I was (and still am) a bit suspicious about Wildfire. They don’t seem to have their own website, and there are no product numbers, expiration dates, or any other sorts of labels on their products (at least, I’ve read that about their other products, and it was true of the keychain product I tested). I’ve also read very mixed reviews of the products, usually pertaining to manufacturing quality (leaks, misfires, etc.). Right off the bat these fears were given some credibility when I received the product of theirs that I was going to test, the .5 oz keychain version. The packaging was horrendous, and seemed of very poor quality. Specifically, that ubiquitous cardboard-ish backing on such packages was very flimsy, and the “hard” plastic shell was not hard at all. It was much more like plastic wrap than the sorts of hard plastic shells you see in so many packages. As a result, I got a bunch of plastic wrap stuck in the keychain, which was quite annoying. Still, I retained hope for the product itself.
Their .5 oz keychain product sprays a very dark, basically brown narrow stream (I assume that’s because of the high OC percentage). On the forearm it behaved similarly to Sabre’s P-22-OC, leaving a noticeable, persistent burn. The burn is best described as the sort you feel when you have a bad sunburn (incidentally, one site I found said the "bad sunburn" feeling is caused by mild products, but the "bad sunburn" feeling is the worst I've felt, and I've tried 3 Sabre Red products, one UDAP product, and this Wildfire product so far. It may be that my choice of test location, forearm, skews things a bit).
Its effects on the respiratory system also seemed quite potent. I took one deep breath near the spray site on my forearm, and it induced a couple coughs, a sneeze, and some burning in my nose for a minute or so. In terms of effects it trumps any of the Sabre products I tested, and is probably the best all around I've tried. UDAP's Clip on Commander was more potent on the respiratory system, but it was a cone fog and this is a stream.
In self defense appropriate sizes, though, it only seems to come in gel or stream patterns, which is a tad annoying. I prefer a cone or a fog to exacerbate the respiratory effects. Still, this is a solid spray; it just seems the packaging/marketing is really subpar for an otherwise good product.
P.S. It seems that if you go to the right site (tbotech.com is one), you can get the Wildfire in a fogger. It performed well enough in the test of the formula that I'm almost tempted to get one, but the manufacturing issues still scare me.
Monday, January 9, 2012
UDAP Clip on Commander Review (15% OC, 3,000,000 SHU)
From what I’ve read, UDAP is quite a reputable company, and everything about my experience so far confirms this. They have their own website, are quite clear about how pepper sprays do and do not work, and the product I received was well-packaged. I ordered their Clip on Commander spray.
It sprays a narrow cone fog pattern, and probably doesn’t have an effective range of more than 5-6 feet, if that. Actually, when I first opened the product, the trigger on the nozzle wouldn’t depress much at all, and it shot a couple of 6 inch bursts. Once the trigger got broken in, it shot cone fog patterns about 5-6 feet.
The effect on my forearm skin was somewhere between Sabre’s keychain product (nonexistent) and the Sabre pocket unit. That is, I could discern a sensation of burning, but honestly I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if I hadn’t been looking for it.
The respiratory effects are a WHOLLY different animal . Smelling the spray site on my forearm induced coughing and sneezing for a couple minutes, and even now (15 minutes later) my nose is still burning. Since I prefer weighting respiratory effects over skin effects (an assailant that can’t open his eyes is one thing; one that can’t breathe is another entirely), this is likely the cream of my limited crop so far.
However, since it is well known and common sense that a fog will affect the respiratory system more, I’m not sure how much of this sprays advantage in respiratory effects is due to the formulation of the spray itself and how much is due to the cone pattern. I have some Fox Labs cone spray units on the way, so that should give me a good comparison point. My intuition suggests that it’s the fog delivery system doing most of the work, though. Also, this is the only unit I’ve tested that had the so-called “cop top” design, and I really prefer that to the other designs where you have to rotate the nozzle to make it spray-ready.
It sprays a narrow cone fog pattern, and probably doesn’t have an effective range of more than 5-6 feet, if that. Actually, when I first opened the product, the trigger on the nozzle wouldn’t depress much at all, and it shot a couple of 6 inch bursts. Once the trigger got broken in, it shot cone fog patterns about 5-6 feet.
The effect on my forearm skin was somewhere between Sabre’s keychain product (nonexistent) and the Sabre pocket unit. That is, I could discern a sensation of burning, but honestly I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it if I hadn’t been looking for it.
