Has anyone ever used strobe mode?

[hank]

Another use for strobe -- even from a block away, if you point it at a reflectorized STOP sign at dusk or dark, the sign lights up blinking brilliantly.

We've got several 4-way-stop intersections around where I live that are quite hazardous for older pedestrians (who move slow) and high school kids (who moonwalk in their earphones) -- because with slopes and turns before the stop signs, drivers always overrun the marks even if they don't exactly intend to blow through the light.

Several times I've seen someone in a crosswalk as I came up toward it, seen a car blow past me going fast that looked likely to run the stop sign -- pulled out my light and pointed it past the driver at the stop sign and made it start blinking.

They stop. (And this is from a position where the driver can't see me, masked by a vehicle or bush -- all they see is the light reflected from the stop sign).

It makes me wish every stop sign was paired with a little LED half a block before it that would point at it and blink as a car went by toward the sign.
Cheapest possible way to illuminate it and get the driver's attention.

Try it at a place you see people routinely blow through stop signs. It works from so far away they'll never catch you (grin) and the effect is dramatic.

 

[Samy]

I find the strobe great if you have to pull over on the side of a hwy for whatever reason. Either use a front or rear window wiper to hold the light to reflect off the ground or the car itself.

People instinctively slow down when they see a strobe.

 

[roadkill1109]

+1 I do this all the time with my thrower lights! i blast reflectorized signs on the road and it lights up as if it had a backlight or something. really calls motorists attention. Just be careful if you do this while driving fast.

 

[Ualnosaj]

Not sure of your reasoning there??? I have MANY small lights whose output is more than sufficient to be used as my primary light. And no, I still don't want/need/use a strobe.

I mean if all you had on you was a small light and nothing else in a freak scenario, then you'd appreciate strobe. That's all.


___________
Posted from my phone.

 

[bkumanski]

Just my $.05 (I always like to get change ) as a LEO:

I have found strobe useful, but not "tactical" useful. I have found (and yes, I have dynamic entry training, have been in lethal situations in dark rooms, and have confronted numerous intoxicated under the influence suspects, it's SoCal after all :devil strobe not only has little effect on a suspect unless it it REALLY bright (Wiseled anyone?) and then, it effects you as much or more than the suspect. I would rather just shine a good 300 focused lumens right at their face and take the moment of blindness advantage to move in fast and hard then try to get MY vision to adapt to the flashing light (cuz they are adjusted too).

Now, most of my lights have a relatively easy to get to strobe, although I don't have to cycle through modes to get there (IE Inforce 9VX). The purpose I find useful is, as mentioned by others, signaling. Especially in an urban environment with lots of garbage light everywhere, backing officers and responding medical personnel, not to mention the airships find it much easier to locate you when you signal with one. They also are good for getting a drivers attention when a proper traffic control wand is not available.

 

[eh4]

Re: Has Anyone Ever Used Strobe Mode?

Max Power, good point!

 

[ieslei]

Nice thread! I've been thinking about this subject a lot this week!
I never used the SOS mode but always use the Strobe when i go to country side here in brazil, i eventually take a walk in the dark and the place is full of dogs, as they try to get closer and barking i use the strobe and they get so confused that they end up running away. Its flawless.

Hope you guys understand it, my english sucks sometimes :/

 

[garbman]

Re: Has Anyone Ever Used Strobe Mode?

I only use it on my bike when the "juice" is running low in my front light.
In my rear bike light i use it always as it gets more attention from the drivers.
Its good to be seen in the night when you're on bike.
In fy flashlights not yet.

 

[Lou Minescence]

Mostly I use strobe to annoy people. One time I was walking my dog off leash in a field. Then I heard my dog barking and running towards me along with a coyote. My dog was trying to send the coyote away from me. I strobed the coyote at about 70 feet away. It stopped and looked at me then it ran to the wood line. Then it came back and again ran to the wood line. I decided to get out of the field before my dog and the coyote fought each other. The coyote was not aggressive at all and the strobe had zero effect on it as far as I could tell. It did stop running at me, but I think that is because it realized I was in the field too.

 

[yifu]

Strobe mode is very useful for me and all my lights/drop ins have a strobe mode in them. I generally prefer 2-4hz strobe more so than the 11hz tactical one but it is very useful for signalling purposes.

 

[CarpentryHero]

I use strobe mode on Halloween, put a light in each street facing window and turn em on. Two cell lights last the entire duration of trick or treaters, Quark 2aa, Fenix LD20 and the Costco cheapie.


On a side note I also use strobe to annoy friends

 

[buds224]

I just remembered that at a kid's museum, they had a giant circle, in a dark-room, probably 5 feet in diameter, and it spun. The entire surface was glow in the dark material. It was intended for a hanging flashlight to be swung by kids to see patterns created. They all had a blast when I busted out my TA21 strobe mode. Talk about cool patterns. LOL.

