We’ve just released our testing footage for our Mil-Spec Plastics Cobra Cuff review a few months back and we wanted to give everyone a heads up.

Cobra Cuffs and Mil-Spec Plastics’ Zip-Style Restraints are the first Mil/LE style restraint we’re proud to endorse after thoroughly testing them in each of the methods we’ve shown that will defeat standard store bought Zip Ties.

Please refer to our review article for more information on Cobra Cuffs and the video below for our testing. While the video below shows just a few of the many tests we put these restraints through, it will give you a general idea of our testing procedures.

Testing

These restraints were thoroughly tested here at ITS by multiple individuals on our own accord. While they were sent to us free of charge to test, it was not a paid endorsement, nor implied that they’d be given a favorable review. Our goal in this was to work with a company that stands behind their products and truly wanted to put them to the test, despite the chance that they could fail.

DISCLAIMER: Due to the inherent dangers of the techniques we demonstrate, please do NOT attempt this testing on your own.

For more information on Cobra Cuffs and other products offered by Mil-Spec Plastics please visit them on the Web at www.milspecplastics.com

We’d like to take this opportunity to announce the big winner in our Mil-Spec Plastics Cobra Cuffs Giveaway.

Thank you to everyone for your participation, and especially to Mil-Spec Plastics for their support and generosity!

As always, we’ve used random.org to draw the winner for this contest.

Winner!

Virius – ITS Tactical Plank Owner!

Congratulations Virius, you should have received an email already with details on how to claim your prize. If you haven’t, please contact us.

We have an exclusive discount code from Mil-Spec Plastics coming soon for all Plank Owners and Crew Leaders, stay tuned!

You may remember the article we wrote awhile back about Restraints We’re Proud to Endorse from Milspec Plastics. Recently Milspec Plastics contacted us to see if we’d be interested in running a giveaway for our Military and Law Enforcement/.Gov readers!

Of course we would! As mentioned in our article we’re extremely impressed by the quality, construction and strength of these Cobra Cuffs and are proud to endorse them for Military and Law Enforcement applications.

Update: Virius is the winner of the Mil-Spec Plastics Cobra Cuffs Giveaway. Thanks to all of you that entered and stay tuned for more contests!

Contest Details

The winner will receive a two Cobra Cuffs in every color they make, including the blue trainers! Also, you’ll receive a Lifesaver-Cutter and a few of their new Safe-T Rounds

For instructions on how you can get your entry in, take a look at our contest rules. The one exception to these rules is that you have to be Military or Law Enforcement/.Gov to win.

We’ll let this contest run until Friday, July 16th, at 11:59 p.m. (Central Time), any entries after that time will not be counted. Be sure to read the contest rules carefully!

Thanks for entering, and good luck!!

Update: Virius is the winner of the Mil-Spec Plastics Cobra Cuffs Giveaway. Thanks to all of you that entered and stay tuned for more contests!

We’re thrilled to be releasing this article today, as we’ve finally found a product that we feel deserves our endorsement for Military and Law Enforcement use. We’re not trying to sound arrogant, but we’ve tested a lot of restraints and broken just as many.

We strongly believe that if Plastic Restraints have a purpose in Military and Law Enforcement use, they should be strong, durable, and able to resist a overhead brute force attack. What Milspec Plastics has done is create not one but two solid options that we’re proud to say have the toughest locking mechanisms we’ve ever tested.

Their Cobra Cuff and Tactical Zip Tie represent a reassurance in restraints that we thought we wouldn’t find for some time, and a company that’s dedicated to producing a product that will keep our officers and soldiers safe.

Milspec Plastics

We were first introduced to Milspec Plastics through a friend in the industry that had seen our Zip Tie articles and recommended that we contact owner Jim Reeves. Our friend mentioned that they had an awesome product that no one could break.

As skeptical as we were, we contacted Jim that day and as he was excited to send us out their products to put through the ringer. He mentioned that if they were going to put out a product marketed to Military and Law Enforcement, they wanted to know that it wasn’t going to fail. Also, that if there were issues, they wanted to get them corrected.

Milspec Plastics believes in the information we present on ITS Tactical, and unlike some companies and individuals, can see the value in real feedback and honest evaluations of a product’s strengths and weaknesses. In the letter we received from Jim with the products for evaluation, he said “I look forward to your honest evaluation of our products…thank you for what you do in providing useful feedback to our men and women in harms way.”