The respiratory effects are a WHOLLY different animal . Smelling the spray site on my forearm induced coughing and sneezing for a couple minutes, and even now (15 minutes later) my nose is still burning. Since I prefer weighting respiratory effects over skin effects (an assailant that can’t open his eyes is one thing; one that can’t breathe is another entirely), this is likely the cream of my limited crop so far.
However, since it is well known and common sense that a fog will affect the respiratory system more, I’m not sure how much of this sprays advantage in respiratory effects is due to the formulation of the spray itself and how much is due to the cone pattern. I have some Fox Labs cone spray units on the way, so that should give me a good comparison point. My intuition suggests that it’s the fog delivery system doing most of the work, though. Also, this is the only unit I’ve tested that had the so-called “cop top” design, and I really prefer that to the other designs where you have to rotate the nozzle to make it spray-ready.
Sabre Red Reviewed
This company has an excellent reputation, and also sports one of the highest (OC% * SHU) products on the market (while OC% * SHU is by no means an infallible guide to the perceived hotness or effectiveness of sprays, until the industry becomes regulated and is required to post contents of each of the capsaicinoids, it’s about as good as we can manage as an indicator). I tried three of their products.
The first was the basic black keychain product, HC-14-OC on Sabre’s web site, although to save money I got it as part of their product SRU-HAPK. It shoots a very narrow stream with a short (perhaps 6-8 feet) range. Spraying it on my forearm resulted in no noticeable burning sensation, and taking a deep breath near the site on my forearm resulted in no respiratory distress at all. I’m sure this product would still be most uncomfortable and perhaps quite painful if it gets directly into the eyes, but especially with a short range stream product like this one, relying on a direct hit to the eyes is not my cup of tea. Also, unlike Sabre’s other products, this one has no labeling indicating potency (it does indicate expiration). That’s a minor quibble, especially for a keychain product, but overall I am not thrilled by this product.
The next product was their Pepper Foam Home Self-Defense Spray, model # PFHM-80. It sprays in a very wide, shotgun type pattern that really couldn’t be that effective beyond 6 feet, in my estimation. It generated some burning on the forearm, but not much. When I took a deep breath above the spray on my forearm, it induced some coughing, but the effect seems to be limited to immediately after the spray is launched. I sprayed some into a bowl and inhaled a minute later and there were no effects at all. Altogether this seems to be a more effective product than the keychain version, with a wider spray pattern and slightly hotter formula, but it’s still not a product I’m particularly excited by.
The next was their pocket unit, P-22-OC. It sprayed a narrow stream, perhaps a little farther than the keychain product. It generated noticeable, long-lasting, but mild burning on my forearm, but I never experienced any effects from taking deep breaths near the spray site. If you can get it on the eyes, this would definitely work, but again, you’d have to get it on the eyes.
One last curious note about the above is in order. While Sabre markets their Sabre Red formulation as being a 10% OC, 2,000,000 SHU, 1.33% major capsaicinoid product, and explicitly says that all Sabre Red product numbers end in “-OC”, the pocket unit tested above was labeled 2% OC and 0.67% major capsaicinoids. The pepper foam product was also labeled as weaker, with a 10% OC and 0.67% major capsaicinoid content. I called and left a message inquiring about this, and suggested they list the formulation used on each product's page, so that consumers don't have to guess about what formulation they're getting. Goodness knows whether I'll get a response.
The first was the basic black keychain product, HC-14-OC on Sabre’s web site, although to save money I got it as part of their product SRU-HAPK. It shoots a very narrow stream with a short (perhaps 6-8 feet) range. Spraying it on my forearm resulted in no noticeable burning sensation, and taking a deep breath near the site on my forearm resulted in no respiratory distress at all. I’m sure this product would still be most uncomfortable and perhaps quite painful if it gets directly into the eyes, but especially with a short range stream product like this one, relying on a direct hit to the eyes is not my cup of tea. Also, unlike Sabre’s other products, this one has no labeling indicating potency (it does indicate expiration). That’s a minor quibble, especially for a keychain product, but overall I am not thrilled by this product.
