Does POM Pepper Spray Work?
A little while back, the folks at POM Industries asked if I would be interested in taking a look at POM pepper spray and doing a review. My history with less-than-lethal chemical sprays goes back quite a few years, so I figured I could handle that and agreed to it. To be transparent, POM did provide the products at no cost, but this will not influence my review.
And yes, we did do testing of the live spray.
How Did We Get Here?
As I said, I’ve been involved with LTL sprays for a long time. Starting in the 80s, I had experience with CN and CS sprays and gas. In the Army, we used a lot of CS grenades in training, as well as the infamous “Disco Hut” that every soldier went through in basic training that exposed them to a CS.
Going back into law enforcement in the early 90s, pepper spray was coming into the market. Oleoresin of Capsaicin (OC) was being combined with CS into sprays for law enforcement and the civilian market. As the science progressed, the concentration got more refined and now OC (pepper spray) is the primary option on the market.
Hotness/Effectiveness
There are a lot of numbers and terms thrown around when pepper spray is discussed. The percentage of OC itself is not the primary determining factor. Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) have long been one of the factors. The higher the SHU number, the “hotter” it is.
In more recent years High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been used to measure the consistency of the potency. POM pepper spray uses HPLC to ensure consistent performance
For those of you who like to dork out on the numbers POM’s formula is 10% OC (Oleoresin Capsicum) with 1.40% Major Capsaicinoids with 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units (SHU). I’ll discuss the effectiveness a little later in this article.
A Word About Bear Mace
Often when I talk about OC, someone will say “Get some bear mace”. Yes, bear mace is typically a little higher (about 2% major capsaicinoids) and it does have about twice the range. However, it is also a lot bigger can. Not something you’d carry on a daily basis. In addition, the manufacturers clearly advise not using it on humans. If you do, trust me, that warning will come up in the civil suit.
Another Urban Myth
Let me take a minute to address another urban myth that often comes up. I cringe every time I hear a person say “Get a can of wasp spray”. Gentle reader, don’t be an idiot. That is horrible advice and you’d be wise to ignore it. Aside from the fact that it is an insecticide that is not meant to be used on a human, it can have permanent consequences you do not intend. There is absolutely no good reason to choose wasp spray over a good pepper spray. Just don’t do it.
What Does POM Offer?
POM has a good lineup. Not a crap load of variations, yet everything is covered. The most popular model is the POM Original. These are small cylinders that can be easily carried in a pocket, purse or other pack.
The specs for the Original are:
1/2 fluid oz unit, measuring 1″ in diameter and 3.5″ in height. They provide 20 bursts or up to 10 seconds of continuous spray, with an effective distance of 12 feet. For reference, you can see the pictures below. The second picture shows that a quarter covers the diameter of the Original.
The Original comes in 3 configurations:
- The Clip, which allows you to clip inside a pocket or to a belt. Get the POM Clip here.
- The Snap, has a one-way snap-hook that easily attaches to any keyring or lanyard accessory. Get the POM Snap here.
- The Key, which has a quick key release that allows easily separate your unit from your keys. Get the POM Key here.
Personalization:
The Original comes in 3 colors, black, white or gray. Each one also comes with 6 colored rings that allow you to personalize it a little bit if you’re into that.
New Year, New Protector: About Setting Goals
The MK-3
The MK-3 felt a little familiar to me. It felt like the sprays I carried during my law enforcement career. These are designed more for the law enforcement or security community, although there are uses for the civilian world as well. It uses the same HPLC-tested formula as the Original but boasts a little more reach. The MK-3 is rated for 18 feet. Its 2-ounce capacity gives it 20+ bursts or up to 9 seconds of continuous spray. It comes with a clip that rotates to any position around the canister.
Easy and Safe
One of the things I appreciated most about the POM pepper spray units was the safety and ease of use. The Original and the MK-3 both have a cover that prevents them from being sprayed accidentally (within reason) yet it is immediately accessible for use. Some manufacturers use a system that makes you rotate the actuator a little to allow it to spray. POM doesn’t require a fine movement like that. Instead, you slip your thumb in from behind and push the button. It’s that simple.
The design also prevents you from activating the unit while it is facing you. If you have the unit oriented the wrong way, you can’t access the button. Another nice feature is a small bump on the front of the canister that gives you an index point, helping you avoid covering the spray with your finger and providing another checkpoint to correct orientation.
Ease of Use
My wife had never used pepper spray in her life. In fact, she was a little scared of it. She was worried she’d accidentally shoot herself. So she was the ideal test subject for this.
POM sent some inert training units to me. These blue canisters are the same size as the Originals and function 100% identical. The only difference is that they use pressurized water instead of OC.
We did this on video. I gave her about 10 seconds of “training” on how it works, then let her shoot me with it at about 10 feet. From the first spray, she was immediately able to get good ‘hits’ and had no trouble using the unit.
Especially if you have never trained with POM pepper spray, I would highly recommend getting a training unit or two. It’s a great confidence builder. Get them here.
But Does it Work?
All the features are nice, but if the stuff coming out doesn’t do its job, this is all a bunch of theater. To that end, I decided to take one for the team and let my loving wife shoot me in the face with POM pepper spray.
Now, this was not the first time I had been pepper sprayed, but I do hope it was my last. With my neighbors watching, my joy-filled wife sprayed me in our driveway.
I could see the stream coming at me…for a split second. Then my eyes slammed shut and the pain started.
Because I have done this before, I was holding my breath. When I knew the stream had stopped, I exhaled as hard as I could to blow it out of my nose and off my lips. I suppose it helped, but that didn’t stop the pain in my eyes.
Now I know you’ve probably seen some pretty comical videos of people freaking out when they got sprayed. Spoiler alert: That wasn’t my reaction. But admittedly, some of that was because of experience.
One thing my wife mentioned was that while spraying the live version, she noticed the liquid was thicker (it’s an oil) and had a tint to it, so she was able to instantly correct it to get the most effective hit on my eyes. The pic below is about 12-14 minutes after being sprayed.
Is it effective?
Yes. Yes, it is. While I could have fought to try to defend myself at that point, were I the aggressor, I would not have had any interest in continuing my actions. I can’t imagine wanting to continue trying to voluntarily stay in that engagement. All I wanted was to flush my eyes for the next 10 minutes. After getting stuff cleaned up, I threw my clothes in the wash and got in the shower to carefully decontaminate. (If you know, you know)
For the next few hours, it was still uncomfortable. As I said, I hope this is the last time I do something like this. (although a number of ‘friends’ have suggested I try other brands for their amusement.)
The Wrap Up
Having a less-than-lethal option makes sense on many levels. And if you think pepper spray is an option that makes sense for you, then I would absolutely recommend looking at POM Pepper Spray.
Probably the best endorsement I can give is the fact that I trust it enough to have my wife and daughter carry it. While each of them is routinely armed with a pistol, there are times when this makes sense, and I feel better knowing they have POM with them.
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