The projectile prongs on TASERs make them ubiquitous among law enforcement agencies with police TASER devices offering more range than consumer models—up to 35 feet.

Option 3:  Check for corrosion.  If you insert a fully charged battery and don’t get any vibration or LED blinking, check the battery contacts for corrosion. Put alcohol on a cotton swab and wipe off the corrosion then try again.  I recommend isopropyl alcohol.  For very stubborn corrosion, try concentrated 99% alcohol.  Caution: DO NOT pour alcohol into the controller.  Allow the alcohol to evaporate before reinserting the battery.  You might also check for corrosion on the battery itself.

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It's easy to find reliable stun guns, like the Vipertek VTS-989, for less than $30, while most of TASER's consumer-grade models, like the TASER Pulse, cost $400 or more. TASERs are also more expensive to use—replacement cartridges cost about $20 to $23, depending on if you buy a 10-pack or a 2-pack. Likewise, replacement batteries cost between $10 and $25, depending on your model.

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While a TASER device is just as painful as a normal stun gun, it's more effective at incapacitating muscle functions so an attacker can't move.

In contrast, a stun gun is any electroshock weapon. This means that all TASER devices are stun guns—but not all stun guns are TASERs.

There are four main differences between stun guns and tasers: branding, range, reusability, and price. TASERs are branded projectile weapons, while stun guns are more affordable and require close-range contact with an attacker.

Most stun guns use a rechargeable battery and don't use projectiles. You can use them as long as the battery still has some juice.

On the other hand, a TASER uses projectile prongs that attach to a target further away—up to 15 feet. The two prongs spread out when a TASER gun fires, allowing them to land on different body parts. This helps the TASER send electricity across a larger area. Ironically, a TASER's shape is more like a traditional firearm than a generic stun gun is.

If you insert a fully charged battery, you should feel your controller vibrate, and the Quest 2 controller should blink 3 times below the embossed Oculus logo on the ring around the controller.

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If you have an Oculus Quest or Meta Quest 2, you might have trouble connecting one controller or both controllers, even after changing the battery with a brand new, fully charged battery. Here’s what you should do.

Option 1: Wake up controllers.  After a period of inactivity, the controllers will turn themselves off.  Your Quest might not find the controllers if the controllers went to sleep mode.  Try pressing the buttons on the controllers first to wake them up.

Option 2: Low battery.  Check if your controller battery has enough of a charge.  If you replace the battery, make sure to insert them with the correct polarity (the positive side should point toward the bottom of the handle).

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Your budget is probably the biggest factor in buying a TASER or a stun gun, but both have strengths and weaknesses. Stun guns are more affordable and easier to reuse, while a TASER helps you keep your distance from violent attackers. Check out our review of the best stun guns to find the best fit for you and learn about stun gun laws.

The projectile nature of a TASER renders its wires and propellant unusable after one or two shots, depending on the model. Swapping out the TASER cartridge is easy, but it gives you fewer options when deterring an attack, and spare cartridges are expensive.

TASER—in all caps—is a brand from Axon that helped popularize using electric shock weapons for self-defense. TASER's early popularity meant many people started using it as a generic term, like how dumpster became the de facto term for large trash bins.

Stun guns are close - proximity devices that require you to be next to the person attacking you. They use a painful shock to discourage further contact.

This problem can occur if you leave the batteries in the Quest controller for an extended period without using it.  To avoid this problem in the future, either use the Quest more regularly, or make sure to remove the batteries from your controllers if you won’t be able to use them for a while.