I don't usually buy Black and Decker products because they often break, but I decided to give this a try. It requires two AA batteries to operate, which doesn't excite me. I bought one that came with a USB cord and didn't need batteries to run. It works pretty well and I've killed a lot of mosquitoes with it. I even took it outside while I let the dog do his thing and nothing bit me because I swung that racquet like I was playing tennis and I've had a lot of bugs since the yard was recently mowed. I'm glad it wasn't very noisy otherwise the neighbors might think I was firing a machine gun. It makes a clicking sound to let you know when you've hit your target. I've only received it in the past few weeks so we'll do it as Black and Decker improves quality and durability.