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Pepper spray (aka OC Spray) is without a doubt the most common non-lethal self-defense product in the world. It is universally used across all police departments for combative subjects and riot control, as well as everyday self-defense for civilians. But what exactly is pepper spray? And more importantly how do you know which is the best pepper spray for you? With so many different brands claiming they have the strongest pepper spray, each offering unique formulations and heat concentration percentages with different type of triggers, spray patterns, and ranges it’s impossible to cut through all the noise. Well, we are here to help with our unbiased and thorough pepper spray reviews and buying guide.
Why listen to us? Well, we’ve been in the OC spray business since you were probably in diapers and we're committed to being a source of truth against all the B.S. advertising numbers that brands put out there and the misinformation a lot self-defense internet experts publish. We're not just referring you over to Amazon and getting a commission off your purchase. We stand behind our products we sell because the thing we're most proud of is our relationship with our customers.
We know you want to get right to the best pepper sprays; so, first up are the products reviews followed by general OC information. If you have any questions on the terminology used throughout the reviews, reference the information toward the bottom and that should clear things up. Or send our team a message and we’ll be happy to help.
Table of Contents:
Overall, Fox 5.3 is without a doubt the best pepper spray for self-defense that anyone can purchase today.
The Sabre Red Crossfire collection edges out second place in our review of the top-rated pepper sprays. Sabre is a premium manufacturer and has consistently been one of the best OC brands in the world since 1975 thanks to their well-known commitment on product quality. Sabre developed their own in-house High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) lab which is a process that ensures and verifies heat specification quality. This 5-step process is conducted within their in-house laboratory with frequent independent testing to provide the most consistent level of capsaicin pungency. The result is a guaranteed heat consistency, something not many brands can claim.
The Red Crossfire collection is classified by Sabre as their Level 3 formula, which is the strongest OC spray that they manufacture. Sabre Red derives from a 10% OC solution of 2 million Scoville Heat Units, resulting in a Scoville content of 200,000. But the true kicker for the Sabre Red line is the major capsaicinoid percentage, clocking in at 1.33% MC. The major capsaicinoid percentage is the true measurement of heat that all pepper spray is judged on and is verified by their HPLC testing.
Probably the most unique aspect of the Sabre Red Crossfire line and what makes it one of the best pepper sprays available is the Crossfire technology canister which uses 3rd generation canister technology. Crossfire canisters can be deployed from any angle, whereas the black Sabre canisters need to be upright. If you think about it like a clock, Crossfire can be sprayed at any hour hand between 1 and 12 o’clock. Most OC spray brands use 1st or 2nd generation canisters which can only be sprayed between the 10 and 2 o’clock positions. This is not ideal as subjects tend to duck and block the spray with their hands as virtually no attacker willingly allows a direct spray. Crossfire canisters allow maximum target acquisition as they can be sprayed upside down or sideways to outmaneuver the perp and get the OC where you want it, their face.
The Sabre Red Crossfire line comes in canister sizes of 1.4 oz, 1.5 oz, 2 oz, and 3 oz, giving plenty of options for anyone looking for just the right size. The 1.4 oz offers 10 one-second bursts, and the 3 oz offers 16 one-second bursts. All other sizes fall in between those parameters. The small 1.4 oz makes it an excellent pepper spray for women to keep safely in their purse or handbag. Also great for storing in small center consoles or small driver-side door compartments.
The flip-top trigger mechanism is a high-quality plastic that will prevent accidental misfiring’s yet is still extremely easy to quickly flip open when needed. Sabre uses a nitrogen propellent which allows for operating temperatures between -20˚F to 120˚F, and there is also a UV dye within the OC formulation to quickly identify any perp that manages to get away after being sprayed.
Overall, the Sabre Red Crossfire collection is a reliably high-heat OC spray that is manufactured by one of the best pepper spray brands out there today. You cannot go wrong with Sabre Red.
Let’s start by getting the semantics straight. The term Mace is not interchangeable with pepper spray. Mace is a brand that manufactures pepper spray, much like Kleenex is to tissues and Band-Aid is to bandages. Known as genericized trademarks, their popularity has led them to become the generic term within their respective product categories. Mace obtained this genericized trademark thanks to making the first defense spray that created a first-mover advantage that lasted nearly 30 years from the mid 1960’s to 1990’s, during which they virtually owned the entire defense spray market. The verb ‘being maced’ is still commonly used today regardless of the brand and spray composition used, despite the fact that there are many more pepper spray brands today.
