7 Best Stun Gun Flashlights Reviewed (“Flashlight Tasers”)

Stun guns are some of the most popular self-defense tools used today.

More precisely called electroshock weapons, stun guns administer large amounts of electrical current to an attacker to cause (hopefully) nonlethal pain and stun them so you can escape.

Stun guns are less expensive, legal in more areas, and far less lethal than firearms. Their biggest competitor is pepper spray, but stun guns can’t incapacitate you if the wind changes suddenly.

Of course, you want to never actually use your stun gun for self-defense. So, most of the time, they’ll take up space in your bag or pocket.

Why not have them do double duty as a flashlight?

Many stun guns include a built-in flashlight. The extra illumination is useful and can keep you out of danger in the first place!

But which flashlight stun guns are worthwhile?

*Note that stun guns and tasers are not the same thing. A taser is specifically a type of electroshock weapon that fires two electrical leads to shock somebody at a distance. There is no such thing as a taser flashlight, even if people call stun guns tasers sometimes.

DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Many links in this article are affiliate links. If you click on a link we may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

The 7 Best Flashlight Stun Guns: Outdoor Empire Reviews

1. Best Budget: VIPERTEK VTS-880
2. Best for the Money: VIPERTEK VTS-195
3. Best Overall: VIPERTEK VTS-989
4. Most Powerful: SABRE S-3000SF
5. Best Heavy: Guard Dog Security Dual Spark Stun Gun Flashlight
6. Best Keychain: Guard Dog Security Hornet
7. Best for Purses: Guard Dog Security Electra

Category	Best Budget	Best for the Money	Best Overall
Product	VIPERTEK VTS-880	VIPERTEK VTS-195	VIPERTEK VTS-989
Power	30 billion volts	58 billion volts	58 billion volts
Battery	Internal rechargeable	Internal rechargeable	Internal rechargeable
Style	Rectangular	Flashlight	Rectangular
Misc	Built-in charger	Mediocre holster	Holster
Size	2 in x 7/8 in x 4 in	7.25 in x 1.75 in	6.5 in x 2 in x 1 in
Cost	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price

Best Budget Flashlight Stun Gun

Specs

• Lumens: Not stated
• Power: 30 billion volts
• Battery: Internal rechargeable
• Style: Rectangular
• Misc: Built-in charger

Overview

The VIPERTEK VTS-880 is one of the best-selling stun guns with a flashlight on the market. It’s been around for a long time, and the basic model has stayed the same because it’s simple and inexpensive.

VIPERTEK has given wildly different numbers for the volts the VTS-880 can put out over the years, from 5 million volts to 30 billion … somethings.

Since volt measures potential energy and therefore can be ridiculously high, the voltage claims don’t matter that much. What matters is that people have used this cheap stun gun flashlight to successfully defend themselves.

One hour of charging a month will keep this stun gun ready for use. The charging prongs slide out of the bottom of the device so you’ll never lose a charging cord. The controls are easy to use.

You can get the VTS-880 in many different colors. Hot pink is the most common!

The downside is that though this is a good stun gun, it’s not a very good flashlight. VIPERTEK doesn’t specify how many lumens the light can output and my guess is “not much.”

It’s still better than no flashlight, though!

Recommendation

The VIPERTEK VTS-880 is a cheap stun gun with flashlight, but it’s still effective, so long as you don’t expect much from the flashlight.

Best Flashlight Stun Gun for the Money

Specs

• Lumens: Not stated
• Power: 58 billion volts
• Battery: Internal rechargeable
• Style: Flashlight
• Misc: Mediocre holster

Overview

The VIPERTEK VTS-195 is a stun gun flashlight that’s in the middle of the road for the price but is just as effective as the biggest guys.

The amount of power put out by this stun gun is, uh, 58 billion. Volts, presumably. That says nothing.

However, SABRE tested the VTS-195 and came to the conclusion that it puts out more than 1 microCoulomb, which is a much better measurement than just volts because it measures the actual transfer of electricity rather than potential. One microCoulomb is in the “intolerable pain” category.

The VTS-195’s flashlight is better than the VTS-880’s by far, and it’s usable as your daily flashlight. Only the metal prongs give this flashlight away as a stun gun, and they’re not very prominent.

However, they are good at grabbing your clothes, which is the biggest weakness. The second-biggest weakness is that the stun gun charges using a proprietary charging cord. Don’t lose it!

Recommendation

The VTS-195 is a good flashlight and a good stun gun for a good price. It’s not the best around but is a high value for your dollar.

Best Overall Flashlight Stun Gun

Specs

• Lumens: Not stated
• Power: 58 billion volts
• Battery: Internal rechargeable
• Style: Rectangular
• Misc: Holster

Overview

The VIPERTEK VTS-989 is a comparatively expensive offering by VIPERTEK that’s just as powerful as the VTS-195 but has several important differences.

