Pepper Spray

[Mencius]

I was thinking of getting a pepper spray for people and animals. Any suggestions? I know there are a million different flavors of this stuff out there and they all probably work pretty well, but just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions.

My thought was the single stream since it will give a little more range and be less likely to blow back in my face if the wind is in the wrong direction. I saw someone suggest to get pepper spray with a little bit of actual black pepper in it.

 

[Pilot]

I'm no expert, but have heard Fox Labs makes good pepper spray products so that is what I have bought. There are many on line retailers. I think that it is a good supplement to being armed, especially when dealing with dogs when you are walking, hiking, biking, etc. Shooting a dog can get you in a world of legal trouble both criminally, and civily depending on jurisdiction.

 

[Mencius]

Yeah, I have started walking to and from work and had a dog take a swipe at me yesterday. He just ran by and nipped at a bag I was carrying. It kinda got me to thinking I might need something other than my charming personality if I do come across a dog with worse intentions. I don't want the world of trouble shooting a dog would cause.

 

[glistam]

The brands I see police use (and I have used as a security officer) are Fox Labs, DefTech, and Sabre Red. They're all very good and offer a lot of size and spray configurations.

I currently carry a Fox canister with a Stream spray-pattern. It looks like this when used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK8ywmLmPbs

 

[BSA1]

Over the years I have been in a lot of incidents involving use of Pepperemace and have had a healthy dose of it myself a time or two. There are four types of people Peppermace will not affect;

1. Mental illness.

2. Individuals under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

3. Some folks are simply not affected by Peppermace.

4. I can also tell you that folks like me that have being exposed to it a lot know the effects and can fight though it.

Pepper foam is ineffective and waste of money.

Peppermace is more effective on dogs, less so on large animals such as bears.

 

[BSA1]

Over the years I have been in a lot of incidents involving use of Pepperemace and have had a healthy dose of it myself a time or two. There are four types of people Peppermace will not affect;

1. Mental illness.

2. Individuals under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

3. Some folks are simply not affected by Peppermace.

4. I can also tell you that folks like me that have being exposed to it a lot know the effects and can fight though it.

Pepper foam is ineffective and waste of money.

Peppermace is more effective on dogs, less so on large animals such as bears.

 

[Bikewer]

We issue the "Saber Red" product that's intended for the law enforcement market.
The standard measure is the "SHU" or Scoville Heat Units" measurement. Essentially, how "hot" it is.
Ours measures 2,000,000 units.

I have had uniformly good results with this. In each case I (or my colleagues) have used it, the individual stopped doing what he was doing and surrendered.

One may be able to "fight through" being pepper-sprayed but this is of little concern to the average civilian since you're primarily concerned with getting away. This is greatly facilitated if the other fellow cannot see you....

The same with drunks or manic individuals... They may well be able to continue resisting being subdued or taken into custody, but that's not what the average civilian user is concerned with. You want to stop the individual so that you can get out of the area.
Generally works well.

 

[glistam]

Well said Bikewer. Much easier to outrun a blind, coughing man than cuff him!

 

[HILLBILLY-06]

We issue the "Saber Red" product that's intended for the law enforcement market.
The standard measure is the "SHU" or Scoville Heat Units" measurement. Essentially, how "hot" it is.
Ours measures 2,000,000 units.

I have had uniformly good results with this. In each case I (or my colleagues) have used it, the individual stopped doing what he was doing and surrendered.

One may be able to "fight through" being pepper-sprayed but this is of little concern to the average civilian since you're primarily concerned with getting away. This is greatly facilitated if the other fellow cannot see you....

The same with drunks or manic individuals... They may well be able to continue resisting being subdued or taken into custody, but that's not what the average civilian user is concerned with. You want to stop the individual so that you can get out of the area.
Generally works well.

