VIPERTEK VTS-195 Heavy Duty Aluminum Stun Gun for Self Defense Rechargeable with LED Flashlight

PROS: - Effective performance - Great price - Good light - Rechargeable CONS: - Not a fan of the metal prongs - Useless flashlight holder - Don't lose the charging cord Obviously, I haven't tested this on an actual person but I managed to come across an "independent" test by SABRE® - the leading manufacturer of electronic stun devices. SABRE® classified this stungun, the VIPERTEK VTS-195 as a level III (the highest level) stun gun which produces 1 µC or greater - meaning it produces unbearable pain. For all intents and purposes, the pain compliance will only apply to those who are NOT under the influence of a controlled substance and are NOT emotionally disturbed. This stungun falls right in the middle of all the electronic stun devices that classified as a level III stungun with SABRE® (imagine that) ranking at the top. Combine this information with the fact that it is an innocuous looking flashlight with pretty good illumination and it was a no brainer that I wanted to do a review on this. Save for the novelty of it as well as the potential of having real world applications as a personal crime deterrent. If anything else, the spark test of the stungun should be enough of a deterrent! Video and audio cannot truly capture how intensely loud the spark is - it truly has to be experienced to appreciate it. Everyone I showed this to, lit up with a smile or laugh when I sparked tested the stungun. Most of them actually purchased one when hearing the price. Which brings me to the next point, the value factor of this stungun. There were several stunguns that I found on the list that SABRE® compiled which were more expensive than the VTS-195 but only ranked as a level II, or worse, level I stungun. So the value factor alone should be reason enough to purchase this if you're in the market for a real stungun. The illumination of the flashlight is really good but it's non-adjustable, meaning that you're stuck with a spotlight pattern. If you're looking for an illumination pattern that "floods" the area with light (floodlight), you won't find it here. The only issue is the shadow that is projected onto a wall due to the metal prongs that protrude across the housing - necessary to perpetuate a spark. However, it's not a deal breaker for me. SO! This thing works by first turning the on/off switch to the "ON" position. This on/off switch is located in the recessed area within the tailcap. Without the switch in the "ON" position, nothing works - not the flashlight, nor the stungun. This is a safety feature designed to prevent accidental discharges. From there you locate an oval slide switch in the middle of the body. There are 3 positions - OFF, flashlight and stungun. Slide the switch one notch from OFF to the flashlight icon and the flashlight comes on. Slide it into the final notch and the flashlight turns off but it arms the stungun. From there, there is a separate round button that must be depressed to activate the stungun or in layman's terms, make it spark. The flashlight will NOT work when the stungun is armed. I believe this is a safety feature designed to prevent accidental discharges when just using the flashlight in areas deemed safe. It comes with a roughly 8" cord that must be plugged into an AC outlet to charge the built in battery. Vipertek recommends an initial charge of 10 - 12 hours when you first get it. After that, they recommend a 1 - 2 hour charge/month to maintain the charge. Obviously, if you use the light alot or are just plain fascinated with things that arc, you will need to charge it more regularly. I set my oven timer to go off so as to not overcharge the battery which Vipertek contends will shorten the battery life. One more thing, don't lose the cord as it's a proprietary cord, meaning that you will probably not be able to find another cord to charge it BUT it is possible to find a replacement if you look around your home. I recommend that you use this stungun's spark to catch the world's cheapest flashlight holster on fire. You will get more enjoyment from that and less disappointment as it is completely useless beyond 2 or 3 hours of wearing it on your belt. Trust me, don't trust this holster or you will LOSE your stungun. Other than that, it's a really great product. I do caution that care is taken when carrying it with you when going places. As it may be entirely possible for the "sparking prongs" to snag onto a piece of clothing. This may bend one or both of the prongs, maybe break them or worse, pull the entire metal piece out of the flashlight bulb housing. If the latter were to happen, I reason that it would no longer be able to create a visible spark which may render it as useless as the cheap holster.

This works out of the box. Put a full charge 10-12 hours no more per instructions. Then charge once a month. What I like most is when walking about everyone thinks this is a flashlight. It seems to be well made, a bit heavy but great! I do not go walking without it. I suggest that anyone who gets this look on YouTube for some great self-defense videos. Really helpful in the proper use. There is a difference in a stun gun and a taser. The noise alone would scare someone off. The flashlight is so bright and with power outages and emergencies this is an added feature. On the bottom is the on and off switch I set to on when walking. If not does not work. Added safety feature. Because of the design you push it all the way up and press and hold the button and jab. Again thanks for a great product and again look on YouTube for tips and how to properly use this and practice how you can access this if needed. Most reviews do not care for the case it comes with but works for my fanny pack belt. Don't leave without it. Very satisfied and I recommend. Be aware this is NOT a taser so you do not point and shoot so to speak it is for up close and personal contact jabs etc. Not a taser. A taser you point and aim. Depends on the need. I may purchase a taser later. I do a lot of walking in our area. So affordable!