The next product was their Pepper Foam Home Self-Defense Spray, model # PFHM-80. It sprays in a very wide, shotgun type pattern that really couldn’t be that effective beyond 6 feet, in my estimation. It generated some burning on the forearm, but not much. When I took a deep breath above the spray on my forearm, it induced some coughing, but the effect seems to be limited to immediately after the spray is launched. I sprayed some into a bowl and inhaled a minute later and there were no effects at all. Altogether this seems to be a more effective product than the keychain version, with a wider spray pattern and slightly hotter formula, but it’s still not a product I’m particularly excited by.
The next was their pocket unit, P-22-OC. It sprayed a narrow stream, perhaps a little farther than the keychain product. It generated noticeable, long-lasting, but mild burning on my forearm, but I never experienced any effects from taking deep breaths near the spray site. If you can get it on the eyes, this would definitely work, but again, you’d have to get it on the eyes.
One last curious note about the above is in order. While Sabre markets their Sabre Red formulation as being a 10% OC, 2,000,000 SHU, 1.33% major capsaicinoid product, and explicitly says that all Sabre Red product numbers end in “-OC”, the pocket unit tested above was labeled 2% OC and 0.67% major capsaicinoids. The pepper foam product was also labeled as weaker, with a 10% OC and 0.67% major capsaicinoid content. I called and left a message inquiring about this, and suggested they list the formulation used on each product's page, so that consumers don't have to guess about what formulation they're getting. Goodness knows whether I'll get a response.
Pepper Spray Testing Methodology
Ok, that title makes this sound far more sophisticated than it actually is. Basically, I don't want to have to deal with the 45 minutes of hell that a decent pepper spray will put you through if sprayed to the face, but I still want to be able to compare sprays. So, with each spray I will be doing the following:
1) Spray into an open, outdoor area to gauge its effective range, its spread, resistance to wind, etc.
2) Spray briefly (1/4-1/2 second) onto my forearm with the palm up, to estimate raw heat.
3) Take a deep breath near the spray site on my forearm to judge its effects on breathing.
Obviously no spray's effects will be as impressive on my forearm as on my face, but so long as I test each spray the same way, I should get accurate relative rankings of the sprays.
That's it! Nothing fancy there at all.
P.S. It's far above my pay grade, but there's a company called Pepperball Technologies that manufactures what amount to paintballs filled with a powder mixture that contains a synthetic version of capsaicin (It goes by PAVA, Capsaicin II, and some other names). The chemical is just as hot as capsaicin, and their most intense mixture is 5% PAVA. Considering the hottest CLAIM (not substantiated) for a regular spray is 3.0% CRC, and probably only half of those, if that, are the hottest capsaicinoids, that powder mixture is over 2 times more powerful than the world's hottest pepper spray. Scary! And I want some :)
1) Spray into an open, outdoor area to gauge its effective range, its spread, resistance to wind, etc.
2) Spray briefly (1/4-1/2 second) onto my forearm with the palm up, to estimate raw heat.
3) Take a deep breath near the spray site on my forearm to judge its effects on breathing.
Obviously no spray's effects will be as impressive on my forearm as on my face, but so long as I test each spray the same way, I should get accurate relative rankings of the sprays.
That's it! Nothing fancy there at all.
P.S. It's far above my pay grade, but there's a company called Pepperball Technologies that manufactures what amount to paintballs filled with a powder mixture that contains a synthetic version of capsaicin (It goes by PAVA, Capsaicin II, and some other names). The chemical is just as hot as capsaicin, and their most intense mixture is 5% PAVA. Considering the hottest CLAIM (not substantiated) for a regular spray is 3.0% CRC, and probably only half of those, if that, are the hottest capsaicinoids, that powder mixture is over 2 times more powerful than the world's hottest pepper spray. Scary! And I want some :)
Pepper Spray Basics
Despite how confusing the marketing for pepper sprays can make it seem, the basic workings of pepper spray is fairly simple. Pepper spray contains some of a family of chemicals called capsaicinoids, and those chemicals are responsible for the burning, coughing, sneezing, etc. At the end of the day, it is the percentage of the spray that is each of the capsaicinoids that determines the heat of the spray itself.
Why do I say each of the capsaicinoids? It is because there are five primary capsaicinoids, and they fall into two basic levels of heat. Two of them, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, are basically the same strength, and are roughly 1.7-2.0 times as strong as the other three. So, if every spray told us what percentage of the spray's contents were each capsaicinoid, we'd have a perspicuous representation of the raw heat of the spray.