If that doesn’t show a company dedicated to producing a product that will protect those in harms way, we’re not sure what does.

Evaluation

As mentioned, we tested both the Milspec Cobra Cuffs and their Tactical Zip Ties and could break neither. You’ll see by the videos we’ll soon include in this article that our tests were real, and a true evaluation of the product. We tried the brute force attack, shimming and even the friction saw with paracord.

The difference in what we’re explaining here versus a Home Invasion scenario is that in a Home Invasion you’re most likely being illegally restrained by amateurs who have chosen off the shelf products and improvised techniques to restrain you.

Those products, like the simple Zip Tie we’ve shown to be defeated, have no place in Military and  Law Enforcement use, nor do shoddy products that aren’t a whole lot different.

Products marketed distinctly for Military and Law Enforcement use only should be above and beyond, truly keeping those in harms way safe. We’re presenting this evaluation publicly because this information needs to be out there, and Military and Law Enforcement need to see a true evaluation of a product that will not only keep them safe, but know its uses and limitations.

Testing Methods

The brute force attack we used was unsuccessful with both restraints and nearly broke our wrists. This clearly shows that in the unlikely event that a criminal could get these restraints to the front of their body, they will not be able to use force to break them. The instructions for the Cobra Cuffs clearly state that they are to be placed on hands behind the back as well.

While nearly every restraint marketed to Military and Law Enforcement states this, the true test is if they can be broken if the criminal is able to get them to the front. The options at that point become brute force, shimming, or using a friction saw technique to burn through the plastic.

With brute force no longer an option, we tried shimming. There is absolutely no way to shim the Cobra Cuffs, especially while restrained. With a double locking mechanism that catches the cuffs in both forward and backward movements we were unable to find a way to bypass them.

The Tactical Zip Ties were much harder to shim than anticipated. The housing surrounding the locking bar, and the locking bar itself are both solid. There’s plenty of material making up the locking bar that prevents it from being moved easily to insert a shim or provide the space to insert the shim. While after some time of working with the Tactical Zip Ties we were able to wedge a shim in, this again is unrealistic while restrained and took two people to make it work.

This leaves the friction saw, which as you’ve seen from our videos, is fairly easy with a standard Zip Tie and isn’t something we tested on the Milspec Tactical Zip Ties. The truth of the matter is that they’re able to be defeated in this method because lets face it, they’re plastic and friction will melt them.

Now for the Cobra Cuffs, we did demonstrate the friction saw. It was tough to say the least. The only viable option on the Cobra Cuffs is to friction saw right through the center of the large housing, which is nearly a solid inch of plastic. We did it, but it took nearly four minutes of sawing to do so. Is this realistic? No, not under the proper supervision. For a criminal to have the time to not only get these restraints to the front, but also friction saw through them is highly unlikely.

Review and Testing

Below you’ll find our video review and testing of the Cobra Cuffs and Tactical Zip Ties.

With more than hundreds of home invasions happening every year here in the United States, we’d like to present some tips on what you can do to not only protect yourself and your family, but how to fortify your home to better resist becoming a victim.

There’s a notable difference between a burglary and a home invasion, that being you. If you’re home, it’s a home invasion. If you’re not, it’s a burglary plain and simple. Criminals don’t always know what they’re walking into during the day, but at night its a different story. Most home invasions happen between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays and weekends.

A criminal that breaks into a residence at night is expecting a confrontation of some kind. Hopefully it will be short lived when you shoot them dead, but as we’ve mentioned before in “Dealing with Violent Confrontations” you should always avoid a confrontation if possible. This is the same in a home invasion scenario, not by using the same methods, but by using some forward thinking to deny criminals the opportunity.

Using the tips we’ll share below will help you in avoiding this kind of confrontation and better protect you and your family.

Analysis of a Criminal

It’s important to understand how criminals work during a home invasion and some characteristics of these violent offenders. Primarily they target homes where they’re less likely to face resistance and gain access to important information like pin numbers, jewelry, cash, etc. There’s also the chance that these criminals are just looking for a violent confrontation or sexual assault opportunity.

Unlike typical burglars, home invasions require homework, and these criminals will spend the time to properly target a person or residence. Most good burglars will watch a home to see when the homeowner is gone, but home invaders will go as far as knowing your daily routine. This will include where you work, where you shop, and where you hang out. All this information will be collected to determine not only the value of their target, but also the resistance they might face.

