1. Pepper Spray (or Mace)
There’s a very important difference between Mace and pepper spray that most people don’t know about.
In short, “Mace” is a brand name for a tear gas derivative that’s available to civilians. Tear gas itself, designed to subdue large crowds, is classified as an “irritant.”
This is an important distinction because many believe “mace” is less effective than pepper spray when it comes to one-on-one self defense situations.
Pepper spray, on the other hand is a “inflammatory” substance designed to immediately incapacitate an attacker — even on that heavily intoxicated.
Both mace and pepper spray are highly unpleasant substances to be sure. We recommend pepper spray over mace when possible. Local laws may impact which substance is most readily available.