Odd, I've talked to multiple unrelated defense experts who recommend it (police, military and self defense trainers in the US). It's an area-of-effect tool, doesn't require extensive training to effectively use, and thanks to being non-lethal, should give people much less pause to deploy when needed than something like a firearm - decision lag is a real problem when talking about self-defense.
You're nearly guaranteed to be impacted to some degree by using pepper spray, BUT it will also be very effective in changing the course of a bad situation - it will provide a chance to get away.
You're nearly guaranteed to be impacted to some degree by using pepper spray, BUT it will also be very effective in changing the course of a bad situation - it will provide a chance to get away.