Cold Steel African Walking Stick
Well, P95Carry got me researching things when he brought up his buying Cold Steel's Walkabout walking stick.
I looked around, researched whether it would be allowed on a plane, & ended up buying Cold Steel's African walking stick. So, here's a review.
First off, here's the site:
http://www.knivesplus.com/coldsteelw...-cs-91was.html
They had the best price & sent it pretty quick. I ordered it on a Thursday night & got it Monday morning. Total price was just under $30.00
Checking it out, the top end is 2.5" in diameter. It looks like it rotates &/or screws off. It doesn't, it's all one piece, made out of polypropylene. I don't know what that is, other than that it appears to be some type of plastic, & my favorite police baton is made out of the stuff. I know for a fact that it's practically indestructable & it hurts when struck by it (At least that's what the people on the receiving end have said). They say it won't warp, but I know my baton did. However, my baton spent considerable time in the trunk of a Police cruiser, right next to the power unit for the computer & radio. I don't think it'll warp for most people, & certainly not if you don't abuse it.
The undulations on the staff are pretty smooth, but allows one to get a good grip on it for 2 handed techniques. The head's kind of sharp, the shapes are pretty squared off. It weighs just over 25 oz. (Approx. 1.5 lbs), but feels lighter.
It's just under 37" long, but with a rubber end-cap (Not included), it's just over that. It's really more like a cane with a ball handle, than a "walking stick." I wanted that anyways. A walking "staff" is longer & might be open to too much attention. I wanted something I can take on a plane for travel.
I'm not that old, but have a couple real injuries & surgery scars to validate carrying this. Also, I start limping after being on my feet or walking for a lengthy time/distance.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with it, & with my martial arts knowledge, I feel pretty confident in defending myself & family if need be.
Hope this was helpful to some.:embarassed:
I always smile to myself...
When I enter the airplane I have my ratan cane in hand but my nail-clippers have to be tucked away in the luggage compartment. I, too, am OLD enough to "almost" really need the thing and have the scars from a major ankle rework (in my 20's) to make it look legitimate if ever officially pressed for an explaination.
Canes are truly one of the most covert of self-defense weapons and, with the right training, preferred over a knife by most knowledgable practicioners. I dare say a "religious extremist" with a box-cutter would quickly find himself dispatched if he mistakenly confronted the wrong old guy with a cane.
Years ago my work regularly took me from Lake Charles, Louisianna to Cape Horn, Argentina and all points between. Even decades before 9/11 the act of airline hijacking (to Cuba, of all places) was a common occurance. I began, way back then, to always travel with a cane & a key ring heavily packed with big, sharp keys attached to 14" loop of braided para-cord. Three different occasions (on the ground in Third World countries) my little "staff & mace" saved my bacon in immediately dire circumstances.
Would I have preferred a handgun? Of course. In fact, I would have PREFERRED a Spec Ops Team, Close Air-Support and being somewhere (or someone) else entirely. But a cane & a key ring have never raised so much as a question or an eyebrow in +20 years of air travel. And now that I have the wrinkled face, balding gray hairline and photos of my grandchildren to "complete my disguise", it's almost foolproof!
In this strange age of sensative, new world, sissy men...I stand with those who would rather die on their feet than live on their knees.
