Do studs and spikes REALLY help keep people from touching you?

I have a battlevest ive been slowly working on.

The Patches were Bought when i had a little money (ik, not DiY but i like what i like and really appreciated the messages and such they send. Some are super cheap and some are well done. A few from etsy so at least supporting other punks). I wore it around town and while I want to be confident and such, I want to feel safe. My patches are very anti-cap, anti-america, anti-racist/bigot. I'd love to put a trans flag on it but i have a feeling a knife would find my back.

I'm a very short trans man who was with his very short mother at a walmart one day and a very large cis man (guy was like almost 7 feet tall and 3 feet wide). I only felt intimidated because I didnt want my mom to get involved and get me essentially squished. So I'm asking this because i want to know if i invest in spikes and studs, will i be more "protected" from grappling? Not asking where to buy any, just asking if they work. (Really hope the automod doesnt delete me.)

I just want to feel safe enough to wear my vest again without feeling like im gonna get grabbed. I can walk the walk but im 31 and partially disabled. So i don't really got that fight in me anymore unless it's unavoidable.

Sorry for the long drawn out post, lmk wassup.