These criminals could use deception to approach your residence posing as a delivery man, salesman, or even have a woman accomplice to knock on the door why the agressor waits out of sight. This situation would normally occur during the day, and is a technique employed by the criminal as a scout. Always be suspicious of those that you allow into your home, such as the exterminator, carpet cleaner, repair man, etc. If something doesn’t feel right, ask them to leave and request someone else or go with another company. This is also a good time to mention to use a reputable company that’s been recommended to you by someone you trust.

When attempting to enter your residence, home invaders will employ techniques commonly found in CQB (Close Quarters Battle), which are Speed, Surprise and Violence of Action. Speed and surprise are fairly self explanatory, but Violence of Action relates to the overwhelming control these criminal will use to overwhelm their victims and instill fear. This will occur during the first 60 seconds of their initial contact as they’ll be looking to counter any threat they might face.

Working in pairs is to be expected, so remember to always expect that. If you’ve countered one threat there may be more, so always keep your head on a swivel and remember your situational awareness. You have to be prepared to be restrained with duct tape, rope or zip ties if these criminals do get the jump on you. While they shouldn’t if you’re prepared, you need to know how to defeat these restraints when the opportunity presents itself.

Home invasion criminals have been known to be incredibly lazy while ransacking a home, sitting down to eat, taking a nap, etc. All while you’re restrained and forced to watch in disbelief. We’ll avoid cliches like “watching in terror,” because if you’re reading this on ITS, you’ve hopefully adopted a sheep dog mentality and should be rationally thinking about your next move instead of playing the part of the victim.

Ironically, drug dealers are prime targets for home invasions. The abundance of cash, drugs and valuables is highly desired by other dopers and criminals. Not that its a bad thing, and we could all give a crap about them anyway. Whatever is driving the home invader’s motives, this threat is real and one that needs to be taken seriously.

Know Your Neighborhood

This can’t be stressed enough, only you know when something is awry or out of place, like a strange car parked with multiple passengers inside. Always be cautious of change and shifts in the baseline. If you’re leaving for work in the morning and you see a suspicious car parked around the corner, don’t ignore it. Circle the block and see if its still there when you return. Be a few minutes late for work and blame it on the traffic.

Walking a dog is a fantastic way to know your neighborhood, learning your neighbors patterns, what cars they drive, how many people are typically around a residence, etc. Even jogging is a good excuse to learn the neighborhood. While meeting your neighbors is never a bad thing, letting them know too much about you could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it.

Note what construction vehicles and lawn mowing companies frequent your neighborhood. Don’t be afraid to call the police on a strange person/vehicle that looks out of place. You’d rather look like a paranoid idiot, than regret not preventing something from happening.

As mentioned earlier, better criminals will stake out neighborhoods, observing patterns of when people come and go and when the best time to hit them is. If something feels wrong in your neighborhood, it is wrong. Trust your gut, because if you can’t you’ve got bigger problems on your hands.

Hard Target vs. Soft Target

While we’ll get into a list of tips further in the article, it’s a good time to bring up the difference between a hard target and a soft target, as this is what criminals are looking for. Think for a minute about businesses and how much security they typically have nowadays. You don’t typically find that same level of security at a household, which makes them softer targets. Police will often patrol businesses and main thoroughfares more than they will neighborhoods.

This also applies to individuals, while looking unsuspecting can often work to your advantage, this may be one instance where it won’t. Appearing non-threatening could make you appear to be a softer target in these situations. If this is what you’re going for, great. Also be aware of how you’re dressed because criminals will look for this. Wearing expensive jewelry, watches or driving flashy cars will attract this kind of criminal scum to you, so be cognizant of this when you’re out and about. Obviously, single females are a prime target, so if that’s you, this article is particularly important.

We’re all big advocates of SDRs or Surveillance Detection Routes, and while we’ll get into the depths of this in another article, the path you take back to your vehicle or to your final destination can reveal a lot about what threats could have latched onto you.

A simple SDR you can run while on foot is to walk right past your intended destination and walk a path that you know anyone would be going out of their way to follow. Using storefront glass and other things to note suspicious characters following you is important. Driving is the same thing, take different paths to and from destinations to ensure you haven’t picked up a tail.

