My high school mates who remember me being feisty would not believe what became of me after college. I grew up and calmed down. On the downside, it was as if I never knew how to stick up for myself.

I was left very powerless one day by a robber who punted me on the thigh as a parting gift even as I handed him my cash and credit cards without protest. “Strike back with stun gun knuckles,” a childhood friend of mine advised.

He put his Blast Knuckle Stun Gun on view after I mistook him for fooling around and countered, “and follow it up with my laser sword arms, you mean”? There I was, staring at brass knuckles that seriously stunned.

The moment he wore the Blast Knuckle Stun Gun on his knuckles, it started intimidating me. His stun gun knuckles crackled like mad, and when he gave the weapon a tug, it emitted a menacing blue arc of electric shock.

I could see how this self defense device would tyrannize an assaulter on looks alone. When I learned that it fires 950,000 volts, I was floored. That is close to a million volts of stunning force coming from a guy’s knuckles.

Striking an opponent with stun gun knuckles, my buddy emphasized, is not fatal but can temporarily debilitate him to allow me some time to flee to safety and potentially seek assistance.

I fell victim to a second robber mere months after obtaining the Blast Knuckle Stun Gun. He harassed me, complete with aiming a handgun at my mouth, so I gestured arms-up compliance and asked permission to take my money out.

I slipped the Blast Knuckle Stun Gun on the hand in my pocket and pulled it out in time to strike him with stun gun knuckles, on the rib cage and then the thigh. He keeled over. I ran back to my office building and summoned the night watch.

Daryl B Taylur is one of the best known experts on non-lethal personal protection products. Picking the right self defense product is more practical than spending years learning martial arts. There are many options, including stun guns, pepper sprays and personal alarms. He provides full support and training on using the products.