Stun gun vs Taser: What Makes Them Different?

You must have heard people use the words stun guns and tasers interchangeably. But are they the same things? Of course, they are not! You may have heard lots of different perspectives of people on stun gun over taser.

Some may have said that they are the same, however, the others would have pointed out the differences to you. Today, I will clear this confusion for you so that you can have the right information and be capable enough to choose the right one among them as your self-defense weapon.

Most of our population makes the wrong choice of a product when they are buying and then they are not satisfied by the product or it turns out to be different from what they actually expected it to be.

Therefore, it is necessary to be well-equipped with enough information about the item you want to buy or use so you can make the right choice.

Stun gun vs Taser

Stun guns and tasers perform the same function and this is why people think they are the same. But this just one major similarity between the two as they both differ in their design, construction, and most important mechanism.

Today, you will learn more about stun gun vs taser and I will also share some basics about them with you. Let us begin. Are you ready?

Brief Introduction on Stun Guns

A stun gun is used more commonly than a taser. It delivers an electric shock to a person with whom its prongs make contact and temporarily immobilize that person.

A stun gun is a self-defense weapon to be used in close range which means that the prongs of the stun gun should actually make contact with the person to immobilize him or her. Normally, there are two metal prongs of a stun gun which should make direct contact with the person in order to provide the right results.

The two metallic prongs of stun guns have an arc of electricity in between them which can be seen. Stun guns come in a variety of forms in stores all over the world. The most popular types are lipstick stun guns, stun gun flashlights, mini stun guns, and cellphone stun guns.

This weapon is convenient and easier to use, however, you should be very careful while using them in self-defense situations, as you must get quite close to the assailant who may provide you harm before you even had the chance to use your weapon.

Types of Stun Guns

1- Lipstick Stun Guns
Lipstick stun guns are used mostly by women as they are designed like lipsticks. They are very compact, small and come in beautiful and attractive designs. The best thing about them is that they are easily concealable and your assailant would never know that you are actually carrying a weapon with you unless you attack him or her with it.

2- Stun Gun Flashlight
Stun gun flashlight is a two in one weapon and provides you the benefits of a flashlight along with that of a stun gun. A flashlight is bound to come in handy especially in an emergency situation and when it combines with a stun gun, the combo is super-awesome.

3- Cellphone Stun Guns
Cellphone stun guns are really cool and come in all different designs and models of cellphones. They are not actual cellphones who give off an electric jolt but are just like ones.

They use the power and volume buttons of the phone to power on and off the stun gun and the built-in flashlight. Cellphone stun guns are very smartly designed and prove to be very useful in a self-defense situation.

Brief Introduction on Tasers

The most important thing about a taser is that a taser can be used in close range as well as in long range. Yes, you are thinking right! You can actually be standing at a distance from a person and give him or her a decent enough electric shock. Doesn’t that sound cool?

They also provide electric shock like stun guns but the fact that you can do that from a distance makes them more appealing and effective. After all, they minimize the risk we have while using stun guns, of harm in being close vicinity to an attacker.

Want to know how a taser actually work? A taser shoots metallic probes towards your target which stick to his/her clothing or skin and this is how they deliver the electric shock.

The probes are normally designed in the shape of a spear and they are capable of penetrating even through the toughest of clothing to reach the skin. The electric shock which they deliver affects up to an area of 2 inches. Tasers can be used in long range and are effective up to a distance of 30 feet.

Types of Tasers

There are actually two types of tasers. One is the one that is used by the police and the other is the one that is used by the civilians. Many questions will be swarming your mind right now.

Are they similar? If not, then what is the difference between them? Why are they different? Is a license needed to buy a police taser? Let us have a look at the answers to these questions.

1- Police Tasers
Police tasers are used by law enforcement bodies i.e. police personnel, military people etc. They are used by them for either self-defense or for catching criminals and compel them to their commands. The police tasers are more effective than normal ones.

However, they are more expensive and dangerous as well. This is why police personnel is trained on using the tasers properly so that accidents can be avoided. The sole purpose of police tasers is to get the unyielding criminal under control so that they can put them under arrest.