As life would have it, of course, no company indicates their spray's heat in this way. Instead, there are two primary ways companies indicate the strength of their product. The first, and far most common among self defense sprays, is to indicate the spray's OC% and the SHU, or Scoville Heat Units, of the OC. OC is short for oleoresin capsicum, and is the part of the spray that is actually derived from peppers; in other words, the OC is where the active ingredients are. The OC%, naturally, is the percentage of the spray that is OC. Scoville Heat Units are a subjective measure of spiciness attributed to, you guessed it, a chemist whose last name was Scoville. Basically, the SHU rating of an OC, or of a pepper, of a salsa is the degree to which it must be diluted before the spice can barely be tasted. Now, when pepper spray manufacturers refer to the SHU of their spray, they are actually referring to the SHU of the OC (unless otherwise indicated; some brands, like Heatwave, only test the heat after it has left the can).
Having said that, since OC% is the percentage of the spray that is OC, and since the reported SHU of a spray is the SHU of the OC, we can get a rough estimate of the raw heat of the spray by multiplying the OC% by the reported SHU of the OC. So, a 10% OC spray listed as 2,000,000 SHU can be (again, roughly) thought of as outputting a spray that is 200,000 SHU. This is important because some manufacturers emphasize the SHU of their spray, but don't point out that the OC comprises a tiny percentage of the spray, or do the opposite and point out that the spray has a large amount of OC in it, but ignore that the OC is quite weak.
As I have emphasized, though, this is only a rough estimate of raw heat. It is definitely not the alpha and omega of pepper spray effectiveness. For one thing, since pepper spray manufacturering is not regulated, there's no guarantee that the company's claims are even true. A company that claims a 10% OC, 2,000,000 SHU spray might actually turn out a product that is 7% OC, with an OC that is only 1,500,000 SHU. The difference in raw heat would be noticeable! (200,000 SHU spray out the nozzle in the first case versus 105,000 for the second). Second, pepper spray effectiveness is affected by other factors, like delivery method, a topic we will address soon.
I mentioned above that there are two main ways of marketing the strength of pepper sprays. The first, which we just examined, is most common for self-defense sprays. This second one is more common for bear sprays (pepper sprays designed to deter bears, reasonably enough). This second method is to list the percentage of the spray that is capsaicin and related capsaicinoids, or CRC%. For example, the EPA, which regulates bear sprays, requires that bear sprays have at least 1.0% CRC and no more than 2.0% CRC.
There is a problem with this, however. Remember what I said earlier about there being 5 capsaicinoids, with 2 of them being clustered near the theoretical maximum? Capsaicin is 16,000,000 SHU, and dihydrocapsaicin is usually put around 15,000,00; remember, those figures are subjective and not etched in stone. The other three, though, range from 8,000,000 to 9,000,000 SHU. So, a spray containing only 2.0% CRC, but with all of it coming from capsaicin, would be expected to have roughly 320,000 SHU coming out of the nozzle, while another with 3.0% CRC, but with all of it coming from the weakest capsaicinoid, would be expected to have roughly 240,000 SHU coming out of the nozzle.
The result of all this is that since none of the pepper spray manufacturers are required to indicate the strength of their sprays by listing the percentage of the spray that is each of the capsaicinoids, and are not regulated, the manufacturer's claims can only be taken to be a (very) rough indicator of the spray's hotness. This is what necessitates subjective testing of the spray's effects. Objective testing of the spray's contents would be very nice, but I haven't the money or equipment to engage in testing that extensive.
The final piece of this puzzle is the delivery system. OC is almost always used in a spray, and then there are three basic spray patterns used. The first is a narrow stream, which is easier to use when there's a stiff breeze blowing about, but requires more precision in aiming. The second is a fog pattern, which generally has a shorter range, is more affected by wind, but requires less aiming. It also affects the respiratory system more easily, since it can be breathed in more readily. That last factor is the reason I tend to prefer fogs or cones (cones are basically a more narrow fog, so you get the best of the stream and fog worlds). The final distinct patter is foam/gel. These are also easier to use in wind, but they are also easier to clean off, which is excellent for a controlled situation like a prison (where they are most common), but not so great in a self defense situation. As a side note, one of the reasons the OC% * SHU formula can't be the final word on pepper spray effectiveness relies on the behavior of the fog patterns. For a fog to work well, it has to be turned into very fine particles; however, OC is an oil, and oils don't very much like to be turned into fine particles. So, even though a 2% OC at 5,000,000 SHU would be expected to output 100,000 SHU, and 20% OC at 500,000 SHU would be expected to do the same, the former would likely be more effective as a fog, since the latter would be quite oily.
