What Are The Best Weapons for Self Defense? 

The first 1,000 people to use the link or my code senseiseth0522 get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/senseiseth05221

You took that pepper spray like a champ! The only logical conclusion is to try bear pepper spray next.

Maybe the best self defense weapon was the friends we made along the way.

Easily the best video on your channel.

The part where Seth was banking on Houston Jones not answering the FaceTime call, and Icy Mike's childlike glee when he did, is one of the best things I've ever seen on RU-vid. It was almost wholesome, until the pepper spray was deployed, haha.

"The hardest part is getting it out of your pants, then sticking it in them." -Icy Mike, 2022 Just kidding, love you guys!

I used to work at a cutlery store, and any time people would come in asking about knives for self defense, we always (ALWAYS) pushed them to get a high power flashlight (preferably with a strobe effect) for self defense. Even got a few stories of people who used flashlights to great effect in self defense situations. Glad to see it come on top.

Another understated benefit of a flashlight is that it makes people super uncomfortable to know they are seen when they can't see. There's some kind of psycho-social dynamic about one way observation that makes people feel extra vulnerable. Same with one way mirrors, cameras, tinted windows.

Honestly you took the pepper spray really well. In a high stress situation you'd have been hampered but not completely down. That's a lot more than most people could say

Instructions unclear, ended up buying a Fleshlight

I love that you guys do grappling training with weapons, I have known way too many people in my life that just carry a little pocketknife around for serious self-defense. And I try to tell them that that is not how a real fight is going to playout. thanks for the amazing content.

That moment you go "I wonder if Seth has released a new video?" And it was posted one minute ago.

I am a gun guy, however, I understand it should be the absolute last thing I should ever rely upon, knowing how to fight without one or while being grappled is just as important as knowing how to draw and shoot under ideal circumstances

1:18 Poor choice of words. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Your videos with hard2hurt are always so good, especially the life hack testing in real life was absolutely hilarious

100% support the flashlight as best choice. Speaking of improvised weapons, you should do a whole video on the rolled up glossy magazine. I train with it all the time. Its excellent.

How were steel-toe shoes missed? Ability To Carry. - You're wearing them. Lethality. It's up to you. Legality. Perfectly legal. Ability to Draw. Once again, you're wearing them. Want a weapon that's ready and deadly, even when you're not? Steel-toe shoes are it. Get two pair, one for training and one for going out on the town. Take the trainers out in the backyard and kick the stuffings out of cardboard boxes etc. Do this at least twice weekly. Then wear the nice ones out on the town and if the bad time comes you will know what to do because you are already doing it. Muscle memory can be a beautiful thing.

I really like that you learn something for your newer videos, like reading a book and taking skillshare courses. Seth next year will be even more interesting.

Hell yeah ! My favorite duo , y’all have some amazing chemistry and it always makes a good viewing experience 👍

Awesome video, Sensei!! I'd love to see more on self defense! Cheers from Brazil!

The first 1,000 people to use the link or my code senseiseth0522 get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/senseiseth05221

Great video! Thanks for sharing this. I think pepper spray effectiveness is relative to how much and how quickly it gets into and interferes with the eyes, the nasal cavity, and the mouth. In other words, if the defender gets unlucky and sprays the assailant who managed to close their eyes and not breathe, they can last longer than someone who happened to get a direct hit with their eyes open and happened to be inhaling at the time. As for the flashlight, I absolutely agree with flash, bash, dash. The problem is I think some people who carry flashlights do not understand this, and leave it on, thinking that it's just the brightness of the light, and not the residual spotting afterwards that ends up providing the blinding effect. If a light is left on long enough, it can eventually become a point of reference for a bad guy to roughly shoot in that direction, for example. Perhaps I would rank the list a bit differently, but that would be minor detail. I think what is more important is to carry several of these items, and learning to use these tools in conjunction. I think you guys have mentioned this in other videos as well, but for example, the flashlight can be used in conjunction with a gun, but it is also entirely possible to use the flashlight in conjunction with the pepper spray. Flash, spray, and dash is perfectly viable as well. To me, and up to a point anyway, there is no reason to argue which tools are better than the other. Like debating whether the hammer is better than the saw, or if the saw is better than the pliers, or if the pliers are better than hammers. In the end, what is truly important is to have the right tools you need to solve the problem, available at a time when you need it the most.

That Mace Pepper gun has a picatinny rail on the top, and I actually got a picatinny flashlight mount for mine, so that I can combine the pepper spray and flashlight into a single carryable item.

What a great topic, bro. Thank-you!