The active ingredient of the early Mace chemical formula consisted largely of chloroacetophenone (CN tear gas) but has since been changed because of its potentially toxic nature and the exceptional incapacitating qualities of OC pepper resin. What makes Mace Triple Action one of the best pepper sprays and self-defense products is that it combines a safe and effective combination of 10% OC pepper, tear gas (CN), and a UV marking dye all-in-one formula with 2 million Scoville Heat Units. Let us take a closer look at how these 3-in-1 agents complement each other with respect to stopping power.
Upon spraying an attacker, the inflammatory agents in the oleoresin capsicum take effect first. Almost instantaneously and completely involuntarily, the assailants eye clamp shut. The OC quickly and efficiently dilates the capillaries and causes temporary blindness. Seconds later, the OC causes inflammation of the breathing tissues and gives a sensation of restriction in the airway and general feeling of intense, searing pain around the face, nose, and throat. Then the effects of the CN tear gas kick in and begin to cause extreme irritation of the membrane tissues within the eyes, resulting in profuse tearing and stinging.
Should a subject somehow manage to get away from the scene of the crime with all this taking effect simultaneously, the UV marking dye marks the assailant and will aid in identification once they are apprehended by law enforcement.
We especially love the canister of the Mace Triple Action Police Model. The unit is an 18-gram (.6 oz) canister that comes housed in a durable plastic case with a keychain attachment. The case is exceptionally well made and provides a very sturdy fit in the hand thanks to the well-placed finger grooves. The finger grooves allow for quick reassurance that the Mace is facing in the right direction before engaging the assailant. The keychain attachment makes it perfect for virtually anyone to take with them on-the-go. The durable case comes with a flip top actuator making it easy to deploy while also preventing misfires.
This model comes with a stream spray pattern, reaching up to 12 feet which is quite remarkable given the small size of the unit. It contains up 20 half-second bursts but is recommended, like all brands, to assume end-of-life if the unit is used. This ensures that the Mace properly functions should you need to use it in the future.
Overall, this Mace pepper spray with 3-in-1 triple action OC, CN, and UV dye is a top-rated option for those looking for a trusted brand.
When it comes to finding the best pepper spray for runners, we’re looking at three main criteria. The first of course is heat strength. You want to be able to incapacitate the attacker and get away safely, and the only way to do that is with a formulation that an has ample percentage of major capsaicinoids. A lot of internet experts will urge runners or walkers to carry dog pepper spray if they have aggressive dogs in the neighborhood, but quite honestly these OC sprays aren’t ideal in situations that involve a human subject attacking or robbing you. This is because the amount of pepper resin in dog repellent is typically half of that in the industry standard human pepper spray. It is our suggestion that it’s better to have full strength protection.
The second set of criteria is a combination of size, weight, and portability. It’s especially important for women runners to not feel burdened to be carrying a self-defense product during their daily exercise. If a spray is too big or too heavy, they simply will be less motivated to bring it with them because it gets in their way. Most pepper sprays for joggers typically come in canisters less than 1 oz, but even more importantly come with an adjustable elastic Velcro strap to easily hold during a run or exercise.
And lastly an underrated criterion for runners is that their OC should be a stream spray pattern. Running or jogging at a fast pace and needing to quickly spray an attacker will undoubtedly result in blowback. Having a tight stream pattern will decrease this potential as it’s a tighter aerosol dispersion and will help to keep it out of your face as well.
Overall, we highly recommend the Sabre Red 3-in-1 Runner Pepper Spray because surpasses all our critical specifications for jogger personal defense. Sabre Red is one of the top brands, and their 3-in-1 collection is comprised of OC, CS tear gas, and UV marking dye. It is the gold standard for people on-the-go.
A close second is the Mace Sport Jogger. This ½ oz Mace is lightweight, compact, and hot! We found their 10% OC is not quite as hot as the Sabre Red 3-in-1 formulation, but it will certainly put any perp on their knees crying and begging for it to stop. The elastic Velcro strap is of high-quality and will allow you to jog and forget it’s even there (unless of course you need it). Both Mace and Sabre come with pink color options, perfect for women joggers that want to stay fashionable.
