So you’re thinking about adding a little something to your self defense arsenal? There are three main benefits to carrying a self defense weapon:
- You feel safer.
- You can sometimes chase an attacker away by simply whipping it out.
- You have a better chance of surviving an attack if things escalate.
All three benefits apply to both a knife and a baton. But there are also many important differences between them that you should know about before you decide on which one to get for yourself.
1. A knife poses a greater risk of self-injury
If you don’t know how to wield a knife, there are two dangerous scenarios that can happen:
- You can get disarmed by a skilled attacker, thus losing your advantage.
- The blade can be turned against you, either by accident or because the attacker is a better fighter.
The second scenario can cause serious injuries, and it can even be fatal. An encounter that could’ve ended with you getting mugged or just knocked out can develop into a life-threatening situation. So you better know how to fight with a knife before you ever get into a situation like that.
With a baton this is a nonissue. You should still learn how to fight with one. But essentially it’s just a long stick and everyone with some physical strength can do some damage with it. There’s little worry about injuring yourself with a stick by accident. Therefore, a baton is safer than a knife for the person that’s using it in a fight.
2. A baton has better range
You can keep distance between yourself and one or multiple attackers with a baton. It’s length provides a serious advantage over a pocket-sized tactical knife in this regard.
That’s not to say that an attacker would close distance lightly if you were wielding a knife. Most attackers would back off immediately. But if they notice that you don’t know how to use it, they might try their luck and hope for the best. And if there’s more than one, it’d be harder to keep them all at a safe distance with a knife than a baton.
This is why policemen carry batons instead of knives. They’re a great tool for subduing one opponent and taking control of a situation when they are outnumbered, while at the same time trying to minimize injuries. Here are some great baton striking and subduing tactics:
3. A knife can cause fatal injuries to the attacker
If you ever get attacked your primary objective should be to survive, hopefully with as little consequences as possible. But not every attack warrants an all-out defense. In other words, if the attacker is using their fists and you cut their artery with a knife and they bleed out, you could get into some serious trouble with the law.
Even in self-defense situations you must take a measured response to avoid a disaster. Unfortunately, knives can be lethal and in the heat of the moment you can do more damage to the person than the situations warrants. For this reason, a baton is a better choice for most people.
Don’t get me wrong, you definitely need to be careful when hitting with a baton as well. If you hit someone in the head with enough force, it can be deadly. But there’s less chance you’ll end up going that far accidentally with a baton than a knife.
Due to its length, a baton can be used to hit the attacker’s limbs to stop him in his tracks. You can sweep his legs and block his attacks. That’s better than targeting critical areas such as head, heart and stomach, which is often what happens when a knife is involved.
4. A baton is better at deflecting and countering a knife attack
Your attacker might be wielding a knife, a broken bottle or a baton of his own. In that case you’d be better off having a baton than a knife, mainly because of two factors.
First is that a baton has better range. Regardless of the cold weapon you’re fighting against, your main priority should be to keep it as far away from your body as possible.
Secondly, even if the attacker takes a swing at you, you can use the baton to strike the weapon out of his hand or hit his arm and stop him in his tracks. Here’s a video demonstrating effective baton vs knife techniques for self defense:
In comparison, even if you manage to slice the attacker with a knife as he’s trying to hit you, you’ll likely still get hit because they will be fueled by adrenaline and won’t notice the effects of your counter immediately.
5. Carrying a baton is more widely permitted
If you want to carry a weapon of any kind you should make sure that it’s legal in your state or country. You can check the legality of carrying a baton in each US state on this page. You can do the same for knives on this page.
If you’re in the US, both options are allowed in most places. However, carrying a baton is more accepted worldwide than carrying a knife due to there being less chance of a lethal outcome.
Batons usually don’t require a permit or registration at all. However, if carrying a baton is not an option for you, consider finding a similar alternative such as a baseball bat or a hefty flashlight.
Final Thoughts
Regardless of which self defense weapon you decide to carry, you should be prepared to use it. Practice makes perfect. As I explained in this article, you’re less likely to make terrible mistakes with a baton. It can be lethal, but you’re more likely to cause serious injuries with a knife.
A baton is generally speaking more effective at keeping one or more attackers at a distance. It’s also more effective at incapacitating them without doing much harm. For example, you can do joint locks with a baton. So I think a baton is a better self-defense option than a knife for most people.
The only situation when I’d recommend getting a knife rather than a baton is if you’re willing to practice hard with it. If you can show the attacker that you mean business, that it won’t slip out of your hand or the blade turned against you, it can be an effective deterrent.