We're thinking of angry drivers who choose to get out of their cars to confront you; of ferocious dogs that won't give way; of bears who lay in wait for a once-a-year appearance on your favorite trails. There are times you don't get to choose fight-or-flight. And that's what the Kimber PepperBlaster II is all about.
Kimber PepperBlaster II is unlike any pepper spray or mace-like stuff you've ever seen before. Stuff like "Halt!" is a marshmallow gun by comparison. Kimber refers to it as a "less-lethal weapon", and as one of the world's premier manufacturers of 1911 pistols, they know lethality.
Unlike typical pepper spray, PepperBlaster II isn't aerosolized. Rather, each unit contains two cylinders with powerful concentrations of near-pharmaceutical grade oleoresin capsicum (OC) -- a devastatingly effective irritant.
Each cylinder is driven by a pyrotechnic charge and a piston, and the solution travels at 90mph, giving it enough energy to wrap around glasses or a face mask. Unlike conventional pepper sprays, you won't get any blowback into your own face since it isn't an aerosolized mist.
You don't need to worry whether you're downwind. And you get a substantially longer effective range of 13 feet. Instead of a "spray", it fires a compact stream of OC. The effect is immediate, it lasts for 45 minutes, and it allows you to extricate yourself from the situation with plenty of time to spare. And unlike sprays, it's reliable at any temperature, and won't rupture, burst, or depressurize.
I have fired this 'blaster' you can see the cone of OC out to the target.
Two things to be careful about:
1. Since the new design looks like a small pistol, pulling it out may invite the unintended consequences I speak of.
2. You will get a residue of OC on your firing hand, which will cause a burning sensation for a couple of hours.
Don't touch your face or blow your nose or touch any part of your skin with the hand...keep flushing it with cold water.