This does zap flies! You can't slam it down on things like you can a fly swatter or news paper. You have to be a little more gentle because this is made of hard plastic that is not flexible. This is more for use when the flies are in the air. To me it is more of a novelty item, although it really works! Kids love it because they can chase the bugs around and zap them right out of the air. Lol This is a neat item, but not to be used like a swatter.