best home defense ( non firearm ) is a fire bat. It is a baseball bat that is about 18 inches long, not as tapered on the handle with a hole and rope through it.
http://www.masterguard.com/escapeaids/firebat.html They are small, useful for other than home defense ( i.e. breaking a window in the event of a fire ), and they will not accidentally cut a young one around the house.