Recommend me...

[mattbanshee]

A household object/tool that could be used to defend against intruders in the home. Something easy to incapacitate but unlikely to (accidently) kill, and with a range long enough to defend against knives. I was thinking of something like a hammer, perhaps.

And no, this is not me just being paranoid.

[BlueBuddha]

how is this NOT you being paranoid exactly?


I'd say cricket bat/ baseball bat/ hockey stick (all have legit uses you see)

but if you're gonna go confronting an intruder be aware that they might disarm you and all of a sudden they're an intruder with a weapon.


get a dog.

[Kerpunk]

Fubar.

[RolandG]

Chilli powder launched from a box, or chilli oil dispensed from a washing up liquid bottle

[BucketheadRules]

Chainsaw.

No, really I would suggest something like BB did, a bat or something. Or a crowbar. Or a long length of heavy chain.

Why do you need this anyway? Are you at risk from burgers?

[imported_none]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PHg1SMP0a0#t=0m14s

That sort of thing?

[mattbanshee]

Had a nasty break-in on friday. Window torn out of it's frame and my bedroom along with our 1-year old's room were trashed. My other half was out at the time but either her or me could've been home at the time, asleep with all lights out so there were no obvious signs that nobody was at home.

My other half is distraught and whatever the law says, I'd go to prison before I let someone harm my family in my own home.

[BlueBuddha]

get an alarm, a very very loud one.

get a weimaraner (they don't bark, they just deal with intruders)

[Poxican]

Encore Stratalike? You can play it during the day, defend your family with it during the night, and if you do have to use it, it'll end up nicely reliced.

[digitalscream]

A hammer won't give you enough extra range on a knife, and it'll make you significantly slower than you need to be (ie it's easy to see a swing coming).

Personally, I tend to keep a decent-sized pair of long-nosed pliers handy. Hold it so that the handle is in your hand, with the "nose" open and protruding between your fingers. It'll make a nasty wound, hurt like hell and almost certainly discourage anybody from coming near you again (not to mention that it's really difficult to drop when held like that, unlike a knife or a hammer) but won't do any permanent damage. And yes, experience says that it really does work.