Guard Dog Diablo Flashlight Stun Gun

Pros: Tough metal body; rechargeable; loud, intimidating white sparks; blindingly BRIGHT flashlight; has wrist strap. Cons: Safety/flashlight switch can be jostled by things in my backpack; no charge finished indication; no low charge indication; flimsy holster; delicate-looking wrist strap attachment. I am a college student and a martial artist of 12 years. I have been using this stun gun flashlight almost every day of the week, and I feel much safer carrying it. I can see several uses in a combat situation: 1) Blinding the attacker. The brief flash from the flashlight as you switch from off to armed was enough to ruin my night vision for 30 seconds. If it stayed on and pointed at *my* face, I would have serious problems fighting. 2) Striking the attacker directly with the metal body of the flashlight. The rear of the flashlight looks like it would cause the most damage, since that part is all-metal. Kind of like pistol-whipping. 3) Firming up the knuckles for a punch by tightly gripping the flashlight. 4) Stunning. To do this, move the switch into the armed position (all the way forward) and press the button on the opposite side while holding it against the attacker. I've read that you should keep stunning for a 3 seconds or so for best effect. 5) As a flail, using the wrist strap. However, the strap looks flimsy, so I'd avoid this use. Someone mentioned that the front half-inch or so is plastic; this is necessary for the stun gun to function, because if it were all-metal, the electric current would short through the flashlight instead of arcing through the opponent's body. The main complaints I have about this product are: That the off-light-armed switch is too easy to move; sometimes, I've taken it out of my backpack to find that it's moved from the "off" position to the "armed" position. So far, nothing has ever triggered the stun gun in my backpack, but I feel like it's just waiting to happen. That there is no indication of charge status except for an LED that turns on when it's plugged in. That's all. It doesn't turn off after 6-8 hours of charging like the manual says, and I wish I could know more about the battery status itself. Once, i wanted to show the sparks to a friend, but the battery was discharged and could only work the light; when I armed it and activated the stun, I only saw faint, purple sparks, and there was no noise. I'm glad I didn't need to stun anyone that night! The charging cable is VERY short (~6 in.) and both ends of the cable fit loosely. In particular, sometimes I have to jostle the cable where it connects to the flashlight to get the LED to turn on. The wall plug side is a little thinner than most plugs, and older, looser wall outlets may not be able to make a good connection. That said, this is an excellent product. And, it has more uses beyond self-defense; I ignited my gas oven's pilot light with it one day because I had no matches! And the powerful light is a wonderful feature, too. I can easily see the spot on the wall across my living room in broad daylight. So, as long as you are careful about charging and disregard the cheap holster, this flashlight will work great!