For starters, it has a flashlight but doesn’t look like a flashlight. Someone watching you hold this stun gun will realize that it’s a stun gun. Whether that’s good or bad is up to you.

The controls are easier to use. There’s a big power switch on one side, and the button to zap is on the other side, which feels more natural to use than many other stun guns.

Also, the VTS-989 doesn’t just have small metal prongs for the electrodes. There are two sharp spikes jutting out the front of the device. These electrodes are sharp enough to penetrate clothing and improve the chances of incapacitating an attacker.

There are also metal sections on either side of the front of the VTS-989. These are shock plates that can deliver a jolt of electricity to anybody who tries to take this self-defense weapon from you.

Recommendation

The VIPERTEK VTS-989 is a powerful and effective stun gun flashlight that cannot be mistaken for anything but a stun gun.

Most Powerful Flashlight Stun Gun

Specs

• Lumens: 130
• Power: 2.517 microCoulombs
• Battery: Internal rechargeable
• Style: Flashlight
• Misc: Holster

Overview

Remember the talk about microCoulombs before?

The SABRE S-3000SF is the most powerful stun gun flashlight on the market. It doesn’t just deliver just one microCoulomb for intolerable pain — it delivers 2.517 for more pain than any other stun gun!

This power has been independently certified by Rassettica Testing Limited.

That much electricity is, pardon the pun, shockingly loud. You may knock yourself over just by hearing the zap!

The flashlight puts out 130 lumens of light, which is not quite at defensive flashlight levels, but it’s powerful enough for most people.

Unfortunately, the finish on this flashlight stun gun is smooth and be slippery when your hands start sweating. It might be a good idea to add some friction tape for improved grip.

Also, like too many stun guns, it uses a proprietary charging cord that’s only eight inches long. It’s easy to use, but the switch to swap between the flashlight and stun functions is recessed and can be hard to move.

But hey, the holster is higher quality than most.

Recommendation

If you want the most powerful and most painful stun gun flashlight, then you want the SABRE S-3000SF.

Best Heavy Flashlight Stun Gun

Specs

• Lumens: 300
• Power: MAX
• Battery: Two rechargeable 18650s
• Style: Baton
• Misc: Useless holster

Overview

This Guard Dog Security stun gun flashlight looks more like a baton than a stun gun or a flashlight, though it is both.

And Guard Dog Security wants to make sure you know that this is not a blunt force striking weapon.

However, it is long and hefty enough to perhaps be used as such an item in an emergency — but that’s not recommended.

The flashlight is at the end of the stick and puts out 300 lumens, which is bright enough to be labeled “tactical” and will disorient someone if you shine the strobe in their eyes.

That same end holds the hidden electrodes for the stun function. I’ve seen Guard Dog Security claim the power as both “MAX volts” and “8,000,000,” which is about as useful as VIPERTEK’s “58 billion” somethings. However, testing upholds this stun gun as an effective unit.

The included 18650 batteries are rechargeable using the included charger.

The holster, on the other hand, is not very useful. It’s too large for the stun gun, though it might be good for carrying a baseball bat.

Recommendation

This Guard Dog Security stun gun flashlight resembles a baton more than a stun gun, though it is emphatically just a stun gun.

Best Keychain Flashlight Stun Gun

Specs

• Lumens: Not stated
• Power: 8.4 million volts
• Battery: Internal rechargeable
• Style: Rectangle
• Misc: Built-in charger

Overview

All of the stun gun flashlights so far have been about hand-sized or larger. Several can fit in your pocket, but you wouldn’t have much room left over.

How about a stun gun flashlight that can fit on your keychain?

The Guard Dog Security Hornet is a mini stun gun. GDS claims that it’s the world’s smallest. You can stick it in the included holster or attach it to your keychain.

Despite the minuscule size, it still puts out enough electricity to incapacitate an attacker. The battery is an internal rechargeable battery that’s charged using the built-in charger, so there are no proprietary cords to lose.

There are three LEDs for the flashlight. These stick out the front of the device, so there are no reflectors to direct all the light forward. This keeps the light from shining too far, limiting the Hornet’s usefulness as a flashlight.

There are many people happy with the Hornet, but some users have reported that their device ceased to function after about two months. Be sure to check yours regularly.

Recommendation

The Guard Dog Security Hornet is the smallest stun gun flashlight you can buy, but there are better options unless you need a stun gun this small.

Best Flashlight Stun Gun for Purses

Specs

• Lumens: 100
• Power: 10,000 volts
• Battery: Internal rechargeable
• Style: Lipstick tube
• Misc: Keychain

Overview

Most stun guns are big, bulky things that look like, well, stun guns. And the ones that look like flashlights still have obvious metal prongs and don’t blend in well with the contents of the average purse.

