss army knife is actually pretty useless for self defense purposes, and this most likely explains why it doesn’t contain any sort of sharp or piercing blades like most other elements found on the knife.
You might be able to use it like brass knuckles if you had nothing else available, but since most people who carry knives around with them are typically male (and therefore don’t usually have any fingernails that need picking), this approach wouldn’t be especially effective in most cases.
Pocket Knife versus Swiss Army Knife for Self defense
The first thing to note is that it’s possible for either type of knife to be effective as a self defense weapon depending on how you use it, but the pocket knife has certain distinct advantages over the Swiss Army Knife when it comes to self defense.
The primary advantage is that since the pocket knife typically contains one or more blades which can be opened and closed with one hand (unlike most other Swiss army knives), you are not restricted in terms of your ability to defend yourself if you happen to be carrying your pocket knife around with you at all times.
This specific benefit would obviously not apply if you only carry your Swiss Army Knife with you, but never have it accessible enough for immediate use at any given time – therefore this approach would likely only be used by those who don’t carry their knives as an everyday item (or as part of a multitool).
Conclusion
The Swiss Army Knife is a great tool to have on hand, but it’s important to realize that not all of the tools are equally effective for self defense purposes. If you’re looking for an easy-to-carry item with which you can defend yourself in any given situation, then your best bet would be the pocket knife.
However, if you carry other items around with you and don’t want to risk having one less available should something happen while out in public or at work – such as being mugged – then carrying a multi-tool like the Swiss army knife might make sense.
The specific benefits of each type will depend largely upon how often they are carried and what potential threats may arise when away from home or office.