$35? Hmmm... I don't know about that. I can by the non-shiny/glittery/pink and purple kind for less than $10.

This is cool. I started to say that I thought it'd be a bad idea because it looks too conspicuous and attackers would know one was aiming pepper spray, but you know, an attacker would have no idea what the hell that sparkly thing was and this could buy a very helpful extra split-second.

Cheers,

TH

ah the price we pay for fashion.

My main concern is that pepper spray isn't a great defense: It's hard to use right, it won't really incapacitate a truly enraged person, and so on. A false sense of security is a bad thing.

One can get good at using it, but it takes practice. Do YOU carry pepper spray? Have you ever shot it? Have you practiced grabbing for it--in the dark--and aiming, and shooting? Quickly? Can you shoot at a run? Can you hit your target? And so on.

The niftiest thing i I ever saw was a 'skunk smell' vial. One would wear it, and if someone was sexually assaulting them, one could break the vial.... making themself smell incredibly, horribly, nausea-inducingly, bad. And hard to rape, one assumes. I haven't seen it in years, though, perhaps it didn't work. Or just didn't sell.

'dependable, effective self defense without compramising style'...YES! Because if being safe means looking dorky....I am so out.

dunno, sailorman, i've been peppersprayed and, though i'm sure concentrations change from one product to the next, it's pretty damn debilitating, especially with a sustained and direct spray.

aside from being able to temporarily blind an assailant and/or provoke a severe respiratory response, it'll even make your skin burn if the spray is long enough...

where do you get that pepper spray is not an effective defense?

certainly, though, i think anyone should be trained in self-defense before carrying any sort of weapon... even if just a week of training, but something...

where do you get that pepper spray is not an effective defense?

Well, I suppose it depends on what "effective" means. As for where: various readings and conversations (my brother-in-law's a cop)

I agree: pepperspray used correctly can be effective. It won't stop everyone, but it's quite good.

As for the "false security" aspect: It is not that hard to use incorrectly. You can misaim. You can spray yourself. You can aim properly, and still miss. And so on.

I support pepper spray. I think it's a good nonlethal defense mechanism. I just wish that the same groups that promoted pepper spray would ALSO promote training, so people would know how to use it.

sailorman - you're totally right. pepper spray is not effective against a determined attacker, often it can just make them madder. i think a big problem is that a lot of women rely on pepper spray to get rid of the attacker for them, and it's not designed to do this at all. it merely creates an opportunity for you to escape the dangerous situation. i think if you're going to carry pepper spray you need to be well aware of this, and take other precautions too - a self defense class is a great idea too.

"Think that attacks only happen in bad neighborhoods at 4 AM? The true stories below tell of women in everyday scenarios that experienced violence first-hand. If you’ve ever taken out the garbage, ridden in an elevator, or parked your car in a garage – you could have been a victim of assault, rape, even murder. We share these stories not to frighten you, but to help inform you. Realizing that violence against women can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere is the first step to prevention."

Yay for using fear to feed capitalism! Nothing like a little terror at the unknown to turn a group that feels vulnerable into rabid consumers!

I have to say, I kind of love this. If I had the cash, I'd totally buy myself a bejeweled pepper spray. But I don't, so I'm going to stick with the plastic bottle in the fake leather case attached to my key ring.

I will say this one more time, just in case anyone thought I was joking:

Unless you have PERSONALLY sprayed your own spray--and seen how it aims, how it disperses, how hard you have to press--you don't really know how to use it.

And unless you have personally tried to get at it--fast--and have practiced the movements necessary to grab, arm, and aim, you probably won't be able to use it if/when you need it.

Hopefully you will never feel the need to use it at all. But if you're going to carry pepper spray, buy a refill, and practice spraying the darn thing. It's well worth the ten bucks.

Self-defense class is not the same thing.

Well, that may be true, but where on earth do you suggest I try spraying it? In my apartment? I have asthma, and I'm not spraying anything in there. In the public park? I can't see that going over too well. Out my window? I suppose that might be a possibility, but I can't see learning too much about its dispersal effects. There's a vacant parking lot around the corner, and I guess if I can find a time when no-one else is there, it's a possibility. But practically, I don't see much opportunity.

EG,

Without knowing you, or where you live, you might consider....

Park. Tape newspaper to a tree, spray paper, remove (with gloves), throw away. Capsacin is nontoxic, just spicy. it won't hurt the tree.

Woods. Same as above, skip the paper. It's better if you spray somewhere that the sun hits.

Wilderness. Spray a rock. A tree. Etc.

Alley. Got a local dumpster? Cardboard boxes waiting to be crushed? There's your targets.

In a rainstorm. Spray just about anywhere, including "nowhere" just to practice.

Into a sewer.

Into a garbage bag held open by something.

Onto an old sheet

And so on.

i'm really not trying to be flip here, hopefully you realize that.

p.s. if you are too worried about harm in practice (athsma) then this doesn't bode well for real life. Check with your doctor. If you would (for example) lose your ability to breathe/scream/run/fight/aim should you inhale even a little spray, it might not be the best thing to carry around.

No, I know you're not trying to be flip--I was flipper than necessary because the topic makes me anxious.

Maybe an alley would work--sad to say, woods and wilderness are far from my ken, and the local public parks are small affairs with elderly people strolling and small children gamboling on every available foot of land. But I could find an alley this weekend or next. My main worry is that I live in a central city neighborhood, and I don't want to accidentally hurt anyone who's walking by.

I've been carrying the pepper spray (not the same one, obviously) since before I was finally diagnosed with asthma, so I haven't really thought that through. I'm not sure. The asthma is...unreliable and unpredictable. I...don't know how it would react. But you're right; better to find in a practice situation with my inhaler in one hand then to find out when push comes to shove.

If you can't use pepper spray, would a taser be a suitable replacement?

I know less about tasers.

Some police departments carry them (which suggests that they can be effective); I also know that they are illegal in some states.

I also know there are two types. One is a "contact" weapon, which must be pressed against a subject to work. The other is a ranged weapon, which fires small spikes at a subject connected to the main handle by wires; the spikes allow you to avoid direct contact. I am not sure which are considered superior or easier to use.

My understanding is that they can be extremely effective at higher voltages. I believe they can also be dangerous to the tasee, though this is sort of moot if you're being attacked. And, like any weapon, they require training and practice, and can theoretically be used against you.