This is why police tasers emit voltage of about 5 seconds normally. These ones also have more probes than a typical one and are more powerful and efficient than normal tasers used by civilians.

2- Civilian Tasers
Civilian tasers are the ones that are used by civilians. They are less dangerous and efficient than police tasers but still, they perform more than fine. These ones keep on emitting voltage for a longer time duration than police tasers so that the person using them can have a sufficient amount of time to run off to safety.

However, you can only use them from a maximum distance of 15 feet, unlike police tasers whose range is up to 30 feet. These are less powerful and cheap than police tasers but they prove to be quite effective in a self-defense situation and should be used with great care.

Stun Gun vs Taser: Some Important Differences

When we talk about stun guns vs taser, we come to know about a few major differences between the two. The following are some important differences between stun guns and tasers. Let us have a look at them to understand the basics of both devices properly.

1- Range
Stun guns are effective only in close range as the prongs of the stun gun should actually make contact with the target in order to immobilize him or her. However, when it comes to tasers, they are known to be both close range and long range devices.

A taser can be effective at a distance of about thirty to thirty-five feet from the target, however, you can also use them like stun guns i.e. in close range.

2- Effectiveness
Stun guns mostly deliver pain and do not have much efficiency in immobilizing the person. A taser, on the other hand, immobilizes your target by locking up his/her muscles through neuromuscular incapacitation (NMI).

This is also the reason that stun guns do not produce many results on people who are capable of tolerating pain. These may people who are either drug addicts or alcoholics or simply have high stamina for tolerating pain.

3- Time
Tasers produce results immediately and as soon as the probes of a taser make contact with the target, it immediately immobilizes that person. However, with a stun gun, you have to allow it to be in contact with the target for at least three to five seconds, in order to produce required results and be effective.

4- Type of Prongs
The type of prongs that both of these devices use is different. Tasers make use of nitrogen-propelled metallic prongs which attack your target from a distance whereas stun guns make use of prongs made up of metal that only work when they are attached to the skin of the target by hand.

5- Severeness
Tasers produce more severe results than stun guns and can prove to be fatal as well. However, stun guns only have temporary results on the target and no permanent injury or death is caused by then. So yes, a stun gun is safer to use and has less severe effects on the target person than tasers.

After all, you wouldn’t want to kill a person no matter whatever they did to you or even if you were defending yourself. So, if you want to stay out of such trouble and avoid misusing the self-defense device, it is better to use stun guns than tasers.

6- Cost
Tasers are very expensive and the minimum price range for them is 400 US dollars. However, when we talk about stun guns, they are relatively very cheap and you will find some decent options in the market in the range of 20 US dollars and 110 US dollars.

7- Design
Stun guns and tasers are not designed alike. Stun guns may have the word “guns” in them but they do not look like ones. However, tasers do look like guns and they are mostly designed like them as well as they have to project the prongs towards the target.

Which One is the Best?

The answer to this question is pretty much simple and clear. If we talk about stun gun vs taser, then taser will have more votes because it is more effective. The only thing that makes a stun gun a better option for you is that you want a safe weapon that keeps you out of trouble and prevents you from getting into more trouble.

A taser can cause severe damage to your target if you misuse it, intentionally or unintentionally. So, you must always be careful about that. Other than this one risk, there is no other reason that is valid enough for you to choose a stun gun over a taser. People usually choose a taser over a stun gun for the following reasons:

Taser actually not only provides pain to your target but actually immobilizes your target, unlike stun guns which only inflicts slight pain.
You can us tasers from a distance of about thirty feet which does not require you to go actually near the assailant and give him or her close access to your body to harm you in any way. This is the best advantage of a taser and
Tasers are quite expensive to buy but trust me they are worth that money. Having close access to an effective self-defense weapon gives you some comfort and you walk around town with a sense of safety that you might not have felt ever before. However, you should be very well focused when you use the taser on someone as you might get into big trouble if you miss your target entirely or if even one of the prongs miss it.

I am sure now you have sufficient amount of knowledge about both stun guns and tasers and you are good to tell the difference between them both. I personally like tasers more and always carry one with me as a self-defense weapon. Which one of them are you getting for yourself? Stun gun or taser?