PEPPER SPRAY FACTS
What is Pepper Spray?
Pepper spray is the common name for aerosol sprays that contains Oleoresin Capsicum. It is often referred to as OC spray, BEAR SPRAY, or MACE.
Capsicum refers to a large variety of hot peppers and they include all of your common hot peppers such as jalapeno, serrano, cayenne’s etc. Capsaicin is extracted from Capiscum to form the active ingredient.
Oleoresin refers to the industrial extraction process that takes out the oily residue of the hot peppers. It’s that oily residue that’s incorporated into an aerosol spray to form pepper spray.
Pepper spray will irritate the eyes causing tears, temporary blindness, difficulty breathing, and pain. When used in self defense it will cause the attacker to close their eyes in pain, reducing vision and enabling you to escape.
Due its inflammatory effects, it will work on even those that are resistant to pain and under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It’s a non-lethal or less-than-lethal weapon meaning it’s made to incapacitate an attacker but not kill.
Different Types of Pepper Spray
Pepper spray is an aerosol spray and just like hair spray products it can come out in different kinds of patterns. These are stream, cone, foam, gel and fog. It’s important to know the different types of spray patterns, there point of aims, and the advantages each of them provide. So let’s take a look below.
Stream: Stream pattern sprays like a water gun and is best used outdoors. The advantages stream or broken stream provides is it has great distance, generally sprays up to around 10 feet, and is least affected by the environment that being wind or rain. Since its liquid based, it reduces the risk of the spray turning back and hitting you. However the downside is that it requires accurate aim and is less effective when faced with multiple attackers.
Cone: The cone delivery system is similar to a hair spray bottle but it projects more force and a greater distance then what would come out of hair spray. The fine microscopic droplets provide a respiratory effect making it hard to breathe. It delivers up to 2 ft in width (same size as human head) and 8 feet in distance. It doesn’t require as accurate aim and will remain in the air for a significant time.
Foam: The foam pattern is ideal for indoor use and it reduces cross contamination of unwanted targets and is also easier to clean up. The foam pattern will spray just like shaving cream and it provides excellent facial coverage. Foam works great on attackers wearing glasses and since it’s sticky and opaque it will cause the attacker to remove their glasses allowing for a shot right to the face. The drawback to foam is that you have a distance of only about 4-6 feet.
Fog/Fogger: A fogger style spray is great for protecting yourself and your home or property against intruders. The fogger spray pattern is quite commonly found in bear sprays. The fogger spray pattern will actually fire up to 25 feet and it will cover a large area making aim less of an issue. It works effectively when faced with multiple attackers, bears, crowd control or protecting your home. However the risk in using a fogger type spray is you’re somewhat more susceptible to wind blow-back.
Gel: Gel is a newer product that provides greater distance and it fires 15 feet and beyond. Again since it uses gel it minimizes cross contamination and unintended targets. It sticks to the face almost like a gluey substance. It is ideal for indoor usage just like the foam spray pattern. It does require accurate aim but there is very little risk of wind blow back.
Keep in mind that choosing the right delivery system specific to you individual needs is essential to ensuring your personal safety. It’s a good idea to make a judgement based on when and where you’ll be needing a self defense weapon.
Also keep in mind that if you’re looking to protect yourself against wild animals you’ll be needing the BEST BEAR SPRAY and not pepper spray.
What to Look for in a Pepper Spray
When buying and analyzing a defense spray you should consider the following factors.
Distance
Depending on the situation, you will need a defense spray that has a good distance. An adequate distance will ensure that you’ll be able to use it from a reasonable and safe range .
Strength
When choosing a defense spray you want to make sure that it is strong enough to incapacitate the attacker and it allows you enough time to escape.
Number of Shots
The number of shots per canister is also important. Most canisters usually have around 10-20 shots so it may even be a good decision to stock up on a couple extra canisters.
Size and Type
Pepper sprays come in different sizes and spray patterns. If you will be outdoors its best to get one with a stream, cone, or fog pattern while foam and gel is better for indoors.
Price
The price should be affordable enough for you.
