A few weeks ago I shared a post discussing why I believe it’s a good idea to carry pepper spray for self defense. In that post, I mentioned that my choice for pepper spray is POM Pepper Spray. That begs the question, why?

Honestly, when I decided to start carrying, I made the decision to go with POM based on the recommendation of defensive pistol instructors I trusted. Over the years, that decision has been reinforced over and over again by pretty much every single instructor I have met. While I genuinely can’t think of any instructor who hasn’t included POM in their recommendations with complete certainty, I can tell you that I’ve never heard a single instructor bad mouth POM with complete certainty. And that was and continues to be good enough for me.

Very recently, I entered into a financial agreement with POM. Basically, I will get a small percentage of any sales made directly from the POM website after navigating there from a link in this blog. In addition to that relationship, POM has provided, at no cost to me, a couple of POM Pepper Spray Original units. This was completely unnecessary since I’ve been purchasing these units for my loved ones and myself to carry for years, but they sent them anyway. I share this for transparency since readers, like you, may be influenced by information published in this post to decide to purchase and depend on a POM product for self preservation and defensive purposes.

Now that you know why I started trusting POM Pepper Spray and the existing relationship, let’s take a look at the POM Pepper Spray Original product which I will from here on out refer to as simply POM or pepper spray.

Generally speaking, pepper spray, also known as OC (oleoresin capsicum) spray, contains a concentrated solution of capsaicin and capsaicinoids, the chemicals that make chili peppers spicy, that’s delivered, via a stream, by an aerosol propellant. In the case of POM, the solution uses a formulation of 10% OC with 1.4% MC (Major Capsaicinoids) which is the maximum strength allowed by law. That formula delivers 2.2 million SHU (Scoville Heat Units).

The Scoville scale is a measurement of spiciness. The higher the number of heat units the spicier the substance (or pepper is). Unless one happens to be a pepper connoisseur, 2.2 million SHU probably doesn’t mean much. But I’m betting most everyone has tasted a Jalapeño before which measures somewhere between 2,500 and 10,000 SHU (some Jalapeños are spicier than others). That’s nowhere near the hotness of pepper spray. What about a Serrano? Closer but still far away at 10K to 25K SHU. What about “Thai spicy”? Well the Bird’s eye chili peppers commonly used in Thai cuisine come in at 50K to 100K. Habanero? 100K to 350K. The reality is pepper spray lives in the Carolina Reaper neighborhood (1.5 to 2.5 million SHU). So yeah, it’s hot! Like hot hot!

While it’s not guaranteed to be 100% effective, that spicy hot sauce starts the build up of burning sensation in the eyes, skin, and respiratory system over several seconds and can last for 45 minutes or longer. When it works, and it often does, that’s enough pain to temporarily incapacitate an attacker long enough to get away from danger and seek help.

The aerosol propellant sends that stream up to 12 feet away depending on environmental conditions such as wind. That reach is great because it can be used at a distance a good bit greater than an arms length.

While the POM original units only have 0.5 oz of solution, a little bit goes a long way. That’s enough for about 10 seconds of continuous stream. Dividing that into half second bursts gives us a total of 20 bursts. Two half seconds bursts to the face, one from ear to ear and one from forehead to chin, is plenty and a commonly taught application technique. That means that one small (1″ diameter by 3.5″ height), light, discreet, easy-to-carry unit is enough to apply to multiple attackers when used methodically.

As with most pepper spray products, the shelf life of POM is four years from the date of manufacture. However, POM recommends replacing the unit every two years to ensure maximum effect and propellant potency. I recommend replacing them every year on an easy to remember date, like a birthday, for a few reasons. First, one is less likely to forget whether or not this year is a replacement year or if it’s the next one. Additionally, at roughly $10 per unit, it’s unlikely to be a financial burden.

None of this so far is entirely exclusive to POM. While the exact formulation, range, amount, dimensions, and shelf life of other leading pepper spray products may not be identical, the differences will be minor.

If you’ve already spent hours looking at various product specifications, then you are probably thinking, “Hang on one second! Some brands claim 5.3 million SHUs. That’s a lot more!” or “12 feet? Others claim 18. That’s not a minor difference.” Well, it is and it isn’t. Marketing is going to do marketing things. And folks are going to have different opinions on details and differences.

