One of the low points of my law enforcement career was getting hit in the face with pepper spray.
There was pain, suffering, swearing, snot, tears, and eventually — understanding.
But it was mandatory training in order for us to carry the substance as LEO.
Pepper spray can be an effective tool for both law enforcement and the everyday citizen but there are things worth knowing.
While my experience getting blasted in the face wasn’t pleasant it, and other situations, best prepared me to review a couple of products from PepperBall — the LifeLite Mobile and the Compact.
So, following along as I walk you through the ins and outs of these PepperBall products.
We’ll talk about what they are, how they’re used, and whether you should implement them into your self-defense setup.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
By the end, you’ll have a better idea of whether these products are right for you.
So keep reading!
Table of Contents
Loading…
Fresh Pepper?
Pepper spray is a non-lethal chemical irritant that contains oleoresin capsicum, an extract from chili peppers.
This liquified version of hell can be sprayed onto people or animals for reasons such as self-defense or riot control.
Reactions to being sprayed vary but generally involve a burning sensation.
If the face is sprayed then you can expect to see closing of the eyes and difficulty breathing. The intent is to debilitate someone and it often works.
When your whole face feels like it’s on fire and you’re having trouble breathing, that becomes your priority.
Enter PepperBall
This company took the idea of pepper in the spray format and converted it to a very fine powder called PAVA.
They placed it in small (.68 caliber) balls similar to paintballs, using different systems to launch the balls.
The general idea is, you shoot someone with a PepperBall, the ball hits them and ruptures. Then the PAVA gets on the target and fills the air around them.
Not only do they get it on their skin, but it also gets in their eyes, and they can actually breathe some of it in their lungs.
This can cause a lot of irritation and disruption.
One of the best advantages of these products is they allow you to engage from a distance.
This is particularly important because PepperBall says the cloud their projectiles create is 12 to 15 feet in diameter.
For this review, I took a look at the LifeLite Mobile and Compact so let’s examine these further…
PepperBall LifeLite Mobile
The LifeLite is a launcher that contains three pepper balls. Measuring 9 inches in length, it looks similar to a large, handheld, flashlight with a big orange button on top.
In fact, the LifeLite does have a 350-lumen flashlight feature as well as a laser for aiming. It runs on three AAA batteries and a Co2 cartridge.
The unit weighs 1.4 pounds and PepperBall claims it has a launch distance of 40 feet. I had every intention of testing that out.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Tested
After reading the instructions on how to load the Co2 cartridge and projectiles, I plugged these in along with the AAA batteries.
Thankfully, PepperBall included some inert balls for testing and practice.
Filled with baby powder, the balls are highly useful.
You get a sense of where the powder might end up on your target as well as the occasional smell in the air if you’re close enough.
There are no sights on the LifeLite Mobile but always eager to grip and rip, I headed onto the range, pointed at my target, then turned off the safety and fired.
The inert ball went soaring over the berm!
I then realized the laser was shining around so I pointed it at the target and began to focus.Â
Single-handed, I hit the target…but not exactly where I was aiming for the next couple of shots.
I reloaded, then stepped up on the 7-yard line and adopted a two-handed grip. With the laser holding steady on the paper target, I pressed the button on top of the LifeLite.
Even at 10 and 12 yards, I was still placing the inert balls through the same hole. Beyond this distance, I could no longer see the laser so aiming became more challenging.
I pushed out to 20 yards and took a shot. I missed the target, but adjusted my aim carefully and fired again.
This time I hit the target, but to the left. One more hand adjustment and the third shot hit right in the middle.
The trigger/button is essentially a pneumatic release, so it’s more squishy than the trigger on a firearm. With practice, you get used to it.
I found I could typically get through around eight or nine shots before I needed to change out the Co2 canister.
This was a pretty straightforward affair of unscrewing the cap, replacing the cartridge, and screwing the lid back on.
PepperBall Compact
As the name implies, the Compact is much smaller — just under 7 inches. Essentially, it is a canister with a single projectile.
The idea behind this is that you point it at your target, move the trigger from safe to fire, and press it — this shoots a single pepper ball.