Observation is always key anywhere you are, and the primary tool against recognizing threats before they happen.

Protect and Fortify

So how do you fortify your home to become a hard target and take steps to protect yourself? Education and planning are key, so use these steps below and get started!

Home Exterior

• Keep your house well lit at night to discourage would-be criminals. Have motion detecting flood lights on low-lit areas of your home.
• Post stickers and alarm signs on the exterior of your home. Even fake alarm decals and signs can be a deterrent.
• Don’t leave heavy objects in the backyard that can be used to throw through windows, particularly patio furniture.
• Invest in security cameras with motion sensors, IR and a solid recording device like a DVR. The cost on these has come down considerably from what they used to be.
• Make sure your camera recording system is housed in a lockbox so a thief can’t take the record of their crime.
• Internet cameras can also be a good option if you’re away from your home and still need to monitor it.
• At the least, have a zone alarm to alert you when someone is coming to the door or up the driveway.
• Use highly-visible house numbers so that the Police and readily identify your home.
• Lock your gates using a padlock at the least and leave some nice surprises on top of the fence if they think about scaling it.
• Don’t enter your home if it looks like it’s been illegally entered, leave the premises and call the police. Or go full out CQB and clear your house, it’s your call.
• Be aware of the trash you leave on the curb. Break down boxes from recently purchased items like TVs and conceal them from prying eyes and the trash man.

Windows

• Always lock windows, even second floor windows.
• Use secondary locking devices on windows to prevent them from opening past a certain height. Just one more thing to make it more difficult to gain entry.
• Ensure windows have vibration or glass-break sensors connected to the alarm system.
• Consider Solar Screens on your windows which will not only save on your cooling bill, but allow you more privacy and prevent window shopping.
• Solar Screens also are typically screwed into your window frame, which makes removing them more difficult.
• Look at anti-break window film as an option. If you have glass doors, make sure they’re double paned and laminated.
• Fortify basement windows with bars or anti-break window film. Secure windows where A/C units are attached.
• Put a dowel rod in the track of your sliding glass door to prevent it from being opened if the lock is bypassed.
• Secure any skylights or roof-access with upgraded hardware or anti-break window film.
• Be aware of the bushes surrounding exterior windows. Sharp hedges (along with the noise created) will discourage these as entry points.
• Trim your exterior bushes to prevent hiding places and trim tree limbs that allow second story or roof access.

Doors

• Use solid-core exterior doors including the door into your garage, which should also have a deadbolt.
• Get a wide-angle peephole and use it before answering the door, but consider covering it up while not in use. Reverse peephole viewers are readily available.
• Invest in anti-kick door solutions or a police lock to prevent brute force entry. A door chain isn’t going to help one bit, even answering the door.
• Upgrade your locks to high security locks. Bump-Proof locks, Medeco locks and others like them are worth the investment. Most household locks are simple to bypass.
• At the very least you should install longer screws into your door jambs and hinges, preferably 3″ screws.
• Have a spare key hidden in an uncommon place outside your home or better yet, with a neighbor.

Home Interior

• Get a security alarm with interior motion detectors and set the alarm when you’re at home (obviously not the interior motion detector). Criminals rely on an alarm not being set while someone is home and awake.
• Insure your alarm is monitored and will continue to work in the event you loose your power in a storm or it happens to be neutralized. Look into cellular monitoring.
• Have a secondary alarm keypad in your master bedroom that can be used to sound a panic alarm or quickly access alarm controls.
• Have a plan for your family or roommates in your home in the event of a home invasion. Talk it over and know what each person’s responsibilities are. That plan should include ways to escape the home if necessary.
• Consider a safe room as a rally point where you have the ability to protect yourself and call the police. Stash a spare cell phone here.
• Keep your cell phone by the bed ready for you or another person to call 911.
• Keep multiple weapons in places that you’ll likely be taken to in an invasion. Obviously you need to be aware of leaving weapons where children can get to them.
• Have a loaded gun mounted inside the door to your safe. If you’re forced to open it, you’ll be able to give that criminal more than your valuables.
• Get a dog. A barking dog will bring unwanted attention to a potential burglar, but don’t rely on your dog to attack a criminal unless trained to.
• Change alarm codes often and when you have to distribute a spare key, make it to a specific (differently keyed) door in case a key is lost you’ll just have to replace one lock.
• Record serial numbers of expensive items and have backups of your computer off-site using Mozy, Carbonite or in the cloud somehow.
• Mark and engrave your property with your driver’s license number (not social) to aid in returning your stolen property or discourage theft in the first place.
• Discuss the importance of home security with everyone, it only takes one person to forget to lock a door or window.
• Bolt down safes, filing cabinets and lock up expensive items like bikes and four-wheelers.
• Shred all personal documents using a cross-cut shredder. This includes credit card offers, envelopes with the name of your bank, etc.