Well, that rounds up the pepper spray basics. In the next post I'll briefly outline the methodology of the tests I will be doing with pepper sprays, and then it'll be off to the races with testing!
Why do I say each of the capsaicinoids? It is because there are five primary capsaicinoids, and they fall into two basic levels of heat. Two of them, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, are basically the same strength, and are roughly 1.7-2.0 times as strong as the other three. So, if every spray told us what percentage of the spray's contents were each capsaicinoid, we'd have a perspicuous representation of the raw heat of the spray.
As life would have it, of course, no company indicates their spray's heat in this way. Instead, there are two primary ways companies indicate the strength of their product. The first, and far most common among self defense sprays, is to indicate the spray's OC% and the SHU, or Scoville Heat Units, of the OC. OC is short for oleoresin capsicum, and is the part of the spray that is actually derived from peppers; in other words, the OC is where the active ingredients are. The OC%, naturally, is the percentage of the spray that is OC. Scoville Heat Units are a subjective measure of spiciness attributed to, you guessed it, a chemist whose last name was Scoville. Basically, the SHU rating of an OC, or of a pepper, of a salsa is the degree to which it must be diluted before the spice can barely be tasted. Now, when pepper spray manufacturers refer to the SHU of their spray, they are actually referring to the SHU of the OC (unless otherwise indicated; some brands, like Heatwave, only test the heat after it has left the can).
Having said that, since OC% is the percentage of the spray that is OC, and since the reported SHU of a spray is the SHU of the OC, we can get a rough estimate of the raw heat of the spray by multiplying the OC% by the reported SHU of the OC. So, a 10% OC spray listed as 2,000,000 SHU can be (again, roughly) thought of as outputting a spray that is 200,000 SHU. This is important because some manufacturers emphasize the SHU of their spray, but don't point out that the OC comprises a tiny percentage of the spray, or do the opposite and point out that the spray has a large amount of OC in it, but ignore that the OC is quite weak.
As I have emphasized, though, this is only a rough estimate of raw heat. It is definitely not the alpha and omega of pepper spray effectiveness. For one thing, since pepper spray manufacturering is not regulated, there's no guarantee that the company's claims are even true. A company that claims a 10% OC, 2,000,000 SHU spray might actually turn out a product that is 7% OC, with an OC that is only 1,500,000 SHU. The difference in raw heat would be noticeable! (200,000 SHU spray out the nozzle in the first case versus 105,000 for the second). Second, pepper spray effectiveness is affected by other factors, like delivery method, a topic we will address soon.
I mentioned above that there are two main ways of marketing the strength of pepper sprays. The first, which we just examined, is most common for self-defense sprays. This second one is more common for bear sprays (pepper sprays designed to deter bears, reasonably enough). This second method is to list the percentage of the spray that is capsaicin and related capsaicinoids, or CRC%. For example, the EPA, which regulates bear sprays, requires that bear sprays have at least 1.0% CRC and no more than 2.0% CRC.
There is a problem with this, however. Remember what I said earlier about there being 5 capsaicinoids, with 2 of them being clustered near the theoretical maximum? Capsaicin is 16,000,000 SHU, and dihydrocapsaicin is usually put around 15,000,00; remember, those figures are subjective and not etched in stone. The other three, though, range from 8,000,000 to 9,000,000 SHU. So, a spray containing only 2.0% CRC, but with all of it coming from capsaicin, would be expected to have roughly 320,000 SHU coming out of the nozzle, while another with 3.0% CRC, but with all of it coming from the weakest capsaicinoid, would be expected to have roughly 240,000 SHU coming out of the nozzle.
The result of all this is that since none of the pepper spray manufacturers are required to indicate the strength of their sprays by listing the percentage of the spray that is each of the capsaicinoids, and are not regulated, the manufacturer's claims can only be taken to be a (very) rough indicator of the spray's hotness. This is what necessitates subjective testing of the spray's effects. Objective testing of the spray's contents would be very nice, but I haven't the money or equipment to engage in testing that extensive.
