Do you carry OC / Pepper Spray?

Has anyone used...

Wildfire pepper spray? Its 15% OC and 2,000,000 SHU. (http://www.eliteselfdefense.com/wildfire.htm) I bought some for my girlfriend a while back, but after reading some posts Im thinking of getting her the Fox Labs spray. If the wildfire is any good, i'll just keep it for myself... otherwise, i'll chuck it and get a can of fox labs for me too. So... any experience with the Wildfire brand?

PS: This is my first post... been lurking for a few months now, and I've learned a lot. Looking forward to learning even more in the future! :)
 
If I had more space to conceal things then maybe? I don't think so unless I was in big bear country and then it wouldn't be concealed. The person whom said he isn't a LEO has a very good point. Some folks say they carry a knife or two, a back up firearm, pepper spray, cuffs or tie wraps, and so on....

I don't see how one could conceal all this stuff? To each his/her own. I like to travel lite and walk softly and quickly too.... I also steer clear of known trouble spots. Bars, late night clubs, gambling locations, men's clubs, drug neighborhoods and run down areas. Trouble can often be found if one looks for it or is careless and walks into it.... It's also true many folks end up in something and it can't be avoided.
 
almark - never heard of wildfire personally, and I honestly wouldn't carry it.

Pepper spray is so cheap, even the highest quality stuff, so it doesnt make sense not to carry the best. Get the fox labs, $13 isn't a lot of money for some peace of mind that what your carry will actually work against 90% of the people you use it against (no spray is perfect)

oh and be sure to replace it every two years from the date of purchase.

Rojoe - you don't have to carry a big 2oz or 3oz container of spray (although it is what I reccommend). You can get the little 11gram canister of foxlabs and carry it on a "miska-clip" which you can find on www.comp-tac.com. Its just nice to have something between fists and hollowpoints ya know?
 
That is the best thing I have ever heard about pepper spray. It is nice to have something between fists and hollowpoints.
 
I never had very much respect for pepper spray untill friday. I had to get sprayed, because I'm in the police acadeny at the moment, and everyone has to get sprayed, so they know what it feels like. And all I can say is, holy crap, it was the most intense burning, painfull experience that I can remember. Totally incapacitating, and it took about 30-45 minutes of cold shower, which didn't feel cold, and dawn dish soap in the eyes (yes, it felt good, suprisingly) to relieve the burning sensation in the eyes. This was from a short burst in the face, from 6 feet. Just thought you all might like a first hand account of how well this stuff works (if you get the good stuff). They never told us what make the spray was, I can only tell you how it felt.
 
Yes. A few years ago a...

local female Nat Park person was attacked and wrestled to the ground by a serial rapist. She eventually got him solid with pepper spray and stopped the attack.

Spray ain't brains or magic in a can and applied properly may only be 70-80% effective. But we carry virtually 100% of the time. We've only used it on (mostly illegally) unleashed big dogs who chase and threaten us at under 8 ft when we jog. If their mothers or owners wont train them ---we will.
 
To be the "contrarian" here, imagine what a prosecuting attorney could say to a jury when he directs their attention to your self defense "tools"; a handgun or two, a reload or two, pepper spray, taser, clip it knife and maybe an expanding baton.

"You need all this to go to the store for a loaf of bread?---Mr. Rambo!"

At some point, the realization may come that there is no deflecting a smart a-- question in a court room nor avoiding using lethal force.
 
Couple'a thoughts, here...

Yep, we carry, every day. Being a correctional officer, it's all we get, so you better believe that we gotta be confident in it!

We carry a number of different flavours, but they all work about the same. We use LE-10, Sabre Red, and another one that escapes me, just now. They're all around 10%, and as others can and have attested, if you don't think you can trust its ability to 'distract' you from pretty much anything but screaming and clawing at your face, then I would like to invite you to try some out on yourself. Only, if you decide to, please video it and post it on the internet... :D

Finally, one note about the Fox Labs stuff. It's hot. DAMNED hot. I'm led to understand by one of my fellow officers (who had the unpleasant misfortune of being a test subject in an, er...'unofficial'...comparison) that it will blister skin ON CONTACT. While this is certainly not your top concern at the time a mugger/rapist/goblin is attempting to waylay you, it may become a concern when said Bad Guy decides to sue you for damages, pain and suffering, and whatnot, later.

Just something to keep in mind. Pretty much the same argument as whether or not to load your CCW with hollowpoints or ball, from that standpoint. You want the best to protect yourself, but unfortunately, the best defense can also be the most costly, afterward. Unfortunately, this is a conundrum I have yet to resolve :( . If anyone comes up with a solution that works all the way 'round, please let me know!!
 