 

[Grizzlyb]

Part of our training consisted of being immediately taken from direct sunlight into a blacked out building with a high output strobe light. It was disorienting for a few seconds, but it seems our team was able to adapt quickly and function without much problem. Bad guys can and do the same thing.
I've been in high intensity situations and lethal use of force situations that require quick thinking. Never has strobe been a part of that. I've been on numerous calls with our "swat" team, never has strobe been used or even mentioned. It seems to be more of a gimic than anything else. I don't see it as practically tactical, I do see it serving more of a purpose in search and rescue.

Funny thing is, I have been in the same situations for the last 40 years.
Since we developed the new Tactical Lights, We did the same, with tottaly different results.

Abosolutely none of our opponents had any experience with a tactical strobe directly in their eyes. (I don't mean the fancy disco lights on the walls in a training facility and mounted on the shields, those are not focused)

We had some research done in University's what light does to Your eyes in different situations and different intensity's.
Above a certain level of Lumens Your eyes can't adept anymore.
Since the combination High output LED and instant-on strobe on a 20hz freq, is a fairly new developement, our Swat teams just recently started using them with very good results.
Our experience is, that up to now, no opponent is trained in the use of this type of tactical light, at least in Europe the Criminals are not that well orgenized.
They don't even know of the existence.
How could they, We just finnished the last developements last december.
For that matter, most police agencys don't know what we developed, up till now.

 

[Capt. Nemo]

Funny thing is, I have been in the same situations for the last 40 years.
Since we developed the new Tactical Lights, We did the same, with tottaly different results.

Abosolutely none of our opponents had any experience with a tactical strobe directly in their eyes. (I don't mean the fancy disco lights on the walls in a training facility and mounted on the shields, those are not focused)

We had some research done in University's what light does to Your eyes in different situations and different intensity's.
Above a certain level of Lumens Your eyes can't adept anymore.
Since the combination High output LED and instant-on strobe on a 20hz freq, is a fairly new developement, our Swat teams just recently started using them with very good results.
Our experience is, that up to now, no opponent is trained in the use of this type of tactical light, at least in Europe the Criminals are not that well orgenized.
They don't even know of the existence.
How could they, We just finnished the last developements last december.
For that matter, most police agencys don't know what we developed, up till now.

It'll be interesting to see if these new developments make it over here as a part of regular training. Just curious if your test subjects were high on PCP or Meth as part of the study?

 

[eksiray]

Re: Has Anyone Ever Used Strobe Mode?

I go to outdoor concerts, strobe mode helps us meet up in a crowd, along with a cell phone. Make cell contact, turn on strobe and sweep it, and hear "I see you!" Meetup accomplished. And sometimes dancing with several people waving strobes is cool.

 

[JAS]

Has Anyone Ever Used Strobe Mode?

Strobe mode is very useful for me and all my lights/drop ins have a strobe mode in them. I generally prefer 2-4hz strobe more so than the 11hz tactical one but it is very useful for signalling purposes.

How do you know the rate of the strobe? IS it published in the specifications or do you measure it somehow?

 

[Grizzlyb]

It'll be interesting to see if these new developments make it over here as a part of regular training. Just curious if your test subjects were high on PCP or Meth as part of the study?

Nope, or our regular police students are high....(come to think on it, that could explain a lot )
We had everything controled by an ophtalmologist? Eye specialist? and for the Animal tests (Police dogs and Police Horses) a Veterinary Surgeon.
At the Police Academy we are very serious about this subject. In the last 25 years we had several types of lights in use in our Specialist Teams, and have lots of experience.
So, also we where sceptical at first. But this Tactical Defense Light, and the way we use it, is something different then we ever had. So, forget the past. This does not fit in that category.

 

[Le-trmr]

Since the combination High output LED and instant-on strobe on a 20hz freq, is a fairly new developement

Seeing that most strobe modes in current flashlights seem to center around 9Hz (some go to 14Hz), 20Hz sounds quite fast. I assume you did test for different frequencies: How did lower frequency strobes perform in comparison? or Why do you think 20Hz is not seen frequently in current "tactical" lights?
Thank you for the insightful contributions.

 

[Aces-Q]

Re: Has Anyone Ever Used Strobe Mode?

I have a question. What's the use of randomize strobe vs lights with regular strobe? I have a new Fenix LD12, and the strobe on it is random. My old Fenix LD20 has strobe mode that blast strobe at a constant interval. Why would LD12 be made to have random strobe? Whats the usage?
Pardon me if my English is bad.

 

[Rokron]

Re: Has Anyone Ever Used Strobe Mode?

I'm an excavator/backhoe operator and I regularly EDC a V10R T6 but if I know that I'll be working at night I'll holster up my T20CS which has an dandy strobe that I can use to warn motorist's or pedestrian's of the dangers. Also, I have some friends that are locomotive engineers for the FEC Railway here in Florida and I use the strobe day or night to let them know that I'm track side to give them a wave when they go by.