I know I have written a number of times about the importance of practicing with your firearms, inspecting your gear, getting training, and making sure that your every-day-carry tools are functional. But how many times do you think about your other self-defense tools for which testing and training are just not possible or practical? If you live or work in an area where you feel the need for self-defense products, don't you want to be certain that the products work -- before you find yourself in a situation where you need them? Of course, you do. For this reason, you need to test them.
Now, obviously, you are not about to spray yourself in the face with pepper spray or taze yourself with a taser -- but you do need to test them to make certain that they work. In the end, as far as tasers go -- unless you are willing to taze yourself, you can only make sure that the batteries are operable by trying them out in another device. Make it a habit to put fresh batteries in -- or at the very least to test the batteries -- at least once a month.
You can spray pepper spray or mace to make sure that the sprayer operates correctly -- and that you know how to operate it. Make sure that you do this outside, and that you spray the mace or pepper spray onto a surface. You can sniff the surface -- carefully -- after spraying to make sure that the chemicals will actually do something to a would-be attacker.
Aside from this type of testing, the only other thing that you can do is to be prepared for your self-defense product to fail. If your taser didn't work, or the spray didn't work, what is your next course of action? Make sure that you have a plan in mind before it happens!
Have self-defense products that will not fail. For example, a police whistle is a good self-defense product. It will not fail, and it will alert other people to a problem, or to your location. It will often scare away an attacker as well. But having said that, I am a strong proponent of firearms for self-defense, and strongly encourage you to get a firearm, get trained, and know how to defend yourself with one. Firearms are not as likely to fail, but they are a tool that you can use improperly if you are not trained and can fail more often do not inspect your gear and keep it in good working order.
It is also a good idea to learn some basic self-defense moves, in case your product fails. Consider taking a self-defense class in your area. Obviously, your first desire should be to prevent an attack. Your next desire should be to keep an attacker away from you, and your third option should be to strike back with physical moves if you are put in a situation, where there is no other choice.
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