Which type of collar should I use?
or,
That Prong Collar looks like a Medieval Torture Device!

This is an important question, and I hear it alot, both on and off the internet.  There are several types of collars you can use on your dog while training and even others you can use for "fun" events. buy HTC Evo 3D replacement battery

This will of course, concentrate on the ones used most for training purposes.

Here are the different collars, and "MY" likes and dislikes (and I too have labs)

Flat collar - Basic flat collar, pretty to look at. Is good for extra sensitive dogs who are afraid of having their neck hurt. Great for pups, and great for "soft" dogs. (very few labs qualify as soft) Is also good for previously trained dogs who need few to no corrections.

Training Collar/Choke collar - This collar is also very good, depending on how it is used. When used incorrectly it literally becomes a CHOKE collar, that does not release, and continues to choke the dog even when not in use. Also if misused you can damage the trachea, especially on dogs like poodles and such, which have problems with collapsed trachea. When used properly, with quick snap/release corrections, becomes an excellent training tool. Of the choices, this is the easiest collar to use, but ALSO the easiest to MISUSE. If Misused, death CAN occur. Remember, the finer the link, the faster the release, however, the finer the link, the more it can cut into the neck. Must be used with caution.

Prong collar - Looks scary, but basically causes no pain. (try it on your own arm sometime). It's designed to put pressure on all sides of the neck at a given time during the correction. I personally find it hard to use, but definitely can be effective with the hard to handle dogs. Can break if too hard of a correction is given, but harder corrections are rarely needed with this collar. My BIGGEST problem is that dogs tend to learn to RELY on this collar, and only RESPOND when the collar is in place. That's because it's heavy, and the dog KNOWS when it's there, or when it's not. Of course, retraining without the prong collar works good too.

To be honest, it's a simple matter of choice. There are other collars (slip nylon, rolled leather, etc) but they are not normally considered for training purposes. I do know some folks who change to rolled leather after the dog is fully trained. My 10 yr old lab is on a flat collar herself.