TASER StrikeLight 2

The TASER StrikeLight 2 is the best close-contact stun device because it doubles as a tool you would carry anyway. It packs a 20kV stun device into a fully functional 700-lumen flashlight with high, low, and red modes. To anyone watching it is a flashlight, which means you can keep it in hand walking to your car at night without signaling that you are armed, then trigger the contact stun if someone closes on you.

It is USB-C rechargeable, and a full charge yields about 5 hours of light or 100 five-second stun cycles, with a 10 microcoulomb charge output on contact. At 7.4 by 1.85 inches and 10.6 ounces it has enough heft to also serve as a striking tool, and the adjustable wrist strap keeps it secured during a struggle. It is made in the USA, backed by a 1-year warranty, and covered by Axon's Safe Escape program, which replaces the unit free if you lose it deploying it to escape an attack. It requires no permit to own in most states.

Understand the limitation clearly: the StrikeLight 2 is a contact stun device, not a projectile Taser. It does not fire probes; it only works when pressed directly against an attacker, so it has zero standoff distance. That makes it a genuine last-resort tool for when a threat is already on you. For real distance, pair it with pepper spray or a projectile launcher; the StrikeLight 2 fills the close-contact gap while pulling double duty as your everyday flashlight.