pepper spray anyone?

[skyblue]

Looking for pepper spray for wife. appreciate your experiences and knowledge. Is one kind superior and what size seems to work best?

 

[sraacke]

I carry Freeze +P. Used it when I worked for DOC. Nothing is perfect but it's another tool in the toolbox.
Cross posted from another forum....

Pepper Spray
By: James Yeager

People use the word "mace" as a generic term for any type or brand of aerosol chemical weapon. They use it much in the same way as saying Kleenex for any facial tissue. Shop wisely because not all personal defense sprays are created equally. Some people choose them because O.C. can be carried in some places that guns are not allowed. Others just want more options.

The single biggest misconception about aerosol chemical weapons is the "percentage" of O.C. (Oleoresin Capsicum) like 5% or 10%. A person might be led to believe the 10% formula is better than a lower one like 5%. The higher percentages make it last LONGER because there is more pepper in that formula. They do not make it HOTTER and heat is what makes it effective.

Let’s say brand “A” uses a very low grade of pepper and makes the formula 10%. Brand “F” uses the highest quality peppers available and makes the formula 2%. The only way to determine how good either of them might be is to check the label for Scoville Heat Units. Heat is what makes O.C. effective. Heat of O.C. is measured by S.H.U.s (Scoville Heat Units). In my opinion, you should consider nothing less than 1 million S.H.U.s, for self-protection or Law Enforcement work.

Another misconception is that the O.C. spray will affect people of different ethnic backgrounds less because they eat so many peppers as part of their staple diet. This is absolutely not true.

The three physical effects that you want your formula to cause are a burning sensation of the contaminated skin, respiratory distress, and an involuntary eye closure. The burning sensation is the least important tactically. The desired respiratory effect is to decrease the ability for the badguy to breathe enough to keep attacking you. The involuntary eye closure is the most important tactically. The O.C. dries the fluids in the eye on contact and forces the person to shut their eyes. If the potential felon can’t see you it will be more difficult to catch or kill you.

Most Personal Defense Sprays are available in Fog, Cone (sometimes called Mist), Stream and Foam. Each of these spray patterns has its strong points. Fog is the most effective delivery system because it is the most readily inhaled. It causes the most cross contamination onto unintended areas and is the easiest to blow back into your own face. Cone has a “shotgun” type pattern and is my personal favorite for general use. It has a more wind resistant delivery but still atomizes the O.C. well for inhalation. Stream is not inhaled as readily but has the greatest distance and even less likelihood of blowback. Foam has an almost shaving cream type consistency. It is highly unlikely it will be blown back by wind and is the best choice for indoor use as it causes the least cross contamination. Foam, however, is the least effective because it is rarely inhaled.

Some manufacturers would have you believe their product is superior to any other defensive option. Nothing works 100% of the time. NOTHING. Not your shotgun, not your baton, not your brain. Do not fall into the trap of thinking your O.C. will handle anything that comes along. It will not. Beware of any company who says their spray is the greatest thing ever invented. I have seen demonstrations of people sprayed with pepper sprays and still attack. Goal oriented people. They are dangerous and you must remain vigilant.




You must also have a back-up plan. Just like going to your back-up gun if your primary becomes damaged or taken. If your O.C. doesn’t work you need to be prepared to go to a higher level of force or be ready to run away. Always keep in mind your self defense tools are likely to give lackluster performance when it comes down to it.

If you carry O.C. as a defensive option put some thought into it. Just like with your gun-holster-ammo combination. Police officers use the O.C. on their belt far more often than the gun beside it. Consider which spray pattern and formulation will best suit your needs. Also consider placing several cans in strategic locations like in the car, at the office, by the front door and in your vest pocket.

Using O.C. isn’t as complicated as shooting but you do need to practice with it. Many companies sell inert training units that will work for practice but I suggest just using a live can. Practice like you would use it and think ahead and know which way the wind is blowing. If it blows back into your face have you really made yourself safer?

While on the topic of accidentally (or otherwise) being sprayed there are some simple guidelines you can follow to speed recovery along. Water and lots of it will help immensely. If you have non-oil based soap available (like Dawn or J&J baby shampoo) you should use it to wash the excess spray out of your hair and off your face. Make sure to get it all so you don’t get recontaminated later when you shower. Never use salves or creams to ease the burning sensation. It will only trap the O.C. under the skin and cause blistering. Never remove another persons contact lenses, always let a medical professional take them out.

If you ever are forced to spray someone you should move afterward. Two or three one half second bursts will do it. If the face is covered it will make it no hotter to spray more and it could actually wash some off. It should produce a reaction within three seconds of contact. If you do not get the desired effect go to your “plan B”.

Chemical Weapons can be a good choice for people who choose not to have a gun. They can also help us bridge the gap between no force and lethal force. If chosen and used correctly they can be a great asset to anyone who is worried about their personal safety.

 

[jmcrawf1]

All I know is i've been sprayed by freeze +p and it felt like the devil pissed in my eyes. To say it sucked is an understatement....

