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Ruark · July 5, 2013, 09:54 PM

Good discussion. One thing: there is a lot of variability in pepper sprays. Something like Fox Labs and the cheap keychain stuff next to the register at Walmart are worlds apart. A few things I've picked up over the years, in no particular order:

1. NEVER carry it on your keychain. Your keys are likely to be on the bottom of your purse or deep in your pocket. You'll fumble and stumble trying to get to it, and then if you drop it or if it's knocked out of your hand, you're stuck without your keys as well. Keep it in your purse side pocket or on your belt.

2. Never hold it out in front of you so as to say, "hey, if you mess with me I'll spray you..." That does two things. First, it lets the attacker know you have it, so he'll shield his face or be ready to turn his head quickly. Second, it makes it easy to knock it out of your hand. Keep it in your hand, but in a pocket, side pocket or at your side, so you can whip it out and spray him by surprise.

3. Remember, the INSTANT the attacker recognizes what's happening, he'll hold up his hands and twist his face away from you. You'll have just a fraction of a second to hit him. That's why I'm strongly against "stream" sprays. An attacker violently ducking and weaving and twisting is almost impossible to hit with a stream. Go with the fog/mist. Yes, blowback is an issue. Just be aware of your wind direction.

4. I haven't tested these sprays, but have researched them extensively, and for all apparent purposes, nothing comes close to Fox Labs. There are a bunch of YouTubes showing people getting sprayed by this stuff, including ex-Marines and SWATs.

Try these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kAkHPuBM8U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCQRF0dko9w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5TNzvajcVo

5. NEVER spray "just a little bit to see how it works." This can sort of break the seal and cause the pressure to leak out. Fox Labs, in fact, sells one filled with water, just for this "practice."

July 5, 2013, 09:54 PM	#30
Ruark Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2010 Posts: 227	Good discussion. One thing: there is a lot of variability in pepper sprays. Something like Fox Labs and the cheap keychain stuff next to the register at Walmart are worlds apart. A few things I've picked up over the years, in no particular order: 1. NEVER carry it on your keychain. Your keys are likely to be on the bottom of your purse or deep in your pocket. You'll fumble and stumble trying to get to it, and then if you drop it or if it's knocked out of your hand, you're stuck without your keys as well. Keep it in your purse side pocket or on your belt. 2. Never hold it out in front of you so as to say, "hey, if you mess with me I'll spray you..." That does two things. First, it lets the attacker know you have it, so he'll shield his face or be ready to turn his head quickly. Second, it makes it easy to knock it out of your hand. Keep it in your hand, but in a pocket, side pocket or at your side, so you can whip it out and spray him by surprise. 3. Remember, the INSTANT the attacker recognizes what's happening, he'll hold up his hands and twist his face away from you. You'll have just a fraction of a second to hit him. That's why I'm strongly against "stream" sprays. An attacker violently ducking and weaving and twisting is almost impossible to hit with a stream. Go with the fog/mist. Yes, blowback is an issue. Just be aware of your wind direction. 4. I haven't tested these sprays, but have researched them extensively, and for all apparent purposes, nothing comes close to Fox Labs. There are a bunch of YouTubes showing people getting sprayed by this stuff, including ex-Marines and SWATs. Try these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kAkHPuBM8U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCQRF0dko9w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5TNzvajcVo 5. NEVER spray "just a little bit to see how it works." This can sort of break the seal and cause the pressure to leak out. Fox Labs, in fact, sells one filled with water, just for this "practice." Last edited by Ruark; July 5, 2013 at 10:12 PM.