Buying a “zapper,” or stun gun, or a canister of pepper spray, is a decision that you could make on the spur of the moment. Maybe you happen to be in a gear store or browsing Amazon and decide to buy one. That’s cool. Having one in your pocket is probably better than not having one.

But if you put a little thought into your purchase, you could end up with a stun gun or pepper spray that really fits with what your lifestyle is, what you need it for, and what situations you anticipate you might be in when you need to use it. Did you see these two posts we recently published about pepper sprays and stun guns? check them out!

One company, P.S. Products, has a huge catalog of different types of zappers. Let’s take a look at 5 of them and in what situations they would be useful.

Enter the giveaway to win either a ZAP mini stun gun flashlight or PAWS dog leash with pepper spray! Pepper spray in the size we’re going to be giving away can be shipped anywhere but Washington DC or New York. Stun guns cannot be shipped to New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Wisconsin or Michigan. We apologize to our readers who want to enter who live in those states.

PS Products ZAP Stun Gun and Pepper Spray Dog Leash Giveaway

Mini Stun Gun Flashlight1. Style: Zap Light Mini Stun Gun Flashlight – 800,000 volts
Charge this one up and it acts like a flashlight, shining up to three hours per charge. It fits in a pocket and is less than 5 inches long. This is what we’re giving away!

Who’s it for: Anyone who walks to their car at night. Someone who has to walk through a parking lot or parking garage at night could pull this out and use it as if it was a flashlight. If someone gets too close, ZAP.

 

 

 

 

Cane Stun Gun2. Style: ZAP Cane with Flashlight – 1 million volts
This is also a rechargeable stun gun with a relatively bright flashlight, but that’s not why you get this cane. You get it in case you are disabled and need a cane for walking. Someone who does not have great balance shouldn’t rely on having to dig a stun gun out of their pocket or bag. The cane does the trick.

Who’s it for: The elderly or physically disabled. Whether you have trouble walking on a regular basis or you just had some sort of surgery and need a little extra support, a stun gun cane gives you the protection you need when you may be physically vulnerable. At first glance, no one will expect it to be a stun gun.

 

 

 

Enforcer Big Flashlight Stun Gun3. Style: Enforcer Stun Gun Flashlight – 2 million volts
This is one high-power device. Charge it and it can work for 12 hours as a flashlight or can shock over 500 times. Hopefully you would never have to use it that many times, but you could!
If you’re in the wilderness and don’t know who you might encounter, you might take this along. Or keep it charged and ready to grab in case you need to bug out. If there’s riots, yes, you actually might need to use it 500 times!

Who’s it for: Emergency preppers, hunters.

 

 

Zap Stun Gun4. Style: Zap Stun Gun – 950,000 volts

This is a good basic stun gun. It looks like a stun gun and acts like a stun gun. This is an all-purpose stun gun that you might want to keep in your office desk, in your car, or in your briefcase just in case. If you like in a high-crime area or a place with a lot of car jackings, consider keeping one in the glove box or on each side of the car, on the passenger side and on the drivers side, so you can access it no matter where in the car you are.

Who’s it for: Anyone concerned about safety. People who drive a lot.

 

Stun Gun Knuckles5. Style: Stun Gun Knuckles – 950,000 volts
This is definitely more weapon-like than the others. You wear it over your knuckles like brass knuckles. Wear these if you’re walking around, leaving a bar late at night, or simply like to have your stun gun easily accessible. If you’re worried that someone might throw you a punch, you can punch right back with these and not have to dig in a purse or pocket.

Who’s it for: Anyone who walks a lot, doesn’t have pockets, or is worried about a punch attack.

And, here are two different types of pepper spray presentation. In our experience, most people expect pepper spray to be in a basic canister and maybe on a keychain. There are options here too!

 

 

Dog Leash With Pepper Spray6. Style: Retractable Dog Leash with 1/2-ounce Pepper Spray
You get home late at night and you still need to take your dog out for a walk. Or you take your dog out in the early morning hours when the city may still be asleep. Going on a hike with your dog? Put this leash on him and you’ve got protection if someone gets too close. This is a 15-foot leash and handles dogs up to 110 pounds. This is the other item we’re giving away!

Who’s it for: Anyone with a dog.

 

 

 

 

Pepper Spray that looks like Lipstick7. Style: Lipstick Pepper Spray, 10 foot range
You want to go out and have items in your purse that don’t attract attention. Women don’t always have pockets in our jackets or clothing, so this fits right in your purse and looks like it belongs there. You can reach into your purse and pull out something that doesn’t look suspicious. Maybe someone gets too close to you while you’re in a public bathroom or at a concert. You just look like you’re fixing your lipstick until the person gets too close, and then SPRAY!

Who’s it for: Any ladies who like to go out and want something in their purse that doesn’t look like pepper spray.

 

Pepper Spray Keychain Canister8. Style: Canister with case and key ring

Pepper spray that just floats around in the bottom of your purse or toolbox in your truck or whatever, is no good. You need it to be accessible and to work in a moment’s notice when called upon. The case and keyring help with that.

Who’s it for: Anyone.

