Pepper sprays, stun guns, kubotans, they all work well for preventing an assault, but does one self-defense weapon really work any better than another? There is no short answer to this question. Each personal defense weapon has advantages as well as disadvantages. I've already written a number of articles on how some of these weapons work, so this time I'll just attempt to give you a brief description of the pros and cons of some of the more popular self-defense weapons, and then only you can decide which one works best for you.

Pepper spray Pepper spray is an excellent self-defense weapon but it does have limitations. The chemical heat generated from defensive sprays works extremely well at stopping an attacker in their tracks. Pepper spray causes an almost instantaneous inflammation of the mucus membranes in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs of your attacker, causing them a great deal of pain as well as the inability to open their eyes or catch their breath, thus allowing you to get away.

The average pepper spray on the market today has a range of anywhere from 8 feet up to 20 feet allowing you to use the device from considerable distance away from your would be attacker. The limitations of pepper spray are that your attacker must be hit in or around the area of their face for it to be effective.

Unfortunately, wind conditions can have an effect on the direction of the spray. Also many assaults happen from behind or by surprise, making it difficult to take aim with a defensive spray. On the other hand, if you have your pepper spray ready and are alert enough to your surrounding to avoid being surprised, then pepper spray is possibly the most effective non lethal defense weapon you can have.

Stun Guns Stun guns are another excellent self-defense weapon. They use electrical voltage to disrupt the muscle functions of your attacker. The voltage produced by a stun gun causes some pain but more importantly, they interfere with the neurological impulses from the brain to the muscles rendering your attacker unable to control their muscle function. The down side to a stun device is that the electrodes must come into contact with your target. That means that your attacker has to be right in your face before you can use the weapon against them.

On the plus side, stun guns are effective almost anywhere on the body, so if you are attacked from behind or surprised, you don't need to take aim as you would with the defensive sprays. Just reach around and jam the weapon into your attackers body, then push the button.

Kubotans Kubotans are possibly the most popular of all personal self-defense weapons. One reason is that the kubotan is a highly effective pressure point weapon that is considered non lethal and legal almost everywhere. (I say almost everywhere because even though I don't know of anywhere that they're not legal, I also don't know every law in every city in the country. I will however say this, if they are illegal somewhere, that law needs to be changed). Another reason kubotans are so popular is that they are extremely easy to carry. While there are a number of different styles of kubotans, the average one is little more than a stick that's about 5 ½ inches long and about ½ inch in diameter. They can be easily carried in your pocket and most of the kubotans today have a key ring attached to them, which makes them readily available whenever you are carrying your keys with you.

Knives Knives are rarely used for self-defense purposes. While they can make an excellent self-defense weapon, few people are truly prepared to cut or stab another person. There's something about slashing another human being that would make most people all too aware of just how soft and fragile their own bodies are. I have personally spent some time learning knife-fighting techniques, but it's still not my weapon of choice.

Handguns The final weapons that I'll talk about today are handguns. What can be said about a gun that hasn't already been said? Handguns are possibly the ultimate self-defense weapons. Even someone with minimal intelligence is likely to stop whatever they're doing when they find themselves looking down the barrel of a loaded gun. The only downside to guns is that almost anyone can pull the trigger of a gun and kill another person. Even a small child can accidentally shoot and kill someone with a handgun. A number of people are accidentally killed every year by someone who didn't know how to properly use a gun. This can make guns very dangerous in the wrong hands. I am personally a strong advocate for the right to bear arms, but I am just as strongly opposed to anyone handling a firearm without the proper training.

That's about it for today folks. I could go on and on about self-defense weapons, but this article is already getting a bit lengthy. I'll go into more detail with some of my future articles, but for now, I hope that I've given you enough brain food to cause you to want to do some of your own research on self-defense weapons.