by: Rick Burton

You decided you need some kind of self defense device to protect yourself from possible crime situation. But with so many defense gadgets on the market it's not an easy choice. Read on to find out the difference between self defense products, how they work and which one meets your needs most.

Lets take a look at four main categories of defense items: pepper sprays, stun guns, personal alarms and firearms.

Pepper sprays. The active ingredient in pepper sprays is oleoresin capsicum, commonly referred to as OC. OC is a natural, oily, resin-like substance derived from hot peppers, the same peppers used to "heat up" spicy foods. Pepper sprays induce an almost immediate burning sensation of the skin and a burning, tearing, and swelling of the eyes. If spray is inhaled, the respiratory tract becomes inflamed resulting in a swelling of the mucous membranes lining the breathing passages and temporarily restricting breathing to short, shallow breaths.

Many people ask what's the difference between mace and pepper spray. Mace is just a brand name. The company Mace International manufactures self defense sprays and security & surveillance devices. There are other companies that manufacture pepper sprays but in my opinion Mace has the most powerful spray - Triple Action pepper spray. It combines OC pepper and CN tear gas which causes profuse tearing, an intense burning sensation to the face and disorientation. CN tear gas is an extremely strong irritant.

Self-defense sprays have been around for more than three decades and were used mostly by police officers. But in the past 10-15 years pepper sprays have seen increasing use by average citizens. Self-defense sprays are probably the best devices for personal protection. They are inexpensive, small, don't require any special training, have a good range to keep an attacker away and stop assailants instantly without causing any permanent harm.

Stun Guns. The way a stun gun works is by interrupting the communication signals from the brain to the body. A stun gun does not harm a person permanently; it only temporarily disrupts the way our body functions. A stun gun won't cause damage in the long run because the electricity that it delivers into a person's body is very high voltage but low amperage electrical charge. In this way, the charge is not intense enough to cause any long term damage to the person. Voltage range is between 80,000 and 900,000 volt at a rate of three milliamps.

So when you press the stun gun against a person and deliver the shock to them, a few things happen contributing to their following [stunned] condition. The electric shock delivered by the stun gun will combine with the electric signals from the brain and this will confuse your body and make it hard to move. Another effect the stun gun can have is causing a person to do excessive amounts of work directed towards nothing in a particularly short period of time. This will use all of the persons energy so that they will temporarily be unable to do anything.

When triggered, the stun gun emits a bright electrical blast that is quite intimidating and makes a very loud popping noise that will attract the attention of anyone within earshot.

But stun guns have one disadvantage: the probes must be touching the assailant to be effective. This means the victim has to be much closer to the attacker. Further, stun guns require batteries to provide the electrical charge. And as with all battery-powered gadgets, the possibility of battery being discharged is always present.

Personal alarms. Personal alarms are electric or aerosol devices that emit an extremely loud screech or siren sound. The alarm distracts an attacker and makes him afraid of the attention. The most obvious disadvantage of personal alarms is their inability to disable an assailant. The alarms might help in some cases but if the attacker is determined, he can continue despite the loud siren of alarm.

Firearms. Most handguns are purchased for personal protection. But they are not a good option for self-defense. Their use can have serious consequences for the user even in a perfectly justified situations. Most people don't know when to shoot and when not. Even if you have a special training, it's hard to make the right decision. Also there is a possibility that children could get their hands on a handgun with a tragic results. And most people simply don't need the power of a firearm, especially considering the effectiveness of self-defense sprays.

So what to choose? For jogging, walking on the streets I'd say pepper spray, since it's more compact than a stun gun and easy to carry. Cell phone stun gun can be used if you don't want anyone to know you have a self defense device. If you are in a car, stun baton can be useful, since you can stick it out the window into an attacker's face. Most crimes happen in the dark and in that case flashlight stun gun with alarm can be used. Pepper foam is good for indoor use because it produces less fumes than pepper spray.