Quality stun gun?

[Dashunde]

I'm thinking about picking up a stun gun to deal with a unarmed attacker.
I'm looking for a nice quality credit card sized unit, or one that looks like a flashlight.
What do you recommend?

Also looking for suggestions on pepper spray - real powerful percentage, perhaps shaped like a pen??

Thanks

 

[Micahweeks]

Through various training exercise, I've been hit on three separate occasions by stun guns and once by a prong-shooting taser. I don't feel there is any substitute for those little prongs. I can fight through a quick hit with a stun gun, painful as it may be. The prongs, though, I can barely move much less fight. If you must, get a small stun gun a train to hit where it hurts fast. But don't expect great results against a determined assailant with a high pain tolerance.

 

[Jake Balam]

We used to stun each other with the "smoke shop special" stun guns all the time. While downright painful it was far from incapacitating.

I did see a 200+ pound brute dropped by a police issue taser outside a bar though.

 

[Skans]

I would either get "double trouble" or "blast knuckles"....leaning toward blast knuckles. The blast knuckles permit you to grip it like....well, you know like what. You can punch, hit and fight with them with little chance that the attacker will get them away from you. Oh, and the stun feature is an added benefit.


The double trouble can be used the same way, but it doesn't let you put your fingers inside anything to secure the device.

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

If it looks like brass knuckles, might be illegal in your state.

BTW, I've been 'stunned' in H2H - no big deal - it's an ouch and you move on. IIRC, the theory of the hand held ones original were as a pain compliance device for the law. If you were held and struggling, zapping you for a few seconds might make you cease. Rather than bopping you.

But they don't knock you down like tasers are supposed to.

 

[derekb]

While I've never been hit with a stun gun, I have taken a lot of voltage over the years in my work.

What I can tell you is that unless the waveform is specially constructed, it doesn't do much but hurt a bit. This is the major difference between a proper taser and the myriad 'stun guns' for sale. I wouldn't want to use something like that at hand to hand ranges with someone who was interested in attacking me.

 

[TheGoldenState]

Been hit with a stun gun several times…..it's nothing to be honest. Quick second or two of pain but no no incapacitation. I would never pull a stun gun out. Get a taser.

 

[Ludarue]

Hand held stun guns are pretty weak compared to a taser. My friend has a pretty powerful stun gun and we zap each other all the time for kicks. It's more of a tingling sting than anything else. Nothing that would stop somebody from getting to you if you zapped them.

 

[JC57]

Taser: http://www.itaser.com/product_tour.html

Downside is that it's only a single shot, so you better hit the assailant and it had better be just a single attacker. Once it has been fired, it can be used like a normal hand-held direct-contact stun device as well.

Upside is that it alleged to be 80% effective in instantly incapacitating an assailant and for the 30 seconds that the charge is running though them, which gives you time to run away.

I don't know a lot about pepper sprays but the Kimber Pepper Blaster might be worth a look: http://www.kimberamerica.com/pepperblaster

I don't think you're going to find an effective pepper spray in a pen form, but I could be mistaken.

 

[Jake Balam]

Pepper spray without training is a terrible idea.

You're more likely to incapacitate yourself then a BG

 

[Glenn E. Meyer]

There are multiple shot tasers now. Also, does one have actual evidence that in critical incidents civilians using OC have incapcitated themselves more than the BGs? I haven't seen that come by in any literature.

Otherwise, I doubt the claim. One anecdote isn't a general trend.

 

[BGutzman]

Pepper spray without training is a terrible idea.

For myself I disagree.. why... well if I have a cold and need relief fast nothing works so well for me as spraying myself with the good ole OC. Snokker dripping, eyes burning, cant breathe relief that works fast.

Not recommend for others than myself, use only as directed and preferably direct away from yourself.