My wife is opening a private practice, psycho therapy, and would like something for self defense.

I suggested pepper spray - but what's good? I've seen ads for the kimber 'gun'. Suggestions, experience, advice?

Would a taser be better/worse idea?

Carrying is always a possibility but the need/justification for deadly force isn't likely to be there so whipping out a pistol won't do any good and will only cause major potential legal nightmares.

Kimber Pepperblaster II.

Civilian hand-held tasers require closer contact range than pepper sprays. I'd rather reach out and touch someone from 10'-20' with spray than arm's length with a taser. Creating distance is the old self defense advice. Check your local laws as some sprays are illegal for civilians to possess/use. Cold Steel/Special Projects used to offer a good OC spray that supposedly didn't deteriorate with prolonged storage.

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I'm with the banned ...

I keep pepper spray handy...one by the front door, another in the car....comes in real handy. My preference is the 2 oz stream with a "cop top" Sabre makes the one we use in the LASD. Foggers have a wider pattern but blow back at you. Percentage isn't as important as scovile heat units....look for a couple of million. Avoid the key chain sprays...highly unreliable. The 2 oz models will stay pressurized for years.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Hornet/wasp spray. Its for pesty critters, right? Can will not alarm anyone while its setting very handy. Pepper spray will invite questions.

nuff said.

MSI / Mace brand (they own the trade mark) tends to be a good product. Galss or similar can sell you a can of the size and type commonly used by police and security.

Actually the civilian taser has a 15 foot reach, and has a discharge time of 30 seconds which is 6 times longer than law enforcement, so the victim has a longer head start in the opposite direction.

I will say the down side to taser's is that you only have one shot, as re-load time is very very long and impractical in a self defense situation. To hit someone first shot, under stress, while being threatened is a HUGE task even for the well trained. Where as with a pepper spray you don't necessary even have to make contact for it to be semi effective.

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Cheers -Jeff

Now that I did a little bit of research, it looks like taser has came out with a new civilian model. It has a reach of 25 feet and can shoot 3 times in a row without having to be reloaded. Then again you can buy about 100 can of pepper spray for the price of the taser x3...

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Cheers -Jeff

Sabre products seem to do well.

They have Instructors that put on classes and demos.

You want a Direct Spray, Foggers are liable to hit you too.

Some have stronger and further reaching spray distances.

Keychain units are inferior to full size.

You want High Scoville unit (the heat of Capsacium range)

Some units have MARKING DYE in them.

Buy 2 (one you should practice with for accuracy and distance)

The Pepper Spray is probably better than a Taser for civilian use.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

I would put video surveillance in the entry area and several (small) cans of pepper spray (Mace brand like mentioned before and rather gel than liquid) around the practice, like in every room (desk) and one in her and the employee(s) pocket. If she collects money in her practice I would put one can close to the register.

Our son is seeing an Therapist for his ADHD and his employee (female) was complaining about harsh people who wanted to clean their carpet. The practice is located in an office complex with 9 or 10 offices. They did like bang on the doors, not knock. They did yell at the people inside and try to push open doors. This happened while I was there and I told them to call police.

After that I asked the owner if he has any protection inside his practice and he said "no." And with the next appointment I saw a "No Guns allowed" sign on the door. Great job... that will help for sure

Bottom line; she needs something. You simply never know...!!!

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Jorge

In some jurisdictions, that can be illegal and leave you open to prosecution. Explain why you are carrying wasp spray in your hand while walking through the snow in the middle of winter!

It's a nerve toxin and can leave permanent damage.Leaving yourself open for a big lawsuit!

ps Wasp spray has been discussed so often, it's "use" for defense is pretty well known. Cops aren't dumb.

Just sayin! Think about it REAL hard!

In the prisons, we used a "Project-Jet" that delivered a quart of pepper spray in a burst of power. Even though eventual compliance was pretty much a given. Immediate compliance was not a realistic expectation. I think O.C. will work faster on a bear than it will on a wacked-out, pissed-off crack head.

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Why, I aughta.....

I recently did some research into the Pepper Sprays offered on the market, and concluded the Cold Steel "Inferno" pepper spray appears to be very effective. Besides the regular hot red peppers, they also use black pepper to really impact your mucous membranes (nose, mouth, throat), and eyes. I've used regular pepper spray against dogs on 2 different occassions without success, but I am willing to give the "Inferno" a try as a less than lethal alternative.

