TSA has gotten wise to "vampire straws"
- Thread starter hso
- Start date
herrwalther
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- Joined
- May 1, 2013
- Messages
- 8,143
Same as me. Only place Ive ever been where I could live watch bare-knuckled fights, dozens of beers on tap, and the Dropkick Murpheys playing in a bar. And dinner at Union. Haven't been back to Boston in over a decade and it would take a very big reason (ie funeral) to visit again.
TSA worried about a sharpened straw. Guess they had to be proud about something. They miss something like 90% of penetration tests of agents testing vulnerabilities.
If you're going to carry improvised weapons, they need to NOT have features that can only reasonably be explained as weapon-related and they need to not be obviously disguised. They need to not be commercially advertised as a disguised weapon because it's just too easy to check on stuff like that these days.
Think about what's going to happen if someone asks about the item.
If you get caught with a knife in your pocket, you can always say you forgot it and give it up--you will probably get away with it. If it looks like you're trying to sneak a disguised weapon on board and get caught, it's really hard to come up with an innocent explanation.
The chopsticks are a great idea--they have no weapon-related features.
Metal pens with knurling where you would grab them to stab with, not where you would hold them to write with--probably not so good. If they say "TAC Pen" or something ill-advised like that on them, that's even worse. Commercial advertising with video of some guy stabbing melons or ballistic gel with them--you're getting arrested if you get caught.
teerex.otw
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- Jan 17, 2023
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- 256
Evidently, all they ask is that you turn over everything (including your brain) at the gate…guess they aren’t smart enough to realize that terrorists lost aircraft hijacking as a tool a long time ago.
Used to love to fly, but after all the crap at the airport, haven’t flown since 2004
(and don’t have plans to do so again !)
OP
OP
Most folks may not know that the angled tip on straws has been around in America since boba teas hit the US. The straws for boba have an angled tip to help slurp up the tapioca pearls. The straws were heavier plastic to handle boba and smoothies. Then reusable plastic and steel started showing up several years ago when people didn't want to use disposables.
It was just a slight mod to go to a more acute angle and a sharper tip.
It was just a slight mod to go to a more acute angle and a sharper tip.
Madcap_Magician
Member
I have often wondered about metal straws, instead of making an acute angle that makes it look obviously sharp, if you couldn't just countersink the end of the tube and sharpen it that way. Would appear flat but have a very sharp circular 'tip.'
theotherwaldo
Member
JFrame
Member
I have a titanium ballpoint pen with a rear tungsten carbide tip for shattering a car windshield in an emergency... 
OP
OP
The Ti alloy straw I carry fits the vac 1qt "cup" I carry. Steel vac container and "boba" size Ti straw. All intended to work together to let me drink water, smoothies, malts, or boba.