One of the most popular places to keep our personal pepper spray is on our keychains because it allows us to carry it everyday, yet is still somewhat out of the way. It’s also a natural place to tote a very small personal defense item and gives us peace of mind when we’re constantly on-the-go. In our experience here at Guardian Self Defense, the best keychain pepper spray will have a keyring breakaway mechanism, have greater than 1.1% MC, and be .5 ounces or less. Let us explain.
The most imperative thing when looking to purchase keychain pepper spray is to make sure the unit has a breakaway mechanism from your keyring. This is critical to personal protection because attacks often happen in a split second, and the victim fumbles with keys while trying to find and use the spray. With a breakaway piece, the spray can quickly become detached from the keys and within seconds can the victim acquire the target and disperse the spray.
We also want to share a pro tip that no one else will tell you - having your keys and pepper spray in separate hands is a huge asset because you can distract the attacker by throwing your keys at them with one hand, putting them on defense, immediately followed by OC spray from the opposite hand. Before they know what happened they’ll be on the ground and you’ll be able to safely get away. This is a distraction technique similar to what boxers do to successfully land a punch, and it's very effective.
It is also important for your keychain OC to have a major capsaicinoid percentage greater than 1.1% and be smaller than .5 ounces. Our experience shows the MC percentage needs to be high because keychain canisters are generally small, and your unit needs to be small if you’re planning to carry it on your keychain every day. Most ½ oz. units only have 4 to 6 one-second bursts, which means you will need to make the most of those bursts, so a high-heat spray is very important.
We especially love the Wildfire keychain quick-release pepper spray because it meets every piece of criteria we just mentioned. It comes in a small .5 oz canister that is lightweight and easy to attach to keyring. With 1.4% MC is it one of the hottest sprays you can buy, and has an effective range of up to 8 feet. The stopping power of the Wildfire line is unlike anything we've seen from other keychain units. It also comes in different options with a either a hard case, a soft cases like plain leatherette or leatherette with some bedazzle, or halo leather cases which offer more protection over the firing mechanism.
A close second is the Sabre Red 3-in-1 keychain unit. This popular formulation is Sabre's best selling line and is well known amongst people that have been hit by it as being the most excruciating 30 minutes of their lives. We love the hardcase as its plain and simple and doesn't draw attention to the unit.
Daily carrying of a defense spray is becoming more and more popular with each passing day. Many civilians don’t always feel comfortable carrying a firearm and many prefer a non-lethal product that can still stop an assailant in their tracks. When looking for the best pepper spray to carry everyday, there is one main consideration – how you want to carry the defense spray. There are three realistic options: on a belt with a holster, on a keychain, in a purse.
They each have their pros and cons, and it largely depends on personal preference. If you live in a high-crime neighborhood, it might make the most sense to have a belt holster pepper spray so it’s always quickly within reach. Keychain pepper spray is a great option for those that just want to have peace of mind but aren’t necessarily serious enough about it to want to attach to a new pair of pants every morning. We’ll give you a product recommendation for the best of both options.
If you’re interested in carrying on a belt holster, the best EDC pepper spray is the Fox Labs Mean Green personal defense spray. The formulation in this collection from Fox Labs contains a highly pigmented color spectrum, a virulent shade of green. The green spray marks your attacker for easy visual identification with no UV lights needed. Made with 3 million SHUs at a 6% OC concentration, it clocks in at 1.2% MC. As with most Fox products, it comes 1.5 oz or 3 oz canister and either a stream or cone spray pattern. The stream reaches up to 20 feet and the cone fogger up to 18 feet. It is our general advice for interested EDC customers to go with a smaller unit. Much like experienced concealed carry firearm holders, who generally prefer smaller pistols with a 6 round magazine as opposed a larger 17 round magazine because it’s lighter and easier to carry and conceal.
If you’re interested in EDC on a keychain, then the easy choice here is the Sabre Red 3-in-1 keychain pepper spray with a quick release key ring. Sabre Red is one hottest sprays and best-selling sprays on the market, and this .5 ounce compact canister is perfect for anyone looking to daily carry. It boasts an impressive 10-foot range and up to 25 half-second bursts. The quick release key ring is very important to immediate access of the spray as it breaks away from your keys with a quick pull. Sabre’s in-house HPLC testing lab ensures that all of their product meets their heat standards and won’t fail unlike some other big-name brands which have been reported to not fire or contain the heat consistency as advertised.
