Articles | The Pepper Spray Buyer's Guide (Part 1) - How to Get the Best One For You

Getting the right defensive spray is undoubtedly quite a confusing and frustrating task for the majority of men and women, especially with so many diverse types, brands and chemical formulas to select from. So the typical citizen is often left questioning himself (or herself) which one ought to be selected, given his/her particular self defense needs.

Agreed: not all pepper sprays are created equal. But don't worry: after you have read this three-parts consumers guide, you'll be equipped to venture out into the internet world and obtain the absolute best pepper spray for you and your family members. You will find this unbiased information very easy to understand...and undoubtedly very useful. So let's start out!

Probably the most frequently asked question we get is: "What's the difference between MACE and Pepper Sprays?" Our response is: MACE is a only a brand name, much like Wildfire is another. No matter which brand you choose, you will still be receiving pepper spray for your money.

That doesn't suggest that there are absolutely no differences between them, though. MACE is not just pepper spray: it may contain extra ingredients such as tear gas (a mighty irritant) for added incapacitating effects. Furthermore, although its chemical formulation could be suspended in liquid carriers (just like regular pepper sprays), other MACE products use gel and foam as carriers instead. Thanks to that, several MACE pepper weapons produce stronger blowback protection and longer firing ranges in comparison to other non-MACE brands.

Nevertheless, other non-MACE brands may actually offer you a more powerful pepper formulation in comparison to MACE (take Wildfire, for example). Particularly, MACE usually contains less than 10% pepper (unless otherwise specified), while other brands offer you as much as 10% and even 18% pepper formulas. Because of that, you should consider other defensive spray brands as well (not only MACE), depending on what your special needs are (for example, you may want to sacrifice MACES's extra features for a defensive spray with the strongest pepper formula -like Wildfire defensive sprays- particularly if you reside in a high-risk crime zone). That leads us to the next question.

"How do I distinguish which pepper spray type is the most powerful?" Our response is: Verify its SHU ratings and OC Concentrations.

OC concentrations refer to the quantity of "Oleoresin Capsicum" (OC) that that specific pepper model contains, in relation to its additional components (liquid carriers such as water, alcohol and organic solvents, plus propellants such as halogenated hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide or nitrogen). Thus the higher the OC concentration, the more powerful that pepper spray will be.

Let us clarify that OC is an oily extract of pepper plants of the genus Capsicum (used as a spice in hot sauces, etc.). Its active component, "Capsaicin" (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide), is an inflammatory agent. As outlined by The European Parliament Scientific and Technological Options Assessment (STOA), the "Oleoresin Capsicum" (OC) pepper spray will cause: 15-30 minutes of temporary blindness, 45-60 minutes of a burning sensation of the skin, 3-15 minutes of upper body spasms (which will make the assailant to bend forward), 3-15 minutes of uncontrollable coughing, and 3-15 minutes of speaking and breathing (please remember that these effects are non lethal).

That said, the second indicator of how strong the pepper spray formula might be is its SHU ratings. What SHU means is "Scoville Heat Units", a rating that varies between 2-3 million units. It reflects the effectiveness, piquancy and hotness of this legal type of self-defense. Usually, the higher the SHU rating, the better.

Knowing your defensive spray's SHU ratings and OC concentrations really have very significant implications you should reflect on. For example, a female who is a target of domestic violence is perhaps looking for the lowest OC and SHU pepper concentrations that are still within the effectiveness range, maybe because she doesn't intend the pepper spray's effects to be extremely severe on her husband after all.

However, if her husband's conduct represents a tremendous (life or death) menace for her, or if she intends to use it against any unforeseen assailant (who may be stronger and taller than her), she might want to get a powerful (yet non lethal) spray that has the highest SHU and OC ratings available (by the way, pepper sprays are not just for women: the strongest men use them as well - ask police officers if you don't believe us!).

OK, that settles the powerfulness question. But just when you considered you were ready to buy the defensive spray that best fits your particular needs, you stumble over yet another doubt: What does "gel", "foam", "forced cone", "stream" and "fogger" mean? Which one would we propose you as the best form of pepper spray?

That critical question will be answered in the second part of this practical buyers guide. Don't miss it. Seriously: Because defensive sprays can save lives, the life of a loved one (or your very own) may perhaps depend on the right selection of the correct pepper spray. Consequently, keep learning about this very important topic in Part 2 of this series. You won't regret you did!