Although chemical mace (CN) and pepper spray started out as two different products, through the years they have melded into one. Mace is technically classified as an irritant, can be toxic and is illegal in some states. Pepper spray is technically an inflammatory agent, is non-lethal and is legal in all 50 states.
The word “mace” is actually a brand name but as the years have gone by it’s become a common term used for spraying agents, including pepper spray products.
Today, when someone talks about “being maced” – the product that was used on them was more than likely a pepper spray type of product.
Which means that it’s difficult to compare mace to pepper spray because there are a variety of different pepper sprays that fall under the category of “mace”.
If you’re a woman living alone and are concerned about protecting yourself from harm and a dangerous situation, then carrying a self-defense product like pepper spray and/or mace with you seems like a logical thing to do.
But I will do my best to give you the general differences between these two to help you decide which one to use for your protection.
If you want to learn a little about the history of Mace you can check out this article from the Smithsonian Magazine.
Which Is More Effective – Mace Or Pepper Spray?
If we’re talking about traditional mace vs. pepper spray, the general consensus is that the more effective product is pepper spray (technical term is Oleoresin Capsicum).
The reason is that Mace is not effective on everyone. If your assailant is under the influence of alcohol or drugs – Mace generally will not stop them.
But pepper spray certainly can.
Typical pepper spray will land somewhere in the 2,000,000 to 5,300,000 Scoville heat units range. That’s about, on average, 500 times the strength of a jalapeño.
Pepperscale.com
What Happens When You Mace Someone?
Traditionally, Mace was more like tear gas which can cause someone to cough and experience shortness of breath, feelings of a tight chest and burning sensation in their eyes.
But as I mentioned earlier, Mace products did not seem to be effective against anyone who was intoxicated either by alcohol or drugs.
What Happens When You Pepper Spray Someone?
The use of pepper spray, on the other hand can be more harmful to someone. The main ingredient, capsaicin, won’t actually burn someone’s skin but it surely can feel like it’s on fire.
Direct facial contact and inhalation of the spray will induce coughing, choking, and nausea, as well as dilation of the eye capillaries resulting in temporary blindness. The mucous membranes will swell causing breathing difficulties and cause the assailant to be temporarily incapacitated. Skin contact will cause a burning sensation, which is further aggravated by rubbing the area. A one-second burst can affect an attacker for up to 45 minutes without causing permanent damage.
CrimeDoctor.com
So, although the traditional Mace had some effect on deterring an attacker, it did not work on someone who was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
And today, both terms mace and pepper spray both refer to the same products so there is no difference in which one will be more effective.
In fact some of these self defense sprays have both ingredients combined into one product.
UV Dye To Mark Attacker
Some self defense sprays also have an additional ingredient which is UV Dye. It’s a great way to help police identify who the attacker is.
The UV dye in the spray is an invisible marking dye. So, the police can then use an ultraviolet light to identify that person as your assailant.
He or she will be covered in pepper spray that will show through as a glowing neon green color!
Spray Pattern
When you use any of these self-defense sprays on someone – you should understand the type of spray pattern that the particular product you are using shoots out.
They all normally can be used from 10 feet away or less.
But some have different types of spray patterns – like these:
- Powerful Stream – this Sabre pepper spray product shoots out a power stream. This one is the most commonly used. Because it’s a strong stream – it can reach up to 14 feet and if used outdoors on a windy day has more of a chance of deflecting someone looking to harm you.
- Cone Delivery – this other pepper spray offers a wider angle like an aerosol spray so you don’t need to be very precise when aiming towards your would be attacker. But, if using this outdoors on a windy day – there will be less spray on your assailant and more off in the wind!
- Fog Delivery – another spray from Sabre send out more of a mist type which makes it very similar to the sprays that have a cone delivery. These are often used by police departments to help with crowd control.
- Foam Delivery – an finally, this Sabre Red product shoots out a foam substance which causes more of an irritation to the person who got sprayed. The more they try to wipe it off, the stronger the burn.
- Gel Delivery – finally, there’s a new type of spray pattern which is gel sprays offered in this product. Just like the foam product, this one also causes a more intense burning sensation as they try to wipe it off.
Can Mace or Pepper Spray Kill You?
Generally speaking, NO. These are nonlethal weapons.
The active ingredient in pepper spray is capsaicin – which is the component of chili peppers that causes anyone that comes in contact with it skin irritation.
Now, that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been cases where someone did die from being sprayed but these instances are extremely rare and more often than not, the death was caused by a secondary factor.
But, having said that I do have to remind you that there are different types of pepper sprays, some stronger than others.
A paper published in 2004 by the Duke and University of North Carolina talked about the issue that additional chemicals such as alcohol and halogenated hydrocarbons are added to some pepper spray products.
Inhalation of high doses of some of these chemicals can produce adverse cardiac, respiratory and neurologic effects, including arrhythmias and sudden death.
Forbes.com
Currently, there are no studies on the instances where individuals died after being sprayed.
Is It Legal To Mace Someone?
Traditional mace is illegal in Hawaii, Wisconsin and Washington, DC.
But today’s mace is really pepper spray which is legal in all 50 states.
However, if you use any standard pepper spray / mace irresponsibly you could find yourself guilty of committing a crime.
To legally use these spraying agents you must use them in self defense.
Will Pepper Spray Stop An Attacker?
Although pepper sprays will help you to fend off an attack by someone you should never rely on it to completely do the job.
After all, you are not using a Star Trek phaser to stun the attacker – they will more than likely still be standing and may continue to try to attack you.
Here’s a short video on how to properly carry and use pepper spray against an attacker.
Some additional tips about pepper spray.
- All pepper spray / mace products should be kept away from children.
- Make sure to always check the expiration date of your product and of course replace it with a new one.
- To keep it effective, you should periodically shake your pepper spray canister.
- Do not expose these canisters to extreme heat or cold for a length of time. So, that means DO NOT keep it in your car.
Click Here To Find Out Where To Buy Pepper Spray
What’s The Best Pepper Spray For Women?
Everyone wants to feel safe and secure, especially when they’re alone and the use of a defensive spray can certainly help.
So what are the top picks available today?
The best pepper spray for a woman would be one that’s in a small canister making it easy to carry and to use, has a long range, is non-lethal and doesn’t require direct contact with the attacker.
Here are the 4 top rated personal protection pepper sprays available today on Amazon.com:
- SABRE RED Pepper Spray Keychain with Quick Release – this model shoots out a powerful stream of pepper spray up to 10 feet which is perfect if you have to use it outdoors on a windy day.
- SABRE Advanced Pepper Spray Keychain with Quick Release – this option can send out a spray up to 10 feet, has CS tear gas and the UV dye to help identify your attacker.
- SABRE RED Pink Pepper Spray Keychain with Quick Release – this pink nugget has UV dye and CS tear gas for some extra damage to your attacker.
- SABRE Safe Escape 3-In-1 Pepper Gel With Seat Belt Cutter and Window Breaker – I love the idea that this product is really 3 products in one compact tool. Plus, it has a 12 foot range and UV marking dye as well.
In case you’re wondering – Sabre uses CS tear gas (vs CN tear gas) because “CS is a 10-times more potent lacrimator than CN but is less systemically toxic.” – Poynter.org
If you want something stronger than pepper spray, you can try Bear Spray which is like an over-size can of pepper, but the chemical irritant it uses is more potent.
After all, it was created as a bear deterrent so it has to be stronger!
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