Taser question?

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DB62

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My wife agreed to take a taser along with her, when she goes jogging, and walking at night.
My problem is, I have no idea of what to get her???
I don't want her to get into a situation that she was forced to use it to protect herself, but it failed, and made the attacker pee'd off and went harder at her.

She wont carry a gun, so thats out.
I'm afraid of buying her a cheapo, that won't stop an attacker.
I want her to carry one that will put someone down, the first time. I am completely ignorant in this subject.
I've seen some that say 800,000 volt stun, then I see some that say 1 million volt stun, then 3 million volt stun.
I'm sure the quality of the stun gun, has a lot to do with how well it functions.
I just want something that wont fail.

For example, I saw this at CTD: P.S. Products ZAP Light Flashlight and Stun Gun

Then I saw this at Amazon: Guard Dog Security 3,900,000-Volt Stun Gun Flashlight

I don't have a clue as to the quality of the product, or effectiveness.

Can anyone help me with this?
Thanks for any suggestions you can give!
& to the mods, sorry if this question is in the wrong spot.
 
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Look for something from Taser international. Almost any P.D. That uses tasers uses a product from Taser international. They dominate the market.Their civilian versions are around 350.00 last I looked and come in a few color options. In the event the taser is used if you mail in the old cartridge and a police report they send you a replacement for free (roughly 50 dollars iirc).
Your concerns about stopping an assailant is viable if one of the prongs misses, fails to stick or doesn't contact skin because of excessive clothing in colder environments etc it's basically useless unless you disconnect the cartridge and resort to a dry stun.
I can tell you from experience they hurt and will immobilize you! (EMS training)
FYI taser stands for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle (sorry random tidbit)
Best of luck.
 
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Thank you very much for your reply!
Most helpful information.
I had already thought that those 2 I listed above, had a high possibility of being junk.

Is there any certain model that you would recommend?

Oh, and also she said she doesn't want one that she needs to point and shoot, like the LE's use, with the barbs & wires.

Do they make hand held ones that you can just hold and shock an assailant?
 
I'm not sure from them. their market, from my limited knowledge of them is primarily all cartridge based. However almost all of them can have the cartridge removed and then used as a normal press it to the body "stun gun" But I would explain the advantage of being 10 meters from your assailant versus 1 or 2 feet IMO
 
That is the one I have recommended to a few of my female friends/coworkers.
However the primary design for it is the shootable cartridge but as I said above to knowledge, with the cartridge removed it should be a normal "stun gun"
 
I've been trying to talk her into the LE style cartridge based taser. For some reason I have yet to understand, she's afraid of anything that she needs to point and shoot, and hit her target.

Thats why I was looking for something thats dependable, powerful enough, and less conspicuous (like one with a built in flashlight).
I'm not worried about the cost.
 
You should also explain to her the difference in how a stun gun and real taser work. Stun guns work through pain compliance, only the area you press the device to is affected. Anyone that can withstand or ignore this pain can still continue to move or attack.

An actual taser that fires the probes works through neuro-muscular incapacitation, after the probes have stuck the muscles lock up and most people collapse. Those that fight their way through this manage to move their fingers or crawl a few inches. It is much more effective at actually stopping your target. It should also be mentioned that there are usually no after effects. After the shock is over your assailant is generally back to 100%. As previously noted it does also function as a stun gun with the cartridge removed.

Personally I'd buy your wife some good oc spray if her primary tactic is going to be to escape. The effects are worse and longer lasting, much harder to pursue when you can't see well. I believe tasers are a LE tool primarily meant to help affect an arrest not run away. As soon as you hit your choices are to drop it buying maybe a 30 second head start, or you can retain your weapon for a possible second shot but you won't get the full effects because its over as soon as soon as the wires break.
 
As pointed out (Krzyshng, thanks for the excellent explanation) you and your wife are misunderstanding what a Taser vs. a "stun gun" and how they function.

You and your wife need to understand that stun guns are very unreliable.

Also, ya'll need to understand that even when fired you can still use the Taser as a stun gun.

I agree that an OC spray is probably more what your wife is looking for, assuming she's looking for anything at all and she's not just trying to appease her hubby.

I'd be more focused on preventing a problem than defending against one that's occurred. What route she runs, time of day and the real threat of attack? Does she run alone of with others? Does she run in a higher risk area? Does she run at a higher risk time? Have you asked your local police if there's a risk? If you cant run with her can you bike while she runs or can you organize a group?
 
Thanks Krzyshng!

& yes I do understand the difference between a stun gun and a taser. But you are correct, the spray would be longer lasting, and possibly more effective, for escape.

Sorry hso, but your way off base on this one!

For one thing, I care about my wife.
Whats wrong if she is trying to appease me?

I'd be more focused on preventing a problem than defending against one that's occurred. What route she runs, time of day and the real threat of attack? Does she run alone of with others? Does she run in a higher risk area? Does she run at a higher risk time? Have you asked your local police if there's a risk? If you cant run with her can you bike while she runs or can you organize a group?
Click to expand...
Without knowing our situation, how can you make such comments?
 
Whats wrong if she is trying to appease me?
Click to expand...

If she is just carrying it to appease you there is a chance she won't be ready and willing to use it if the time comes. That's not uncommon.

You are right, no one here knows your exact situation, but many people here have lots of real world experience. Don't get your feelings hurt when people give you their opinion.
 
Whats wrong if she is trying to appease me?
Click to expand...

