The world is a crazy place these days and it’s good to be prepared for whatever might come your way. While diplomacy is the preferred method of dealing with conflict, it’s not always possible so having a few self defence gadgets can help you out in a pinch. From concealed weapons to stun guns and batons, here are some of the best ways to keep yourself safe in a worst-case scenario.

A stun gun is a handheld device that emits a debilitating shock to any attacker that comes into contact with it when it’s activated. This will usually disable them and give you enough time to get away. These self defence weapons can often be disguised as everyday items like pens, rings or lipsticks and will often also have other features like a flashlight or an emergency glass breaker.

Most stun guns come with rechargeable batteries, but some also have a refillable cartridge that allows you to carry extra ammo so you can reload when you run out. Some even have a built-in alarm that sounds loud and can scare away an assailant by letting out a 120-decibel noise. Obviously, any of these self defence weapons are only useful if you know how to use them properly and will likely only be effective when used in self defence so it’s important that you practice regularly.

While it might not be as discreet as a stun gun, a baton can help you to take out an assailant at a distance. It takes a lot of practice to learn how to use one correctly, but in the hands of an expert, a stainless steel baton can cause a lot of pain and serious injury to any attacker that tries to take you down. Batons, however, are pretty bulky and won’t fit in your pocket, so they’re probably not something you’ll want to carry around with you all the time.

Pepper spray is a great self defence option as it can be easily deployed at a safe distance and can usually temporarily blind an attacker. Most brands will make a practice version of their product that is inert so you can get familiar with the controls and how to properly deploy it before you need to actually use it in real life.

Aside from pepper spray, a loud horn or alarm can be an excellent self defence weapon since it will likely alert more people to the situation and potentially give you a chance to escape or draw in more witnesses who can help police apprehend your attackers. You can even find devices that are designed to be integrated into your clothing so they look cool, such as these brass knuckles that are meant to resemble jogging weights and will zap an attacker with 1.9 million volts of electricity. They also come with leather holsters so you can easily carry them around with you.