ASP Palm Defender Pepper Spray, Self-Defense for Women and Men, Quick-Release Personal Defense Equipment, Personal Protection Device, Safety Running Gear, Personal Security Devices, 0.10 Ounces

I recently was put at increased risk and decided to begin carrying pepper spray at my family's urging. I chose this option because it is more discrete than a traditional pepper spray, and I liked that it doubles as a kubaton (which I have prior experience working with) giving you multiple defense options. Because it is not obviously pepper spray, I feel comfortable keeping it on me at work and I have a force multiplier should I ever need to defend myself. It is comfortable in my hand and fits well in the pocket of my uniform. While I don't feel "safer" per se it is comforting to know I have options if escaping or pepper spray misses or fails (there is a population of people unaffected by pepper spray and as well as who become enraged and fight harder rather than being distracted). I like that there is an option to purchase practice cartridges. Know your tools and practice with them. Running should always be your first choice if possible. Great option.

I like carrying some form of OC, the problem I have with most OCs on the market is the form factors suck. My preferred product would be the Fox Labs 2oz cans, which come with a nice high quality flip top, but that can is fairly fat/bulky in the pocket especially if wearing jeans. But most smaller "pocket" size OCs on the market have cheap, chintzy tops with the style of safety that you turn to activate. I just don't trust these, both that the safety won't get turned in my pocket (which has happened years ago when I tried carrying one, though it didn't discharge) plus they are harder to find with your thumb and get the can oriented in the correct direction quickly and under stress. It's a shame they don't make the nice flip-tops in a taller, skinnier can. The only exception I am aware of as far as small cans w/ a good flip top, are made by Mace, such as  Mace Brand Pepper Spray Police Strength 10% Pepper Pocket Spray . Sabre red also has a tall skinny .69oz product called a Mk-6, as does a brand on Amazon called Defense Technology, though unfortunately the mk-6 comes in a plastic sleeve that makes it almost as fat as the 2oz fox labs.Rant aside, the ASP defender series is a nice alternative in terms of form factor. The things I like about it are as follows - it's tall but skinny, so it doesn't provide a lot of bulk in the pocket. Because of it's length, it's easier to find in your pocket quickly, as opposed to other small OC cans that get "lost" at the bottom of your pocket. And due to the design, when it comes out (assuming you've familiarized yourself with it) you know exactly which end the spray comes from. It would be very natural to get this out quickly and use it, and know it's pointed appropriately in the guy's face. The safety is reasonably easy to disengage once you get used to it, as some others have noted I would recommend putting a piece of skateboard tape on it as out of the box it's a bit slick, and depending how it's rotated in your hand can be a bit tricky to disengage (they should texture the plastic). As far as form factor, the only real gripe I have aside from texturing the safety is it would be nice to have some kind of pocket clip option for those of use who don't want to use this as a keychain (I'll expand on that in a bit). That this can be used as an impact weapon is an added bonus.So, the negatives - the item description says this contains six 1/2 second bursts. I've tested it, using both an intert test cartridge and one of the real OC cartridges, and I think that's generous. From my test, I would say you get more like 1 good cloud out of this thing, after which the volume that comes out with each "burst" declines significantly such that you get like 4-5 more piddly little clouds. Make your first shot count if you carry this! And if you are facing more than one attacker you may be screwed. Also worth noting, the range is very short - you basically need to hold this right in the target's face. I don't really see that as a big negative as I see that the range I would most likely be using OC. But keep that in mind, and if you want more range look at something like the Fox Labs 2oz cans. I would be curious to know how the larger ASP Street Defender would compare as far as range and capacity, the description for that product claims thirty 1/2 second bursts. Related to capacity, the product description claims the canister for this product is 2oz. I'm not sure how they get to that, but it does not have comparable capacity to a Fox labs 2oz can (plus it's visibly a much smaller canister), and even the tiny Mace can linked above, I tested an old comparable sized can from Mace and got a good ten or more 1/2 second bursts (and those were real bursts, not piddly little fractional bursts like the ASP turned into after its first or second shot). That Mace product says 11g in the description which converts to .37 fluid oz. So again, I'm not sure where ASP gets 2oz from, but my tests showed significantly greater capacity from a .37oz Mace can, something clearly does not add up.As far as how I carry this, I don't use it as a keychain. There are several reasons for this, the first is just simply I don't want something that big/bulky on my keys as it's annoying. Also, if it was on my keychain I'm afraid I'd forget to take it off when I fly, and would forfeit it to TSA. Most importantly - if you are in a struggle w/ someone, it seems highly likely you may end up either dropping this after using it, or the key ring could break (esp if you used this as an impact weapon as it's designed) etc. causing you to lose your keys. Resulting in a) you no longer have a means of escape (car) or to get to safety (your house), and b) the mugger now is left with your house and car keys, sweet. No thanks, I'll keep my keys in my pocket where they belong. As I mentioned before, for those who don't use it as a key chain it would be nice to have some kind of pocket clip.Overall, this has the makings of something great but the capacity is disappointing I'm thinking of trying the larger Street Defender as I imagine that would give you a decent number of bursts. If you buy this, I would highly recommend test firing it with either an inert or live insert to see firsthand what the range is and the size of the cloud, then replace it with a fresh insert. Based on the limited capacity I got out of this, I can't imagine the smaller Palm defender having adequate capacity at all. Mace Brand Pepper Spray Police Strength 10% Pepper Pocket Spray

This is a decent idea but it is only effective at very close distances. Compared to other pepper sprays I’ve used, the pattern has a ton of drop over any kind of distance. I’m glad I bought a “test” refill and tried it out. I probably would have doused someone’s knees if I hadn’t tried it out, but now I know better how to aim and what to expect if I need to use this.

This is my second one. My first I assembled incorrectly and fired and had to dispose of it. It cleared a building when I did so! The spray is powerful and I trust it much more ironically now that I sampled the intensity of the spray. I have been sprayed before during training and also by an attacker years ago so I seem to have a better tolerance than those around me who have not been exposed. They were practically gagging and running when it hit the air and it didn't even hit them on their person! I got some on my shirt and on my work desk. Luckily my co-workers are a good natured bunch and we all had a laugh over it.On a more serious note, if any of my office mates had a respiratory illness this could have been very dangerous or even life threatening. Since I own a business that is related to this type of product, and we take self-defense seriously everyone appreciated the effect and impromptu training drill. Read directions carefully when using and installing replacement canister. My co-worker was watching me and insisted the directions were wrong so I tried his way and he had to eat crow. Now we both know, and he actually purchased one of these too due to his response to the spray!

Speaking from first hand experience, this OC is a POWERFUL formula. If this doesn't stop someone looking to cause trouble, I doubt most other brands would either. The kubotan it is built into isn't as heavy as I was expecting and it's usefulness in the manner of usage may be limited - still, it's better than nothing.Now, given the quality of the OC and the clever packaging of it into a kubotan, why would I give it four instead of five stars? One word: SAFETY!My first hand knowledge was gained when the unit went off inside of my pants (yes, giggle - it is' pretty funny now, but not so much at the time). While the safety was still on and with very minimal pressure from my stomach, I was somehow blessed with a groin full of smoldering pain. When it dawned on me what the hissing and moist feeling in my pants was, I immediately reached down to the canister and confirmed that the safety was, in fact, in no way shifted out. Perhaps my Key Defender was a faulty unit, perhaps not. Either way, please be aware that you can not rely on the safety and treat the canister appropriately. Also, use caution when carrying in your pants (a carry recommended on the product packaging, mind you).or pocket.