All posts in Less Lethal

The Kimber Pepper Blaster II a primary instead of a backup

Kimber Pepper BlasterThere are plenty of reasons to consider carrying a firearm for self defense, but once you educate yourself on how effective firearms are in self defense, you’ll realize why sometimes tasers and batons are more effective in close ranges than wondering if a 124gr Gold Dot is going to shut down a bad guys central nervous system.   I have seen one stop shots and I’ve seen nut jobs on PCP take shots to the head and still keep coming.   Pepper sprays don’t always incapacitate and even tasers can miss or not work.

I’ve been a big proponent of pushing people that carry firearms to also educate themselves on modern first aid and to also consider carry less lethal options as well as firearms.   Many of the CCW clothing and tactical apparel we sell makes carry flashlights, knives, pepper sprays and firearms very easy so why not consider something like the Kimber Pepper Blaster something you should consider carrying as a primary self defense weapon, with less liabilities of using deadly force, and has an effective shelf life of about 5yrs.

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Fox Labs Pepper Sprays, Stream, Cone and Foam, how do you use it?

Fox Labs Pepper SpraysThere are a lot of different options out there for less lethal devices,  I’m more in the pepper spray camp than the taser be a little too expensive or too much of a hassle.  The idea of spending $600 on a taser instead of buying a new Glock for self defense isn’t my idea of spending money wisely and really more of a Law Enforcement device than a Civilian option.  Some of those hand held tasers where you have to walk up to someone isn’t a good tactic in the real world.  Distance is always a better option in every defensive scenario.   As someone who had to be certified to carry pepper spray, I’ve had some of this stuff tested on me and been in rooms where it was used and went home with varying degrees of fallout.

Pepper sprays can get real sloppy if not used properly and I think there are not enough guys out there teaching their girlfriends or wives how to use it.  I often ask the women who tell me they carry the keychain products if they know how to deploy it and probable 75% don’t know to aim for the eyes.  Other little things to know about pepper sprays is that they expire and all also need to be shaken from time to time.   I think Fox Labs pepper sprays in the Stream pattern are the most versatile and fog really isn’t good for anything but multiple attackers and best for crowd control, but you better make sure you know which way the wind is blowing.  The Cone pepper sprays are pretty much in the Fog category and doesn’t make much difference to me.  Foam pepper sprays are best left for club bouncers or security officers because a well trained criminal is going to know that if they get hit in the face with a Foam agent, all they have to do is scrape it off and throw it back at  you.

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Sending your kids to College right now? Do they know situational awareness and have any forms of Pepper Spray or Self Defense?

Pepper SpraysThis is the time of  year, every year, that we get parents coming into our store looking for some form of pepper sprays.   Many of  the local Police Departments send people to our store.  CCW has it’s time and place, but Dorm Rooms and firearms aren’t a good idea if you ask me.   Recently there was an investigation opened up by the Department of Education about the Colleges that may have been covering up some of the sexual assault statistics and other crimes that occur on College Campuses and right off of the Campuses.  Several of those were right here in the Philadelphia as well as all over the Country.  The truth of the matter is that it does happen, and sexual assaults are probable one of those crimes that is under reported.   You do have to blame the parents for not educating their kids about situational awareness, and how to avoid getting into bad situations.

One of the problems we have seen in regards to this are that some people just don’t like the idea of defending themselves, just buying your daughter Sabre Defense Pepper Sprays and not teaching her how to deploy it properly isn’t a good idea.   We often explain to parents how to use the simple keychain style because many are somewhat familiar with it, but it’s not really the best choice.  I’m personally not a big fan of tasers because I don’t like the idea of having to get that close to someone.    There are plenty of manufacturers that have Youtube videos of how to properly use their products so once you purchase something for a family member, make sure you sit them down and explain it to them, maybe buy 2 devices and or a training one just so they have some level of training.

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Better insurance along with CCW, Kimber Pepper Blaster II

Kimber Pepper BlasterThere are always reason to consider carrying something to defend yourself and it’s not always about firearms and deadly force, sometimes even those that carry guns don’t think enough about the reality of using a firearm in self defense and the civil lawsuits that come later.   Learned to use your car keys or a pen and especially your fists and footwear to get a punk off you.   Cops lose guns to bad guys and we have heard plenty of stories of bad guys knowing how to pick handcuffs and understand how a Blackhawk Serpa or a Safariland Level II or Level II holster works so don’t depend on your firearm.   Recently talking to a Security Agency about various pepper sprays, stream, fog, brand names like Sabre Defense, Fox Labs and Ruger and Kimber, they all hated using it because they either had to detain the person and a certain amount either blew back on them or got on them in someway.

