Microtech's $99 TAC-P Mini Is Titanium Insurance

Not every object in a knife catalog is a knife. The Microtech TAC-P Mini, model 112M-MS9, is a kubaton: a 6.05-inch titanium bar with a 0.625-inch chisel tip, a blue anodized titanium glass breaker on the other end, a black Kydex sheath with an ULTI clip, and 1.77 ounces of weight. It costs $99.

In non-lethal self-defense terms, a kubaton works by concentrating force into a small contact point in your fist, and the chisel tip adds a pressure option that a plain rod does not have. The glass breaker is the more universally useful feature: a titanium point hard enough to shatter a tempered side window is a legitimate reason to keep something in a glovebox, and this one is small enough to live there without complaint.

Titanium is the material argument. An aluminum kubaton is lighter and cheaper; a titanium one will not dent, will not corrode when it sits in a damp car for three years, and takes an anodized finish that holds up to pocket wear. The trade is price, and at $99 this is firmly in the category of gear you buy because you want it rather than because it is the cheapest way to solve the problem.

Compared with Microtech's full-size TAC-P, the Mini trades reach for pocketability, and the full-size version is the better choice if you intend to keep it in a bag rather than a pocket. Compared with a $15 aluminum kubaton from a martial arts supplier, the Microtech is a nicer object with a better sheath and a genuine glass breaker. Compared with a folding knife, it is not a cutting tool at all, and it should not be bought as one.

Verdict: the TAC-P Mini is a well-made, legally ambiguous object that does one job well and looks good doing it. Buy it for the glass breaker and the sheath, and check your local laws before you carry it anywhere but your own car.