Though, I have seen some purses where a stun gun may be the least-ferocious-looking item!

Guard Dog Security’s Electra stun gun is shaped like a tube of lipstick, complete with a red or pink color and sparkles. Only the “Guard Dog” text gives the Electra away, so I’d recommend blacking that out.

The Electra maintains a measure of stealth even after you pop off the lip because the electrode prongs are hidden around the flashlight’s bezel.

The flashlight portion is also surprisingly good for the size. It puts out 100 lumens.

There’s also a keychain so you can attach the Electra to your keys if you want.

Unfortunately, we’re back to the proprietary charging cables.

Recommendation

The Guard Dog Security Electra is the perfect stun gun flashlight for hiding in your purse. It is also small enough to attach to your keychain.

Why Choose a Flashlight Stun Gun?

There is a large array of potential self-defense weapons out there.

Handguns. Pepper spray. Personal alarms. Even just your fists.

Stun guns are carried more often than most of these choices for several reasons.

For starters, a stun gun is a less-than-lethal weapon. There’s always a chance that the administration of a large shock will do bad things to your attacker’s pacemaker, but this is a rare chance.

Stun guns work by triggering the nervous system to report pain from all the electricity flowing around. If you keep the prongs attached, then you will cause muscle spasm that will further incapacitate the attacker and cause pain.

One of the advantages of stun guns is that accidental discharges are almost impossible. You need to be touching the electrodes and hit the button while the safety is off in order to shock yourself.

On the other hand, pepper spray somebody in an enclosed area, and you’ve effectively pepper sprayed yourself, too.

There is a disadvantage of stun guns, though. You need to touch your attacker with the device.

But aside from that, when you add a flashlight to your stun gun, you have an even better self-defense tool.

A flashlight helps illuminate your way in the dark and keep you out of danger. Also, brighter flashlights can be shone in somebody’s eyes to disorient them. You want hundreds of lumens for this last effect, preferably on the strobe setting.

How to Choose a Stun Gun Flashlight!

Stun gun flashlights are all pretty similar.

You charge them for a long time when you receive the package then charge them for an hour or two once a month.

If you need to use one to defend yourself, you turn off the safety or switch it from flashlight to stun, hit the zap button, and jab the front of the stun gun into the attacker.

Though, often, the sudden loud zapping noise is enough to deter attackers if they have their wits about them. Stun guns can be used as personal alarms this way.

Power

Any stun gun worth its salt will be able to put out a painful amount of electricity. This is best measured in microCoulombs, though not every stun gun does so.

A 0.5-microCoulomb rating is enough to cause pain. One microCoulomb is better. Anything past that is great but not likely to cause a difference in action.

Size and Shape

This means that the primary criterion for choosing a stun gun flashlight is whether or not you’ll be comfortable carrying it.

A large model such as the VTS-989 or the Guard Dog Security totally-not-a-baton may be super effective in theory, but if you leave it at home, then you might as well not own it.

A smaller, less powerful device is better if you carry it more often. This is why the pocket-sized VTS-880 is so much more popular than most other stun guns.

Stun guns that don’t look like stun guns are great because you’ll be more likely to throw them in your bag or pocket and carry them around. Who cares if somebody sees yet another tube of lipstick?

Flashlight Strength

Another aspect to consider is the flashlight portion itself.

A weak light is not useless, but it’s no good as a defensive tool. However, I wouldn’t completely disregard a stun gun flashlight because the light is weak. Any light is better than none.

Anybody who has suddenly looked into a flashlight knows that even a moderate amount of light can disorient you for a moment. One hundred lumens is enough to cause this effect, but don’t expect for it to be enough to stop an attack. It’ll only be good enough to give you another moment or two.

However, once you start getting into multiple hundreds of lumens, then your light will start to have a longer-lasting effect. And if you can set it to strobe? The flashlight will be much more effective as a disorienting weapon.

The idea with a strobe light is that it overwhelms the photoreceptors better than bright light alone, which causes a blinding effect.

However, remember that any defensive application of a flashlight is merely a time-gathering measure. You need to use these precious seconds to set yourself up for your next move, whether it’s escaping, preparing a more effective weapon, or switching the stun gun from flashlight to stun.

Final Considerations

No matter which stun gun flashlight you choose, you need to familiarize yourself with it.

Pressing the stun button will cause a loud zap from the electricity now sparking through the air. If you do this for the first time while being attacked, then you may surprise yourself enough to drop the stun gun!

So, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the operation of the stun gun and the noises it produces when triggered.

All stun guns need to be recharged at least once a month, so this presents a good time to train. It’ll also let you know if the device fails.

You don’t want to suddenly learn that your stun gun won’t send out a jolt while you’re trying to jab it into an attacker’s stomach!