Tazer guns work good too, and some have the best warranty around. The manufacturer of one of them use to state that if you use it, as intended, drop it and run, make your police report, then contact them, they'll send you a new one free of charge.
I havent read up on them in a while, but if they still offer that kind of service that's kind of hard to beat. Just thought I would bring it up, they are very effective, and you won't get it in your eyes nose and mouth in a close encounter. I seen that happen in an enclosed space one time, it got several people, including the bad guy. Mostly the bad guy, & it solved the problem at the time, but opened the user up to leagal problems because she freeked out and just closed her eye's to spray the bad guy, and didnt stop till she sprayed the can empty and everyone & everything around her in the process. The nearby people werent interested in helping her out, but they soon found it wasn't cool to just stand there and watch either.
It was a purse snatching gone wrong for the bad guy, and a few other folks too. I guess she was safety concious enough to walk out to her car with it in her hand, not her purse, Maybe that would be hard to do with a tazer gun I suppose. I just thought I would mention the stuff is kind of point and spray, but has some downsides if you get it all over other people too.

 

[Mamertine]

Sabre Red or, if you can find it, I hear Freeze +p is the best. Try to get one that has OC (oleoresin capsicum[hot pepper])and another ingredient usually CS or CN (both teargas). Most of the popular ones cover that.

As was stated earlier, don't buy the foam get a stream spray.

BSA1 commented that it doesn't work on some types of people. It was my understanding that it still causes the involuntary eye closing, but the pain is mitigated by those he listed. If you have experience in the field please correct me if I'm misinformed.

 

[glistam]

she freeked out and just closed her eye's to spray the bad guy, and didnt stop till she sprayed the can empty and everyone & everything around her in the process

I just thought I would mention the stuff is kind of point and spray, but has some downsides if you get it all over other people too.

This isn't the first time I have heard of this. Even heard of it with firearms.
I'd worry what a person of such little competence with weapons as to close there eyes and "empty the magazine" (so the speak) would do with a tazer.

 

[conw]

I like the smallish 2 oz fox labs spray-cans for jogging, and I keep one velcroed to my steering wheel too. That way I can slip it in a coat pocket if I want.

I like the stream or fogger for the car and the fogger for jogging because I see it as an E&E type of tool. I may WANT to create a 20 foot cloud of cough inducing fog if I need to get away particularly in a remote jogging type scenario.

On my keys I keep a Spitfire OC unit which is now produced by, and contains the OC made by, Sabre Red. This thing is small enough to always be on your keys and not be noticed, and has a much better design than the flip top hairspray type units, because you can literally point it while actuating the release with your thumb.



The spitfire unit is also cheap enough (about $13) that I keep extras and occasionally give away the one I keep on my keys. It also comes with refills (and training inserts are available) so I just spend about $6-8 once a year and refill it to be on the safe side.

 

[DNS]

My whole family carries the Blackhawk ones from Wally and although I've never used it I did get some on a finger once and wiped it on my jeans. After a couple minutes I touched my lip and tongue with the same finger. Tingled instantly and after a few seconds they went numb.

If RESIDUAL pepper spray does that?
That was as much of a test as I needed.

 

[Hawaiian]

I got my mother in law a couple of big cans of Fox Labs. She is 85, lives alone and I won't give her a gun as she might shoot the paper boy.

What do you all think of bear spray for home use? Is it stronger than pepper spray?

 

[glistam]

What do you all think of bear spray for home use? Is it stronger than pepper spray?

Depends. "Bear spray" is not technically a regulated product name, and from my understanding some are not even OC but other chemical compounds allegedly suited to bears. Ones that are OC, most I have seen contain the exact same formulation and/or strength as OC marketed for self-defense, just in a much larger can. I know in Canada they have prohibitions on sprays intended for humans, but not for animals, so "bear" and "dog" spray labels are little more than a legal loophole.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

Pepper spray also won't affect anyone not allergic to Capsaicin. Very small percentage, heard it was 1 in 100,000. But they exist. Friend of mine at basic was one of them and found out in the NBC chamber. Didn't bother him in the least.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

I was attacked by 3 individuals about 8 years ago. I used a can of Sabre pepper spray with CS teargas. Needless to say, I was only punched once and ended up winning the fight. I knocked one of them out cold, and the other two ended up fleeing the scene. I held the one I knocked out until police showed up.

 

[Jaymo]

Pepper spray? That sounds DELICIOUS!!

 

[glistam]

Pepper spray? That sounds DELICIOUS!!

Aaah! I was wrong! I was horribly horribly wrong!