As you might have guessed correctly, I’m not a chemical engineer. I also haven’t self tested pepper spray for comparison (which would be a very unscientific test). However, I am pretty good at Google-fu and can comprehend technical material reasonably well. Based on my research and discussions I’ve had with learned folks in the self defense space, here are somethings to look for and consider:

1. Reported Scoville ratings for law enforcement grade pepper spray vary from about 500 thousand to 5.3 million SHU. This is primarily due to testing methods and reporting standards aren’t consistent across manufacturers. The higher numbers are great for marketing, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
2. The MC percentage is what really matters when considering heat potency since it is the amount of heat-producing compounds found in the OC solution. In theory, two formulas with the same MC concentration should yield the same SHU value if tested and reported side by side using the same methods and standards. The most potent, trusted, and proven law enforcement grade pepper spray products report a HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) verified 1.4% MC concentration.
3. The OC percentage tells us the saturation of total pepper extract in the formula. The amount indicates the volume of oily residue irritant delivered in the stream. A higher amount makes the stream more viscous and heavy, reducing the reach, but also limiting how it disperses (allowing for a more precise stream delivery). While it doesn’t change the intensity of irritation, it might slightly increase the affected surface area and the duration of the effect.

To summarize, more MC is hotter and therefore better. More OC reduces reach, but allows for more precise and controlled delivery. In my opinion, trading off a yard or two of reach for a stream I can be more deliberate with is favorable since it can help reduce the risk of affecting innocent bystanders who are not involved in the situation.

Now that the lengthy, but necessary, SHU/MC/OC tangent is done, let’s return to the POM original products which is available in three flavors:

• POM Clip which features a clip that comes in handy to secure a unit in any pocket whether it be on clothing, a handbag or a backpack
• POM Key which features a permanently affixed keyring that comes in handy to secure a unit to any other keyring accessory (including a provided two sided detachable keyring)
• POM Snap which features a snap hook that attaches any other keyring or lanyard accessory (including a provided two sided detachable keyring)

All of these are sold individually or in packs of three or six.

There is also a combo pack available and happens to be my favorite purchasing option. It includes a POM Clip unit and POM Key unit. I like this option because I can carry the clip unit in my pocket and keep one with my car keys. I don’t do this because of the “one is none and two is one” prepper mantra, although it does apply. I do this because there are times my car keys aren’t with me and there are times when carrying one in a pocket doesn’t work. The net effect is that there is rarely a time when I don’t have a unit on me. And when I have both, well then I have a back up or one that I can arm someone else with.

The POM Key is probably my favorite because I can put them on the key rings of other family members who aren’t as inclined as I am to keep a unit on their person. The unit is small enough that they don’t mind it and end up carrying a unit with them most of the time when they wouldn’t otherwise do so.

Each unit comes with a flip up safety that is very simple to disengage when the unit is deployed. While nothing about the flip-top safety cap screams rugged durability, I have to say it’s designed well because I’ve yet to break one off and unintentionally dispense OC spray in my pocket (or anywhere for that matter). While I’ve never carried any other brand of pepper spray, I have heard horror stories from folks who have broken off the flip up safety from other brand spray units.

Another neat feature of the unit is a small elevated ridge right below the nozzle of the spray. This ridge provides a physical index that allows one to quickly and easily orient the nozzle of the in their hand by touch as they grip it in preparation to deploy the spray.

Each unit is available in any combination of three body colors (black, white, gray) and ten different ring colors. Personally, I don’t really care about the color options. However, some folks care about aesthetics, color coordination, and accessorizing. And that may be the difference between carrying a unit or leaving it at home.

The bottom line is that the original POM pepper spray products are well designed, inexpensive, easy-to-carry, easy-to-use, and practical OC spray products that are easily accessible to just about everyone in most jurisdictions. Is it the best product in the market? I don’t know, but I can tell you that I trust it and use it. I can also tell you that I have zero reservations recommending it. Last but not least, I can’t think of a good reason for any sane, sober, moral person who values self-preservation to not carry pepper spray, POM or another proven and trusted brand.