Regards,

Dave

I'd advise that regardless of what form of non-lethal protection she chooses to carry that something on the order of a 642CT be included as a final solution.

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Rick, W0FG
CTR2 68-72

i dont know why anyone would see the pepper spray to begin with...and if they do...so what?it's perfectly legal...wasp spray??!!thats asking for huge problems

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

I highly recommend Fox Labs Defensive Spray, 5.3 million Scoville heat units, 2 or 4 ounce sizes, spring loaded safety top, cone or stream spray patterns available.

O/C Pepper spray won't stop a determined attacker, and can take 20-30 seconds before the full effect's are felt anyway, Tasers work, but if you have multiple attackers you better have the x3 which gives you three shots, but cost's $1600 the x26 is only $800 but is a single shot
both have a spark time of 5 seconds, however will spark as long as you hold the trigger back, the civilin model is around $350 and does run 30 seconds,
However there is reason police are also armed with a firearm, less than lethal doesn't always work, and you better have a backup plan if it don't

Just remember, "FRONT TOWARD ENEMY."

my wife carries the kimber guardian angel co2 powered 2-shot pepper spray, and I carry one when i'm disarmed by policy or law. i can't recommend it personally over anything else discussed here, but all the research i did a year+ ago pointed me in that direction. i like the minimal, if any, blowback.

thats simply not true...it may be fair to say spray will not stop every attacker every time...buts its inaccurate to say "it will not stop a determined attacker" i carried various sprays for over 30 years...it stopped many,many very determined people...and stopped them nearly immediately in most all cases

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Im not saying it doesn't work at all, just that it doesn't stop every individual, some people are immiediatly incappacitated, others are not,
I have seen men completely saturated and stood there masturbating daring you to come and get them,

My position is what if O/C is your wife's only protection, and one of these individuals attack her,she's in for a world of hurt.
O/C is a useful tool, and i recommend it's use as a first line of defense, however, you need a backup if it doesn't work, preferably a firearm.

if you go back and read your original post....you will see thats exactly what you said...not the amended version above...i was attacked many times and the spray worked perfectly....can you find a case that it didn't work?of course you can...and i can find numerous cases where direct hits from a firearm didn't work either

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Ok granted i didn't word my first post as well as i intended, however you freely admit O/C doesn't work 100 % of the time, and as far as firearms not working, if you were expecting trouble with potentialy violent attackers, would you trust your life and that of your loved one's to succesfully defend yourselves with nothing but O/C, or would you also want other option's, up to maybe a firearm?

The O/P is asking, what O/C to use? i just wanted him to understand the pitfalls of a one weapon arsenal, especialy a less than lethal one like O/C.

The first thing i tell all our personnell when doing any training whether it be O/C, Taser or Firearms, nothing is going to work 100 percent of the time, have a backup plan if the first and maybe even second doesn't.

also in closing lets remember the O/P 's wife is opening a psycho therapy practice, it's well documented that people with these types of problems are often less affected by O/C than people without.

Psycho Therapy Lab,

Sounds like some Day Care or Elementary schools I've heard about.

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NRA Pistol/Rifle Inst. RSO

Do you also gas yourself if you use it in an enclosed room?

Having been pepper sprayed (in academy) and having used it on several occasions, especially close quarters let me give you a few pointers. I have seen it take people down immediately and I have seen some guys brush it right off. On more than one occasion I have had to pepper the same guy twice after the first blast, even though it caught him square in the face the first time because it had not taken effect yet. Some guy hyped up on nothing more than adrenaline might not react instantly and you might end up either having to hit him again with it or go hands on. I have been there. Another problem with pepper spray in close quarters is that you better expect to be inhaling it or wearing it, either of which can leave you in the same shape as the guy you just sprayed, again, been there. I have worn the same pepper as the guy I or another officer just sprayed more than once. If you get pepper spray, have someone spray you with it once just to give you an idea of what it is like. I'm not kidding, as long as you don't have asthma or some breathing issue I would really recommend going to a defense course where they give you a real taste of what it is like. If you don't want to do that, spray a little on your finger and rub it on your cheek. Remember though, you probably will not be hyped up on adrenaline or anything else. Also remember that some people react to pepper spray some because of their physiology. Some guy with pale skin and freckles that looks like Howdy Doody is going to react badly to pepper spray, while someone with darker skin will not be affected as much. I have seen some guys not even react at all to it. All of those things are something you need to take into account before you buy pepper spray.

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Vaya con Dios