Gear Review: The Coin Sap By Foster Impact Devices

The sap; also called a slapper, slap jack, or beavertail sap is a highly effective impact device. According to Wikipedia; “A sap has a flat profile as opposed to a cylindrical profile of a blackjack, and spreads its impact out over a broader area, making it less likely to break bone. It was primarily used for head strikes, intended to stun an opponent or render him or her unconscious”. While these weapons have a rich history with law enforcement if the past, it still can be used as an effective tool for the law abiding citizen today. Though these tools are rare and not easy to locate, we recently had the opportunity to evaluate Foster Impact Device’s flagship covert sap named the Coin Sap. Keep reading as you will see why this product lives up to its namesake.

Gear Review: The Coin Sap By Foster Impact Devices

Companies who produced saps and black jacks stopped doing so approximately 30+ years ago, due to the dwindling demand from law enforcement for these tools. It was due to the fact that these impact devices were "too effective", many agencies began to ban their officers from carrying such devices. Since that time, many folks have forgotten about saps and now they seem to have become just a novelty item if you can find one. But this has not stopped Todd Foster's passion for these effective tools. Mr. Foster designs an crafts each product the company produces. While some products are reproductions of impact devices of long ago, others like the Coin Sap are new designs based on a tried and proven design. So what did I think about this? Continue reading and you won't be disappointed.

My experience with saps and jacks has been minimal due to the scarcity of these items. Either I have seen some very old, collectible pieces or handled the overseas produced junk you would find at a gun show. So when the package arrived, I honestly did not know what to expect. When I opened the package I was in awe of the initial "wow" factor these saps had. Each was individually wrapped to protect the leather from any unnecessary damage that might occur during shipping. This is definitely warranted to protect the oil tanned leather that these saps are made from. The quality of the leather is very high and it is equivalent to what you would find in an upscale leather goods store. Mr. Foster states that each sap is machine sewn and it is evident that these are made with great care and attention to detail. Unlike normal leather work that has stitching mismatched and uneven, these saps have shown what true leatherwork should be like.

Since these are designed to be legitimate coin holders (or coin purses) as well as saps, they should have the ability to hold a substantial amount of coinage without falling apart right? Well not only does it appear they can hold a lot of coins, the zipper that does it is industrial strength as well. I played with it for some time and it opens and closely smoothly while creating a tight seal. No crappy import, dollar store zipper here! From the initial impression, it seems the coin sap can take what you dish at it. You have to have a serious load in a sap to have an effective bad guy swatter, right? I decided to take these out in the real world for testing.

I was about to travel to the northeast on vacation and decided to take the coin saps with me. I figured this would be a real opportunity to see how these would fit into my daily routine and especially playing tourist would be a perfect fit. I had to choose a "load" (coins) for these, so I reached out to Mr. Foster for some advice. Let me first say that I thought that using a ton of quarters would be best, but I was wrong. Mr. Foster advised me that the coin sap worked best by using smaller coins like dimes and nickels. Who would know better than the designer? So I got myself some rolls of nickels and dimes. I found that placing the coins in the pouch vertically was the best way to pack them in. Once I was done (a roll of nickels and some dimes), I zippered it up and that was it. I had an instant self defense device as well as enough coinage to buy a dollar menu lunch!

On my first day of travel, I chose to carry the Classic model with the knuckle strap. The classic fit well in the front pocket of my shorts. Even fully loaded, it wasn't too heavy or bulky and was easily accessible incase I needed to put some turd in their place. Now keep in mind that these are not legal in some jurisdictions and it is your responsibility to research this before obtaining one. I will say that I felt confident with the Classic because it did operate well as a coin case. This model was completely sterile of any markings or even logos that would suggest it to be a sap. The two others I took with me are the compact versions without the knuckle strap attached. These were sterile of any markings, etc. Without the knuckle strap, these models were true to being a coin case/purse. I took them out and no one even batted an eye at them. You will see in some of the pictures that they made it to one of the wonders of the world; Niagara Falls.

All three models fit very well in the hand and were not uncomfortable when striking anything. I didn't have any instances where I need to use it, but I did try one on the boney parts of an associate's body and it was very effective. Although they weren't too happy about it, they can attest that it worked as advertised. If you decide to practice with one, please make sure to use caution when doing so.

I usually do a pros and cons of any product we evaluate but for this one I cannot. The Coin Sap not only lives up to what it is designed to do, but the quality and craftsmanship is outstanding. Not only do we reap the benefits of the Coin Sap being a "Made in America" product; it also comes from a small business that has passion in what they do. The Team at Foster Impact Devices stand behind their products, their customer service is something that businesses should strive for. With an MSRP of $45.00, you will not go wrong with the Coin Sap. A small price to pay for a ton of security.