Good product

EDIT: As I said below initially, you get what you pay for. I was excited to have this piece of equipment despite the broken (useless) holster. Within two shifts, having never drawn, let alone deployed it, one of the metal pieces on the light head that creates the arc fell off. It’s not fixable, so now it’s just a bulky, underpowered flashlight and does not produce any shock activity. Extremely disappointed. I expected a limited amount of time before it broke, but in days and without any use? Terrible. Next time I’ll be spending the money on something reliable. Do not recommend…whether you’re looking for protection walking the dog, home defense, or on duty, the last thing you want is to produce something like this only to find out the janky thing no longer works. Original review: I’m a bouncer. I’ll be taking this to work in a few hours. Hopefully won’t have to use it- I have high end UV and Mag flashlights for lighting needs, this is to remind drunk people they want to leave the bar under their own leg power and not mine. I don’t care why they had a WRILLY GGÜDD REATHUN to grope, use a racial slur, sucker punch someone, slap their girlfriend, run out on a tab, or throw a drink in my face for cutting them off. (Trust me, there’s always a reason. Trust me, I don’t care. We’re not in a dialogue, I’m telling you what is going to happen, if you’re not saying yes, you are making annoying noises.) I prefer stun flashlights to other types of stun sticks because ostensibly I could just be taking out my flashlight- unlike a baton or a cattle prod or a firearm-shaped device, it’s not clearly offensive and therefore not guaranteed to escalate a situation. This item is light yet sturdy, makes good noise, and has a straightforward and similar use process (flip “on” switch at back while drawing, slide selector down with thumb, place thumb near firing button…it’s not quick or ergonomic unless you want to keep the safety off and risk zapping you and possibly someone you bump in to, but it is what it is.) Main issue- look at attached picture. I own many items from firearms to lights to batons to sprays to cuffs to radios that use holsters. I have yet to see a holster with 4 sides that is only closed on 3/4 sides. Why is that fourth side flap open? I know, you get what you pay for, and I know how to sew, but come on. It’s like 15 nylon stitches and as obvious as it gets…QC couldn’t catch that? Just kinda sad. Anyway, I’m sure it’ll do the job until it stops and I buy a new one and this one ends up killing a whale or poisoning a toddler in a 3rd world country but such is the state of the world. (No, I’m not a naturally sunny person.)

Exactly what I was looking for to take on my walks.

Works just Fine! Powerful Flashlight.

I've always been more of a sprinter than a fighter and have come to realize in my old age that being macho either gets you hurt or dead. I don't want any of the two to happen to me. I'd rather be a live chicken then a dead one any day. That's why I love this little flashlight stun gun combo. I love it so much I bought 3 or 4 of them just in case one breaks or I forget it somewhere. I keep one in the car in case some crazy person corners me in the Mcdonalds drive through or at a stop light. I don't want anyone to die but I sure as hell want them to know I was probably a electric eel in my past life. This model VTS-195 is pretty stout meaning if you put it in your jogging shorts while running the tip might stick out. That has its benefits and detriments, depending on the message you want to get across. I digress, If this is too big for you you can always opt for the small less girthy model VTS-T03 which also does the job beautifully. The flashlight is pretty bright and over all very light. The nice thing is its rechargeable and makes a crazy scary crackling sound when you push the stun button. Trust me on this one no man woman mythical creature or animal will want to get a hug from you if you hold this stun button down for more than a minute. Overall a great product. Right price point and does what it says it suppose to do. This is a number one stunnah. Buy it right now. NOTE: I live in California and the laws are pretty lax about stun guns if your interested look up PC22610 very interesting read.

I wanted to love this combo flashlight/stun gun, and initially I at least liked it. Even on a full charge, the flashlight is dim and kind of a joke, so that was one star deducted. But as a stun gun it seemed to function well and definitely created a decent spark. I really needed both the flashlight and stun gun modes to function properly because I use this for my nighttime delivery driver gigs. So in addition to a flashlight, as a woman, I wanted something for protection. Before each use, I would practice switching it from flashlight to stun gun function to confirm both were working, and because I didn't want to have to think about it in case of an emergency - I wanted it to be second nature. I'll just say, it's pretty awkward, and could definitely be easier. However, I imagine they designed it to be slightly difficult to prevent people from accidentally discharging it on themselves. Overall, I probably would have rated this 3 or 4 stars, but then, disaster struck. And the worst part was Vipertek's response - or lack thereof. The company knows about the problem but refuses to acknowledge that it is a common fault, and likewise refuses to fix it, failing to honor their warranty. This huge, recall worthy defect is that over time, or following a drop, the paired metal clips (inserted at the flashlight head) can loosen and fall out, causing the stun gun to malfunction - rendering it totally useless for self defense. The metal clips in question are the electrodes that create the arc for electric discharge, which is necessary for the stun gun feature of the product to function as intended. Without both clips properly in place opposite each other, the unit cannot spark and will not fire. When I researched the problem online, I was dismayed to discover that this is a common issue, as is the company's woefully bad warranty service. Considering that this item is marketed and sold specifically for self-defense, such a potentially catastrophic failure creates an unacceptably high risk of vulnerability to serious injury or death from an attacker. From my own attempts to obtain warranty coverage, I determined that the company's claim that this unit is covered by a "full lifetime warranty" is false and misleading - it's actually a "limited lifetime warranty." Since they refused to repair it, I asked Vipertek if they could kindly recommend a glue or adhesive that would not interfere with the electrical conductivity of the pins, that could permanently fix the pins in place, as a method of repair in lieu of replacement. They refused to respond to or even acknowledge this question about potential repair on three separate occasions. Therefore, I cannot recommend this product, and I further recommend that anyone who currently owns one reports the known defect to the CPSC, and joins me in requesting a recall. The CPSC will only pay attention when there are multiple complaints. Or not until they inevitably receive a complaint about someone who was hurt or killed when the stun gun malfunctioned. Of course, that's what I'm hoping to help avoid with this review. You would never want yourself or a loved one to be in a situation where you are depending on this item for safety. Imagine how, over time, regular use as a flashlight combined with the normal vibrations and bumps from being stored in a vehicle, one of the metal pins becomes dislodged. Of course, you probably won't notice, since it's an easy thing to miss if you're not really looking for it. Suddenly, you find yourself in a situation where you have to use the stun gun to defend yourself from an attacker - but there's no spark. It doesn't fire. And now, you've wasted precious seconds of reaction time and the attacker knows you are defenseless. You can imagine what comes next.