For sheer intimidation factor this thing is hard to beat! When you pull the trigger it expands with a wicked crackling and popping of blue and white arcs of electricity flashing around the baton. The only time I've had to use it so far was to stop a vicious dog from attacking my dog on our walk. It worked perfectly - and I didn't even have to actually touch the dog with it. Just deploying it scared the attacking dog off immediately. It is a bit bulky and heavy for a relatively small woman like me to carry around, so if you're looking for something inconspicuous this is not the best choice. If you want something big, powerful, and obvious, this should do it. And I sure would NOT want to be on the receiving end of the wallop it packs!