Vehicles/Garage

• Keep a weapon and tools to defeat restraints concealed in your vehicle. You could be kidnapped and forced to withdraw money from an ATM.
• Keep spare vehicle keys or any important spares in a lock box or safe.
• Always keep the alarm set on your vehicle, even in the garage. Consider a Club or secondary device to prevent theft, even in your garage.
• Having your the keys next to you while you sleep, you can press the car alarm panic button in a pinch.
• Consider disabling the release-cord to your electric garage door opener, particularly if you have garage door windows. If this function is needed you can have something nearby to use.
• Change your factory set garage door opener code, thieves can drive neighborhoods with common openers looking for a doors that they work on.

Skill-Sets

• Learn skill-sets like lock picking and defeating illegal restraints. If the criminal does get the jump on you, have the means to escape when the time is right.
• Buy a gun and seek proper training on how to use it. Become proficient and know it’s limitations.
• Get a concealed carry permit if allowed in your state. Always carry!
• Don’t open carry if allowed. Why show all your cards if you have the option of concealed carry?
• Use PERSEC (personal security) when discussing anything outside of your circle of trust, don’t reveal personal details to anyone who doesn’t need to know. That includes over the Internet and Facebook!
• Letting people know when you’re away from home over Twitter and Facebook is just plain stupid.
• Log all property into a trusted system with serial numbers, photos and even video that is stored off-site.

Statistics

While most home invasions are listed as burgularies or assaults, this recent Department of Justice report lists dedicated home invasion statistics.

• 38 percent of assaults and 60 percent of rapes occur during home invasions
• One in five homes undergoes a home invasion or break-in
• There are more than 8,000 home invasions every day in North America
• 50 percent of home invasions involve the use of a weapon; the most common weapons used are knives or other cutting instruments
• In 48 percent of home invasions, victims sustain physical injuries
• Victims age 60 or older make up 17 percent of home invasion victims
• In 68 percent of home invasions, victims and the accused are strangers; in 11 percent of these cases, victims and the accused are friends, business associates, or family

Closing

Please share this article with your family, friends and loved ones. Warn them of the inherent dangers of home invasions and how to protect against them. Use the resources we’ve created here on ITS Tactical to develop your skill-sets and practice them to stay proficient.

We don’t want to hear any stories of how one of our readers became a victim, rather we’d like to see a news report on you gunning down a criminal during a home invasion. Nothing warms our hearts more than hearing those kinds of stories on the news.

Throw up any useful tips that we may have overlooked and contribute to the information we’ve presented here. The more everyone knows the better prepared we’ll all be.

Before we announce the winners, we’d first like to say thank you again for all the support each and every one of you have shown us over the past year.

This contest was just a fraction of what we wish we could have given away, and we guarantee next year’s anniversary giveaway is going to be huge! Big things are in the works for this year, and we can’t wait to share them with you.

We received close to 2,000 entries in our giveaways, and man was that a lot of comments! Of course, we selected the winners as we’ve done with every giveaway, using random.org

Winners

• Giveaway Numero Uno – Arthur Nelson, Plank Owner
• Giveaway Numero Dos – Rolsby, Crew Member
• Giveaway Numero Tres – Hotel4532, Plank Owner
• Giveaway Numero Quatro - Eric Chevalier, Plank Owner
• Giveaway Numero Cinco – Esoterikos, Crew Member
• Giveaway Numero Seis – Stokes, Crew Member
• Giveaway Numero Siete – Danneskjold, Plank Owner

An email has been sent out to each one of our giveaway winners to claim their prize, but if for some reason one of you didn’t receive it, please email us.

Congratulations to the winners, and again a huge thank you from ITS Tactical for everyone’s support!

Don’t forget to drop a comment in this post if you’re interested in attending the ITS Party next month!