How to Choose a Good Self Defense Spray

Various types of self defense spray are available in different guises from canisters to look-alike guns.
The question is how to decide which spray to buy.

There are two basic types of self defense spray:

1- Pepper spray, and
2- Mace spray

However, it is not simply a matter of choosing one or the other, because Mace is also a brand name, and the original mace spray has evolved over the years as formulations have changed.

Mace® spray was originally launched about 40 years ago by Mace® as a riot-control spray that contained a type of tear gas, chloroacetophenone or CN. Presumably the name was chosen not because mace, like pepper, is a kind of spice, but rather because a mace was a spiked weapon that was used in war during the Middle Age before firearms had been developed.

Mace – as in CN – was used for many years, most commonly used by the paramilitary and police forces, and the name became synonymous with self defense spray in exactly the same way as Hoover is synonymous with vacuum cleaners and Kleenex with tissues. Because CN is highly toxic, it has largely been replaced by CS gas (also a tear gas) 2-cholorbenzalmalononitrile.

Tear gas is a mucous irritant that when sprayed into a crowd causes people to cough and to cry involuntarily. Sprayed directly into a person’s face it can cause temporary blindness and may even do permanent damage if the person is less than 6 feet from the canister.

Pepper spray, on the other hand, is an inflammatory agent that makes your eyes burn, causes coughing fits and makes it difficult to breathe. It can also cause temporary blindness.

The most common pepper sprays are made from Oleoresin Capsicum, which is found in red hot chilies.

Today Mace® is one of the leading manufacturers of pepper spray. The company still manufactures law enforcement products, but these contain OC-10 (10% Oleoresin Capsicum) rather than tear gas.

So your first step will be to check the ingredients in whatever pepper spray or personal Mace products you are interested in buying. Once you know what the products contain, you need to decide exactly what type to choose. There are various options including those that have thumb triggers, twist locks and even flip tops. The type you choose will largely determine the way you carry these self defense weapons. For example, gun grip models and those that have thumb triggers are best carried in a holster, like a firearm or stun gun.

The way different products deliver the pepper or gas also varies. Some produce a stream rather like a water pistol does. Others come out in a spray (called the cone style) that has a wider ‘stream’ than the stream type. Then there are types the produce a fog, and others that shoot out foam. Some pepper spray guns activate an LED light when the trigger is pulled. Not only does this help you to aim accurately in the dark, but the light can cause temporary blindness in an attacker at night and during the day.

Some American States and cities have laws that govern and restrict the sale of self defense spray, so check your local laws to see what is permitted. For instance in New York and Massachusetts you will have to buy these products from a licensed firearm dealer. In other areas there are limitations in terms of what these products may contain. Other options to protect yourself efficiently include personal security alarm devices and stun guns. More on self defense weapons