A leash pop is not a jerk or a pull. It's a pop. It's quick. It's not forceful. It's a "Hey, don't forget that I'm here, too" kind of thing.
Personally, I can get the same affect by simply saying "hey, don't forget that I'm here, too" to my dogs.
Prong collars are the most ginormous pain to put on dogs at work... firstly because the dogs despise them, and you have to stab them just to put them on. 99% of the time they are not properly fitted, I can see that and I've never ever used one. Sometimes they are literally skintight, sometimes they are loose enough to fit a hand between the dog. I see a lot of flat edges on prongs, sometimes rounded prongs, but never rubber tips. It does seem like they're more to make the person feel better than anything.
As far as using prong collars for "safety"... has anyone heard of sense-ible harnesses, and/or the many other safer, more humane ways of controlling a dog? It's the 21st century. Prong collars, chokers, etc seem so barbaric when there is so much more out there. I would even use a Halti way before using a prong... have you guys ever thought of your dogs self-correcting themselves when they see other dogs, and that constant negative stimulation exacerbating their DA issues? Has anyone who needs a prong gone through +R classes without training collars?