I really wouldn't worry about reports of fox labs "blistering on contact". Hell if it does all the better. But in the very unlikely event that it does end up in a court room, fox labs is ONLY 2% pepper spray (not that that matters but a jury would think so), compared to the standard 10%. Plus it is a widely used and accepted spray in both the civilian and law enforcement fields, so you shouldn't run into any problems.
 
djw6611, read some of the previous posts in this thread. You, also, are confused about the meaning of the 2%/10% in regards to OC. Those percentages have nothing to do with the heat of the mixture.

U.F.O.
 
UFO is correct, just because a spray is 10% compaired to 2% does not mean that the 2% is less painfull. Pepper spray is measured in "hottness" using the scoville heat unit. If the 2% spray has a higher SHU, then it is actually a "hotter spray than the 10%. Food for thought, next time you buy a spray, compaire the rating, not the percentage, if you want the "hottest."

Also, I feel that if you can articulate why you had other options avaliable, then that question would work for you, instead of against you. No sane person is going to carry a gun, spray, tazer, asp, club, knife, sword, and billy club to buy bread. However, if you carried spray and a gun, then you could always point out that not all situations warrent deadly force, and that you, as a responsible person who is concerned with your personal safety, wanted an intermediate option to go to. Spray has no effect, other than causing a very strong burning sensation, and does not do any actual physical harm. Then point out that police carry it for that reason also. Personally, I feel that if your going to carry a gun, then it is respoinsiable to carry spray, because even in a fist fight, there is a gun present (yours), so you wanted an option to prevent the person from incapacitating you, and using your gun against you and others. If someone pulled spray on me, (from personal experience with spray already mentioned in this thread), I would shoot them, because I will be incapacitated if I am sprayed (after being sworn in as a LEO), and my firearm could be taken and used against me. Now, don't take this to mean that a civilian can shoot a person for pulling spray on them, talk to your lawyer. However, the FL use of force matrix does allow that action for that reason.
 
I agree with abelew and UFO on the SHU vs. percentage issue, however, I think you guys might have misread djw6611's post. I believe he intended it be more like "It's 'ONLY' 2%..." as in, that would sound like a good thing in court if it should happen to blister the BG. djw6611 states that the percentage doesn't matter, but to your average, uninformed citizen (aka jury member) it would sound like you "didn't wanna hurt the guy too bad... thats why I use the 2% spray..." That's how I read the post anyway. :)
 
Thx. almark. After a re-read I think you're right on his intent. Also, his previous posts thoroughly indicate he knows the drill.

U.F.O.
 
Yeah it may have come out wrong but I was just saying "in the mind of a juror" when you say "oh this spray is ONLY 2%" they will think it is somehow less potent etc etc and as such you will be let off.

You are all correct in that it is the heat level that matters. But also keep in mind that a 2% spray will wear off faster than a 10% spray. Some departments use these lower percentage sprays for lower decon times of prisoners (so they don't have to babysit them waiting for it to wear off). A 2% spray might take say 20 minutes while a 10% maybe 30-45 minutes.

Decon time doesnt really matter to me, its the inital takedown power that counts which is why I like FOX. If I can't get away from a BG in 15-20 minutes something is wrong. Plus with foxlabs on your face each minute feels like an hour! ;)
 
never took a direct hit to the face but have had it blow back onto me during use and been inside rooms where it had been used. the burning is bad but it made me cough so hard I almost puked :eek:
 
Another thing ... since I have asthma, I don't even want to find out what even a whiff of OC might do to me ... :(

I have taken to carrying a Maxfire flashlight. Since a lot of bad things happen in low light, I figure my first line of defense is too light up someone suspicious that approaches me. Lets me see what is going on and pretty much blinds them in the process.
 
To be the "contrarian" here, imagine what a prosecuting attorney could say to a jury when he directs their attention to your self defense "tools"; a handgun or two, a reload or two, pepper spray, taser, clip it knife and maybe an expanding baton."You need all this to go to the store for a loaf of bread?---Mr. Rambo!"
Click to expand...

The bigger fear would be if you had pepper spray and a gun, and you decided to use the gun. The fear then would be that the DA would be able to show that you had a less lethal weapon, and instead went for the kill. The DA would try to prove that you could of disarmed the BG, and instead chose the gun because of some sort of Charles Bronson fixation.
 
I don't see that as a problem. If some maniac is running at you with a raised machete screaming "die pig die" I don't see any reasonable person, DA included, who would argue that you had a responsibility to start with the non-lethal OC. You're allowed to meet lethal offensive force with lethal defensive force, bypassing the conversation, fists, OC etc. in the process.

U.F.O.
 
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