The flip-top actuator offers the perfect combination of safety and convenience. Just flip up the lid with your thumb and press the actuator down to send an instant stream of gel hell barreling towards your attacker’s face. We promise, anyone that gets sprayed with Wildfire Stick Pepper Gel will have their world turned upside down for the next 45 minutes.
Lastly, the Mace gun has been a top seller for the last two decades, and continues to impress. Unlike Pepperball branded items, this gun fires actual OC spray much like a traditional handheld canister would, except its in the form of a pistol. The dual mode LED light on the Mace gun allows for either a constant light or a strobe pattern to distract and blind an assailant, and makes the 20-foot stream spray even more effective as they can’t see what’s about to hit them. The pistol grip design is great for point-and-shoot accuracy and is easy to grab, aim and fire. The Mace pepper spray gun has been a staple in this space for almost three decades.
Mace Muzzle Dog Repellent |
Sabre Red Dog Protector |
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Rating |
4.8 / 5
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4.7 / 5
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Price |
$16.99
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$16.99
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Volume |
.6 oz
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1.8 oz
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Spray Pattern
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Stream
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Stream
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Range |
Up to 10 ft.
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Up to 15 ft.
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Buy | ![]() |
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With either the Mace or Sabre brand, you will be able to safely protect yourself against any dog attack. If you wish to use a human spray, refer back to our top-rated units at the beginning of this article.
Overall, the Mace and Frontiersman sprays both offer more than enough specs to keep you safe in backcountry. These are the two best bear spray products on the market today and you can’t go wrong with either one.
The leader in the industry and manufacturer of the best pepper spray for the last 20 years, Fox is the largest supplier of OC spray to police departments, sheriffs offices, correction facilities, border patrol agents, hospital security guards, and virtually anyone else in the private security industry. They make the worlds best pepper spray, the FIVE POINT THREE defense spray. With 5.3 Million SHUs and 2% OC formula with the purest capsicum you can find, their products are simply the best.
The manufacturer of the Sabre Red line, this brand is always in the conversation. Sabre has been a leader in this industry for the last 40 years, consistently producing some of the hottest sprays thanks to their proprietary High-Performance Liquid Chromatography lab. This process has one specific purpose which is to eliminate bad batches, and it does an exceptional job. Their most famous product line of Sabre Red 3-in-1 uses a combination of OC, CS tear gas, and UV marking dye, all which come together to form a spray with incredible stopping power.
Defense Technology is defense product manufacturer that is probably more well-known for their commercial grade products than they are their personal pepper sprays. They make everything from impact munitions such as rubber bullets, to riot shield and suits, to friction lock batons, to tear gas canisters commonly used in prison yards. The bottom line is that they are expert in the self-defense category, and they know a thing or two about how to make the best OC delivery units.
We don’t need to tell you that Mace is a top brand in this industry. Heck they created the industry. Mace has been around since the 1960s with their early CN based spray, which they have refined over the years to continue to best their competitors and stay ahead in the market. They are remarkably good at product marketing, and that has resonated as the term Mace is synonymous with pepper spray. Their Triple Action formula is one of the best-selling personal defense sprays available and millions of people worldwide trust Mace to protect themselves and loved ones.
Pom is the young, hip millennial version of the pepper spray industry that makes all established incumbent brands nervous because they know what young consumers want. They’re the Apple of pepper sprays. Pom has designed an OC spray that will blend into your modern lifestyle, because they know aesthetics are just as important as function. They offer one spray formulation delivered through several patented keychain and hardcase options and colors, and it turns out the spray is quite good. With 1.4% MC, a 12-foot range, and 24 half-second bursts packed into a small .5 oz unit shows that Pom has the pepper spray to match the aesthetic.
