I review very, very few products on this website. Why? Because for the huge amount of things I am sent by eager companies, the vast majority of them are either useless, ugly or I’m not quite the intended audience. Additionally, if I reviewed everything I received, I’d never have time to write about anything else. I prefer it to be that I only mention something when it is really special or smart, & that way you know my opinion has weight.

So, all that preamble to get to this. I was recently sent a personal alarm made by ila, & I really like it. I think all women should have them.

They are basically a little piece of plastic with a chain dangling off the bottom, which you put on your key-chain (or the handle of your bag). If you’re in trouble, you pull the chain out & it emits an extremely high-pitched noise — which sounds like a woman screaming — at 130dB. To give you an idea of how loud that is, an ambulance siren is 120dB, & a firecracker is about 150dB. The Marks & Spencers site says, “nearly equivalent to a jet plane & louder than a jackhammer or chainsaw”. The alarm is loud enough that it will shock the hell out of anyone who isn’t expecting it. The idea is that your attacker will be so disoriented that it gives you time to run, get help or apply a swift knee to the bollocks before making your escape.

The ila Dusk, which I have, looks like it unlocks a car, so it’s extremely inconspicuous. ila make a bunch of cool personal alarms. One is a dog leash with an alarm in it, which also has a built-in flashlight so you don’t step in poop while you walk your puppy (GENIUS)! They do one which doubles as a pedometer for when you’re running, too! Brilliant!

I thought it would be really easy for the alarm to go off by accident but that hasn’t happened to me yet. You really do have to yank on the chain to trigger it, so your worries about setting it off by mistake in the movies or whatever are totally unfounded.

I really love mine, & have it on my keychain at all times. It’s interesting how much more confident I feel having it with me, & I like this idea much more than carrying mace, a knife, a sock full of pennies, etc., since those things can all be used against you (& are usually illegal anyway).

While the best thing is a good self-defense course — which you should ABSOLUTELY, definitely do if you haven’t already, & take your best friend with you — I think this is a great thing to have for peace of mind.

I didn’t even know that these things existed so I wanted to let you know, & encourage you to get one for yourself, your mother, your best friend & your sister. They are cheap (£19.50 which is about $30US), & I say anything that can keep you safe has to be good.

Do you own a personal alarm? Would you ever buy one? God forbid you would ever have to use it, I love you all & want you to be safe at all times! But I see it as a kind of insurance policy — a “just in case” item. What do you think?

P.S. Just so you know, I was not paid to write this, but I was sent an alarm for review.