That’s what Cops and Security personnel have to do, an average citizen can just walk away, so using a stream or a blasting pepper spray can dramatically reduce the blow back.   I personally highly recommend the Kimber Pepper Blaster is a secondary self defense measure do to the fact it’s shaped like a gun, about the size of an average pocket pistol and and shoots 2 blasts over 90mph.   I’m not big on knife fighting and fist fights due to all of the blood born pathogens out there and always keeping your distance, and having a device that gives you distances is a good idea.   For under $40 I would highly suggest getting one of these for yourself and family members and not just look for the cheapest lipstick pepper spray.

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Upcoming “Night Out” in your local Township? Flashlights and Less Lethal weapons

Streamlight Protac 2LKimber Pepper BlasterEvery year we have been asked to be at our local “Night Out” because we are a business that is use to dealing with people that are concerned about fighting crime and it’s not all about carrying firearms and CCW.   We always warn people when they call us up and tell us they are thinking about carrying a gun because of the crime they are hearing about, like the “knock out game” which recently occurred right near us and is something that has been going around in waves all around the Country.   The pathetic reality about the game is they are picking on individuals that are by themselves and often older or weaker than them.   The answer to defending yourself from this type of crime is not carrying a gun, it’s about situational awareness and in my humble opinion, verbal defense and flashlights and less lethal force like ASP Pepper Sprays, Kimber Pepper Blasters and a good Streamlight Protac 2L with a 260 lumen output and strobe are better starting points.

Without getting into hypothetical reasons of being able to use lethal force in an attack like the “knock out game” there are more stories about people being held up on bus stops and cell phones being stolen over any other crime.   Here in Philadelphia it’s the number one crime that is occurring.   If you are alone always keep your space from any individual or group of people and using verbal defense, lighting them up with a flashlight and using a form of Pepper Spray or cracking a taser to keep them away.  For home defense, the Massad Ayoob Home Defense  DVD from Pantaeo Productions is an excellent give and much of it has to do with having good lighting, not allowing your bushes to grow to high around your house, having a good Alarm System or a dog are also good things to always consider.  One of the biggest suggestions I would have for people attending a Night Out event is to understand how to work with your local Police and be able to give them the information to actually fight crime.   All too often I have met people that don’t know how to gather accurate information like License Plates, Accurate descriptions, time of day and no exaggerations on making reports.  I know plenty of Town Watch people that have been extremely effective in removing problematic neighbors because they knew how to work with Law Enforcement to get things done, and not just complain the police aren’t doing a good job.

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Kimber Pepper Blaster II, our #1 Recommendation for less lethal pepper sprays

Kimber Pepper BlasterThe first that people see when we suggest people consider this is sticker shock, for almost $40 people want to back away from dropping that cash, and then they look at the $10 keychain Pepper Sprays and think that is a better option.   Well, any pepper spray is better than no pepper spray if you need to use it, but there are huge differences in the efficiency in the way various bottles, cans and trigger fired mace or pepper sprays deployed.   When we talk about carrying firearms and deploying them under stress, we forget that even if you don’t have a firearm, your body may still be under stress and disengaging safeties, fumbling around with retention holsters ect might mean losing the fight.  It’s always good to think ahead and if you are buying pepper spray for someone else, tell them to go on youtube.com and watch some of the ways to deploy it.

Plenty of people are carrying pepper spray that should be thrown away and once you get beyond a year or two of the shelf life, you are dealing with a dramatically weakened pressure or broken down chemicals that are no longer going to work.  If you want to spend $10 go ahead, but if you want someone to carry a less lethal weapon, the Kimber Pepper Blaster II is are #1 recommended device that you can carry in your pocket, purse or pickup the carry pouch that we sell that you can also use.   Consider picking up something like this even if you are CCW because using pepper spray on a dog or assailant carry much lower liabilities in the judicial system

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Less lethal devices aren’t talked about enough

Kimber Pepper BlasterThere is a lot going on in  the news about the Knock Out game and various self defense shootings and race.   There is a problem in our society where the truth can’t be told but the media and Politicians use it for their way of stirring people up for their own political gain.    It really is sad how the real picture, is Americans are turning on each other.    The 2nd Amendment is there, but the life altering impact on using lethal force is something that is not discussed enough.    Florida is the focus much of this conversation but those that carry firearms for self defense should seriously look at what the cost of using a firearm vs using some of the modern less lethal options.

