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.

There are two main categories of defense items: pepper sprays and stun guns.

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.

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.

So what to choose? Stun gun or pepper spray? 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.