Customer Rating: 
Summary: It's Durable and Helpful
Comment: Wrap your hands around this and you know that you have, in some way or another, an upperhand when your safety is put at stake. I literaly can say my friends still in practice of many different forms of martial arts are afraid of his helpful hunk of metal. It's a good size, fits in your back pocket front pocket, anywhere. I carry it next to my wallet, it's perfect honestly. The fist this creates is powerful and with a little boxing technique you can land it on all the boney areas that it works best in. This is not a product just for women, infact, I feel they should target men more, it's obviously a good product otherwise I wouldn't keep ranting about it. The rounded end seems sharp in the picture, it is not sharp, but affective, makes a centered area of imapact which would work great if attacked from behind, quick powerful jabs to the eyes, the ribs, the neck, kneecaps, and even holding it opposite in such situations still keep the kubaton helpful. Trust me when I say, it's a good addition to your everyday grab and go things for your pocket. And also, don't bother with the key ring, it's practical for carrying but why would you want a flail if you are in danger of real problems, I doubt that a few mm of sharpness will hurt.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good Alternative Weapon But...
Comment: This is a fine weapon for the average citizen who is not inclined to carry a knife or handgun, but it cannot be as effective as a cane or a police baton, two other alternatives to consider. The cane is perhaps the most innocent seeming yet it has reach advantages over the kubotan and will deal a most damaging strike.
The above review is a good one, but please ignore the advice about sharpening keys and using the kubotan as a flail. This is unlikely to provide any real stopping power to a determined attacker. The kubotan excels as a loadfist weapon, so use it to enhance your hammerfist and punch strikes. You can also use the point to 'stab' your attacker's body points and bony targets like the back of the hand can be excruciatingly painful when struck. In other words use the kubotan like it was intended to do so. Nowhere in any traditional yawara training is it used like a mini-flail like the above poster suggested.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pointed Aluminum Kubaton
Comment: Many years ago, an acquaintance of mine was the property manager of a low-rent motel. One morning, while he was in the back office behind the front desk, two men jumped over the counter and started beating on the door. He could see them, but they could not see him through the privacy security glass. The men continued to beat on the door, trying to get in. He waited inside patiently, with his Glock pistol. As soon as the door fell and the men ran inside, he shot them both. They turned out to be high school teenagers who were trying to break in to obtain crack money. I recalled that many in the community dissaproved of his actions. It turned out that he had plenty of time to leave through the back door and call for help. When asked why he had to kill them, he simply said, "I own the life of anyone who threatens my personal safety. I did it because it was my right and I could." Fortunately, it was considered self-defense.
I remembered that he always carried a short stick, attached to his keys. It was not until many years later that I finally figured out what that little wooden stick was. I became interested in self-defense and decided to buy a baton for myself.
This was my first Kubaton. I was concerned because this one has a pointed end. The pointed end, although not sharp compared to a blade weapon, will easily punch a hole through four layers of very heavy cordura cloth with little effort on my part. I was afraid that if ever I had to use it, the amount of damage it will cause and its design would make it hard for me to claim that I was acting in self-defense. I bought another Kubaton, from the same manufacturer, with a flat end. The replacement baton is exactly like this one, except the end is flat.
I tested the replacement and it will also punch a hole through heavy canvas. But it takes a lot more force to do so. More importantly, to the average person, it looks less aggressive than this one. If I had to use it in self-defense, a presiding judge or jury might be less likely to think of it as a weapon.
If you are not concerned about perception, then get this pointed baton. If it can easily punch a hole through layers of cordura cloth (the same material used in heavy duty outdoor bags, outerwear, and hiking shoes), it can easily injure an attacker who might be wearing several layers of clothes. But please understand that some might put this in the same category as they would a knife. That might make it difficult to claim self-defense, in the event that you have to use it to protect yourself.
My old acquaintance was well-versed and knowledgeable. He not only knew how to use his weapons, but he also understood where the line is between self-defense and assault. He knew just the limits of what he could get away it in the use of deadly force to defend himself. This pointed baton, made out of hardened aluminum alloy, is probably for such a person.
MY FRIEND'S TIP:
Here's a tip from that old acquaintance of mine. The keys themselves are a part of the weapon. And you can make them more effective, which will increase the damage from the baton. Take some keys that you no longer use. Any metal key would do, but try to find different sizes. About four of them would do. Take the keys to a grinder (even a rasp will do) and sharpen the teeth of each key. Now, put the four keys in the keyring along with your regular keys. Face the sharp keys in opposite directions. Meaning two should face one way, but the other two should face in the opposite direction. The idea is that when you swing the baton like a flail, the sharpened keys would cut into the attacker's flesh. The keys are faced in opposite directions so that you can do major damage regardless of which direction that you are swinging.
CITAN'S EXPERIMENT:
Please keep in mind that you can also cut your hand. I tried this technique. I wore a pair of leather work gloves and swung against a wooden post. The sharpened keys bounced back and hit the back of my hand. Without the gloves, my hand would have gotten badly cut. For what it's worth, I swung against a large watermelon and the keys didn't bounce back though. I don't have anything else to add here, except maybe it might be good to swing against an attacker's fleshy parts to prevent the keys from rebounding. I'm not an expert though. But it was fun trying it on a watermelon.
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