Safety Feature
A safety feature is used to avoid any accidental discharge when storing or carrying pepper spray. It’s actually required by law in certain states that an OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) spray canister have a safety feature installed. Even though most pepper sprays come with a safety cap its never a bad idea to double check.
Is The Brand Used By Law Enforcement a Good Choice?
Chances Are If Police Officers And Law Enforcement Use It, The Product Is Reliable And Effective And Would Be A Good Choice.
WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING BRANDS: MACE, WILDFIRE OR PEPPER SHOT BRANDS
How to Determine the Strength of Pepper Spray
Ensuring that your spray is made from quality material and is effective when you need it is absolutely crucial when determining the hottest pepper spray. The problem is that determining the strongest pepper spray is not a straightforward process. There are several different ratings you can look at to know the strength, of which are listed below:
OC Percentage
As mentioned earlier, pepper spray contains Oleoresin Capsaicin (OC) and the percentage of OC is usually listed on the canister. Normally, you will see OC percentages range from 2% to 18%. These percentages simply tell you the amount of OC proportional to the volume of the canister. They do not tell you the hotness and strength because the heat depends on the types of peppers used not the OC itself.
As you can see, a higher OC percentage does not mean a stronger and more effective spray since an 8% OC can be hotter than a 16% OC.
SHU Rating
The Scoville Heat Units (SHU) rating is relatively useful when determining the hotness and concentration of a spray but it also has its downsides. SHU measures the amount of capsaicin which is the chemical that provides heat. For example, a spray that has an OC percentage of 2 but with a scoville heats unit of a 5 million will be hotter than a manufacturer that uses low quality pepper resin but a higher OC percentage.
The downside however is that SHU can sometimes be exaggerated because a manufacturer can use a lower quality pepper resin and dilute the SHU rating. When looking at the SHU as a detriment of the strength of a defense spray you want to pay attention to the total net SHU.
CRC Rating
The CRC rating tells you how much capsaicin and related capsaicinoids are included within the ingredients. Out of the 15 capsaicinoids in pepper only around 5 contain a considerable amount of heat. The CRC rating is reliable because it is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Look for a CRC rating of 1% or higher.
MC Rating
The major capsaicinoid (MC) rating includes only the heat-bearing chemicals from peppers, in their most concentrated form. This makes MC percentage the most reliable measure for strength and the higher it is the more powerful the effects.
The MC rating is measured in a lab and is very precisely tested to measure the heat of a pepper spray. Normally, MC ratings will range from 0.18% to 1.33%.
Final Words
Remember when making a buying decision it’s important that you practice and know how to use Pepper Spray when faced with a difficult situation. You could get the hottest and the most effective pepper spray in the world but it will do you no good if you don’t know how to aim it properly, have it when you need it, or use it incorrectly. Also be sure to check on the Pepper Spray Laws within your specific state or country because there are several areas in the world where defense sprays are classified as prohibited. Feel free to browse the site and learn more so you can get the knowledge you need to make your pepper spray work for you!
Tips for Use:
Retired Sheriff Lenny Millholland from Winchester, Virginia, a law enforcement officer with over 37 years of experience, offers the following tips for using pepper spray:
· Use downwind.
· Don't let the suspect get within arms' reach. Keep them at bay.
· Once you spray the assailant or animal, turn and run, and don't look back until you are away from the threat. Take the pepper spray canister with you.
· Use in the face area -- eyes, nose and mouth.
· Don't spray it close enough that it blows back on you.
· Make sure you know in advance the distance the spray will squirt.
· If you get the spray in your eyes, or you're a victim of being sprayed, try washing your eyes with milk or sour cream.
"The best defense is awareness," says Sheriff Millholland. "Be aware of your surroundings and don't walk anywhere at night by yourself. [If you're attacked], yell like your life depends on it. It just might. But remember, you have to have contact to get physical. With pepper spray, you don't."
Sheriff Millholland suggests pepper spray users also consider carrying wasp and hornet spray for self-defense. "It squirts 20 plus feet and will cause a blinding effect," he explains. "It works on all animals too. The bottom line is you want to render the assailant immobile long enough to get away."
