Pepper Spray Test ?

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We just received two units of pepper spray. Im sure its rare that there are manufacturing defects with self defense items such as pepper spray, and gun ammo. So my question is, should we quickly depress the nozzle, simple to make sure it works ?
 
CapnMac said:
If DefTec, get their training examples.
It can seem a pointless exercise, but under-stress in an emergency is a bad time to take one's first shot.
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Thanks I might do that. Wish I would thought to order the test units at the same time I ordered these.
Though I believe exercise is important, as you mentioned, my original concern was the possibility of a manufacturer defect, and I was wanting to quickly depress the spray to make sure it works. I didnt know if it would discharge a large amount gas and/or cause it to get weak prematurely.
 
Meeks36 said:
Read the instructions that came with it. More then likely it will tell you to test it periodically. A quick squirt is all thats needed. Do you buy carry ammo with testing it in your gun? Same thing applys to spray. Check it every so often.
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No, sorry, but you'd be wrong here. If it's a Mk 3 size (the common size for personal self-defense), or even Mk 4 (the size most cops carry on their belts), you have only a limited number of bursts. OC is not comparable with a firearm, which can be reloaded; an OC canister cannot be.

Did you get the .7 formulation or the 1.3? The .7 is effective, but the 1.3 reigns supreme. My personal recommendation would be to get the "360" canister, which uses an internal bladder and can spray effectively no matter what position one holds it, while the more common nitrogen-propellent canisters typically have to be held upright. Additionally, you'll get only about half as many bursts as the manufacturer claims, and as far as distance goes, this is why you should order the inert trainers. 8 feet is about the practical max distance, although again, the manufactures will claim 10 to 12 feet. Wind and rain, obviously, will affect results.

Don't bother with the .2 or .4 per cent formulary. .7% is about the minimally effective on the market. Also, hope you shopped around, because prices get stupid, with some retailers charging more than twice as much as others.
 
One of the critical things to get used to, and why the training sprays are so important, is that you have to be fully aware of the wind direction anytime you deploy an aerosol product.

This stuff does not resemble wasp/hornet spray in the way a person might expect. You do not want to catch a faceful of this stuff while attempting to direct it on a bad guy.

For a while, the true state of the art was the foaming spray with a dye in it. Problem was both the shelf life, and the storage temperature range.
 
Old Dog said:
No, sorry, but you'd be wrong here. If it's a Mk 3 size (the common size for personal self-defense), or even Mk 4 (the size most cops carry on their belts), you have only a limited number of bursts. OC is not comparable with a firearm, which can be reloaded; an OC canister cannot be.

Did you get the .7 formulation or the 1.3? The .7 is effective, but the 1.3 reigns supreme. My personal recommendation would be to get the "360" canister, which uses an internal bladder and can spray effectively no matter what position one holds it, while the more common nitrogen-propellent canisters typically have to be held upright. Additionally, you'll get only about half as many bursts as the manufacturer claims, and as far as distance goes, this is why you should order the inert trainers. 8 feet is about the practical max distance, although again, the manufactures will claim 10 to 12 feet. Wind and rain, obviously, will affect results.

Don't bother with the .2 or .4 per cent formulary. .7% is about the minimally effective on the market. Also, hope you shopped around, because prices get stupid, with some retailers charging more than twice as much as others.
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What good is pepper spray if it doesn't work? And how do I know if it works? By using it. You can do what you like in life. For me I test mine ever 6 months. IMG_20200921_202022.jpg I carry one of these everywhere. They are cheap. And I know when I push down they will work. But you do what you are comfortable doing.
 
Do you "test" your fire extinguishers by spraying them periodically as well? You can waste your product so you don't have enough on tap when you need it -- "But you do what you are comfortable doing."

If you procure proven products from the small cadre of reputable manufacturers, you can bet it will work.

But what do I know? I was only an agency OC instructor for sixteen years.
 
If I had one probably would. Things can break or fail without warning. So it helps me sleep better at night knowing my equipment works. Am I wasting money? Maybe, I can make more money. I cant make another me or replace my kids, wife. So I make sure things work. That reminds me now would be a good time to buy a couple fire extinguishers.
 
Check the expiration date first. In most pepper spray formulations, the chemicals used to propel it are what break down and not the actual mucous stimulating formula. For reputable brands, cans that are years passed their expiration date are still effective to a degree. There are tons of videos online of people testing expired cans to give you an idea. Personally my EDC can of spray expired May 2019 and I have no doubt it will still work fine. Only reason I contemplate replacing it now is the can is a little banged up. And this is the kind of stuff you don't want leaking in your pocket.