You really did handled that pepper spray well, it's funny that you relied on Houston Jones for it! Also I didn't realize the flashlight was such a good weapon! Thanx for the tip!

Loved the improvised portion! Sort of danced around the OODA Loop theory, but it all works!

Thank you for the video! ☺♥

Video quality gets better every video. Great to see I know you’ll both be huge soon.

Ayy Houston Jones... What a bonus on top of an already awesome colab 🙌🏻

I’d love to see you throughly test and analyze how effective ninja throwing stars/shuriken are for self defense. Mostly bc it just sounds fun.

I was not expecting flashlight but it actually makes great sense, especially some rly powerful ones, I've had a powerful one flashed at me once and it dazes you pretty well.

Mike was the real ninja all along.

I was kinda doubting the flashlight. But then Mike shined it into the camera. I'm in a lit room and I physically recoiled from the flash. That would be very effective indeed.

I was told to not let you get pepper sprayed in vain, so I’m doing as I was told. This was great!! Haha 🙌👍👍

My grandpa was a police officer and he says that you rarely have to use a weapon. Just the presence of a weapon scares people enough they decide to find an easier target.

always dig when you two collaborate!

God damn y’all have some beautiful collaborations

such a fire thumbnail props to the artist

I feel like an armored tank is definitely in my top 3.

That was a great pepper spray test, wind and everything, thank you both so much for this video

If the gun is still in my pocket/holster and the grappling has begun I probably would not even think about the gun... Wrong time to try and pull it out.

Great video bro

This video rocks. 🤘 Flashlight is also my top choice for self protection. Would like to see you incorporating your martial arts skills using a flashlight.

These guys are legends!

"season to taste" for pepperspray got me 😂😂

This was sick!!

In before watching the video ... 1. Situational Awareness. 2. Feet (Escape) 3. Pepper Spray. 4. Gun. Side note. I have used Pepper Spray defensively several times in my life and have watched countless video of people deploying it in defense, or in testing. I have NEVER seen anyone maintain as well as Seth did. Impressive.

I really enjoyed this video. I watched his other video comparing the differences between Japanese weapons and his choice of weapons. Overall, I agree. Flashlight definitely is a good tool. Some guns have it attached. Be safe y’all!

Mike's excitement at the pepper spray... Omg, it's like a kid on Christmas 🤣 I've never been pepper sprayed but I have grown super hot peppers (ghost peppers and brain strains)... Once I got used to the heat I started prepping with less protective gear and... I mean, I've got to take my contacts out sometime. That was a terrible twenty minutes 🤣🤣

I love this channel bro ✌

I just love how happy Mike was about the pepper spray... So hilarious.

I recently learned the concept of not using the word "best" as an adjective anymore because it forces you to think more about why exactly you feel something is good. Instead of saying "guns are the best self defence weapons", one could say, "guns are good weapons for x y z..."

It's the "it got in my eyes" while exiting the bathroom with Mike for me

Love this video

dude I've genuinely been saying for ages a superhero like batman should have blinding lights built in to his cowl, I mean it wouldn't effect him other than increasing visibility but like your video shows, its effective at stopping people from seeing and, it' wouldn't be easy fighting what you can't see.

The SkillShare promo was outstanding!

He freaking walked out of the dark bathroom with mike and says “ugh it got in my eyes”

I personally like knife and flashlights too!

that light-white door tansition was some Hollywood dope shit!

I love that this is on your channel instead of Mike's for a change, but of course he's gotta be involved if you're talking self defense nonsense and diy weapons tests lmao Love both you guys and your channels!

Tactical flash light with the strobe function is the holy grail of self defense weapons.

Yes Houston Jones takes it like a champ all the time

Nice video my friend

Great test! I just have one complain: The person with a gun has to draw it, but the person with the pepper spray would have it already in hands and be aiming with it? If you have to draw your gun, you have to draw that spray as well, that was inconsistent. By having to draw both, the spray falls down the list, for sure. If you feel in danger and you are able to draw and aim a pepper spray, you would be able to draw and aim a handgun.

I love how grumpy your mate is

I'd say for the pepper spray, depending on the spread and nozzle design this is really likely to be the scenario irl in a lot of cases where someone is charging in on you. Glad to see everyone is getting onboard with flashlights these days to.

One of my sifu's taught me " the best weapon for self defence is a sense of humour " finding this impossible to counter without a sense of humour, I also teach this valuable lesson . ✊🙏

Goddamn, I love the look of malicious glee on Icy Mike's face as he says "This is the stupidest thing!"

