In college, I had a roommate who defensively hit several dogs with his frame pump. It always worked.

What I like about them is that they are big enough that you can get away without owning a floor pump. They are durable. And as previously discussed, look great on steel bikes, especially pre 1990 or so.

I use the specialized mini pump that is only a squosh larger than a superflate, it'll do a road tire no prob.

With my tubeless conversion, I'm going to start daring myself to ride with no pump....