The final piece of this puzzle is the delivery system. OC is almost always used in a spray, and then there are three basic spray patterns used. The first is a narrow stream, which is easier to use when there's a stiff breeze blowing about, but requires more precision in aiming. The second is a fog pattern, which generally has a shorter range, is more affected by wind, but requires less aiming. It also affects the respiratory system more easily, since it can be breathed in more readily. That last factor is the reason I tend to prefer fogs or cones (cones are basically a more narrow fog, so you get the best of the stream and fog worlds). The final distinct patter is foam/gel. These are also easier to use in wind, but they are also easier to clean off, which is excellent for a controlled situation like a prison (where they are most common), but not so great in a self defense situation. As a side note, one of the reasons the OC% * SHU formula can't be the final word on pepper spray effectiveness relies on the behavior of the fog patterns. For a fog to work well, it has to be turned into very fine particles; however, OC is an oil, and oils don't very much like to be turned into fine particles. So, even though a 2% OC at 5,000,000 SHU would be expected to output 100,000 SHU, and 20% OC at 500,000 SHU would be expected to do the same, the former would likely be more effective as a fog, since the latter would be quite oily.
Well, that rounds up the pepper spray basics. In the next post I'll briefly outline the methodology of the tests I will be doing with pepper sprays, and then it'll be off to the races with testing!
Introduction to Pepper Spray Reviews
Pepper spray is a very popular tool for self defense, riot control, and other situations in which effective non-lethal deterrents are needed. However, this popularity has not been accompanied by an increase in accurate common knowledge about how to choose among the numerous alternatives.
You see, I became interested in carrying some sort of self defense weapon just in case good sense wasn't enough to steer clear of trouble. The obvious choice (for many people, at least) is to carry some sort of handgun. The trick with handguns, though, is that quality guns are expensive, require quite a bit of practice to reach a skill level useful in an adrenaline-filled real life crisis, are illegal to concealed carry without a license (in some states/districts it is illegal, period), and are highly subject to legal repercussions even if used properly (that is, are you sure that guy with the knife was trying to kill you? If a jury can be convinced shooting him was excessive, you and the bad guy both go down).
Knives, batons, and stun guns all suffered from a similar flaw I really didn't like: you have to be quite close to your assailant to use them. I would like to have the ability to hit from a bit of a distance; it's just safer that way.
So, I decided that I would just get the best pepper spray product I could justify purchasing, and voila!, my problems would be solved. Right? Well, as it turned out, not so much. Pepper sprays are marketed in all sorts of bizarre ways, and many of the objective features pointed to by the marketing are only one piece of the pepper spray effectiveness puzzle.
What makes the situation worse is that when it comes to subjective reviews of pepper spray effectiveness, it is difficult (as near as I can tell it is impossible) to find a site where many different sprays have been tested by the same person. There are plenty of subjective reviews, of course, but to compare apples to apples we need a wide variety of sprays tested by the same people.
This blog is my humble attempt to clear some of the confusion about the basic workings of pepper spray, and to review several of the popular varieties by testing them on yours truly. I hope this helps some of you out there who are just confused about all of this as I was!
You see, I became interested in carrying some sort of self defense weapon just in case good sense wasn't enough to steer clear of trouble. The obvious choice (for many people, at least) is to carry some sort of handgun. The trick with handguns, though, is that quality guns are expensive, require quite a bit of practice to reach a skill level useful in an adrenaline-filled real life crisis, are illegal to concealed carry without a license (in some states/districts it is illegal, period), and are highly subject to legal repercussions even if used properly (that is, are you sure that guy with the knife was trying to kill you? If a jury can be convinced shooting him was excessive, you and the bad guy both go down).
Knives, batons, and stun guns all suffered from a similar flaw I really didn't like: you have to be quite close to your assailant to use them. I would like to have the ability to hit from a bit of a distance; it's just safer that way.
So, I decided that I would just get the best pepper spray product I could justify purchasing, and voila!, my problems would be solved. Right? Well, as it turned out, not so much. Pepper sprays are marketed in all sorts of bizarre ways, and many of the objective features pointed to by the marketing are only one piece of the pepper spray effectiveness puzzle.
What makes the situation worse is that when it comes to subjective reviews of pepper spray effectiveness, it is difficult (as near as I can tell it is impossible) to find a site where many different sprays have been tested by the same person. There are plenty of subjective reviews, of course, but to compare apples to apples we need a wide variety of sprays tested by the same people.
This blog is my humble attempt to clear some of the confusion about the basic workings of pepper spray, and to review several of the popular varieties by testing them on yours truly. I hope this helps some of you out there who are just confused about all of this as I was!
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