Pepper Spray Test ?

Old Dog said:

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.

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Oddly enough, I have been carrying OC for 18 years and we are told in Dept training to periodically test it. However, I gave mine to one of my staff last year and never replaced it, so I can assume it works from a distance. I don't worry about it - I have sgts and officers to gas people if it needs to be done.

wbbh said:

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, don't get shot to know how that feels, why pepper spray?

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That actually made me laugh out loud. Thank you. Needed a good laugh.

wbbh said:

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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Yeah, sure. That's the BS response. The real reason is that once you spray someone, you end up having to go hands-on -- which means that very shortly you'll be feeling the effects (which can be mightily drastic) and you have to be able to function in spite of this. For those of you who've never had to go through this, it might seem humorous. For those of us in the know, not so much. I hate the s***.

armoredman said:

Oddly enough, I have been carrying OC for 18 years and we are told in Dept training to periodically test it

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Your department must have a far bigger budget than the three I've worked for. We don't feel compelled to test ours, even "periodically." But then, we procure a very reliable product and don't have to test it unless a real-world situation dictates. It's always worked thus far. Did I tell you that I'm also a TASER instructor, and I'd much rather be tase'd? OC: the gift that gives on giving ...

I once worked for a department where you rotated vehicles (luck of the draw at roll call) -- sometimes you'd be riding along and you and your partner keep sneezing and you realize that third watch or first watch the night before had transported someone they'd OC'd heavily ...

Make sure you know how to use it and carry it in a way that will prevent it from going off accidentally. The good stuff is no joke and you might take yourself out of the fight if you get it in your own eyes.

As for testing, no. As long as the can looks ok and you aren't past the expiration date you're good to go.

Jeff White said:

We replaced ours annually. I agree I’d rather be tased then get a dose of OC. Of course the private citizen doesn’t have to deal with the secondary contamination you get when you have to cuff, search and transport the subject you OC’d.

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I agree whole heartedly. OC is far worse. OC is my absolute last resort for that reason.

Old Dog said:

For those of us in the know, not so much. I hate the s***.

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when I was in the Military I went through OC training , sprayed in the face then hold your own against attackers on so on ,
I would rather be kicked in the batteries then do that course again, one needs to be aware or wind and blow back or even using in confined spaces because
the user can easily take him self out of a fight if they dont know what to expect and how to use it
Also not everyone is not effected the same by it depending on the attacker and mental condition of the attacker it might only piss them off.
better then nothing = yes / risk to use it = yes definite pros and cons like everything

Old Dog said:

Your department must have a far bigger budget than the three I've worked for. We don't feel compelled to test ours, even "periodically." But then, we procure a very reliable product and don't have to test it unless a real-world situation dictates. It's always worked thus far. Did I tell you that I'm also a TASER instructor, and I'd much rather be tase'd? OC: the gift that gives on giving ...

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Well, we do have something around 10,000 staff...and we use Phantom, which I call the Devil's farts. When I started we had LE Bodyguard 10, which we decent, but after a guy in Florida was supposedly soaked in petroleum propelled OC and then Tased into a bonfire, they replaced the LE Bodyguard 10 with Sabre Red. We called that one "seasoning in a can". It COULD work, but sometimes you had to the Ghostbusters thing and cross the streams to make it effective. Phantom, that stuff is deadly, especially in a building.
I have no idea about being tased - when I did Taser training they said that we no longer had to ride the lightning to be qualified. Since I have staff to do that for me now, I declined to get zapped. I have seen people fight off both OC and Taser, and I've seen them fall like pole axed pigs, too.

I have no reason to assume you’re inexperienced in any way, but just throwing some things out to consider...

