Mace Spray is NOT Pepper Spray

While many people still confuse these two forms of self defense products, mace spray is not pepper spray. Mace spray was popular until the late 1980s when it began to be replaced by spray created from hot peppers. The hot peppers are rated on a scale of heat that measures in what are known as Scoville units. These units are measured in the hundreds of thousands while the Jalape�o peppers you might sometimes eat are only a few hundred. The Habenero, which for most people sits at the upper end of what is edible, is '"only" a few thousand. These numbers are far, far less than the strength of the spray.

This has been found to have distinct advantages over mace spray. First, mace is a man-made chemical irritant- a form of tear gas. If sprayed directly into the eyes from a distance of under 6 feet it can cause permanent injury. Conversely, pepper spray will do no permanent injury but will work as well if not, better in stopping an attacker.

Nowadays, Mace is almost never used in western countries for civilian or even in regular police use. However, since the name is so popular, and has become so much associated with a substance that can be sprayed into someone's face to cause them to be temporarily immobilized, the name has remained, but the product inside does not contain the same ingredients.

One Disadvantage of Pepper Spray Over Mace

One thing that must be monitored in pepper spray, (also known as OC or capsicum spray) which did not have to be monitored in tear gas is that since capsicum spray is made from peppers, a naturally growing item - the strength of the peppers can vary, depending several conditions- like the weather during the growing season, the nutrients in the soil, the care taken to get the peppers from where they are grown to where they are going to be processed, the processing of the peppers and finally the packaging. Along each and every step of this process, there should be active monitoring and testing for standards of strength and quality.

It is a good idea to purchase products like this from reputable companies who are known to test for consistent strength in their products before you put your trust into them.

Warning!

So, the most important thing to remember here is Please do not think all defense sprays are the same! Simply getting the "cheapest" pepper spray could spell disaster for you or whomever you got the spray for if the company that it was purchased from did not test the strength of the peppers that went into it. The moment of truth is NOT the time to find out that what you have in your canister is not going to do the job you need it to do. While price is certainly important, you should look for a low price AND a consistent quality. This is not the sort of product you want to take chances on not working the way you thought it would. If you have any doubts, you should contact the company selling these products and ask them about their testing practices.

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