In case anyone out there hadn't realized it yet, I'm a strong believer in having the ability to defend one's self even when out relaxing and having a good time. In previous articles I've made it pretty clear that I believe everyone should have a light with them in many situations. Reality is that I seldom leave my house without a light on my person. For those who can't carry a firearm (legally) other defensive solutions should be found. The K2 Porcupine from PentagonLights offers another defense option that combines the power of the handheld light with the strength of an impact / striking tool.
Using flashlights as impact weapons isn't a new concept. The fact is that folks have been doing it probably as long as any company has made a metal flashlight that held four D-cell batteries. However, the K2 Porcupine is a far cry from your uncle's skull buster.
The K2 Porcupine, purely as a flashlight, is manufactured out of aerospace grade aluminum and finished with a Military Spec Type III Hard Anodized exterior coating. This is quite common to handheld lights of this type. What's uncommon (to others) is the Pentagon shaped tailcap which prevents the light from rolling if it's laid on a slanted surface. The K2 uses two CR123 3V lithium batteries to produce 70 lumens of light from a Xenon lamp assembly for approximately 60 minutes. The bezel is a standard 1.25" and the light is 5.5" long overall. Activated by a fairly standard tailcap push button, with practice you can get touch-activation (where the light turns off when you release the pressure) or you can simply click the light on and off with a positive push of the button. The light weighs just over 1/4 pound (about 5 ounces) and has a pocket clip around the body just below the tailcap. I've found the light convenient to carry clipped into my front jeans pocket.
None of that information really makes the K2 stand out. In fact, 6V (two 3V batteries) hard anodized aluminum body flashlights of this size are becoming more common every day. What makes the K2 Porcupine stand out is the spike bezel that was specifically designed by PentagonLight to make this light a more effective defensive tool. As you can see from the pictures to the right, the outer surface of the bezel rotates back and forth. Rotated all the way forward it covers and conceals the "teeth" of the spiked bezel. Rolled back, it reveals those teeth and they can do some serious damage if used as an impact tool.
As I said above, I'm a big believer in having an illumination tool with me. If I'm going out for a hike I make sure to have at least one light. Why? In case my afternoon hike turns into an unexpected overnight outing. That's the very same reason I tend to take hydration and some basic food and first-aid supplies with me too. A flashlight is paramount though. Remembering that we make decisions based on the input we get through our senses, and 80% of that input comes to us through our eyes, we're out of luck if it's dark. We need a good light. To have a light that can serve double duty as an effective defensive weapon is a bonus. Seventy lumens is sufficient to blind an opponent at closer (contact, reach or kick) distances, and since you'd already have the light held up, striking at a closing assailant would be an instinctive movement.
I keep my K2 in my pocket with the bezel rotated forward so that the teeth are covered. With just a little practice I've been able to pull the light and rotate the bezel back with one hand. Your ability to do this quickly and with only one hand does depend a little on your not using two hands and tons of muscle to roll it forward. Recognize reality in your carry.
Now, I've carried flashlights onto planes in the past. After all... it wasn't a weapon; it was just a flashlight. Still, given the nature of this light I'm not sure that the TSA would welcome it through security. Make no mistake, this is a light designed for use as an impact weapon when necessary. It performs well in that capacity. I rolled the bezel back and did some impact testing on a sheet of plywood out in my back yard. It was pretty easy to put some significant dents and dings in the wood. Struck at an angle, the teeth of the light would pull chunks out of the wood. That said, I was worried that my Xenon bulb might break. Putting an LED lamp assembly in this light design might be better, but I don't know how well the circuitry would handle the impact use. Then again, I'm not an engineer... I just like my stuff to keep working!
I'm probably worrying for nothing. I hit that chunk of plywood a good two dozen times, and several of those hits were hard enough to hurt my hand. The light still works with no issues.
The MSRP on the PentagonLight sight is $129. A quick internet search netted me a list of them available as cheap as $99.99 plus shipping and handling. That's a pretty good price for a light of this type with the added benefits of being an effective impact weapon when needed.
Stay Safe!
