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Drjones said:
Wow! Thanks so much for that info, norm!
How fascinating! I didn't know that...
That said, I'm not convinced that speed matters more than the amount of light when considering use in a personal flashlight intended to blind an attacker.
So, now that lots and lots here have one, (I've got one on the way!) do you people believe the L4 to be bright enough for such use?
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Drjones,
My *very* informal "tests" suggest that a highly focused incandescent (I used 6P with P60, Nascar E2E with P61, PM6 with standard bulb and my brightest L4) *might* be more disorienting at 5-10 feet than the L4.
These "tests" were performed with my long-suffering girlfriend as the "attacker". They prove absolutely nothing except that this was our subjective impression, and probably has zero relevance to a real life situation. In fact, the whole subject of light as a force option is highly controversial.
If I had to sum up what I've learned from CPF, Strategos and other sources about the confrontational usefulness of light it would probably be this:
Sudden application of very powerful focused light in the dark-adapted eyes of an attacker or potential attacker may provoke a variety of reactions ranging from a complete stop to no reaction or even to rage. The average reaction is likely to be a momentary distraction long enough to permit the defender to deploy a weapon or less lethal tool, or for a potential victim to effect an escape. A bright light, by itself, should never be relied upon as the only self defense modality, even though it may serve that function in isolated cases.
Anyway, that's my take on it.
Brightnorm