Streetwise is a self-defense product manufacturer focused on non-lethal devices for personal use. Their most popular OC sprays come in the form of keychain units, handheld flip top canisters, and pistol grip foggers. They offer two spray formulations – Streetwise 18 and Streetwise 23. The Streetwise 18 collection contains 1.17% MC derived from over 4 million SHU. And the stronger Streetwise 23 collection contains 1.47% MC derived from over 5 million SHU making it one of the most effective sprays available. Streetwise also makes one of the best disguised pepper spray products in the form factor of a black pen, which makes it great for men who traditionally find disguised sprays in the form of lipstick canisters.
Foams: Provides a dispersion method for powerful fast-acting foam that coats the face upon contact. Much like gel it is very difficult to wipe off. Aim is not as important as foam has a wider pattern making it easy to acquire and hit a target. Least popular spray pattern for consumers as many brands do not offer foaming pepper spray.
If you remember one thing from this entire article, make it that not all pepper spray is Mace, but all Mace is pepper spray.
The best place to start is by defining some terms that will come up often in this article.
Both pepper spray and tear gas are formally known as lachrymatory agents, which are defined by compounds that irritate the eyes and cause burning, pain and temporary blindness. Fortunately for those in the dispersion area of tear gas, the effects generally wear off within a few minutes after exiting the affected area. But for those hit with OC the effects are much, much worse.
The first reaction of people sprayed with OC is to immediately close their eyes. This is an involuntary reaction as the capsicum overwhelms the body’s mucous membranes. The key is to NOT rub the eyes as this can cause corneal abrasions. If you wear contacts, take them out as soon as possible and avoid touching your eyes and face afterwards. Many people experience fear as a result of feeling disoriented due to the lack of vision immediately after being sprayed.
If problematic breathing does not resolve after 45 minutes, ‘bronchodilators’ which are generally used to treat asthma may be needed to prevent ‘bronchospasms’, an abnormal constriction and narrowing of the respiratory airway. OC supervisors or medical personnel should have these on-hand should one be getting sprayed for training purposes.
Assuming you are prepared to get sprayed and have time to gather some recovery aids beforehand, there two other remedies that are said to have helped suppress the worst of the effects. The first is a 3:1 ratio of cold water to Dawn dish soap. Dawn in particular has been shown to be very effective in removing oils. Turn your head sideways as to not let the solution run down your body carrying capsicum oils with it.
There are also disposable wipes that many police academy’s use to help get spray out of the eyes and off the skin of their cadets on OC day. The most popular are Sudecon wipes from Fox Labs. These pepper spray remedy wipes have a patented formula to help decontaminate OC, CS, and CN exposure by stripping the chemical agents from the skin.
The capsicum oils can remain on the skin for a numbers days after being sprayed. We recommend not showering for at least 24 hours as it can reactivate the capsaicin, also known as a ‘reflash’, and the water can carry the oils to sensitive parts of the body. Use the Dawn 3:1 solution in the shower and scrub vigorously.
Yes, pepper spray does expire and don’t let anyone tell you different. The good news is that just about every manufacturer includes an ‘end of life’ or expiration date on the canister, and they’re generally 36-48 months from birth date, which should also be on the canister. The reason pepper spray expires is not as much about it losing its potency as it is about the canister losing its pressure. To assure the effective spray range or eliminate the potential chance of total propellent degradation, its critical to maintain the expiration date and purchase a new spray when that date comes.
Pepper spray is legal to carry in all 50 states for self-defense, however some states may have online purchasing or canister size restrictions. New York and Massachusetts are the only two states that prohibit the purchase of OC spray through the mail which prevent shipments from entering into the states. It is legal, however, for us to ship dog defense spray into New York and Massachusetts so we do recommend at the very least those interested in a non-lethal self-defense product carry a Mace dog repellent spray. We are legally not allowed to ship stun guns into either state as well.
Other states like New Jersey, Michigan, Florida, California, Hawaii, North Carolina, and Wisconsin limit the number of ounces in pepper spray containers. Essentially this is to deter residents from owning large amounts of OC, mostly in the form of big pistol grip foggers used in riot and crowd control situations.
For more information on the state laws surrounding pepper spray and stun guns, refer to our product laws page where we breakdown each state and identify if there are any shipping restrictions. We try to keep this as up-to-date with state law and current legislation as much as possible.
It’s worth mentioning that certain airlines may have their own restrictions so we highly recommend checking with your carrier before the flight.
We know just about everything there is to know about pepper spray, so please don’t hesitate to send us a message on our Contact Us page.
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