There's a lot more to personal security than just carrying something. You first need to focus on risk assessment and all the measures you can take to prevent having to go to that last resort of self defense against a deadly attack. Once you've identified all the ways you can practically prevent having this sort threat you then have to understand if the person can do what is needed to defend themselves.
She won't carry a gun
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means exactly what? That she won't carry one because she'd never be able to bring herself to shoot someone with it or because she thinks that there are "better" self defense options for her or that she just couldn't bring herself to hurt another person. If the latter, it doesn't matter what you get for her and what she tells you if she won't carry it or isn't ready to use it when she'd grabbed and stuffed into a van. Appeasing you doesn't improve her safety one bit and gives both of you a false sense of safety that might prevent her and you doing the boring things to prevent her ever having to defend herself.

Guns, Tasers, OC sprays are not magic talismans that ward off evil so that you can go through life not having to put any thought into personal security. They are tools of last resort that you use when you've put effort into knowing what the hazards are in your environment and your activities and effort into mitigating those hazards so you don't have to fight for your life. If you don't have the mindset to fight for your life then you better put all your effort into prevention.
 
x2 on getting OC for a number of reasons including, she doesn't have to aim it as well, she gets more than one "shot" to compensate for misses, plus she can apply it to more than one assailant, and it's effects are much longer than a taser/stun gun.
 
Taser and OC are intermediate levels of force, best used as exactly that, and in an ENFORCEMENT situation, not in a DEFENSE situation.

What does the Taser-er or OC-er do when the Taser and the OC fail to have the expected effect?

Honestly, I WOULD rather have a sharp stick than a Taser or some sort of spray can.
 
Another consideration for O.C. is blowback. Wind conditions, close proximity, stress (not pointing it the right way or a finger in front of the nozzle can lead to spray back in the users face. Possibly causing the same irritation/disabling effects to the user.
 
Hopefully she'll spray and run away from the danger instead of staying to see whether it worked or not. Being a walker and a runner she'll be in a better position than most to flee.
 
I always give my current SO some sort of OC spray, usually what the local police are carrying.
A somewhat/quite expensive suggestion but I always thought a good choice for a child or an SO that won't carry is a level 1 or 2 protection dog. Just slap a therapy dog vest on it and it can go ANYWHERE since it's illegal to ask if a person actually needs a therapy dog.
 
I too recommend the taser c2. If I had the money, I would buy one and carry it as well, but have to stick with a pistol for now. I do carry a taser at work though, and they are very effective. When I got taser certified, I chose to undergo it on my back. It hurts REALLY bad. It was five seconds of eternity in fact. The C2 model goes for 30 seconds, and I couldn't imagine getting hit with that.

The catch is that you have to undergo instruction classes to carry a taser. It will still work as dry stun even with a cartridge attached...I've seen it happen. Aiming it is really easy with a laser dot, so if she's worried about hitting her target, it is much harder than one thinks. There is also negligible recoil...like a bb gun if that, so nothing to worry about in that department. In addition, it has a safety so she doesn't need to worry about AD, although the extra cartridge can go off with no electrical tase due to static electricity. The best news is if you have to use it, you can drop it and run, get a police report, and get a new one from taser.
 
I will say that if she gets one she will more than likely NEVER have to use it. Reason is, bad guys pick the weakest person and will run for the hills when a weapon comes into the mix because they are cowards. They will go pick on someone else when a Taser or even a small knife comes out, not to mention a gun. Only in the movies does a bad guy attack an armed and seemingly well trained adversary.
 
I always give my current SO some sort of OC spray, usually what the local police are carrying.
Click to expand...

I don't know about where you live, but all the officers I know want nothing to do with sprays. They wear taser brand tasers and use them. The spray affects the user equally as well as the one being sprayed. Tell me how that helps?

I thought the information HSO gave earlier was right on.
 
With a Taser Int. brand taser, you do not have to puncture the skin for it to work. The probes only have to be within an inch of the body. It is limited to 15 ft. and both probes must contact the target for it to work, although it can be used as a stun gun with contact, including using it on one target with the probes attached and another with direct contact at the same time.

The civilian versions require an FBI background check before the company will activate it, according to the instuctional DVD, and each shot releases up to twenty four confetti like individual ID markers.
 
wyocarp said:
I don't know about where you live, but all the officers I know want nothing to do with sprays. They wear taser brand tasers and use them. The spray affects the user equally as well as the one being sprayed. Tell me how that helps?

I thought the information HSO gave earlier was right on.
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because a lot of the girls I know are still in college and while both tasers and pepper spray are illegal on campus by their bylaws, the spray is a lot smaller and if it falls out of a purse or backpack, it doesn't look like a gun.
 
DB,

I've had to be both tase'ed and OC'ed in the Army. I might be able to give you some decent advice here.

Cops use a lot of tasers, and they are effective. They'll lock you right up, as long as the current is flowing. Cops have a different job than your wife, however.
If a police officer is tase'ing somebody, it's because they need to take physical control of the dude, and cuff him up. If he's covered in OC, the cops are going to be exposed also. The taser hurts so bad most folks are willing to comply after a 5 second ride, so the police can take them in with no further trouble. OC hurts for quite a while.

Your wife doesn't want any of this, she just needs to be able to disengage and clear the area. Spray gives her more stand off, and it lasts a lot longer. "Stun guns" are not in the same league with tasers, and only hurt as long as they're in contact with the bad guy.

Help her develop situational awareness, so she can avoid trouble, make sure she understands she needs to get out of harm's way as quick as possible if she does have trouble, and make sure she know how to use whatever she's carrying.
 
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