The taser's process:

When you pull the trigger, the C2 generates a charge of 17 pulses of 50,000 volts per second (PPS) for 5 seconds, 12 PPS for 15 seconds, a ½ second break, 17 PPS for 1.5 seconds, 8 PPS for remaining 8 seconds. Your attacker will go down for the count, and you will have plenty of time to run away, while it is going through the cycle.

Unlike stun guns which are only activated (stunning) while the button/trigger is pressed, a Taser fires for a full 30 seconds using this pattern. Tasers use a lot less voltage than stun guns, although arguably more wattage (depending upon the stun gun used for comparison). Firing almost continuously for 30 seconds, though, tends to make up for the much lower voltage.

If it takes 2-3 seconds to drop someone (to the ground) with a stun gun, I wonder if it takes a similar time frame to drop someone with a Taser that has less voltage. Sure, the stunning will continue for 30 seconds with a Taser (a distinct, tactical advantage over the duration of the encounter), but will the bad guy drop as soon?

One advantage of the stun gun in this regard is greater control over the kind of defense you mount. If you want to warn him with a test zap (not touching him), you can do this with almost all stun guns, but not a Taser. You can shock him quickly if he proceeds without dropping him, or hold it for whatever duration your batteries can handle; with a Taser, you're committed for 30 seconds. In other words, stun guns provide far more variability in response. On the other hand, the tactical advantage of 30 seconds of fleeing time, plus 15 feet of range are not to be overlooked in a Taser.

I would dare say a Taser is better suited for women, insofar as women can be trusted with any weapon*. Men may prefer the greater response control available via a stun gun over the greater tactical advantages of the Taser.

*(I recognize the dangers in emotionally volatile judgment all too common with women. There are certainly exceptions to this rule--some women have good heads on their shoulders--and there are plenty of emotionally castrated "men" who are just as bad or worse; the latter I blame on the combination of Original Sin [men's desire to avoid leadership] and New & Improved Sin [feminism].)