Flat-head Screwdriver for Self-Defense?

The flat-head screwdriver has long been a part of the sometimes apocryphal lore of self-defense. Specifically, it has been said among self-defense exponents — who largely oppose laws banning or restricting the tools of force multiplication — that there is little point in banning the carry or possession of pocketknives and even “tactical” knives. That’s because (and here the statistics may or may not be sourced or even true) kitchen knives are used far more often to commit assault in day-to-day life in Western societies. It’s also said, with equal fervor, that screwdrivers are the favored tools of carjackers and muggers when compared to knives with edges.

I’ve cited these statistics myself and, quite honestly, it doesn’t matter if they’re true or not when the topic is examined irrespective of politics. The fact is that screwdrivers, in the realm of expedient and pragmatic improvised (or semi-improvised) self-defense tools, are an excellent choice. They are tremendously strong compared to knives, affording great leverage. They are widely available and legal in many places that an edged weapon would not be. They have large, heavy handles that allow for an excellent grip. Most screwdrivers have a tapered shoulder that flares to a guard of sorts, which also allows for a number of a natural carry options. You could improvise an OSS-style string sheath and carry a screwdriver in your waistband with little difficulty. There are any number of utility benefits in carrying a screwdriver as part of your EDC, too.

The blade of a flat-head screwdriver will pierce flesh with relatively little muscle behind it. It need not be sharpened, but can be honed to a chisel edge in 5-10 minutes on any abrasive surface, from a sharpening stone to a parking lot to the inside of a toilet tank lid. A motivated man with a screwdriver locked in his grip is well armed indeed… and it would seem that those in the self-defense community (particularly those who have advocated for expedient self-defense knives like the fruit knife) are now acknowledging the place of screwdrivers in personal protection. This is especially true for Non-Permissive Environments, or NPEs, where traditional and conventional knives and weapons are prohibited.

Our friends at Delta 2 Alpha, together with Ruelas537 and as influenced by Ed Calderon of Ed’s Manifesto, are now offering through Ruelas537 a product called the Omni Sheath. (It is orderable directly through Ruelas537 on Instagram and Facebook.) This is an inside-the-waistband sheath that fits all quarter-inch flat-head screwdrivers. It’s a product that is so simple and so brilliant that it’s a wonder somebody hasn’t thought of it before. (And, in truth, they may well have, but this is the first I’ve heard of a product offered for this purpose).

“We wanted to develop something specifically for Mexico, and other NPEs like, Asia, Australia, Europe,” the folks at Delta 2 Alpha told me. This is consistent with the types of products we’ve seen from them over the years.

Speaking of years, during the many of them in which I trained in Liu Seong Gung Fu, my instructor’s attitude toward knives at first confounded me. As a young man I was obsessed with gear, as many Westerners are. I thought it meant something to have the latest, greatest “tactical” knife. My instructor, by contrast, took the attitude that whatever was at hand would do… and in the ensuing years, I have come to agree with that attitude. Acknowedging the power of screwdrivers for self-defense not only embraces that attitude of pragmatic minimalism, but also coopts a tool previously used by societal predators for the defense of those predators’ potential victims.

The irony is not lost on me that a community prepared to pay upward of $200 USD for a pocketknife is embracing dollar-store tools and hardware shop finds. No, a screwdriver will not and should not replace your pocketknife. It is, however, a viable tool of self-defense in certain contexts. Consider it against that backdrop.