Pepper spray is the common name for aerosol sprays that contains Oleoresin Capsicum. It is often referred to as OC spray, BEAR SPRAY, or MACE.
Capsicum refers to a large variety of hot peppers and they include all of your common hot peppers such as jalapeno, serrano, cayenne’s etc. Capsaicin is extracted from Capiscum to form the active ingredient.
Oleoresin refers to the industrial extraction process that takes out the oily residue of the hot peppers. It’s that oily residue that’s incorporated into an aerosol spray to form pepper spray.
Pepper spray will irritate the eyes causing tears, temporary blindness, difficulty breathing, and pain. When used in self defense it will cause the attacker to close their eyes in pain, reducing vision and enabling you to escape.
Due its inflammatory effects, it will work on even those that are resistant to pain and under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It’s a non-lethal or less-than-lethal weapon meaning it’s made to incapacitate an attacker but not kill.
Different Types of Pepper Spray
Pepper spray is an aerosol spray and just like hair spray products it can come out in different kinds of patterns. These are stream, cone, foam, gel and fog. It’s important to know the different types of spray patterns, there point of aims, and the advantages each of them provide. So let’s take a look below.
Stream: Stream pattern sprays like a water gun and is best used outdoors. The advantages stream or broken stream provides is it has great distance, generally sprays up to around 10 feet, and is least affected by the environment that being wind or rain. Since its liquid based, it reduces the risk of the spray turning back and hitting you. However the downside is that it requires accurate aim and is less effective when faced with multiple attackers.
Cone: The cone delivery system is similar to a hair spray bottle but it projects more force and a greater distance then what would come out of hair spray. The fine microscopic droplets provide a respiratory effect making it hard to breathe. It delivers up to 2 ft in width (same size as human head) and 8 feet in distance. It doesn’t require as accurate aim and will remain in the air for a significant time.
Foam: The foam pattern is ideal for indoor use and it reduces cross contamination of unwanted targets and is also easier to clean up. The foam pattern will spray just like shaving cream and it provides excellent facial coverage. Foam works great on attackers wearing glasses and since it’s sticky and opaque it will cause the attacker to remove their glasses allowing for a shot right to the face. The drawback to foam is that you have a distance of only about 4-6 feet.
Fog/Fogger: A fogger style spray is great for protecting yourself and your home or property against intruders. The fogger spray pattern is quite commonly found in bear sprays. The fogger spray pattern will actually fire up to 25 feet and it will cover a large area making aim less of an issue. It works effectively when faced with multiple attackers, bears, crowd control or protecting your home. However the risk in using a fogger type spray is you’re somewhat more susceptible to wind blow-back.
Gel: Gel is a newer product that provides greater distance and it fires 15 feet and beyond. Again since it uses gel it minimizes cross contamination and unintended targets. It sticks to the face almost like a gluey substance. It is ideal for indoor usage just like the foam spray pattern. It does require accurate aim but there is very little risk of wind blow back.
Keep in mind that choosing the right delivery system specific to you individual needs is essential to ensuring your personal safety. It’s a good idea to make a judgement based on when and where you’ll be needing a self defense weapon.
Also keep in mind that if you’re looking to protect yourself against wild animals you’ll be needing the BEST BEAR SPRAY and not pepper spray.
What to Look for in a Pepper Spray
When buying and analyzing a defense spray you should consider the following factors.
Distance
Depending on the situation, you will need a defense spray that has a good distance. An adequate distance will ensure that you’ll be able to use it from a reasonable and safe range .
Strength
When choosing a defense spray you want to make sure that it is strong enough to incapacitate the attacker and it allows you enough time to escape.
Number of Shots
The number of shots per canister is also important. Most canisters usually have around 10-20 shots so it may even be a good decision to stock up on a couple extra canisters.
Size and Type
Pepper sprays come in different sizes and spray patterns. If you will be outdoors its best to get one with a stream, cone, or fog pattern while foam and gel is better for indoors.
Price
The price should be affordable enough for you.
