Problems with X26 Tasers

[rchoy]

has anybody here beta tested the X26?
I have heard from a realiable source that one of Taser International's rep told them "that the new model does not perform as well as our model [M26]. One shortcoming is the light laser and the darts are not as accurately synchronized"
Is there any validity to this? or is it just a ploy to get rid of outdated inventory?

[gdowkpc]

I read a review on the X26 that said is was much superior to the M26. Haven't heard of any problems. Our dept is using the M26, though. Haven't seen the X26 in the field.

[Samuel]

what do you mean by "synchronized"?

[gdowkpc]

The taser has a laser in it that helps you aim. Where the laser is, the probes land. This is very accurate on the M26. I'm sure he is referring to a problem that would indicae that the X26 does not behave this way (yet).

The manual sites on the top of the taser are worthless. They do not light the darts up at all. You must use the laser to get a decent aim. I have had some difficulty finding the laser on a subject in bright sunlight. A little more brightness would be nice.

[gdowkpc]

Portland police will expand use of taser guns

Chief Foxworth wants more officers trained on the stun gun in hopes of reducing police-involved shootings

11/18/03

MAXINE BERNSTEIN - Oregonian Staff Writer

Portland Police Chief Derrick Foxworth wants all uniformed officers trained to carry a taser gun and plans to order 255 to allow every precinct officer to sign one out for patrol.

Foxworth said he expects the expanded use of the stun gun to reduce officer-involved shootings and injuries to both police and suspects facing arrest. The Portland Police Bureau has field-tested the taser since July 2002 and now has 52 distributed through its five precincts and to the Special Emergency Reaction Team.

"This is a priority for the organization," Foxworth said Monday.

A recent consultants' report cited faulty police tactics that contributed to deadly force encounters in Portland and recommended that officers have access to the most effective less-lethal options. But Foxworth said the impetus for the program expansion is the pilot program's success.

The field testing of the taser grew out of the bureau's search for alternatives to the use of deadly force after the April 1, 2001, fatal police shooting of Jose Santos Victor Mejia Poot, 29, in a psychiatric hospital.

The taser resembles a conventional handgun but is painted yellow on its side. It fires darts that carry an electric current and can temporarily incapacitate a person by overriding the central nervous system. When the trigger is pulled, two tethered metal darts are propelled at 100 mph as far as 21 feet. The gun also can be fired at close range. Before a trigger is pulled, a laser beam lights the target.

The bureau has used a model called Advanced Taser M26 but plans to replace that with the latest technology, Taser X26E, which is smaller in size but emits as much as 50,000 volts of electricity. The new model also attaches near the officer's waist belt, on the opposite side of the firearm.

The chief's goal is to have all precinct officers and some detectives trained in using the latest model within 10 months. The bureau plans to initially order 100, at a cost of $1,000 each including training cartridges, using money from the bureau's general fund and drug asset forfeiture proceeds.

"We feel the taser is very effective and much safer than some other police tactics," Training Capt. Mike Crebs said.

Since taser guns were distributed to some officers last summer, bureau records show they have been used 447 times. Of those, there were 191 successful hits where both probes made contact with a suspect; 167 were close-contact hits; 64 involved the laser beam only as a warning; 14 were one-probe hits; and 11 were misses, Crebs said.

Failures or misses could be because of thick clothing. The taser was not effective, for example, May 5 when police fired it at Kendra James, who was then shot to death as she tried to drive off from a traffic stop in North Portland. The probes did not penetrate her jacket, police said.

Some people struck by tasers have suffered secondary injuries from falls, including one person who needed stitches for a deep cut to the head, police said.

Portland police also consulted with the Phoenix Police Department in Arizona, which adopted the taser departmentwide in December and said police shootings have dropped since. Phoenix police said there were eight officer-involved shootings between January and June this year, compared with 15 during the same period a year ago.

Currently, there are 138 Portland officers trained on the old taser model. Those officers will get four hours of training on the new model, and officers receiving training for the first time on the less-lethal gun will go through a 10-hour course, Crebs said.

[Fargocop]

We all carry the X26. Great tool and we have had nothing but success with it!

[gatorgar]

I just completed Taser training last weekend. Our instructor had both models available for the class. I liked the M-26 a little better that the X-26. It fit my hand better. The X just did not feel comfortable to me. One other thing a few of us noticed was that the X smelled like burning plastic after it was fired. I don't know it may have just been a faulty weapon, but it really put my chief off with the smell. He was considering ordering a few of the X-26's but after the class he decided to order more M's.

[Switchback]

The X26 pits the M26 to shame! The fit in your hand should really not be an issue... it's not like the recoil. LOL The biggest complaint of the M26 was that it was too big/bulky. Taser International answered this with the X26. The X26 actually packs MORE punch in a compact size. The punch is not from a higher power rating, rather it comes from the more precise application of the charge. This also explains the longer batttery life (the number 2 complaint of the M26).

[gdowkpc]

We recently had an officer discharge an M-26 for 3 minutes continuously. It melted the componentry and destroyed the weapon.

[rdp]

I know the x-26 won't do that.....I tried it out on several items seeing what it would and would not burn lil' holes through.

[silversnake]

We pack the x26, and can use it at verbal noncompliance, but it should never be thought of as a replacement to your Firearm. x is better than the M for power effectiveness. I took the probes and know that it works. also I have hit someone with it and they didn't go down, but they did follow my verbal afterwards. The Trigger pull/firing is a lot different than a firearm, seems to be a split second delay that you might need to get use to. The only time I have ever "smelled" something, was burning flesh from the drive stun or using the "clips" during exposure. My biggest complaint about the taser is that sometimes the cartridges come off, fall off.. and I haven't seen any high quality aftermarket holsters yet.

The tasers are worth it cause they can reduce the amount of injuries that can ocurr from hands on compliance, as long as officers don't become too dependent on them.

[CT5oh]

We all carry the X26. Great tool and we have had nothing but success with it!

same here..thumbs up for X26

[stinger-2-hour]

have you been issued the stinger flashlight ? with the 2 hour burn time batteries from www.spam-me-not.com ?

[acreature]

have you been issued the stinger flashlight ? with the 2 hour burn time batteries from ?

Quit spamming our Forum!