ila DUSK personal security device

The folks at ila Security contacted me recently and offered to send me one of their ila DUSK personal security devices to try out. I’d actually seen this nifty little do-dad on a couple of other blogs already and I remember thinking the first time I saw it what a great idea it was. So when they offered to send me one, of course I wanted to take it for a test drive.

New Orleans has a pretty bad reputation as far as violent crime goes. Most of the time though, I feel pretty safe in my city. I think it’s just like living in any place really… you stay away from the areas you know to be unsafe, and no matter what you keep your wits about you, especially when it’s dark outside and especially when you’re by yourself. That said, I do have friends who have been mugged, and while I’ve never been one to carry mace or pepper spray, I liked the idea of having something on hand in case something were to happen to me, so that I could hopefully escape from a dangerous situation.

The ila DUSK is a stylish and portable alarm system. It can clip onto your purse or keychain (as you can see, I’ve been wearing it on my Morelle handbag lately), and it has a body which comes in different designs and then a longer pull-chain. To activate the alarm, you pull the chain. As I’ve been test driving this device, I’ve gotta say, I think it would be pretty hard to accidentally pull the chain and set off the ear piercing alarm. You have to WANT to pull it. I’ve tried jiggling the alarm, but a light tug won’t set it off. My boyfriend and I did test it when it first arrived, to see how loud it really is. While the information from the company says the alarm, which is supposed to resemble a high-pitched female scream, can reach 130 decibels, Dave’s decibel measuring iPhone app claims it got to about 100-110. Still pretty freakin’ loud. My ears were ringing afterward. I think there is a good chance that if someone attacked you and you pulled this alarm that it would startle them enough for you to get away.

My main gripe with the device is that since the company is based in the UK, it’s a little hard for those of us in the U.S. to get our hands on one at the moment. The ila DUSK currently retails for £19.50 through Marks & Spencer, Next, New Look and The Handpicked Collection. As far as I can tell, both Marks & Spencer and The Handpicked Collection will ship to the U.S., but with shipping costs, it’s a little pricey. Hopefully as the company and concept catches on, these devices will be made available through a U.S. based retailer as well. ila Security makes other personal alarm devices that will be launching in the coming months as well, including specialized devices for travel, walking your dog at night, and more.

Tagged as: indie