I enjoyed everything about this video 😂

I live in Georgia so the thing is that it's legal to open Terry and once you get proficient withdrawing you're not going to have a problem drawing before the Falcon step

the slight horror music that ramps up as Mike is describing knifes xD

We have to get sprayed in the navy for the srf courses. It sucks getting sprayed but you can absolutely still fight after being sprayed without a lot of difficulty (as you saw). It just really sucks. That’s actually the whole point of the course. To show you that you can fight if you’ve been sprayed (when you spray someone, you’ll probably catch some too) and that other people can fight after being sprayed. Having been sprayed 3 times now, it’s definitely a good deterrent to someone who isn’t committed, but as you’ve shown the fight isn’t likely to stop just with the spray if they are committed.

Man!! That is one good looking Goon!

Bro talking facts about knives. All these weapons experts and knife gurus show off cool knife moves but the reality is that it takes a mighty hack or stab to an area of importance to actually impact a fight. Respect to Mike he knows his stuff.

I also like a kubaton. It causes pain and less likely to cause serious bodily injury to the attacker. It is like the knife or blaster in deploying it. I have made sheaths for them with the UltiClip.

When mike starts getting the water ready 🤣🤣🤣

I can assess for sure that a flashlight will definitely work depending on how bright and Powerful the flashlight itself is like one of those self-defense flashlights that have the blinking those type of Lights like LED or super bright honestly it could be just getting dark or just starting to about to get dark or I can even still be fairly light out and you hit me with it and my eyes will shut because I have sensitive eyes lots of other people do as well so the brighter the better especially if it's one of those blinking things but if you keep it straight shining through that will also help your case as far as wanting to keep up a total dangerous person away from you if it looks like they're trying or if you know for sure they're wanting to try to do you harm in any kind of fashion

That is where sping kicks are helpful. It would spread on your back. Talking about the spray.

Mikes' evil laugh az 8:40 translates into: "I gonna give him a load of pepper spray soon!"

“The hardest part is getting it out of your pants, and then sticking it in” -Mike

The issue here is that for the gun and the knife you started the test having the assaillant already wrestling you... You won't be able to use pepper spray or a torch in the exact situation you tested with gun and knife...

1:18 The Office moment

Situational awareness is key, stop the fight before it starts.

The point about if your brain has a similar enough something in its "bank" it will apply it. This is one of the things my instructor used to say, if you want to learn old style weapons to fight in the modern world, and not carry a weapon learn the 3 basic sticks, short baton, half length, and full length staff. At that point you have the pathways for anything straight and hard enough to hit people with.

2:50 icy mike being a a RU-vid comment IRL is great conedy

I liked the ranking based on experience.

I love your content😂

I love sensei and hard to hurt. Both of you are very funny you make my day.

The less ineffective weapons were used in situations where they are obviously less effective. Guns are meant to be used at a distance, not in the fight already. Pepper spray is a deterrant so the user can run away from the attacker, or prevent the attacker from attacking in the first place. The point about the knife is valid but then you shouldn't be using a knife for self defense unless you've trained in how to use it.

i feel like there needs to be a Sensei Seth/Icy Mike bromance sitcom

SpicyMike gave you spicy eyes 😂. Thank you for sharing ☺️.

Pepper sprays can vary in their potency. Make sure you get the strongest available (I think it’s 1.4% capsaicinoids). I keep it staged in my hand whenever I’m in sketchy places (like a Walmart parking lot 😄). I’m right handed and use a traditional stance, using my left hand to block and create distance and spray with my right, spray, then retract to avoid it being taken away…. But, I’ve never used it and hope I never have to. Kinda like wearing a seatbelt. I like the flashlight idea too. Something to think about!

One I found while cleaning today. Mini fire extinguisher. Unless they’re fully coming to murder you, spraying someone with that would scare them off

This is the easiest digestible video for self defense tools/weapons. Thanks for taking one for the team.

STICK! as per shadiversity. 1 it's not concealed so your possible attacker knows you are armed and is less likely to target you in the first place, 2 it's already in your hand so very little to no draw time, 3 you can take it (almost) anywhere, 4 it looks cool.

Baseball bat covered in Vaseline with a sock over it . The sock to keep the victim from grabbing the bat and it keeps the Vaseline from getting all over the place and the Vaseline keep the victim from grabbing the bat as well.

I'm a fan of the short baton. It's legal to carry in Chicago and questionably legal to use.

I think the best one is whichever requires less time to use: Flashlight and the Self Defense Umbrella, which i can already hold in my hands and is useful for other occasions.

Welcome to team flashlight. It's like a kubotan, but useful!

You guys are so funny together