[I'd avoid the foam type products & to be honest, Im not impressed fully with the Mace gel either.]
Although I hear that, I have a good friend who was a member of the NM Mounted Patrol. One year working the lake on a holiday he encountered a group of drunks fighting.
When he tried to break it up there were three young men who decided that they were going to whip him and throw him in the lake. Make a long story short, he ended up spraying all three with foam. He said that when it hit each one he dropped like shot and was helpless. He was very impressed with it.
I have never had to use OC Spray, but when I have tested or emptied an old can no matter how I try I always get a small amount back. It makes me cough and tear. That is the gas not the foam. As a result I carry the foam mostly and especially in the car. I cannot imagine what might happen if I had to spray from the driver's seat and some of the spray blew back in my face.
I have been told about the BG wiping foam off and throwing it back, but I do not think the average punk is going to re-act that way.
Regards,
Jerry