Safety Feature
A safety feature is used to avoid any accidental discharge when storing or carrying pepper spray. It’s actually required by law in certain states that an OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) spray canister have a safety feature installed. Even though most pepper sprays come with a safety cap its never a bad idea to double check.
Is The Brand Used By Law Enforcement a Good Choice?
Chances Are If Police Officers And Law Enforcement Use It, The Product Is Reliable And Effective And Would Be A Good Choice.
WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING BRANDS: MACE, WILDFIRE OR PEPPER SHOT BRANDS
How to Determine the Strength of Pepper Spray
Ensuring that your spray is made from quality material and is effective when you need it is absolutely crucial when determining the hottest pepper spray. The problem is that determining the strongest pepper spray is not a straightforward process. There are several different ratings you can look at to know the strength, of which are listed below:
OC Percentage
As mentioned earlier, pepper spray contains Oleoresin Capsaicin (OC) and the percentage of OC is usually listed on the canister. Normally, you will see OC percentages range from 2% to 18%. These percentages simply tell you the amount of OC proportional to the volume of the canister. They do not tell you the hotness and strength because the heat depends on the types of peppers used not the OC itself.
As you can see, a higher OC percentage does not mean a stronger and more effective spray since an 8% OC can be hotter than a 16% OC.
SHU Rating
The Scoville Heat Units (SHU) rating is relatively useful when determining the hotness and concentration of a spray but it also has its downsides. SHU measures the amount of capsaicin which is the chemical that provides heat. For example, a spray that has an OC percentage of 2 but with a scoville heats unit of a 5 million will be hotter than a manufacturer that uses low quality pepper resin but a higher OC percentage.
The downside however is that SHU can sometimes be exaggerated because a manufacturer can use a lower quality pepper resin and dilute the SHU rating. When looking at the SHU as a detriment of the strength of a defense spray you want to pay attention to the total net SHU.
CRC Rating
The CRC rating tells you how much capsaicin and related capsaicinoids are included within the ingredients. Out of the 15 capsaicinoids in pepper only around 5 contain a considerable amount of heat. The CRC rating is reliable because it is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Look for a CRC rating of 1% or higher.
MC Rating
The major capsaicinoid (MC) rating includes only the heat-bearing chemicals from peppers, in their most concentrated form. This makes MC percentage the most reliable measure for strength and the higher it is the more powerful the effects.
The MC rating is measured in a lab and is very precisely tested to measure the heat of a pepper spray. Normally, MC ratings will range from 0.18% to 1.33%.
Final Words
Remember when making a buying decision it’s important that you practice and know how to use Pepper Spray when faced with a difficult situation. You could get the hottest and the most effective pepper spray in the world but it will do you no good if you don’t know how to aim it properly, have it when you need it, or use it incorrectly. Also be sure to check on the Pepper Spray Laws within your specific state or country because there are several areas in the world where defense sprays are classified as prohibited. Feel free to browse the site and learn more so you can get the knowledge you need to make your pepper spray work for you!
Tips for Use:
Retired Sheriff Lenny Millholland from Winchester, Virginia, a law enforcement officer with over 37 years of experience, offers the following tips for using pepper spray:
· Use downwind.
· Don't let the suspect get within arms' reach. Keep them at bay.
· Once you spray the assailant or animal, turn and run, and don't look back until you are away from the threat. Take the pepper spray canister with you.
· Use in the face area -- eyes, nose and mouth.
· Don't spray it close enough that it blows back on you.
· Make sure you know in advance the distance the spray will squirt.
· If you get the spray in your eyes, or you're a victim of being sprayed, try washing your eyes with milk or sour cream.
"The best defense is awareness," says Sheriff Millholland. "Be aware of your surroundings and don't walk anywhere at night by yourself. [If you're attacked], yell like your life depends on it. It just might. But remember, you have to have contact to get physical. With pepper spray, you don't."
Sheriff Millholland suggests pepper spray users also consider carrying wasp and hornet spray for self-defense. "It squirts 20 plus feet and will cause a blinding effect," he explains. "It works on all animals too. The bottom line is you want to render the assailant immobile long enough to get away."
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