Charcoal Companion Amazing Bug Zapper

The Amazing Handheld Bug Zapper terminates insects without using toxins! Child safety switch, not a toy, two AA batteries included, a long-standing best seller. Handheld bug zapper kills insects on contact Environmentally safer alternative to insect sprays Current runs through bug zapper's net upon activation Two-button activation switch for child safety Runs on two AA batteries (included)

Keep the bugs away from your next barbecue without resorting to unsafe insect sprays. Designed on the premise of a flyswatter, this handheld bug zapper is shaped like a tennis racket and kills insects on contact via an electric current when they touch the surface of the "net." The zapper operates on two AA batteries and, for safety, activates when you simultaneously press the two buttons on its handle. The bug zapper is safe for either indoor or outdoor use; however, people should exercise caution when the zapper is activated as it will cause a shock. --Cristina Vaamonde

As goofy as it may seem, this is actually very effective at eliminating whatever is bothering you. Each winter we encounter about 1 - 3 wasps each week that find their way into our attic and then somehow get into our house (maybe the fireplace). We have 18 foot ceilings in our family room so it is hard to reach them. I bought this to see if I could rig it to an extension pole used for changing lights and then zap the wasps. I wasn't sure if it had the power to kill something as big as a wasp but it does, with a little help. As soon as the wasp touches the swatter, they fall straight down to the ground. They are pretty darn hurt at this point and I haven't seen one get up from it yet. But just in case, I then hold the swatter on top of them for a good 5 - 10 seconds and watch them fry to be sure they are dead. Works great! I also use this when I'm outside in the evening grilling and the mosquitos are very active. Nice to see them briefly spark and light on fire when they hit the swatter. I've also used it on spiders and even silverfish. It's nice not to have any guts to clean off your walls since this leaves their bodies intact.
Some of the other electric swatters sold on Amazon have protective screens but not this one. I didn't want a protective screen because I wasn't sure if that would prevent a wasp from getting through to the hot wires and being shocked. Plus, if I'm dumb enough to accidentally shock myself, I assume I'll be more careful going forward.
Overall, a very effective product.

The product does what it says, but I wish the "zapper" was larger, like the size of a tennis racket. That would make it a little easier to get hornets and flies the first time. Good product.

Yes, its plastic and parts are cheap, but its only 10 bucks!.. I wish someone would make a bulletproof one for around 30. Most of the more expensive ones I've seen are merely overpriced and don't work as good.

Nevertheless, this looks cheaper than those other types with the protective grids "that actually work against you" by pushing the bugs away rather than electrocuting them.

This "single grid" system works perfect. Each wire is of opposite polarity.. one negative, one positive and so on. So there is nothing to block the bug from getting zapped.

Keep in mine "very" small knats may sneak through the grids from time to time, but normal size bugs like mosquitos and flies are dead.

I used to have tons of spiders that liked to lower themselves out of the trees at night and end up on your face or head as you walked by in the dark around my pool. I started taking a small flashlight and purposely going on spider hunts at night, it didn't take long at all to get them all. Now a couple of years later, I still seldom find one!.. I think I zapped all the pregnant ones and broke the chain of generations.

I warn you to not touch the grids even after you release the button for at least 30 seconds. A tiny capacity drains the energy from the grid when the button is released but it takes time.. if it did it too quickly, the battery would drain too quickly as you held the button down.

My daughter "playing around" touched my arm with mine and it felt like a 400 lb wrestler jerked my arm as hard as he could... yes it was sore!... it affected every muscle in my arm.. so don't be dumb and play with it.. its not a toy, but rather a bug killing machine!

I tested the voltage with my voltmeter and it went off the scale.... its somewhere around 1500 volts "but very little amperage".

I recommend NiMh rechargable batteries as they have the ability to dish out high current until drained whereas Alkaline only do good when fully charged, then performance after that is minimal for high current devices.

Lithium ion would be the best, but good luck finding them in D cell.

Alkaline is ok as long as you give it a rest between your bug safaris!

All in all, 10.00 doesn't buy much these days... that makes this racket well worth the money and an impressive gift for the money by any means!

Sorry, This item was sent by mistake but I am keeping it for a gift someday!

We've owned several models of this type of bug zapper over the years. All but the oldest have safety screens to keep you from touching the electric wires. Alas, the safety screens also keep BUGS from touching the electric wires. Which is why I went nuts and bought several of this particular model. We are still working out the coordination required to press two buttons at once when swinging at an offending insect, a feature not mentioned in the product description. But it's worth it to hear that satisfying POP! as an annoying fly gets zapped.
I have not yet found out if this model is capable of the "perfect storm" moment when under the right conditions a fly explodes in a flash of blue flame. That and the two-button control is why I refrained from the five-star rating.