OK before I begin, I can already tell I'm going to get a lot of "get a gun, pussy" and "wow that thing looks like a gun, that's bad" comments. Open up your mind a little bit and realize that I still have another year to go here in TX before I can carry a firearm legally, so the only option I really have are tasers as far as self defense goes. Thank TX for thinking adults under 21 aren't capable of defending themselves with a handgun.I've been carrying the Pulse for about two weeks now. In that time I have gone a LOT of places with it as I am in the middle of moving and whatnot, so I think I finally have enough time with it to really give my likes/dislikes/concerns.Here's some of the things that really stuck out to me:Size/form factor: This thing is really targeted as a CCW. Much smaller than the x26 and m26 tasers from before, yet a tad bit larger than the C2 it succeeded. Taser did NOT do a very good job showing the sizing online, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I have compiled an album of size comparisons to some of my other Tasers (and air/BB guns that replica popular handguns) to give you an idea. http://ift.tt/1PGPQu5 short, it's like a single stack 9mm or .380 perhaps. Fairly small enough to conceal pretty easily in most places with no issues, however I notice that certain positions like 3 o clock IWB carry definitely feels better with the C2. The tradeoff with the size is that you get a weapon you can grip and fire much easier than the C2 - I prefer this side of the tradeoff much http://ift.tt/1V80HnE to fire: It is MUCH easier to draw and fire than the C2. That is the biggest selling point to me. I bought the M26 to open carry while I ride my motorcycle and had to have it because I simply cannot pull back the safety "lid" on the C2 to reveal the button with motorcycle gloves on. With the Pulse the safety system is familiar (albeit, reversed trigger safety toggle position from pretty much every handgun on the market) and the trigger pull is easy and natural feeling.I carry the Pulse in the 4 o clock IWB position with loose clothes, most times. I have found that it conceals very well in a belly band if that's your thing (especially if you're looking for a less-lethal backup with your regular CCW) and crotch carry is no problem... for me anyways.I do carry the Pulse in a slightly modified Uncle Mikes size 16 holster (took an x-acto knife to cut off the excess flap) and it seems to fit and draw very well with it. From what i understand there's several people in the works of making hard molded holsters as well, haven't seen anything on the market as of yet though.Price: This thing is about $450 after tax/shipping from most places you'll find it. You can get a lot of nice handguns for the price - Glocks, the fantastic S&W M&P Shield compact line, used berettas... so in comparison to a handgun it's definitely on the pricier side. For someone like me who can ONLY carry non-firearms for another year, that wasn't a big deal, but for someone else who has an array of options I can definitely see why they'd skim over the Pulse.Non-firearm advantages: Post offices, colleges, and other gun-free (criminals welcome!) zones do not apply to the Taser. I have open carried my M26 several times into the post office with no problems whatsoever. Granted, maybe not the best idea since it looks just like a firearm in a holster? But if you are concealing you don't even have to worry about breaking the law in such a scenario. If you're the kind of person who likes to obey the law, the taser stands as a pretty decent option if you must go into a gun-free zone.Downsides/Concerns:Besides the blaring obvious downside of having only one round in the chamber, the Taser is still packed with a lot of disadvantages. I would never, EVER replace a firearm with a Taser if carrying a firearm was an option. Period. The Taser should only either be the only option for someone like me who is underage or as I mentioned before - a backup or secondary CCW for certain less-lethal situations.The safety is either defective on my unit or not well designed: After carrying this thing for the past two weeks, I have already had 3 instances where the Pulse was lit up and ready to fire in my holster when I looked down to check on it. This is thanks to the near effortless safety on the side of the weapon. This is how far the safety has to come upward for it to disengage and it is light and plastic and barely takes any force to disengage. This is seriously dangerous.I am constantly nervous I am going to accidentally discharge it or something, especially when the trigger is literally just a plastic part in front of what seems like a tact pushbutton - not anything like a 12 lb trigger pull on a firearm.The cartridge is impossible to remove with your bare hands, at least when unfired: It took me using a very large pair of shop pliers to remove the unfired cartridge from the chamber. This is a little unsettling considering I always carry extra shots with me, and could possibly have an issue if I miss on the first shot or need another for whatever reason. I have no idea if the cartridge is easier to remove when fired since I haven't test fired it, but I know that at least on the C2 it is fairly easy to remove with your bare hands.Battery situation is unclear: From the looks of it, Taser isn't selling replaceable batteries for the Pulse yet. The C2 battery was fairly easy to swap out, but the puls requires you to remove the end cap on the grip and pull out what looks like a LiPo battery you'd find in RC aircraft or something. Have a look: http://ift.tt/1PGPRhF HAVE to get distance on your attacker for the neuromuscular incapacitation to take effect: Watch videos of cops using Tasers on guys and those guys not falling to the ground like most people do. You know why? It isn't drugs, it isn't just a big tough guy, it's because the darts weren't given enough distance to travel across the body. I can't remember how far they have to get apart, but ideally you want one on the chest area and one on the abdominal area for it to work. The videos where the tasers fail are almost always cops shooting guys with the tasers at near point blank range, or using a cartridge designed for longer distance that has a slower spread trajectory.If you intend on an effective takedown with the Pulse, you NEED to get at least 7-10 ft on your attacker before you fire, otherwise it's just pain compliance and you are seriously fucked.Things I would change:Look, I know there's got to be TASER intl. employees that browse /r/CCW, so I'd like to offer some of my own ideas that may or may not be possible.Offer a version with two or more shots and change the god awful parabolic cartridge design: Seriously, it sucks. I can't set them anywhere on my desk without them sort of just being off balance and they're a pain to carry with me and awkward to carry. If you could change them to a smaller version of something like you already have in the X2, that would be so much better to carry and shoot, and perhaps make them longer to fit more room in for a 2nd or 3rd cartridge?Get a more powerful laser and offer a toggle between the flashlight and the laser: I don't need a flashlight during the day, and the laser in the Pulse is a downgrade from that of the C2. C2 has a 5mW laser, while the Pulse has a 1mW laser (see: warning labels on either weapons). The iron sights are a huge upgrade from nothing with the C2 though, I will admit.Have extra cartridge storage in the grip: Switch to a more flat cartridge and use all that air space in the grip that the battery isn't taking up to store another cartridge.Stop selling it as a use-once-and-run-away weapon. You are going to get someone innocent hurt What the fuck is the logic in telling people to drop their weapon on the ground after using it? You don't think that as soon as the 30 seconds on the timer goes up and the attacker gets up, he won't use the Taser against the victim or just run off with it?Anyways, holy shit that was a wall of text. Those are my thoughts on the new Pulse. I suppose I should make a TL;DR for you people who don't like reading long posts?TL;DR: OK price, not a firearm replacement, much better design than before, easy to carry in most positions, dangerous safety switch, good size for concealment. I would recommend it to anyone who is in my position where they can't carry a firearm or someone who want's a less-lethal option combined with their main firearm. via /r/CCW http://ift.tt/1V80Fw3
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