Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)These are pretty darn hard to find these days. Based on what I've seen, there's probably a single location overseas making them and everyone is just importing the same one. The quality here is very good for the price. Good leather, good spring, solid head, good overall construction. If a US dealer in police supplies re-branded this with their trade name, you'd be paying $39.99 for it (which I doubt will happen- these are probably destined to remain esoteric. I don't think there are too many PD's that let officers carry them anymore and not too many average Joes even know they exist)
As others have noted, this does incorporate a glove-strap as opposed to a hanging butt strap. They really should change the picture. With that said, I believe that's a good thing and placed my order *hoping* that I received one with a glove strap, since I greatly prefer them on this type of device. Part of a Billy's mojo is it's concealability... Add 7" of floppy butt-strap to the equation and you may as well be carrying a straight-handle baton. Whoever manufactured these made a good decision to switch to a glove strap.
Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. I subtract one star because it isn't "work of art" type handmade perfection, but then again, it's totally serviceable and quite a bargain in its price range. I will be buying another.
***Edit- Three Months Later ***
A few modifications undergone with this. First off, the weaving at the base of the spring started to loosen, so I did glue that with a thin epoxy. It's now a 'solid unit' of glued leather. An unintended but nice consequence of this is that the epoxied leather is quite hard and could serve as a striking head of its own.
Secondly, the woven leather that wraps the handle did stretch out a bit, as expected, but it still retains it's shape beautifully.
Thirdly, they take a bit of practice to master. Anyone can 'swing one' and lay out a good whack, but one of the Blackjacks main virtues is that they can generate significant striking force with not much more than the 'flick of a wrist'. This requires a bit of practice. Once you get to the point where the spring/head union makes a slight 'popping' sound on the downstroke, right when it strikes the target, that's the ticket.
Lastly, I would suggest that everyone really comprehend what they're buying with one of these. Blackjacks occupy a very narrow place on the use of force scale, which is why they're so scarce in law enforcement work today. Unlike a baton, a big flashlight or even a flat SAP that can be used effectively against soft tissue as a compliance device, Blackjacks are totally different. They're meant to strike- and most likely, break- bone. Just like a big light or a straight handle baton, if you hit someone hard in the wrist with a blackjack, you're breaking their wrist. If you hit them hard in the knee, you're breaking their knee. If you hit them hard in the elbow, adios elbow. If you hit someone hard in the head with a spring blackjack, you *will* fracture their skull and there's a chance they *will* die. Unlike the baton or the big light, though, they deliver a 'piercing' rather than a 'crushing' blow, so bone is pretty much your only option. If this comes out and you have to use it, there are no 'compliance strikes' at that point. It's bone, or go home.
You won't find much written about these in the online era, but search the New York Times archives or the local library- in the old days when blackjacks were far more common, people got killed with them on a pretty regular basis, by good guys and bad guys alike. Many moons ago, before Police Officers regularly carried backup firearms, this was their 'last ditch weapon' to effect a potentially fatal blow in a life or death struggle.
These aren't illegal everywhere, but they're illegal to carry pretty much everywhere, so be aware of this. Most states and municipalities share common statutory wording about "blackjacks, slungshots and billy clubs" being off limits and in many places, carrying a blackjack is no different than illegally carrying a gun. Oddly enough, there are places where you can get a permit to carry a firearm, but under no circumstances can you carry one of these. Weird, huh?
Still, presuming you live in a place where you can legally carry one, or maybe you're just a guy who lives by his conscience and doesn't care what the bureaucrats say, these are effective as hell in a self defense role (On this, I speak from two instances of first hand experience using one a long time ago, which inspired me to seek out another and ultimately buy this one). Or, just go ask any cop who was around when they were in use. He will tell you the same thing.
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Flexible Leather Billy Club
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