Have you (the OP) ever used pepper spray? Outside? In a closed room? Ever been sprayed with it, yourself? If not, I strongly suggest buying an extra unit and testing it in those ways. Hit the backyard and spray a board. Do it on a calm day. Do it on a windy day. Go in a shed and do it there, with the door shut. Experience what it’s like to be in the environment after having used it. Then go all out and have a friend hit you in the face with it. You won’t cause any permanent damage and it’s the only way you’ll get to really understand the level of effectiveness it’ll have on a potential enemy. You may find it far less debilitating than expected. It’s a useful tool to have, but you (and anyone who carries it) should have those experiences to understand it’s uses and limitations.

Bobson said:

I have no reason to assume you’re inexperienced in any way, but just throwing some things out to consider...

Have you (the OP) ever used pepper spray? Outside? In a closed room? Ever been sprayed with it, yourself? If not, I strongly suggest buying an extra unit and testing it in those ways. Hit the backyard and spray a board. Do it on a calm day. Do it on a windy day. Go in a shed and do it there, with the door shut. Experience what it’s like to be in the environment after having used it. Then go all out and have a friend hit you in the face with it. You won’t cause any permanent damage and it’s the only way you’ll get to really understand the level of effectiveness it’ll have on a potential enemy. You may find it far less debilitating than expected. It’s a useful tool to have, but you (and anyone who carries it) should have those experiences to understand it’s uses and limitations.

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True. Pepper spray can absolutely crush your soul, or depending on the person, be shrugged off as mildly irritating. It's a useful tool but I wouldn't depend on it.

I've been OC'd five times; twice in one day on one of the worst days of my life....

The experience of getting hit with OC sucks horribly, but it's not incapacitating. It's not great in a one-on-one situation, although it is very effective for crowd control. It's also not something I would recommend the general population try to use. Even with solid knowledge and training you can employ it, and have a greater effect on yourself then the intended target/recipient.

I keep OC spray at the house, but only for use with dogs and animals. It's perfect for that. I once had a skunk trying to live under a small shed in my back yard. I sprayed a couple of shots of OC under the shed, and I never saw that skunk again...

dog gone it said:

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 ?

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Why not. I hope you like oranges.

mpofficer31a said:

The experience of getting hit with OC sucks horribly, but it's not incapacitating. It's not great in a one-on-one situation, although it is very effective for crowd control. It's also not something I would recommend the general population try to use. Even with solid knowledge and training you can employ it, and have a greater effect on yourself then the intended target/recipient.

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I'll have to mildly disagree. It is the perfect defensive weapon for those who cannot or will not carry a firearm for daily personal defense. My adult daughters have a can, as do the daughters of some of my co-workers while they are at college.

Kleanbore said:

I can be pretty good if the attacker is sufficiently sensitive to it. People vary.

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I've used it against both people and dogs, just not as often as Jeff.

It has worked every time for me. and by percentage is more effective than a taser, and less permanent than a .45ACP.

Jeff White said:

I’ve seen OC used hundreds of times and I’ve used it myself dozens of times. While nothing works on everyone and I’ve heard of it failing, I’ve never seen it fail on the street. But just like every other defensive tool, you have to be prepared for it to fail when you need it.

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Used and carried it for many decades,now retired I still keep it on my person,vehicle,house !.

Was an instructor in that and Taser,and agree the Taser is KILLER pain = BUT only for a few seconds,the gas can last for a LONG,LONG time !.

I used OC on the street and in the jail too many times to remember,and every time I got at least a bit on me.

So knowing how to fight after exposure when it worked,AND even moreso when it did not work on the perp [ FIGHT ON ].

Generally I went to the ASP [ expandable baton ] when it was a fail.

That required me to overcome the effects of the OC for at least a short time.

And btw ,for those who might wonder.

Bear Stopper is MUCH STRONGER than even good OC [ same ingredient but MUCH stronger ].

And yes I did carry & use the Bear stopper too,and when I got nailed with it I lost vision in one eye for at least 20 minutes.

The fight was still on,and I had to cuff a perp while under that influence .

NOT FUN !!.

In most states it is not legal to use Bear Stopper on humans,in case you wondered.

At the time I did use it,I was not aware of that law !