Defense Sprays

Range of these sprays is usually several feet and the effects take 20-30 minutes to wear off with no long-term ill effects to the assailant.

If you do decide to purchase a defense spray, make sure you get a good, quality brand like Mace, and that you replace it every six months to ensure your spray will work when you need it. Make sure to select a stream-based unit versus a spray/fog one. Gel is a popular format as it sticks and can be rubbed into the eyes post delivery.

• Several feet is NOT a large distance. Any attacker coming at you already will likely close that distance despite being sprayed, and once you are within reach, it is likely some damage will come to you. It is possible you will escape unharmed, and it is also quite possible you will be severely injured or killed.
• For an assault that occurs at very close range -- as many assaults do -- you will be unable to spray your assailant without getting hit by the spray yourself. In the worst of cases, you spray yourself blind and your assailant is largely unaffected, leaving you pretty much helpless.
• The effect on an assailant is somewhat dependent on the assailant. Some folks have a natural resistance to defense sprays. Some people are on drugs which don't allow them to register pain fast enough or severely enough to change their vector.