 

 

 

Pepper Spray that looks like a Shotgun Shell9. Shot Shell Pepper Spray
This is a clever presentation of pepper spray that looks like a shotgun shell. The whole idea, to me, of something like this is that you can have a personal defense item that no one knows you have. If you’re going out hunting or shooting in the woods and you don’t want it to be obvious that you’re armed, you may want to stash a few defense items here and there. For instance, I could see this being in a glovebox, in your range bag, or in your hunting blind and it’s not immediately obvious. If someone messes with you, they’re in for a shock because they don’t expect you to reach down and pick up a shotgun shell that is also pepper spray. This product is coming soon.

Who’s it for: Hunters, shooters, outdoorsmen and women.

Enter the giveaway to win either a ZAP mini stun gun flashlight or PAWS dog leash with pepper spray! Pepper spray in the size we’re going to be giving away can be shipped anywhere but Washington DC or New York. Stun guns cannot be shipped to New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Wisconsin or Michigan. We apologize to our readers who want to enter who live in those states.

PS Products ZAP Stun Gun and Pepper Spray Dog Leash Giveaway

 

Learn more about these and many more products from  P.S. Products.

There are a lot of reasons why you might want to buy a stun gun or pepper spray. For people who can’t own firearms for whatever reason, these are sensible personal protection options that can be used to protect yourself out in public and your home in the event of a home invasion. We recently publish a guide to understanding pepper spray. Pepper spray and stun guns are good choices for non-lethal weapons. Read our article, “Ready to Buy Pepper Spray? Read This.

For people who want a defensive weapon they can carry in their purse,  car or briefcase that they don’t have to have a license and training for, there really is nothing better, other than perhaps a knife. But you can’t take a knife just anywhere and they are likely to attract attention. Stun guns are illegal in some places and can not be taken on planes or into federal buildings like courthouses and things like that.

Stun guns intended to be used against humans (as opposed to animals such as bears) are illegal in New York and Massachusetts. So before you buy a stun gun and start carrying it around on a daily basis, inform yourself of your particular state’s rules about these defensive items. Some cities and even some counties might have their own rules.

A stun gun can go from home to car to the beach or to the office and no one will likely know you have it as long as it is tucked away but still accessible. There are a lot of options for stun guns so let’s look at the possibilities.

What Are Stun Guns?

A stun gun is considered an electrical weapon that debilitates an attacker with an electrical charge. The electrical charge interferes with the body’s normal brain/muscle communication and causes loss of muscle control and muscle spasms. The effects are temporary. So if you use one, be prepared to get yourself away from the attacker as quickly as possible. They are designed to be used at close range unless you get a tactical stun gun, like a Taser. So the attacker must be close enough to you to reach out and touch with the stun gun device.

The price of stun guns varies greatly depending on their amperage. Read on for more about that. The user of the stun gun does not feel anything. It is also ok to use a stun gun when it is raining or while standing in water. The low amperage of the stun gun simply disables the attacker temporarily. It does not electrocute him or her.

The stun gun will be most effective when used in the large muscles like the hip, torso and neck. It’s also best if you can maintain contact with the attackers body for 3 to 5 seconds. The application of the current does cause pain, and a sensitive body part will feel even more pain. I’ve never been stun-gunned so I can’t speak first-hand to what this feels like, but when you watch videos of people being stunned, it’s obvious that it is not a pleasant feeling.

A half-second shock will cause pain and will be enough to startle someone. Two to three seconds of application will usually cause the attacker to drop to the ground. Over three seconds of application will incapacitate the person for several seconds.  This time frame is what will give you a chance to get away or pull out another weapon if you have access to one. The longer you apply the shock the more time you have to get away.

Most stun guns use a battery that must be recharged as the power source. A good quality stun gun uses a nickel-metal hydride battery which is longer lasting and better at being recharged.

Tasers versus Stun Guns

A Taser is simply a brand of stun gun. Tasers are widely used by law enforcement personal because they are usable at a range of around 7 to 10 feet. With Tasers, you don’t need to be right up against an attacker.

How Powerful Are Stun Guns?

Stuns guns use high-voltage, low-current electrical discharge to disrupt the body’s muscle control. The amperage must be sufficient to stun. Higher voltage means faster immobilization. Higher voltage also means the current can go through more layers of clothing. Let’s give a quick explanation of the difference between the electrical terms here: current, amperage and voltage.

Voltage is measured in volts. Current is measured in amps. Stun guns come in a wide range of voltages, from 20,000 to millions of volts. The higher the volts, the more effective the stun guns is considered to be. Anything more than 1 million volts should have an immediate effect on a victim.

Amperage is what gives the stun gun its “knock down” power. Too much amperage is dangerous to the body, while too little won’t have an effect. Amps in a stun gun are typically measured in miliamps. Five miliamps is considered safe for the body. Many cheaper stun guns deliver only 1 to 2 miliamps, which makes them less effective.

We’re planning a series of posts about stun guns and pepper spray effectiveness with a giveaway from PS Products in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! Keep in mind that pepper spray in the size we’re going to be giving away can go anywhere but Washington DC or New York. Stun guns cannot be shipped to New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Wisconsin or Michigan. Next up in the series is a post explaining the effectiveness of pepper sprays, their potency and range. After that, keep reading for a post explaining the different types of pepper sprays and stun guns that are available and what situations they would be most useful in.

Image from psproducts.com