Pepper Foam is a revolutionary new defense pepper spray that combines 10% PEPPER and FOAM to produce a powerful deterrent against attack. The thick pepper foam covers an assailant's face, making it difficult to see.

Self-Defense Products: a Quick Checklist

With today's rising crime rate, one needs to consider the various options to protect oneself from becoming a victim of muggings, assault, or kidnapping attempts.

Self-defense products are still relatively rare in the local market although more and more sports and specialized hobby shops like Hahn Manila are expanding their product lines.

Before buying anything, consider your personal circumstances and match your lifestyle and routines with the self-defense products you may need. This way, you avoid spending money on something you don't need or end up buying something you can't use.

For example, it's pretty useless to buy a firearm like a 9 mm automatic pistol for self-defense if you are untrained and cannot convince police authorities that you need it badly enough to be carried around.

Similarly, you may end up buying a bulky pepper spray canister that takes at least five seconds to take out of your handbag in an emergency situation - especially if your handbag is the target in the first place.

One gadget popular in the U.S. is the personal alarm. This pager-like unit emits a shrill sound of as much as 130 decibels to attract attention in case of muggings. The problem is that bystanders in the local setting are notoriously unreliable in helping victims nowadays.

Thus, mace or pepper spray would be ideal for you if you commute to and from work, often go home late at night, and pass through dimly lit or sparsely populated areas.

When deciding on what kind of dispenser to buy, consider things like how easily you can bring it to "firing position" from a stored position, its range, and its effectively. This information can be obtained from the packaging or from sales personnel who are often quite honest about the product's performance.

One can buy pepper spray - the same make you see carried by security guards on their belts however, field reports indicate that their contents tend to expire rather rapidly along with a corresponding decline in canister pressure.

One can therefore move up to more powerful models which are considered more reliable.

For lady drivers, an increasingly popular model is a small pepper spray dispenser that also serves as a key chain for car keys - very useful when walking to your car in a dark and deserted parking lot.

Of course, if you are unsure of being able to properly aim for the assailant's face if you are attacked, you should consider other gadgets like an electric stun gun that delivers a non-lethal charge of anywhere from 50,000 to 130,000 volts.

The problem with stun guns is that you can inadvertently harm yourself with "feedback" if you try to stun an attacker while he is actually holding you (from behind, for example).

Enter the Taser.  These are stun guns that actually fires off a 130,000-volt stun cartridge with compressed air that can hit and disable an attacker up to 30 feet away. It's like having a gun without the hassle of applying for a license.

In addition, it is relatively bulky and may be inaccessible in the event of sudden assaults (unless you want to walk around with it hanging from your hip).

If the threat to life and property is real, however, one can always buy a gun from the many shops that have been cropping up all over the place.

The buyer must first hurdle several requirements in obtaining a gun license, for which many gun shops also provide assistance.

And then there's the hurdle of getting a "permit to carry," for which you will have to convince the authorities that an actual threat to your life exists.

Normally, first-time gun owners are referred to .38 caliber revolvers that may give peace of mind, but is actually limited in terms of providing serious defense.

The weapon of choice for many gun owners nowadays is the 9 mm automatic pistol, depending on their make and model.

These pistols are favored because they have high magazine capacity, are easy to maintain, and are relatively easy to handle and fire.

Favored models include the Beretta 92 series, Glock pistols, and the new Sig Sauer line popularized by the latest James Bond movies.

For home defense, nothing beats a shotgun for its stopping power and ease of operation.

Because a shotgun spreads pellets in a wider arc, it is especially ideal for dealing with burglars in your home when your aim is impaired after just being roused from sleep.

If you have money to burn, an investment in a closed circuit TV system installed in and around your home is warranted.

You can buy a 10-camera system, with a TV monitor and a recording device to keep an eye on your front and back yards.

The ironic thing about all these products under the personal defense category is that once you have them, you wish you'd never have to use them in actual emergency situations.

Of course, as gun enthusiasts love to recite, "Better to have something and not need it, rather than need something you don't have."

Copyright 2002 BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation BusinessWorld March 11, 2002, Monday, BYLINE: Daxim L. Lucas