Some of our hottest selling pepper sprays, both stream, gels and fog are still the keychain devices, I guess it’s just a comfort but it’s really  not the best option.   We aren’t all going to be able to carry a 4oz bottle on a duty belt like many law enforcement do, less lethal force devices like the Kimber Pepper Blaster have a very long shelf life and if you can get over the price, this is an extremely practical devices that is about the size of your average .380 pistol.   With all the issues going on in society, I’d much rather hear a defendant say they attempted to use less lethal force but had to use a firearm, thinking ahead and being prepared is never an old idea.

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There are differences between pepper sprays

asp pepper spraysAll of those pepper sprays that you can buy for $10 at a hardware store are not going to be as potent as the stuff you can buy online or a Law Enforcement Supply store.   I have heard of countless situations where someone was under attack and used some expired our outdated key chain pepper spray and it either had no pressure or it was barely effective.   Many people don’t pay attention to the expiration dates on their defensive sprays and I have yet to understand why people settle for “the least” effective items for defense.   I have pushed pepper sprays and mace on all of my students and references the Travon Martin case as to why less lethal force has far fewer liabilities that lethal force.   If George Zimmerman had pepper spray or mace on him it would have cost him $10 to stop the threat if his side of the story was true.

Many items out there have various effective dates and as far as I know the Kimber Pepper Blaster is probable the longest shelf live.   The items we sell the most now are the ASP Pepper sprays that have the high heat and the refill canisters. I highly recommend that if someone is going to carry something like this, they atleast practice with a real one or try and pickup a demonstration one and know what the range of the spray is.  Many Law Enforcement that I know actually prefer tasers to Pepper spray because of the blow back and most reference that when they use it they almost always get some of it on them.   Pepper Sprays are meant to be used while retreating.

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Lots of new things coming in based on local customer feedback

Philadelphia Police SuppliesWe did an entire overhaul of our Broomall showroom this year and probable 85% of the new products we have in are things that our local Police Departments have asked us to bring in.   If you’re a Glock 21 owner, we’ve probable got more Glock 21 holsters in our store than for any other firearm.   Being this close to some of the largest police departments in the State, we have to carry a lot of inventory to make sure we are always relevant to what our customers needs and wants.   Recently we started stocking more of the Safariland  holsters, not just the duty holsters, but paddle holsters that hold the TLR-1S Flashlights.   Many of our customers have been asking for items like this for off duty or even for going to court.

This is industry is very flood in some regards but there are always new products coming out that do things better than their competitors and if you  don’t attend some of the National and International Trade shows you won’t really have a clue what is going on  in the industry.  In recent months we have been attending shows and many Philadelphia Police Supplies are changing over from previous brands.   More AR15 and Glock firearm accessories are hitting the streets like the Glock Trijicon High Definition sights.   Most Cops have learned to get with the program and improve their ability to see at night.   Streamlight Flashlights have made  huge advancements in the brightness of their lights and many of the new products are an 85% improvement over last  years models.

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Law Enforcement and Civillian Sabre Defense Options

Kimber pepper blaster IIThe new Kimber Pepper Blaster II is a huge improvement over the early Kimber Guardian Angel.   The device has a better grip and actually has sights on it.   Although you may at first think they are expensive, they almost 2xs longer than bottle sprays and are easier to hold and aim than any flip tab bottle.   If you are carrying a firearm as a Civilian, carrying a backup or secondary weapons, other than a knife that give you even more security in defusing a hostile situation without the legal ramifications of using a firearm may only cost you $20-$40, would you take it?

We all know there are people that are living in States where carrying a firearm is not allowed, but considering how good modern technology has become, Sabre Defense pepper sprays and tasers have become viable options for self defense.   We also highly recommend people consider carrying some level of less-lethal device other than a knife or a firearm because there are are more than likely more incidences where dealing with an obnoxious bully or drunk can be diffused with pepper spray than waiving a firearm and then having to deal with law enforcement in a he said she said.  While it is true that many Law Enforcement Officials have been using tasers, even those have proven to not always workASP Pepper Sprays and many other options for backup or primary non-lethal defense

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