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5 min readWith 20+ years in tech journalism, Alina blends safety expertise with her passion for simplifying technology. Alina is also trained as a first responder and worked as a volunteer firefighter.
Whether you’re being followed, or just have an uneasy feeling, having a self-defense tool in your hand can make you feel a little safer. Keeping a safety device on your keychain is an easy way to be sure your self-defense device goes wherever you do.
After extensive research, we found some of the best self-defense keychains on the market to fit a variety of needs.
Product | Best for | Price | Ease of use
 | Close contact defense | Color choices | Learn more | |
 Safely Sidekick | Best keychain pepper spray | $79.99 |  Yes | Yes | Yes | View on Safely | Read review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Kubotan | $19.95 |  No | Yes | Yes | View on Amazon | Read review | |
 She's Birdie | Best personal alarm | $29.95 | Yes | No | Yes | View on Amazon | Read review |
 StatGear Samurai Micro | Best keychain knife | $19.98 | No | Yes | Yes | View on Amazon | Read review |
 Vipertek VTS-989 | Best keychain stun gun | $30.99 | Yes | Yes | No | View on Amazon | Read review |
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The Safely Sidekick sets itself apart from other pepper sprays because it's more than just a pepper spray. It’s an all-in-one safety tool tailored specifically for women, by women. Instead of buying a bunch of different safety devices, you can just buy the Sidekick. It combines five essential safety features: pepper spray, a bright flashlight, a loud alarm, a secure grip, and a keychain/glass breaker.
Alarm
Bright flashlight
10-foot spray range and up to 25 bursts 
A little bulky Safely Sidekick also sprays 10 feet. You can stay far away from your target while spraying, giving you more time to escape.
Check out our other top picks for pepper sprays and read our full Safely review.
Kubotan keychains are basically non-lethal blunt objects that you use in a stabbing motion towards your attacker. While there are many styles, we found the MUNIO Kubotan Personal Safety Keychain the most practical.
Easy to grip
Safe to carry
Comes in many colors and patterns
Requires close contact While the MUNIO doesn’t look like much, this little gadget can do major damage. We watched some videos of it hacking into a raw chicken and a watermelon and it was, umm, disturbing.
Since it’s blunt, you don’t have to worry about this personal defense device harming others unintentionally. And with its easy-to-grip shape and larger size, it’s a better alternative to holding your house key between your fingers as you stroll through a parking garage or walk home at night.
Check out our top picks for other self-defense products.
*Amazon.com price as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read full disclaimer.
She’s Birdie is our pick for the best keychain personal alarm. It packs a bright strobe LED light and a 130db alarm to scare someone away and attract attention.
Strobe light
Stylish design
Charitable support for women's safety
Only scares attackers This personal alarm has a pretty, gold carabiner for easily latching it onto your keychain. It also comes in a variety of trendy colors like lemon, indigo, coral, charcoal, and aqua.
Not only does Birdie helps you be safe, it also gives 5% of its profits to organizations that support women’s safety charities.
Check out our other top picks for personal self-defense alarms.
*Amazon.com price as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Read full disclaimer.
The StatGear Samurai Micro is the best keychain knifewe found. It combines a beautiful design with handy features.
Includes pocket clip
Offers easy-open design
Provides sturdy construction
Narrow handle We love that this self-defense knife looks like a little samurai sword. This pocket knife’s blade is made from durable 440C stainless steel. It is also easy to open with one hand and has a pocket clip if you decide you don’t want it on your keychain.
The handle is a little narrow, which can be a good and a bad thing. Its size makes it easily fit into your pocket, but it also makes it a little harder to get a good grip.
Check out our other top picks for self-defense knives.
The Vipertek VTS-989 may seem a little big for a keychain, but it’s super light. Plus, it’s one of the best stun guns on the market.
No-slip grip
No disarming feature
Safety switch
Too large for most pockets What makes it a great stun gun? It has a grooved handle to prevent it from slipping easily from your grip. It also has side tasers that will shock someone if they try to take it from you. The built-in safety switch and flashlight add another layer of protection.
Check out our other picks for top stun guns.
Which top self-defense keychain you choose really depends on your own personal preferences:
It all depends on the type of keychain weapon and the situation. To increase your odds, take a self-defense class. These are often offered for free or for a small fee at local community centers. Try googling “self-defense classes near me” or use Thumbtack’s self-defense class search tool.
Maybe. If the self-defense weapon is shaped like brass knuckles (known as plastic knuckle dusters) it could be illegal (even the cat self-defense keychains). To be sure, call your local police station to learn about your area’s laws.
It depends on what makes you feel more comfortable. If spraying someone with pepper spray feels like a good way to accidentally blind yourself, stick with a self-defense tool like a taser or personal alarm. On the other hand, if you don’t want to get close to a potential attacker during a dangerous situation, pepper spray may be the better option.
We couldn’t find any laws against them. To be sure, call your local police department to learn about any laws in your area.
Image: SafeWise
To pick the best personal self-defense keychains, we used our decades of safety and security experience to research devices that work well for a variety of situations. We also researched topics related to self-defense and self-defense devices to help make the best list possible.
To learn more about how we review products and services, check out our Safewise methodology page.
*Product prices and availability are accurate as of post date and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.
Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.
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