The ASPECTEK HR292 is a 20W plug-in zapper with two UV bulbs and a 2,800-volt grid behind a mesh guard, sold for indoor and covered outdoor use. Bob Vila's bug zapper roundup, which tested six models, named it the best pick for indoors and found it performed as well as many outdoor units of similar design. Its complaints were the loud pop on each kill and a bright, utilitarian look that it said most people would not want in a bedroom.
Full review
Bob Vila's pick for indoors
Bob Vila tested six bug zappers during the height of bug season in the South, running each for a set period at night and judging it by the insect body count afterward. The Aspectek HR292-1 20W was its best-for-indoors pick.
The roundup reports that it performed as well as many outdoor models using similar black light and grid designs, attracting and dispatching bugs at a high rate. Bob Vila went as far as saying it seemed almost too effective for a typical indoor space already protected by window screens.
Noise and looks
The drawbacks Bob Vila lists are the ones that matter in a house. The unit emits a loud pop when it kills an insect, which the roundup calls a bit unsettling for indoor use, and it describes the look as bright and utilitarian. Its conclusion is that this is probably not something most people would want in their bedrooms.
Steve Jenkins, who reviewed an Aspectek indoor zapper of the same two-bulb, 2,800-volt design on his blog in 2015 (the post does not give a wattage or model number), made the same point: the zap did not bother him, but jumpier members of his family found it startling. He also switched it off at night because of the blue glow.
Setup, safety and cleaning
Bob Vila says it can sit on a countertop or be mounted to a wall with the included hanging chain. A sturdy mesh screen prevents people or pets from touching the electrified grid, and the removable, washable collection tray makes cleanup fast and easy.
Jenkins simply set his on a kitchen counter, found three dead flies in the tray within 45 minutes, and wrote that his fly problem was solved after a few days.
Where it fits
Bob Vila recommends it for a significant fly or mosquito problem in a home's main living area, and for a garage, screened-in porch or covered patio. It rates the unit for indoors or covered outdoor areas and about 1,000 square feet.
The Amazon listing describes the linked version as a 20W zapper with a 2,800-volt grid, for indoor and covered outdoor use, with two replacement bulbs in the box.
Strengths
- +Performed as well as many outdoor black-light zappers in Bob Vila's test
- +Mesh screen guards against accidental contact with the grid, per Bob Vila
- +Removable, washable tray makes cleanup fast, Bob Vila found
- +Sits on a counter or hangs from the included chain
- +Two replacement bulbs are included, per the Amazon listing
Watch-outs
- −Loud pop on each kill, which Bob Vila called a bit unsettling indoors
- −Bright black light and utilitarian look; Bob Vila would not put it in a bedroom
- −Not for open outdoor use: Bob Vila lists it for indoors or covered outdoor areas only
How it compares
Bob Vila lists the ASPECTEK Electric Indoor Bug Zapper for indoors or covered outdoor areas with about 1,000 square feet of coverage, against 625 square feet for the Black+Decker BDPC941 Bug Zapper and up to 1 acre for the outdoor-only Flowtron BK-40D Electronic Insect Killer. Its 2,800-volt grid is half the 5,600 volts listed for the Flowtron and below the 4,200 volts on the GOOTOP Indoor and Outdoor Bug Zapper's listing. Bob Vila found it pops loudly on each kill, where the Black+Decker kills without an audible snap.
Rating sources
“It killed three flies within its first 45 mins of operation! The fly trap is powered by two UV bulbs that attract pretty much any flying insect”
“overall looks like a really great product uh not quite in bug season yet here where I'm at so I haven't had the chance to capture any of those Critters but yeah definitely a good thing to have”
“the aspek indoor bug zapper worked really well and we would feel very comfortable recommending this trap for anyone who's trying to deal with an indoor insect problem”
“However, if you’re dealing with a significant fly or mosquito problem in your home’s main living area, this bug zapper will take care of it.”
Our 4.0 score is the average of the 1 scored review above; 4 more reviewed it without printing a score and are not in the average. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
