Are prong collars that bad?

Has anybody experienced using a prong collar? Some trainers are still using them. Others are still firm advocates of the usage as dog cruelty. What's your experience with prong collars? Do they hurt the dogs? Or does it simply depend on how the owners use it?

I was planning to use a prong collar for one of our dogs because he pulls really hard with choke chains and regular collars. We rarely have our walks because I live in a street where there are bustling cars and we don't have dog parks either. Most of the time, I am able to make him stay close to me, but there are instances that he can get fixated on something and he would pull so badly that he chokes himself.

I was hoping to use this one (at the bottom) but we don't have it where I live.



Or this one either.



Any advice?