Samuel Simkin-Brocato bought his wife knives, Mace, stun guns and other self-defense tools to keep her safe when she traveled alone.
“I love her very much and I’m always worried about something happening to her when I’m not with her,” Simkin-Brocato says.
But after noticing that the safety tools ended up in the bottom of her purse, he switched gears.
Simkin-Brocato started prototyping a new kind of product to keep people safe — one that could be discreetly worn without an assailant noticing it.
“I thought that if I created something that was wearable, people like my wife might be more inclined to actually use it,” says Simkin-Brocato, who lives in Hanover and attended Howard Community College.
So he created Relentless Rings, worn on the index finger and outfitted with a claw that can dig into an attacker. The rings are made in aluminum and Delrin, an engineered plastic, to help with durability while maintaining a light weight. The claw is also designed to collect DNA from an attacker to assist police in identification.
“I love the fact that the ring is so easy to wear and perform everyday functions, all while knowing it is there for my protection should I run into someone attempting to harm me or my children,” says Simkin-Brocato’s wife, Corrie.
The design and production took Simkin-Brocato about two years to complete, launching his product to consumers in November. The rings sell for around $30. He’s done most of his sales through art festivals and vending at gun shows, but now he’s ramping up business through the company’s website.
Brian Morris, dean of American Survival Guide University, an online self-defense school through American Survival Guide Magazine, served with Simkin-Brocato’s uncle in the military and decided to try out his invention as a possible tool in the field.
“At first, I thought that it was going to hurt because there’s a hook that looks like it goes into your hand,” says Morris, who lives in North Carolina.
He said that once he learned how to hold his hand properly, he could see the ring’s use in personal safety as well as crowd control and security.
“You can’t even feel the hook in your hand once you get the technique down. They’re extremely comfortable to wear,” Morris says.
Amanda Mandalay, an acrobat and performer who walks home at night by herself in Philadelphia, says she was at first drawn to the rings for their aesthetic appeal but then discovered they have a practical use as well.
“It’s empowering to wear for sure, and it’s something that’s discreet and won’t make me a target,” Mandalay says. “I forget that I’m wearing it. I can do the dishes, do crafts and even hold my cat, and it doesn’t get in the way.”