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Hand siren vs personal alarm

Updated: 20.10.2026

You are walking home, or standing in a yard with the power off, and one word has pulled up three products. A hand siren vs personal alarm comparison starts there: a crank, a pocket noise, and a monitored house system do not do the same job. The crank needs both hands while the tone builds. A personal safety alarm is meant to go off with one hand so you can move. Only a monitored burglar alarm has a path toward the police from an empty property. Prices sit on the [hand siren comparison](/hub/burglar-protection/hand-siren). Updated 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are walking home, or standing in a yard with the power off, and one word has pulled up three products.

Our top picks

SUDEG SUDEG hand crank siren 110 dB

Best overall

SUDEG SUDEG hand crank siren 110 dB
7.0/10about £27.99
View offer
MYFULLY MYFULLY hand crank siren MY-0289

Rank 2

MYFULLY MYFULLY hand crank siren MY-0289
7.3/10about £29.46
View offer
KATSU Tools KATSU hand crank siren 990630

Alternative

KATSU Tools KATSU hand crank siren 990630
6.6/10about £28.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Three different alarms
  2. 2.On the street
  3. 3.At a site with no power
  4. 4.An empty house
  5. 5.What not to expect from the law

Three different alarms

A hand crank siren is loud only while someone stands there turning it. These listings have no battery and no radio to a monitoring centre. A personal safety alarm is a continuous sound set off with one hand. Safer Together in Hampshire says it may not bring help if nobody is near, and that you should shout Call the police and move. The NHS also uses personal alarm for a home button that calls a response centre, which a crank will not dial.

On the street

On a walk home a bag, a phone, or a bike often takes one hand. A personal alarm is built for what is left: one press or one pull, then you move. On an empty street you still have to leave. A hand siren fails that test before loudness matters. You need both hands and several turns before the tone is up. The how to use a hand crank siren page is for an adult who can stand and turn, not for a walk. A printed 110 dB or 120 dB is a claim about a hard turn, not a one-hand trigger. For a walk, carry the pocket alarm.
SUDEG SUDEG hand crank siren 110 dB

Testsieger

SUDEG SUDEG hand crank siren 110 dB
7.0/10about £27.99
View offer

At a site with no power

The crank earns its place when the power is off and an adult can stay with it. A yard or a drill with no cells left is the case these listings describe. A pocket alarm still starts faster if you only need a few seconds. The crank keeps going without a battery until your arm tires. A siren on a bench does not crank itself. If you might be grabbed while you lock up, the fob is the one you can set off without putting anything down. A printed decibel is a different question from a range line, on the hand siren buying guide. Power cut, adult free to turn: crank. Hands busy, or you must move: personal alarm.

An empty house

Neither product guards an empty house. Police.uk points to a monitored system and a Unique Reference Number for a typical police response. ProtectUK says police will not attend an audible-only building alarm on sound alone. BS EN 50131 belongs to installed systems, not a hand tool in a cupboard. A 110 dB claim is a loudness figure for someone turning the handle, not a sensor and not a phone line.

What not to expect from the law

Ask the Police, question Q589, says the only fully legal self-defence product they will name is a rape alarm, and that you must not carry something made or adapted to cause injury. A hand crank is not listed there as a weapon. That is not a ban on owning one, and it is not permission to treat the housing as a weapon. Pocket and one free hand: a personal safety alarm. A yard or a power cut, with an adult free to turn: a hand siren. Police at an empty house: neither.

Common questions

Which do I want for a walk home?
A personal safety alarm. You need one hand, a continuous sound, and room to move. Safer Together in Hampshire calls that a shock which buys seconds, and says to shout Call the police and leave. A hand siren needs both hands and several turns, at about 1.0–1.6 kg. On an empty street, neither device means a passer-by will help.
Which do I want if the power is off at a yard or a drill?
A hand siren, if an adult can stay and crank it. These listings have no battery, and the tone builds for as long as someone turns. A personal alarm starts faster from a pocket, so use that if your hands are busy or you may have to move. A crank on a bench does not start when someone arrives.
Will either one call the police?
No. Both only make a noise nearby. Police.uk points to a monitored system and a Unique Reference Number for a typical response at a property. ProtectUK says police will not attend an audible-only building alarm on sound alone. Neither portable device rings a monitoring centre.
Is a hand siren a legal alternative to a rape alarm?
Ask the Police Q589 names a rape alarm as the fully legal self-defence product they will point to, and says not to carry anything made or adapted to cause injury. A crank is not listed there as a weapon, and it is not what they tell you to carry on the street. Owning a signal is not the same as a one-hand alarm you can use while you move.
Can I leave a hand siren to guard an empty house?
No. It sounds only while someone turns it, with no sensor and no link to a monitoring centre. A personal alarm in a drawer has the same limit. An empty house that should raise the police needs the monitored system Police.uk describes, not a louder crank in a cupboard.
Is a louder crank better for scaring someone at the door?
Only if both hands are already free and you have time to bring the tone up. A printed 110 dB or 120 dB is a claim about a hard crank, not a trigger. Where you need to step back, a personal alarm starts sooner. A higher number on the box does not change the two-hand mechanism.

Related pages

Hand siren noise and neighbours

Best hand crank siren

Hand siren

Hand siren buying guide for a crank on amazon.co.uk

How to use a hand crank siren without a stripped gear

Sources

Public UK sources used for hearing, noise, and police attendance. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures printed on the five listings, not a live check on 19 October 2026.

  1. Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part III — statutory nuisances (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. GOV.UK — noise nuisances: how councils deal with complaints (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. HSE — noise at work: what employers must do (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. Royal Free London NHS — protecting your hearing health (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. D G Controls — how hand cranked sirens work (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Police.uk — keep burglars out of your property (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. ProtectUK — alarms and CCTV (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  9. ProtectUK — personal security (retrieved 19.10.2026)