 
Meeks36 said:
Read the instructions that came with it. More then likely it will tell you to test it periodically. A quick squirt is all thats needed. Do you buy carry ammo with testing it in your gun? Same thing applys to spray. Check it every so often.
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You are correct and I apologize to everyone, for not fully reading the instructions after just receiving them yesterday. On the back of the small instruction sheet, it does give "general" advise(the part I didnt read), and it says "Customers should periodically check their aerosol projectors for proper function". And I understand that you cant compare pepper spray to ammo, and thats exactly why I asked my question to begin with.
OldDog, this is the one I purchased...https://www.lawmens.com/def-tech-1-3-first-defense-mk-4-cone/
Thanks for all the help and replies.
 
I used paper spray once. I bought it from a LGS. Forget the brand.

It didn't do crap but cover the guys face and car in orange stuff (dye?)

I would love to know a good brand of this stuff.
 
Might want to learn about Pepper spray. I have a LE come to my rescue when myself and dog were attacked by a big vicious dog. It took quite a bit of the spray before it worked. Scary. I realize a human might be different.
Personally I think Pepper spray might best be used when sitting in a car and a road rage person comes up and confronts. Something that happened to my Wife. Thank God a policeman came quicky and arrested the jerk who was pounding on her window.
 
VoodooMountain said:
I used paper spray once. I bought it from a LGS. Forget the brand.

It didn't do crap but cover the guys face and car in orange stuff (dye?)

I would love to know a good brand of this stuff.
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Jump over to the non firearms section and read the sticky about pepper spray. Very informative. After reading I bought the UDAP world's hottest. Thought about testing it on myself. Still remember what happened last time I got sprayed. That's not something I look forward to doing again. If one dies want to test it spray some on a piece of gause and rub it under your eyes. To avoid breathing trouble.
 
Get the training stuff to practice with. Like others have said the small keychain size has only a few shots before they are empty. I have had to use pepper spray when working at a bar. You definitely want to be upwind when you spray it.

We also had to go through extensive training with OC/pepper spray when I was in the Army. We did a lot of training in 1993 and 1994 for peace keeping duty in Bosnia. I think that I would rather go through the gas chamber full of CS without a mask than take another direct shot of pepper spray in the eyes.
 
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Decades ago I had a little can of pepper spray. I carried it while bicycle riding, as I had run into occasional troubles with other road users and was too young to go armed and too stupid to avoid trouble. Eventually I decided to see how well it worked, so I gave a quick test spray. It peed out a little stream about six feet long, which promptly got caught in the wind and gave me a solid dose to the face. Which was irritating but not remotely incapacitating, and made me rethink the whole project.

Which is a long winded way of saying that I understand the temptation to test. Were I to pursue it again, I think I would like the largest bottle I could carry, from a well-regarded supplier to law-enforcement, and I would want at least one trainer bottle to go with it. Anything less strikes me as somewhat unserious.
 
Shawn Dodson said:
You have no way of knowing if it's functional or defective unless you periodically test it.
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Sure you do. Know your products, use only one brand, store it appropriately, check the nozzle daily, keep it clean, and replace it when it gets close to expiration (expired canisters can then be used for training -- as most agencies do).
 
I used to carry a can of self defense gas while bicycle riding. Once day while riding up a hill in out in the country I noticed a pit bull in front of a trailer about half way up the hill. It started to chase and my, usually successful, command voice yelling did not send it back to the trailer. I grabbed the gas container, unlocked the cap and pushed down the button, a single drop of something oozed out the nozzle. I threw the can at the dog, stood up on the pedlas and make a clean getaway. It was my first and last experience with defense spray. My only regret is not having a picture of my face when that single drop came out.
 
Meeks36 said:
Jump over to the non firearms section and read the sticky about pepper spray. Very informative. After reading I bought the UDAP world's hottest. Thought about testing it on myself. Still remember what happened last time I got sprayed. That's not something I look forward to doing again. If one dies want to test it spray some on a piece of gause and rub it under your eyes. To avoid breathing trouble.
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Wow !!! This does appear to be much stronger. I will keep this one in mind. Thanks.
Thanks to everyone who has helped. We just tested one of my wifes units this morning. The spray was consistent, strong, and cone shaped as advertised.
 
Meeks36 said:
Jump over to the non firearms section and read the sticky about pepper spray. Very informative. After reading I bought the UDAP world's hottest. Thought about testing it on myself. Still remember what happened last time I got sprayed. That's not something I look forward to doing again. If one dies want to test it spray some on a piece of gause and rub it under your eyes. To avoid breathing trouble.
Click to expand...

I was in a class that included a SC State Trooper. A good fellow with a great sense of humor. He had to be pepper sprayed to graduate from the police academy. He hated it and thought it was stupid. When he said so, they told him it's so you know what it's like if you have to use it on a suspect. His response was, well, we don't get shot to know how that feels, why pepper spray?
 
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