Modern Self Defense: A Close Examination of the Hammer vs. Screwdriver Debate
What is the ultimate tool for self-defense? As per YouTube channel Hard2Hurt, the best instruments may already be in your toolbox. The video titled “Best Tool for Self Defense: Hammer vs. Screwdriver?”, starring Icy Mike, touches upon this topic in an engaging yet educative manner. Starting with an assertion that the mind is the most powerful self-defense tool at our disposal, hosts Icy Mike and Aaron assess the strengths and weaknesses of weapons you’d find in any standard tool kit. Their focus? A hammer and screwdriver. According to them, a good self-defense tool should fit into one hand but have the option to be wielded with two. It should cause disabling damage upon impact without requiring a direct hit. When you swing these weapons, an instinctive reaction is to block with hands or arms. Hence, it’s crucial that they can inflict serious injury upon contact with this natural defensive posture. The Hammer: A Blunt Force Option The hosts suggest that a ball-pein hammer with a shorter handle is a sound choice for self-defense. The reasons are simple: it is less likely to get snagged and the weight is centralized at the front end. This design ensures an impactful blow without needing an excessive weight. Furthermore, the ball-pein hammer’s structure is more rugged for grapples and lessens the risk of your opponent seizing control of your weapon. However, they acknowledge that mastering the hammer takes both practice and thought. Utilizing it as a weapon is far more intricate than simply picking it up and swinging. The Screwdriver: A Sharp Defence The pair examine the potential self-defense applications of a screwdriver next. They favor shorter screwdrivers with a fat handle, the thin end of which still has the potential to cause significant damage. The screwdriver’s shorter length lessens the enemy’s leverage if they attempt to wrestle the screwdriver from your grasp, yet its sharp end remains a highly effective weapon. Unlike facing a knife, an opponent can grab a screwdriver as a defensive reflex with little-to-no serious injury. This characteristic provides an unexpected defensive advantage in a fight. The Final Verdict The conclusion they draw is somewhat noncommittal: the true effectiveness of a tool rests in the hands of its wielder. However, if forced to choose, they lean slightly towards the ball-pein hammer due to its maximized control and minimized snag risk. Despite favoring the hammer for self-defense, they agree that the more discreet nature of the screwdriver makes it a more practical option for everyday carry without drawing unnecessary attention. The screwdriver, they argue, still allows the ability to inflict serious harm if required. The Conversation Continues… Beyond hammers and screwdrivers, they touch upon other tools such as flashlights, box cutters and even home-fitness weights as potential self-defense tools. They examine additional practical and theoretical considerations like retention (the ease of holding onto a tool when an attacker attempts to grab it), deployment speed (quick access and readiness), and possible defensive and offensive maneuvers with each weapon. However, crucially, Icy Mike and Aaron never lose sight of their opening assertion – the most potent tool we carry for self-defense is not an item, but our mind. By applying forethought, strategy, and a level understanding of the mechanics of these improvised weapons, we can not only defend ourselves but also possibly defuse dangerous situations before they escalate.Blablabla
Hard2Hurt is a YouTube channel owned by Icy Mike, a self-defense and fitness expert. The channel features demonstration videos on practical self-defense techniques, conditioning programs, and fight analysis. Mike’s straightforward style, combined with his expert knowledge, makes self-defense accessible and informative for his followers.
Self-Defence Block
Question for Viewers: Hammer or Screwdriver?
Roofer's hatchet like that hammer you picked > screwdriver every time. Criminals in the uk seem to know this because they're making war picks out of newspapers, tape and screwdrivers lol
PS Your "personal carry" carpenter's hatchet is better than those you showed at the store due to claw side being at a better angle – both for pulling nails and hurting people lmao
when it comes to improvised home defense and using a chemical for defense, I would pick wasp spray. One that is a foam and normally you spray it a good ten feet into a person's face.
This is exactly why I keep a cordless circ saw clipped to hammer loop on my pants at all times. I have never had somebody attack me when I have my circ saw.
Hammer is the ultimate crackhead-tier self defence tool
A nice diameter wooden dowel rod. Nice even grip all the way around add tape for grip you can cut it short so you can keep it one handed more like a defense baton. You said a good one at the end of the video too which would be a fat ass tube flashlight. Cheaper the better
Hi from sweden..
So im a Chef and work late nights..for me and resonabel for me to carry is a bryne stel or a metal shoehorn..
Shovel is King. I think I could take a man's head off with a sharpened narrow square head shovel. The hammer is also great but the one thing I think you missed is the fiberglass marker rod. Very fast and works a lot like a cable whip.
Best self defense tool, amonium nitrate for cleaning your drains, it's what you're likely to get mugged with in the UK cos it also doubles up as the muggers ingredient for making his crack after he's bought cocaine with the contents of your wallet..
Love this sort of thing
Hammer for in car, or bugout bag selfdefence. Don't forget the handle, soft grip makes the handle end less usable as a strike surface, & like if you are using a tomahawk you reverse it use the handle like a baton & the claw/hammerhead, (milled probably best)/ball peen/axe blade to enhance punch, strikes & grappleing. There are many reasons bikers like hammers.
