Pepper Spray Informational Page

Pepper Spray versus Tear Gas

Pepper spray is not tear gas. Tear gas is not pepper spray.

Pepper spray is a self defense spray. Tear gas can be used as a self defense spray.

Two important differences between pepper spray and tear gas are:

Tear gas is an irritant to membrane tissues. They cause stinging pain and tearing and take from 5 to 30 seconds to be effective.
In cases of persons who are drunk, on drugs, suffering a psychotic episode, or otherwise cannot feel pain, there may be no affect at all as tear gas relies on pain compliance to be effective.
Tear gas has a high toxicity level.

Pepper spray is not an irritant.
It is an inflammatory agent; and this makes all the difference in the world. When a person is sprayed with OC two things happen instantly.
- First, the person's eyes clamp shut, hard. Not only that, but if they do manage to open their eyes they still can't see because the pepper spray dilates the capillaries of the eye and causes temporary blindness.
- Second, an immediate fit of uncontrollable coughing doubles the person over and often sends them to their knees.
- Pepper spray causes instant inflammation of breathing tissues, restricting all but life support breathing.
- The condition is temporary but very debilitating.
- Pepper Spray has the affect of putting up a brick wall between the assailant and the victim.

OC pepper spray has been proven to be effective against individuals who are drunk, on drugs, or suffering a psychotic episode.
Pepper sprays also work well on animals.
C pepper spray is 100% non-toxic, safe and will cause no permanent damage.

Pepper spray is the top selling "less lethal" self defense product. In fact, pepper spray and Mace� outsell all other self defense products combined! Why? It's proven to work instantly against humans and animals when used correctly. Here is what happens when a person is sprayed with a pepper spray product?

The effects are immediate because the active resin causes severe inflammation of the membranes of the eyes, nose throat.
The eyes swell shut, the breathing track becomes extremely inflamed and breathing difficult.
The tiny veins of the eyes swell, causing temporary blindness. Because the focus is impaired, an assailant won't be able to see.
The assailant will experience couching, choking, wheezing and there is a discharge from the eyes, nose and mouth.
The side-effects last approximately 30 minutes and are totally non-lethal in nature.
All sprays have locking actuators for extra safety.
Pepper spray is proven effective against people under the influence of drugs, alcohol or suffering a psychotic episode.

Why Buy Pepper Spray and Non-Lethal Self Defense Products?

Pepper spray is an easy, effective, non-lethal personal protection weapon that will effectively stop an attacker with just one spray to the face. Since these types of personal security products do not cause death, you can safely keep them in your home, office, backpack, purse or pocket and use them in an assault situation without hesitation. Unlike a hand gun, most states have no laws and few restrictions against buying, carrying and using pepper spray products in self defense situations to avoid violent crime, physical assault or for protection against vicious animals like dogs and bears.

Ordering a defense spray is a small, inexpensive investment that everyone should consider for their everyday safety. Being a victim of a crime (or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time) is almost always unexpected. You will be thankful that you prepared in advance and have protection on hand.

What is Pepper Spray? The active ingredient in pepper spray is Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) and is made from the strongest, hot cayenne and other peppers. Percentages of this OC active ingredient range from 10% in most standard pepper sprays, 5% in most animal repellent sprays and 18% in Wildfire brand sprays. All concentrations are effective in stopping most animals and humans in their tracks with just one spray to the face.

Pepper spray "hotness" can also be measured with Scoville Heat Units (SHU). The SHU is the true hotness of a pepper spray product and overall its ability to produce temporary debilitating results. The SHU does vary by manufacturer, however 1 million SHU is more than enough to stop an attacker. All of the pepper spray manufacturers we represent comply with having at least 1 million SHU's of hotness.

Many sprays also contain invisible UV dyes that will color the skin under special lighting after coming in contact with the pepper spray product. This could help find and identify attackers after an encounter.

We carry four high quality brands of OC pepper spray for sale: Pepper Shot, Mace Brand, Streetwise and Wildfire Pepper Spray. Mace brand (commonly misspelled as mase), should not be confused with mace spray. Mace spray (not the brand) is an older type of defense spray that is not always reliable because it is generally ineffective against criminals under the influence of certain drugs and/or alcohol. Mace brand is a trusted manufacturer of a full line of effective oleoresin capsaicin based sprays (i.e. pepper spray), PepperGard models and other personal safety products.

How does Pepper Spray Work? Pepper spray is most effective when sprayed into the face of an attacker. Upon contact with the mucus membranes of the body (commonly the eyes, nose and mouth) an intense, debilitating burning sensation will begin. Other inflammatory responses that can follow within several seconds are temporary blindness, restricted breathing, coughing, choking, nausea and disorientation. These non-lethal involuntary responses will last from 15 minutes to over an hour giving you time to immediately escape to a safe location and contact the local police department.

Who Should Carry Non-Lethal Self Defense? Law enforcement and police departments throughout the U.S. have been using these types of oleoresin capsicum based sprays since the 1980's. These local and national protection agencies recognize that pepper sprays are able to deter just about any criminal, even if they are under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Luckily, these products are now readily available for purchase online (and in some, but very few retail stores) for civilians and in most states do not require a permit for carrying. Now you have the opportunity to carry the same type of products the "protection pros" use to deter crime, assault and other violent confrontation. ANYONE over the age of 18, who wants to feel more at ease and confident in their ability to stay safe should consider buying a non-lethal self defense item.

With so many pepper spray canister sizes and types available, matching your needs to a product type is simple. Here are just some examples.... We have small, compact keychain models and disguised lipstick canisters that are great for women's purses (they even come in fun colors: pink, purple, blue, green, red and black). We have easy to carry key chain with belt clip models that work great for students, joggers and walkers. We have more discreet pepper spray models that look like pens, jogging weights and lipstick canisters. There are specialty EPA formulated sprays for outdoor use for protection against loose, unleashed dogs and vicious bears. If you are worried about being able to properly aim the spray, try a fogger model, that will take much less aiming accuracy to bring down an attacker. For more complete protection and safety we also carry personal alarms, simple home security and stuns gun devices.