Fox Labs has a reputation of seeking-out and providing factual information to the marketplace. In virtually every important area of our business we have been the leader in bringing this data to market along with product. We were the company who, in 1993-94, researched, developed and introduced the first true 2 Million Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) aerosol defense sprays to the marketplace (in 2% OC, 5% OC and 1% OC & 1% CS formulas). During this period most products were an ineffective 50,000 to100,000 SHUs. SHU’s determine the intensity and effectiveness of an Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray; the percentage of OC in a formula is not as important. No other company preached this ‘truth’ prior to the Fox product rollout. In 1998 and 2007 Fox Labs introduced formulas using resins that had never been used in defense sprays before. FIVE POINT THREE and MEAN GREEN ® were not only the first products of their kind, they remain the best products in the categories.

Today, over sixteen years later, we continue to be the leading proponent of SHU’s over percentages and are still striving to overcome the misconceptions that have been extolled by others in our concerning percentages of OC versus SHU’s. Others put sales above safety when they sell percentages of OC higher than 6% in formulas. Even the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, said that in terms of strength versus percentage, “…percentages may be misleading, because it is the strength of the OC in the spray that determines its effectiveness, not its percent of volume. Moreover, strength is usually measured in Scoville Heat Units: the higher the SHU’s, the greater the inflammatory capacity of the OC. Also, OC is an oil; to work, it must atomize into a fine spray. Because oily solutions do not break up as easily into a mist, solutions greater than 5 percent OC may not atomize as well.”

In July of 1997 the company changed its name to Fox Labs International, Incorporated, to reflect its growing global presence. In just over three years Fox product sales had spread throughout the United States into Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, and South America–they had even been introduced into Russia. Everyone from sweet little old ladies to the US Army had used Fox products; their reliability continued to be unrivaled in all areas and the positive word-of-mouth testimonies continued to spread.

Not content to sit on their laurels and desiring to provide both law enforcement and the civilian markets with unparalleled education about aerosol defense sprays and decontamination products, Fox continued to explore new avenues to provide an aerosol defense spray that would make individuals even safer and more effective when using this type of product. In August of 1998, they succeeded and again established a new standard by introducing FIVE POINT THREE, a 2% OC formula using resin rated at a true 5.3 million SHU! FIVE POINT THREE was a major breakthrough for law enforcement agencies because it afforded all of the unbridled stopping power of higher percentage formulas while reducing the recovery time and liability concerns associated with other aerosol defense sprays. Additionally, because the resin was so much purer, and it was used in a lower percentage, the formula worked faster, creating intense heat virtually instantly, meaning most subjects were compliant in 3 seconds or less! As training officers and other decision makers became aware of this new product and the real benefits it offered, it changed the face of the aerosol defense spray market just as the introduction of the FOX 5% formula did in 1993.

Fox is continuing to grow and fulfill the needs of civilian and law enforcement communities, not only by providing superior products but also by giving exceptional service. For example, in one instance, Fox was selected by the US Army to provide products for the peacekeeping troops in central Europe. A rush order was received on a Friday evening, via e-mail, after all Fox service facilities had shutdown for the weekend. Even though none of the Fox associates became involved until Monday morning, the order was completely shipped out by Tuesday afternoon. This is the first time that Fox had an order this large with such an urgent delivery date. However, it isn’t the first time served the needs of military peacekeeping troops — they first did so for the Canadian military in Haiti in 1995-96.

In March of 2001 the president of Fox Labs International met with the president of *Pine Tree Law Enforcement Products of Canada, and they immediately found they shared a philosophy that put making money second to providing superior quality products and service to law enforcement and military professionals. Based upon this firm, (and in these times) unique foundation, the two men started working together to find ways to reach the greatest number of professionals with their superlative products and training programs. The initial collaboration was to hold the first class for Fox Labs Defense Spray Master Instructors at Pine Tree’s Canadian facility. The international class included law enforcement professionals from the four corners of the North American map: Texas at the south, Washington state in the west, North Carolina for the east, Quebec in the north, and many other areas of both the US and Canada. The class proved to be a great success and the next step was to wait for the right timing to bring these two great companies’ products and services together for the common good. The tragedy of September 11th proved to be the catalyst.

Pine Tree had a conceptual blueprint for a less-lethal weapon that had been shelved for 23 years. With the advent of needing a less-lethal weapon that could be easily carried and even concealed, yet that would not cross contaminate passengers, or put a hole in an aircraft, the timing was appropriate to resurrect the project—The Defender Series 20-Gauge Revolver was born.

Throughout 2001-2002 Fox Labs and Pine Tree had built a following for the Fox Labs line of superlative defense sprays throughout Canada. Now, Pine Tree was ready to introduce The Defender to the world. Having already established a proven successful relationship, Fox Labs was the natural choice to introduce it to the American market. This natural progression of events led to an agreement to offer the entire Pine Tree line-up of absolutely incredible products via Fox Labs International and their distributors.

In March of 2005, in order to create the influx of cash required to continue to meet the growing needs of their R&D department, Pine Tree became Lamperd Less Lethal, a public company. The infusion of capital allowed Lamperd to purchase the extruding equipment necessary to mass-produce their patented WASP less lethal rounds. These, and their other less-lethal ammunitions continue to surpass those produced anywhere else, and they are responsible for innovations like tail stabilizers for sock rounds and rubber bullets. Their partnership with DuPont and Bayer to use new technologies for the improvement of less-lethal projectiles has resulted in improvements that will make the rounds even safer and will continue to revolutionize the industry.