Mace Brand Self Defense Pepper Spray Gun with Strobe LED to Aim and Distract Threats, Police Strength with UV Dye, 20' Spray, 28 Grams, 6.5" x 4.5"

Just received and test fired this pepper gun. My first impression is positive and well satisfied. As others have mentioned in their reviews, it is a little larger than expected. It would fit in a box measuring 6.5"x 4.25"x 1.5". This is about .25" wider than a small revolver but otherwise about the same length and height. The major difference is in weight. My .38 spl revolver weighs 17 oz. loaded while the pepper gun weighs 6.5 oz. Using the water cartridge that comes loaded in the canister chamber, I was able to get 7 one to two second blasts from the pepper gun. I shot it at 10 ft. and easily hit where I was aiming with a solid squirt of water. It covered about a 5" diameter area with each squirt. I tested the small light located under the cartridge cylinder in a dark closet. With the "hammer" in the forward position, the trigger becomes the light switch. Press it and the steady flashlight is on. Release it and press again and the strobe light is on. As others have mentioned, the light is sufficient to navigate in a dark room, but it isn't going to blind anyone unless they are pretty close and their eyes are adapted to the darkness. The strobe effect may serve to startle someone and result in temporary confusion, but how the person would react is anybody's guess. The light coming on suddenly in the dark may offer enough time to manipulate the hammer so the next time the trigger is pulled it releases pepper spray, or maybe not. It seems apparent the pepper spray cannot be activated with the light or strobe on. The pepper gun is made of a sturdy plastic and is molded in black so if scratched it won't show except on the sides of the grip which are painted silver. The left grip comes off by removing a small screw. Inside is a plastic cylinder that contains three removable "button" batteries ( LR44, 1.5V). The light is an LED, so both the LED and the batteries should last a long time. It came with an instruction pamphlet, a practice water cartridge and one OC cartridge.This a a pretty decent product. Although a bit bulky for a small purse it should easily fit in a large purse. It will carry nicely inside the waist band, particularly with a belt on. Unlike a firearm, it is light enough to stay in place inside the waistband or to be carried in a jacket pocket. It seems too bulky to be comfortably carried in a pants pocket. One caution an owner should be aware of. If a law enforcement officer sees this "gun" being pointed at someone, the officer's response may be swift and deadly. I really considered buying the pink model of this gun because of this exact situation. Bright yellow or orange would be equally hard to conceal, but I would have ordered yellow or orange but pink? No. This product will do a heck of a job in the right circumstances. Just be aware of the situation and use it for it's intended purpose and when it is really the last alternative. I like it because if I have to use it, unlike a firearm, I'm probably not going to regret it and I'm probably not going to be arrested.

Lightweight. Shoots far. Good control. The most practical I have seen.Pull hard with the trigger the first few times.There are to major stunning flaws that made me go, “WTF.”“What were they thinking?”This WILL be mistaken for a gun.I don’t like bluffs.If it looks like a gun, it will be a gun.The “light” is pathetic. It will not help you see anything except a gorilla five feet away. It will make you easier to see and be a target. PPaint yellow.Breakout cheesy light.Then it is a good self defense weapon. It will give you a couple of minutes to attack or run, whatever action is required.

After I got the first gun I ordered two more and have plans to order one for every female friend of mine for Christmas. I'm a former police officer and a distributor and seller of Mace units/guns. I used to sell the keychain versions of small canisters at malls and flea markets. I've seen and tried a lot of these units and this is a thousand times better than anything I've used or tested. The fact that it comes with water canisters you can practice with makes it a great buy because you don't want to use mace for the first time in a self-defense situation. I would highly recommend buying several additional water canisters for practice. It only takes one to become familiar with what to expect, but for women without much experience in self-defense or using Mace, the water canister gives you confidence. The spray goes at least 10 feet and I would feel good about letting it fly at up to 15 feet, but it's only going to be really amazing at 5-8 feet, the distance of a real attack. I like the gun grip. I like the fact it looks like a gun for dealing with bad guys, but worry if cops would see it as a real gun and shoot rather than ask questions. The safety is easy to use, it's a thumb activated knob on the back where a revolver's hammer would be. It's easy to load and unload. The directions are very well written. There's just nothing, other than no letter on the safety to indicate on or off, (only an orange color to show it's on, or off). that I don't like about it.It's a great protection for men or women. Lightweight, well constructed and while the price is a little high compared to other units on the market, it's worth it. A better price point would be $29.99, but I'm paying the $49 because I want something simple, effective and solid. Buy one for your vehicle and one for your home. They're a great investment.

it's an excellent tool to use for protection. Make sure you practice with the water canister first before you put in the pepper spray canister. Unfortunately my strobe light on my mace gun went out after 1 year. That was the downfall because I still have the mace gun .I've never used it now for the second year. I wish I could replace the light in that gun but I don't think you can so if I aim directly heaven forbid it's blindly and I'd have to be on point in case of an emergency.

I’ve had those keychain pepper sprays in the past and when I have tested them, I have lost all confidence in their ability to protect me. I love that this comes with a water testing canister that you can practice with and you can buy more of. I recommend practicing so that you know what to do in a real emergency. It’s brace forcefully and accurately and far. All the negative reviews say it doesn’t work: you have to actually pull the trigger past the initial slight pressure. This is on purpose so it does not accidentally discharge in your purse or pocket or whatever. Also, another reviewer mentioned that you have to shake the canister every day To make sure it remains active or whatever. I did not know this.