Do you carry OC / Pepper Spray?

S

sarmstrong806

New member
Just wondering if anyone carries pepper spray, and if so what kind / brand?

I'm looking into getting some but I no nothing about them.
 
We both carry pepper spray and passive restraints. I covered a trial in SoCal years ago where the prosecuting attorney tried to convince the jury that the defendant was "out looking for someone to shoot" because he didn't have any non-lethal means of protection on him. Since then, I have always carried OC and cuffs or cable ties.

Pops
 
Be careful what you buy

Our issue stuff is from Defense Technologies/Federal Laboratories and is 10% OC. It (usually) works pretty well, but not always. You don't want to rely on it too heavily. That said, DON'T buy the stuff sold "over the counter" at Wal Mart, etc. It's worthless and probably won't do anything but pi** the bad guy off more. Order, or have someone order it through a reputable law enforcement supply outfit like Galls, etc. If you're a civilian, check your state's laws though. For some insane reason, it's either illegal or requires a permit in some states.
 
I have looked at the fox spray listed at the above mentioned site. My question is, most of these say they contain 2% OC. Is that adequate? Are higher concentrations available to non LEO;s?
I like the idea of having a intermediate step between words and worse.
 
I recently had a thread similar to this one. I bought two 2oz. cans of Fox 5.3 for.....I think $16 each. Do a search on Fox 5.3 and you'll hear some nasty stories from the people that had to have it sprayed on their faces for training purposes. They said it was just an incapacitating living hell, where all they wanted to do (or COULD do) was sit down, scream, and suck their thumbs. That sold me. I carry a can in my jeans pocket whenever I go "out."
 
I'd recommend a taser as opposed to pepper spray, unless you are getting law enforcement grade (as in the kind where they won't sell unless you have a badge), it is pretty much useless. I've been maced plenty of times from perps while trying to make an arrest, and it tickles more than it stings. Then I'll hose 'em down and watch 'em cry, if the situation doesn't warrant my sidearm.
 
No.

I am not a cop. Any use of force on my part is defensive rather than offensive. I don't need a level of force continuum to deal with suspects resisting arrest.

I don't go to bars and don't get into fistfights or yelling matches.

If a threat is close enough to use OC then it is already too dang close!!!
 
OK, there is a HUGE difference between the 2%, over the counter stuff and the 10%, or even 5.5% issued to law enforcement. The other comment about food seasoning is right... by comparison. Getting a dose of 2% is certainly not pleasant, but neither is it incapacitating. Even with the max 10%, I've seen a number of people just keep on fighting. A few don't even show any effects. In fact, in training, our officers are encouraged to continue fighting after getting sprayed, and most do with suprising effectiveness. The reason for this is that during an attempt to bring someone under control, a lot of times cops get caught by overspray. They need to learn that if they do get hit, they CAN successfully continue to fight. It is a good non-lethal defense, but you should never rely on it too heavily. It ain't perfect. As to obtaining the good stuff, well.... lets just say that it's GENERALLY not available to the public. If you look around, it's not all that hard to find. Some suppliers want ID or the order on a dept. letterhead. Others just say "sold to LE only", but don't ask any questions. It also varies from state to state. Bottom line: If you have the 2% OC, put it on the shelf next to the salt & pepper, and do a search for LE issue OC.
 
Capt Charlie, I don't think that's true.

http://www.pepper-spray-store.com/relatedinfo/whatis.shtml

The 2% or 5% or 10% merely measures the thickness of the solution, not the strength. The actual effectiveness is a product of the SHU's. Many states limit their police forces to 2,000,000 SHU's for perceived liability reasons whereas civilian strength OC can be as powerful as 5,300,000 SHU's. The Scoville Heat Units are the yardstick for OC potency, not the percentage. LEO's with many depts. are actually at a disadvantage when it comes to OC effectiveness.

U.F.O.
 
To add, the Fox Labs that I mentioned earlier in the thread that I carry is the 2% solution with 5,300,000 SHU's. You can't legally buy anything more powerful. :eek:

U.F.O.
 
Son of a gun if you aint right!! :o I either slept through that part of the class, or I was scrambling for a lot of cold, running water at the time :D Truthfully, I'd completely forgotten about the SKU's, and I did not know about the LE restrictions. Don't think I'd like to get hit with the Fox; our stuff is bad enough. Still, there is a lot of stuff being sold "over the counter" that is as phoney as a 3-dollar bill, and to the others, still be careful what you get.
 
A thread like this always seems to come up every month or so and as hard as I try I can't help but chime in.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LAW ENFORCEMENT STRENGTH PEPPER SPRAY. In fact many law enforcement agencies carry WEAKER sprays than civilians to limit liability issues and the time required to "babysit" an arrested person waiting for the spray to wear off. Fox labs, sabre, punch, deftec - these are the most common sprays carried by law enforcement and they are ALL availiable to civilians. Hell I live in massachusetts where you need a firearms permit to even own pepper spray but I can still buy any kind I want.

Also percentages mean NOTHING. Theres crap out there thats "17% pepper spray" which isn't even a quarter as potent as 2% fox labs spray.

Ask yourself, 17% of what? If its some poor quality pepper spray than the percentage is useless. If on the other hand you have 2% of a very high quality refined spray (fox labs is 5,300,000 heat units, the average is 2,000,000), it will be much better.

Like I always say, don't be fooled by all the "highest percentage" and "strongest allowed by law", they are nothing more than marketing hypes. Stick with FOX LABS or SABRE RED and you'll be all set.

And to those who always say sprays are nothing more than seasoning:
experiance talks, bulls**t walks. Spray yourself square in the face with some fox labs and come back and tell us how tasty it was.
 
As good as pepper sprays are, I prefer to depend on 23 or so years of martial arts training. After flying to SE Asia last month, (without any weapons whatsoever), I realized that there are going to be situations where one is unarmed.

So when the time comes, reflexes and training is all you are going to have to rely on, I am confident that I will pull through.

Relying on weapons, whether they are handguns, long arms or pepper spray is good IF you have them, which you are not going to have 100% of the time. Time to prepare for the worst.
 
Whoa thar, Nellie! I sure screwed up on some of my details :o and I was the instructee, not the instructor (next time I'll listen better :D ), but I HAVE been hit with several varieties, both in training and on the street. It's absolutely miserable! But one guy I did arrest tried his version on me, point blank. I kept waiting for the searing pain, but it didn't come. I can't remember what the brand was, but whatever it was, it does belong on the spice shelf! All of the other stuff? Well, I'm only familiar with Defense Tech, but I wouldn't want to use any of it as a breath spray. :D
 
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