Having recently moved into a not so nice neighborhood to continue my schooling I have been looking around at self protections devices, particularly Taser type devices and Pepper/CS, etc. sprays. Do the Taser devices really work (powered by two 9volt batteries) and if so which style is best, and which voltage (they seem to come in 80K, 100K, and 200K volts). Does the pepper spray really work and what concentrations/combinations are best?
Forget those electric trinkets like tasers, they are usually ineffective, have only one shot even if they did work, require you to be so close that you place yourself in harms way, and do not incapacitate your attacker- even after/if he is shocked, he will be right there next to you and very very very mad at you.
Pepper spray really works, and is probably the second best self defense tool after a handgun.
Of course, nothing replaces or is as good as a handgun for selfdefense, but I(and the police) also carry a can of pepper spray in addition to my handgun(and so do the police) depending on what the theat is.
You do need to get a “good” can of pepper spray, and keep it fresh.
Dont worry about the % of the pepper spray, get one that has a lot of SHU(Scoville Heat Units). It’s the ‘perceived’ hotness of the pepper spray. The higher, the better. Try to get one at least several million SHU.
I have personally seen several large strong well built in shape men over 6 feet tall all come to their knees crying like babies after just one shot of pepper spray.
Self protection devices only work as well as the person using them is trained or experienced in using them is. There are pros and cons on all weapons. For instance, some handheld Taser weapons have a surprise for the user if used in the rain. You also don’t want to be downwind of your assailant if using pepper spray or mace. Many inexperienced users are often killed or injured by their own weapons after an assailant takes them from them. And please, don’t take advice on weapons from someone selling them. Police officers do not usually advocate arming one’s self but they will offer advice on dealers and training programs.
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- Pepper spray and stun guns do not work, do not waste any of your money on them or bet your safety on them. Stun guns have never worked. Consumer-grade pepper spray is a weakened liquid stuff, it is not the heavy-duty dry-powder stuff that the gov’t and military uses, and the liquid doesn’t work nearly as well as the dry powder. You will know that pepper spray and stun-guns work when all the police and militaries abandon carrying firearms.
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- Probably the easiest thing to do is buy a couple of one-handed opening knives, and clip one inside each pocket of whatever you’re wearing. If someone approaches you in a threatening manner, you drop whatever you are carrying, grab both knives off your pockets and unfold them. It’s quick and easy to do if you practice, and the smoother you can do it, the more intimidating it becomes. If you advence a few steps on an attacker right away, it’s even more intimidating, as they have to try to watch you and back up at the same time.
[shameless plug warning]
-I prefer Spyderco knives, as other conventional knives with the posts screwed to the blade spines tend to catch on clothes. Spydercos have a ring “built in” to the blade, and the whole knife overall is smooth and doesn’t snag when being drawn from your pocket. They aren’t switchblades, but you can hold them in one hand and open them by sticking your thumb in the hole on the blade and flipping it open. You also want to buy ones that have belt clips and hang down– that is, if the blade was extended and it was hung by the belt clip, the blade should be pointing down, not up.
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First, check your local laws, especially those pertaining to your school. In a lot of the US, it’s a crime, often a felony, to carry a taser or pepper spray on the grounds of any educational institution’. You may not think of them as ‘weapons’, but the law doesn’t have to agree with you. You should also look into the laws related to self-defense in your area so that you have an idea of when the use of whatever weapons you decide to carry is legal and the potential consequences of using them.
Tasers are great for police trying to take down someone who doesn’t warrant deadly force, but have numerous drawbacks for individual self-defense. They’re hard to hit a person with, either they require direct contact or you’ve got one chance to shoot a pair of darts maybe 30’, and pretty ineffective against someone with heavy clothing. They require a good hit to really incapacitate a person, and even with a good hit don’t neccesarily incapacitate the person for long. Overall, I can’t see any reason to bother with a taser (unless you’re a security guard, cop, or something similar), they’re gimmicky and unreliable.
Strong pepper spray is highly effective at incapacitating people, a good hit to the face is very likely to give you time to get away. It can be ineffective on people who are either high or eat a lot of spicy food, but even when it doesn’t incapacitate an attacker it will generally cause tearing of the eyes and other effects that make it easier for you to escape. It does have a significiant risk to you, in that it’s quite possible for the spray to end up in your face if there’s a strong wind or you’re not familiar with its use.
Note that nothing that you can carry will be very effective without training to use it, and that no weapons (especially non-lethal ones) are magic wands that will always disable any aggressor without causing them permanenet injury.
That sounds like an awfully good way to end up being arrested, since ‘approached in a threatening manner’ doesn’t qualify as a reason for the use of deadly force (which knives are) in any jursidiction that I’m aware of. I also don’t think that relying on intimidation is a real good idea, and learning to flip open your knives smoothly won’t help if the person actually attacks you.
Do any of y’all know anything about Myotrons (other than what th ads say)? I’m interested in experience with them rather than legal ramifications, etc.
Do any of y’all know anything about Myotrons (other than what the ads say)? I’m interested in experience with them rather than legal ramifications, etc.
And more importantly, do Myotrons work on hamsters?
“Minimum 25,000 pulse watt output.”
What’s a pulse watt?
The syntax is a little lumpy, but means the device delivers 25,000 watts in a short pulse, stored in a capacitor. It’s enough to spark from one electrode to the other if there’s not a badguy in between. I expect the wattage will fall off somewhat after the first few pulses. I make no claims for the zapper makers or the folks who claim they don’t work. MaryEFoo asked what a pulse watt is, and I hope I’ve answered that.