There are no sights on the Compact, so I pointed the Compact at a paper target like a magic wand and pressed the fire button.
I was able to hit the target from 7 yards.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Compact vs. LifeLite
The Compact is reloadable and you can purchase more canisters and shots for it. But assembly is something that lends itself more towards practicing and not a defensive encounter.
The LifeLite Mobile is fairly big when you consider portability but it provides extremely accurate fire (with practice).
Having three shots is great and lessens the impact of a missed shot.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
The light and laser greatly assist aiming — though, during daytime testing, the laser was hard to see beyond 12 yards.
The Compact is a much simpler option. That said, if you miss the target, you have to move on to another plan. But, at only $24 it’s a less expensive choice than the LifeLite Mobile which retails for $149.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
The Compact is also much smaller and could easily fit in a purse or pocket. Again, I was able to produce accurate shots with it after practice.
Conclusion
PepperBall offers good delivery systems that allow you some distance from the target without being directly on top of them if you’re in need of a less-than-lethal solution.
The pepper itself is disabling without being lethal and I believe most people would likely be deterred (or worse) after being hit.
Keep in mind that should you have an encounter with someone and dose them with pepper, or even shoot an area near them with pepper, the effects are not necessarily instantaneous.
Depending on prevailing winds, you might even get a smaller dose yourself.
In addition, not everyone will be affected the same way. Some highly motivated people will still continue to pursue their agenda in spite of whatever symptoms they may be suffering.
That said, the PepperBall systems are worth checking out.
Would you use PepperBall in a defensive scenario? Let us know in the comments below. For more on other non-lethal options, check out the Best Non-Lethal Weapons and Ammo To Use Instead of a Gun.
5 Leave a Reply
The real issue is that once you are qualified to carry it, then the shenanigans start.
Your buddies spray it on the floorboard of your HMMV seat and you tear up just trying to get to the checkpoint. At least this give a clue what is happening with little half ball shells rolling around.
Good times.
I've been hit with pepper spray. It is not an experience I'd like to repeat. Eyes swollen shut, tears like someone had turned on a faucet, snot flowing like crazy, the burning, couldn't really see anything, gasping for air just could not get enough air, throat was burning, chest hurting ...I was disabled, it was horrible. Luckily the bad guy turned and ran away after spraying me and there were others there that came to my aid. I was blind for three days after that, it was like looking at the world through a fogged up car window on a cold day - I could kind of make out shapes and changes in light. Had a cough that lasted for almost two weeks after that. The bad guy got away that day but she got caught a week later.
When we had the training they didn't actually spray us but put a little swipe under an eye on the top of the cheek. They used a peppermint based training spray for the hands on spray training. They did spray pepper spray in training in the past but someone complained about it so they went to the swipe, now I understand why someone would complain about being sprayed. That swipe was bad enough but I recovered quickly. But getting hit square in the face all over the face and directly in the eyes, that was a whole different experience.
The pepper ball thing; Just as you are responsible for where a bullet you fire goes you are also responsible for where that 12 - 15 foot cloud of pepper ball munition ends up. It you use it on a person and there are innocents in close proximity to them then the innocents can also be exposed and they can sue the heck out of you or even maybe have you arrested even if it would have been valid self-defense. Pepper spray affecting infants and small children can do great harm that may be longer-term or permanent and it may also cause neurological effects such as nerve or brain damage, assume its possible with the pepper ball thing also.
John,
Glad you came out alright on that encounter. And great points all around. This is a tool, like any other, and has some great applications. I watched a body cam of an individual refusing to quit a vehicle and based on the circumstances, they just deployed PepperBalls until he came out.
As someone who has both used and been sprayed with both tear gas and pepper spray I suggest getting a small container of pepper spray and trying it on your self . As fights are dynamic affairs with all parties moving around you're going to get some on you. With prior experience and exposure you'll be less likely to panic. As for myself a severe reaction to pepper spray means I don't use it. Good article.
Thanks Mike,
And thanks for your service. You bring up a great point. One of the guys in my training reacted really badly to being sprayed, had to be placed on oxygen. You wouldn't have guessed, but he was the first one to pull out the pepper spray when things went sour.