I think your wrong about the boxcutter they may not feel it but you start opening up vains in the arms & legs, they will run out of steam quick, especially if there blood is pumping.
I love how real you are about, "that shit was scary, I was terrified" type stuff. Cause yeah, fights freak you out especially when weapons get involved
Awl
whoa u sprayed the can without buying it 😱
I always thought it was gambit. Now I know XD
Suggestion: Chisel
I remember once walking home from work in the theatre late at night with a friend. A group of youths blocked the path ahead obviously looking to hold us up. We both pulled our tool belts out of our bags and waltzed on through. The youths made a quick exit so I never had to make the choice of which tool to use.
Ive been saying the trench shovel is so underrated
I used to be so paranoid I kept a hammer right beside the bottom of my bed
One shouldn’t sleep on a box cutter. Despite its low mortality rate (unless your sever deep enough to an artery), the defensive wounds to your attacker’s hands and limbs will get their attention. And if you do sufficient enough damage, it will halt their attacks.
Fire Distinguisher’s
As for chemicals, forget the chlorine. Some pool acidifier, muriatic acid, sprayed from a standard plastic spray bottle into the eyes and on the skin should stop just about anyone. You can find that in the pool chemical section.
Even better, use some Hot Power Drain Cleaner. That's nearly 100% H2S04, aka Sulfuric Acid — super nasty stuff! When the perp tries to wash it off with water, that shit will start boiling his skin. Permanent damage though. And, if you really want to cook his goose and see some fireworks, then follow that up with a dusting of Out Filter Mate filter cleaner, potassium permanganate, and watch him instantly burst into flames.
Dad whay the hamer smells funy ?
Son put it wher it was its been used for oil checking
damn i need to get myself a shovel 🤣
Well, the bad news, you are completely bonkers, the good news, so am I, so I loved your video.
In England, by law, you can't carry ANYTHING if you are intending to use it as a weapon. However if someone broke into your home, then to have general purpose tools about, is probably reasonable. The Box Cutter is sub-optimal as a self defence weapon as it's too close-quarters, maybe also the short screwdriver. The hammer does seem (to me) to have more of a psychological 'impact' (sorry, couldn't resist that). Of course a small petrol chainsaw would be fun, right up to the point where you realise you have just destroyed half your home whilst scaring off the burglar. The main problem with using any weapon – which you covered – is that you have to practice with it, and that's where most people fail, as practice takes way more time than most people allow.
Punch sets. Basically a blunt ice pick. Follows the same rules as screwdriver, but can puncture easier
Hedge shears 😂
You missed the dangerous weapon welding employee the last few seconds of the video…
😮
ill come clean. this is legit me everytime i am in a hardware store.
This decended into two kids in a toy shop really quickly
Cordless chainsaw?
knife sharpening steel rod…
The hammer enables you to defend yourself from the attacks of dogs, you will not need a heavy and long hammer, all of them break rocks and they are all strong
Roofing hammer is essentially a tomahawk it's better than a hatchet. I also like a rake handle it's long with a metal end like a metal ended quarter staff. A simple oak dowel and pipe cap makes a decent trench club.
put a padlock on the short chain and you're good
Box cutter is no good
Waffle headed hammer is better than smooth headed hammers for normal hammers. Ball peen over waffle though. Ice pick works in place of screwdriver. Phillips over flathead for sure. Any knife with at least 3 inch blade.
this is the moment Mike became Icy Mikesenberg
Chainsaw…😂
Best tool…357mag😊
I used to carry a gerber multitool (The multi-plier type, not butterfly open) on my hip as an every day tool. Because of the way it was designed it could be used like a palm stick very easily.
Similar advantages to the screwdriver but with more mass and the ability to bite or clamp something.
Go to Lowe's and get a hickory dowel at least 1 1/2 thick .. or more! Get some screws and a drill and drill holes in one end of the dowel and put the screws in. Use a grinder to grind off the screw heads and make the ends sharp… cut the dowel down to your desired length and if you do it right then you have a MACE. Maybe even varnish it and give it some style. Or say get a lawn mower blade from Lowe's…. grind one end down some and round it… put a lot of electrical tap on that end to make a handle. Then grind down the other end and shape it into a double edged sword. Yes sword. Roman Gladius style. Just no end of the number of weapons you can find or make from a hardware store! Pitchforks anyone?
Padlock and extandable wrench.
The extremely sharp pull saws that have a grip that helps you retain control of the tool as it snags in clothing and flesh. The razor sharp teeth will slice and dice tendons and muscles making the attacker hesitate to move any more extremities into your circle of effective reach.
what happened to that big guy with a beard that used to be in the videos
Awesome video. The short shovel and the 2×2 look like winners to me. Bee Spray shoots 25 feet easy. The lever-lock telescoping paint poles wouldn't be fun to deal with either: light on the back end and a metal stub on the business end. Battery powered nail guns.