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Pepper spray expiration

Davidk said:
How long past manufacture date is pepper spray good?
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When mine expire I replace it and I take the expired one and use it for training and familiarization in the back yard.

It will also really spice things up in the bedroom if you leave it on the nightstand and your wife wakes up and mistakes it for a flashlight. True story. Hard to get back to sleep after that.

It also makes a great condiment on tacos.

When it comes to safety equipment it isn’t the place to skimp.

Bob
 
I’ve carried and used pepper spray like it was going out of style for over 20yrs at work. We used to call it karate in a can.

I wouldn’t worry about an expiration date unless it at least 10yrs+ past. Even then as long as it sprays it should be good. The cans I have now expired in 15/16, I have zero worries that they’ll still work well.

Make sure you shake the can occasionally or just before any actual use to keep it from settling.

I’ve never heard of nor kept any in the fridge. Hot weather, cold weather, as long as the nozzle is free from lint it will work for you.

At $15.00 a can I keep them everywhere. Cars, motorcycle, bathroom mirror shelf, bedroom, etc etc.

Only ones I never liked were the “foam” style. It has good distance and looks like silly string coming out, but also has the ability to be wiped off the bad guys face and thrown back at yours in a clump.

I was rolling around one night with some guy at work with felony warrants, all tangled up on the ground and he was trying to grab my gun. He got a spare mag and a flashlight out before I used the pepper “foam” on him, it came out with such force that it splashed right back in my face and we were both blind. Had to feel for his face and stick my fingers into his eyes until he quit fighting and my back up finally arrived. Never used the foam style again. Always just the liquid type.
 
I have seen ten plus year expired spray used in the academy setting. Shit still hurts and works. That being said its cheap enough to replace every few years.

I have also seen a cans with serious indentations from rubbing against the inside of a button on a leather duty case. So once again its cheap enough so replace it every few years. :)
 
Thanks, all. The reason I ask, is my cans have a manufacture date, but no expiration date. How long is the shelf life? 10 years?
 
cams said:
I’ve carried and used pepper spray like it was going out of style for over 20yrs at work. We used to call it karate in a can.


I was rolling around one night with some guy at work with felony warrants, all tangled up on the ground and he was trying to grab my gun. He got a spare mag and a flashlight out before I used the pepper “foam” on him, it came out with such force that it splashed right back in my face and we were both blind. Had to feel for his face and stick my fingers into his eyes until he quit fighting and my back up finally arrived. Never used the foam style again. Always just the liquid type.
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So, you must work at Chuck E Cheese.
 
Davidk said:
Thanks, all. The reason I ask, is my cans have a manufacture date, but no expiration date. How long is the shelf life? 10 years?
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I’d give it ten years. Pretty simple stuff, won’t go bad, just shake it up every once in a while from settling.

Take it out in the back yard and give it a 1 second burst to make sure it still sprays. If you’re using the police size can it’s good for about 20 sprays (1-3 second bursts) if it sprays it’s good. Just check the wind first.
 
^^^ Yep. Even the nozzle is toxic. Last week I’m out with my chic, keep a can in my car console, and just moved it aside to take my wallet out with me while we wandered around Salem. Allergies were bad so my eyes were all f***ed up, rubbed my eyes just after touching the nozzle to move it and I was blinded. Couldn’t open my eyes for like 5 mins. That shit burned like a MF and I had rubbed it in good trying to fight the pollen. lol

Don’t pull on Superman’s cape, don’t point a light saber at your face and don’t touch the nozzle and rub your eyes.
 
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cams said:
^^^ Yep. Even the nozzle is toxic. Last week I’m out with my chic, keep a can in my car console, and just moved it aside to take my wallet out with me while we wandered around Salem. Allergies were bad so my eyes were all f***ed up, rubbed my eyes just after touching the nozzle to move it and I was blinded. Couldn’t open my eyes for like 5 mins. That shit burned like a MF and I had rubbed it in good trying to fight the pollen. lol

Don’t pull on Superman’s cape, don’t point a light saber at your face and don’t touch the nozzle and rub your eyes.
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I did something similar, but instead of rubbing my eyes, I went to take a leak.
It burned for hours.:emoji_astonished:
 
Cap'n Mike said:
I did something similar, but instead of rubbing my eyes, I went to take a leak.
It burned for hours.:emoji_astonished:
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The most valuable instruction I ever got from the academy was "When you get home after we spray you and take a shower, DO NOT allow any rinse water to run downhill. And since we'd like you to survive until the next class, DO NOT let your wife/girlfriend/mom throw your sprayed clothes in the laundry without gloves."
 
I did something similar with Icy Hot before, had just gotten out of the shower and was slathering icy hot on my lower back, got an itch and scratched it, big mistake. My junk felt like it had a blowtorch under it for an hour.
 
cams said:
I’d give it ten years. Pretty simple stuff, won’t go bad, just shake it up every once in a while from settling.

Take it out in the back yard and give it a 1 second burst to make sure it still sprays. If you’re using the police size can it’s good for about 20 sprays (1-3 second bursts) if it sprays it’s good. Just check the wind first.
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I'm not so much worried about the effectiveness of the spray, I'm worried more about the seals and the propellant. I wouldn't mess with any can over 3 years old.
 
cams said:
I’ve never had a problem with that. Something to check on occasionally but my cans are older than that and still fine.
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I've seen a few go south. It just leaked all over hand. They weren't in service, we were just screwing around with cans after we upgraded patrol stuff.
 
Roland Deschain said:
I'm not so much worried about the effectiveness of the spray, I'm worried more about the seals and the propellant. I wouldn't mess with any can over 3 years old.
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An "agency I have some awareness of" dictates 5 years. Can confirm works just as well after 5 years. Can ALSO confirm an old can tucked next to your microwave can leave a stain that will NOT come out of white paint after it's sat for too many years - that seals and propellant issue that you mentioned. (DT brand, half size can, whatever size designation that was).
 
Does anyone sell expired, knowingly of course to the seller, for discount, if I am ok with expired product? Thanks.
 

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