I hear vexor makes freeze +p its bitch....

 

[whitjct]

All I know is i've been sprayed by freeze +p and it felt like the devil pissed in my eyes. To say it sucked is an understatement....

I hear vexor makes freeze +p its bitch....

This x10

 

[JBP55]

Freeze+P is a good choice.

 

[gsneff]

freeze is nothing, i got certified with top-cop, 10x hotter than freeze but doesn;t have the CS in it.

 

[BOSS302]

Freeze +P, TopCop, SabreRed, and Fox Labs are the ones I've been sprayed with, short answer, tase me anyday. I absolutely hate being sprayed.

 

[gsneff]

Freeze +P, TopCop, SabreRed, and Fox Labs are the ones I've been sprayed with, short answer, tase me anyday. I absolutely hate being sprayed.

with you 100% on that one, 5 seconds and its over vs 90 minutes of what the f*** was i doing letting them hit me with that stuff!

 

[W1nds0rF0x]

Freeze +P, TopCop, SabreRed, and Fox Labs are the ones I've been sprayed with, short answer, tase me anyday. I absolutely hate being sprayed.

So what you're saying is that you can now be considered a connoisseur....

I prefer the Fox Labs, it has a headier tone with light floral notes...

 

[BOSS302]

Ya, right....The SabreRed was full-bodied and robust. Intense cooling sensation with a strong heat that really grabs you on the back end.

 

[JWG223]

Looking for pepper spray for wife. appreciate your experiences and knowledge. Is one kind superior and what size seems to work best?

I think it's junk. After watching plenty of Youtube videos of 18 year olds being maced in the face and then attacking the officers who sprayed them during training, and after one of my friends took 3 cans and 4 cops to finally subdue, I just have 0 faith in it. Tasers on the other hand scare me.

 

[CUJOHUNTER]

Have I ever sprayed anyone? Yeah....me.....don't askk.
It was an accident and it was pepper spray and it was hell.
Hint...water only makes it worse. Use milk...it works.

 

[alpinehyperlite]

Been hit with a few. The new vexor and cap-stun wer by far the worst. 10x worse than freeze + p IMO

 

[Cat]

I think it's junk. After watching plenty of Youtube videos of 18 year olds being maced in the face and then attacking the officers who sprayed them during training, and after one of my friends took 3 cans and 4 cops to finally subdue, I just have 0 faith in it. Tasers on the other hand scare me.

I'm not sure which part of this is fail.

Your disbelief that pepper spray stings, your claim that someone had three cans of spray dumped on them (I can't imagine three cops sprayed him on the word "GO" simultaneously nor can I imagine they'd drop a can, pick another one up twice over) or the fact he was a "friend".

 

[XD-GEM]

Pepper spray DOES have a shelf life. Use it after it's had a chance to age, and you're asking for trouble from someone who was already not in a friendly mood. Replace it at regular intervals.

Which reminds me, what happened to Belsco on Jefferson Hwy. by Ochsner?

 

[alpinehyperlite]

It sure hurts like hell, but yes, it can be fought through. To get certified we got sprayed, then had to run appx 25 yards to station 1 where we had to fight a guy in red-man suit, then run to station two where we had to retrieve handcuffs and cuff a non compliant subject and verbally recite the handcuffing policy, then on to station three where we had to perform different weapon retention exercises while an instructor tried to take our weapon. While i believe that his claims of 3 cans emptied is crap, with the ammount of flailing around and freaking out, it might have taken several officers to subdue.

 

[BOSS302]

It sure hurts like hell, but yes, it can be fought through. To get certified we got sprayed, then had to run appx 25 yards to station 1 where we had to fight a guy in red-man suit, then run to station two where we had to retrieve handcuffs and cuff a non compliant subject and verbally recite the handcuffing policy, then on to station three where we had to perform different weapon retention exercises while an instructor tried to take our weapon. While i believe that his claims of 3 cans emptied is crap, with the ammount of flailing around and freaking out, it might have taken several officers to subdue.

This x10000. Pretty much what we had to do also. Ya, it sucks, but it isnt anything that cannot be overcome.

 

[Cat]

It sure hurts like hell, but yes, it can be fought through. To get certified we got sprayed, then had to run appx 25 yards to station 1 where we had to fight a guy in red-man suit, then run to station two where we had to retrieve handcuffs and cuff a non compliant subject and verbally recite the handcuffing policy, then on to station three where we had to perform different weapon retention exercises while an instructor tried to take our weapon. While i believe that his claims of 3 cans emptied is crap, with the ammount of flailing around and freaking out, it might have taken several officers to subdue.

Oh, I don't doubt it can take four officers to subdue someone. Hopefully I didn't give that indication of disbelief. I was only questioning the other claims. In particular having three cans dumped on the guy. Either scenario three officers three cans or multiple cans during a single altercation I find sketchy. IMO a taser would be deployed by then. BUT!!!! I'm not a LEO so this debate is all moot.