Both stun gun and taser are devises used for self defense and they work using the same kind of technology but with a significant difference. A stun gun uses electricity to literally stun an attacker. The high voltage current disables muscle control for some time. Taser also uses high voltage electricity to stun an attacker by disabling muscle control for a while. The difference lies in how you use it or how the devices actually stun the attacker.
A stun gun must be in contact with the attacker and the two metal prongs would discharge the electricity directly into the body of the attacker. A taser can be used from a distance. When triggered a taser would shoot two metallic probes, imagine arrowheads that wouldn’t penetrate the muscle or flesh but stick to the skin and discharge the electricity.
For visual reference, imagine Rachel Dawes played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins mistakenly attacking Batman played by Christian Bane when attacked by some rowdies. The device she uses is a taser. Now, imagine the taser demonstration scene from Hangover when kids are shown by the cops how to use a taser, both as a stun gun and from a distance. In other words, a taser can be a stun gun as well and can be triggered while the metal prongs touch the body of the attacker. A stun gun doesn’t work from a distance. A taser typically works up to a distance of fifteen feet. That is the primary difference between a stun gun and taser.
1. Proximity
The primary difference between stun gun and taser is also the most significant one. When you are under attack or you sense that someone has a heinous intention, you don’t want to get close to the attacker. It is quite possible that the attacker can overpower you in close proximity and you may not be able to react as fast as you want to trigger the stun gun. A taser can be fired from fifteen feet away and that allows sufficient space between you and the attacker. Almost no one would want to get in contact with an attacker to be able to stun them.
2. Effective
A taser has the ability to discharge fifty thousand volts in a matter of seconds and that can penetrate as much as two inches of clothing. That is good enough for even overcoats, suits or jackets. In effect, you don’t have to worry about multilayered clothing.
3. Easy to Use
Shooting a taser is very simple. There is a red light projected at the spot where you aim and you can accordingly shoot the attacker right where you want. Since there are two probes and the distance would perhaps be ten to fifteen feet in most cases, there is little chance of missing. A taser would incapacitate a person for about thirty seconds which provides for just enough time for you to get to safety. Since the taser can also be used as a stun gun, it is a tad better than a standard stun gun. If you have launched the probes or triggered the taser and missed or for some reason it hasn’t worked, you can still use it as a stun gun provided you have adequate charge. The stun gun feature in a taser works even if you have a misfire.
4. Cost Efficient
A stun gun is cheaper than a taser. It is obvious since the taser is both rolled into one. However, a stun gun can be much more powerful. You can opt for as much as a million volts. There are stun guns that can discharge several million volts in a matter of moments and that would always be more effective in disabling an attacker. Tasers can fail but stun guns usually don’t.
5. Using a Taser vs Stun Gun
A taser would have just two probes and both the probes, which are basically electrodes, should touch or come in contact of the attacker to be active and to discharge the electricity. In most cases, the two electrodes would hit at the same time but there are exceptions. In such cases, a taser may be ineffective. Once you have triggered a taser and the probes are launched, you cannot do much about it. Also, you have to leave it there after incapacitating the attacker and later you should file a police complaint to reclaim your taser.
You would be charged the shipping fee. A stun gun in comparison would be much more surefire. Since you would be in contact with the person, you can be sure of hitting the attacker. Also, you don’t need to leave the stun gun at the scene. A taser cannot be used as a warning. You can use a stun gun and trigger it just to scare the attacker away. The spark caused by the triggering of a stun gun along with the sound would discourage attackers.
