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.

Good product

Works just Fine! Powerful Flashlight.

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.)

I don't reserve the charging cable.

makes lots of sparking and noise, second position, first being led light. Recommend reading instructions and practicing usage.

I gave the Vipertek Stun Gun to each one of the woman in my family for Christmas. Each woman was elated. The Stun Gun came with a handy carrying case and charging cord. One woman is a Real Estate broker who said it was a great gift because she was alone much of the time for work. One is a resent widow and the other a school teacher. Each one of the women were very excited to be carrying the Stun Gun when shopping, working or at home alone. I even brought one for myself.