Strobe: is it really any good at incapaciting an attacker?

bobkat

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I was wondering this and is it worth it to get a flashlight with this feature? or am I better off with my pepper spray?
or would they best be used in conjunction with a mirror ball in a disco?
I was looking at some of the strobe settings on the manufactures sites and it seems to me it is something that might get turned off for normal use and then it would be useless in terms of using it when needed as it would take so long to enable it and if seconds count then it wouldn't be worth it. Maybe just as effective to shine the normal light in the attackers face?
 
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KD7EIR

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From what I have learned from my own research, strobe will affect each person differently. Most people will suffer SOME disorientation, but others seem to be relatively unfazed by a strobe. The effect will vary depending upon how dark adapted the eyes are at the time of being subjected to the strobe. Is strobe a RELIABLE method of incapacitating an attacker? No. Also, keep in mind that the effect of the strobe will also affect YOUR ability to see and accurately perceive your surroundings, so it is essentially a double-edged sword.
 

shane45_1911

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We tend to have these discussions frequently with the end-result usually being thread closure.

A flashlight is not a magic death ray. If you are relying on a flashlight to get you out of harm's way (instead of a dedicated weapon), you are making a potentially fatal mistake.

Quite frankly, I have never been disoriented by ANY strobe to the point of not being able to close distance to the holder of the light and "touch" that person.

Let's consider again what a flashlight's purpose is. It is an illumination tool. Add a crenelated bezel if you like. Guess what - it is STILL an illumination tool. Add strobe? Ditto.

Is strobe a RELIABLE method of incapacitating an attacker?
An overwhelming and emphatically stated "NO".

A flashlight is quite far down on my list of what I desire in a defensive weapon. In fact, it barely makes the list at all...
 
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dondulah

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IMHO, the strobe disorients the user. I think the max setting in the eyes is a better choice.
 

IMightBeWrong

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There are a lot of myths out there in the realm of the tacti-cool. The .45 will NOT lift an attacker off of their feet if they're shot with it, a pump action shotgun will NOT cause home invaders to defecate in their pants just by racking the slide, and a strobing flashlight will NOT incapacitate an attacker all on it's own. None of said items are useless, though. A .45 is a proven round, a pump action shotgun is extremely venerable, and a strobe can be used to displace the person using it especially during stressful situations.

That's the point of the strobe in the first place. It's not about flashing a person in the eyes and making them fall over which is a highly unlikely scenario, but about doing what a strobe light has always done in the first place: Distort depth and make it difficult to tell where a moving object is going.
 

HotWire

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You had better be able to back-up any threat you make with the bright light. It might surprise a burglar (I did that once) and he might run away. But if he is military trained he will fight his way into your light attack. Better to avoid the situation unless absolutely necessary. There is an old saying, "Never take a knife to a gunfight!"
 

moodysj

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When mounted on the barrel of an assault rifle, yes, it works very well :)
 

LeifUK

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I wouldn't rely on a light to incapacitate an attacker. Use it to help you avoid trouble in the first place, or to help you escape. It reminds me of the Monty Python sketch about how to protect yourself from someone who comes at you brandishing a piece of soft fruit. You shoot them with a gun.
 

1jono

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Have a funny story about the strobe on my Lumintop TD15!

I decided to take a walk at a local beach (West Mersea) and get my partner to strobe me and see if it would help her fight me off if I was attacking her.

Anyway we started the test and as I approched her the strobe seemed to go at a funny angle and I then realized the strobe was on the sand along with my pertner!I said what are you doing laying on the sand and got a mouthful back about how it had made her dizzy and she had lost her balance and fallen over!So in my test the strobe helped me (the attacker)!!
 

weez82

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The only time strobe works for a "defensive/tactical" scenario is in hollywood. Strobe is a safety feature, nothing more. It is there to get others attention. Bike riding, walking, pulled over on the side of the road, or any other time you need to be noticed.
 

Chrisdm

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What about for bear?

As one who backpacks, I have often wondered if a strobe would freak out the average bear, enough to make them decide to move on... I have no idea, just a theory, but it seems like a safer (although most likely not as effective) as my 44 mag.
 

luceat lux vestra

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The only use that a strobe mode for me is annoying my friends. As far as a defensive tool I think it is terribly over estimated,[unless you are talking about 800-1200 lumens] because there are to many instances were it would be almost worthless, like in the daytime, or if your attacker was wearing sunglasses, and any way on most flashlights the strobe mode is to hard to access quickly under stress.
 

weez82

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Re: What about for bear?

As one who backpacks, I have often wondered if a strobe would freak out the average bear, enough to make them decide to move on... I have no idea, just a theory, but it seems like a safer (although most likely not as effective) as my 44 mag.

bear mace
 

flashlight nut

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Re: What about for bear?

There are some legitimate tactical advantages for a law enforcement officer to use a strobe. It requires a little training and is very limited in its usefulness. I don't like to discuss things like this on open forums because an LEO needs every advantage he/she can get. But as mentioned already, it is not to be used as a self defense device. I don't see any advantage for a civilian except for signaling or drawing attention.
 

Chevy-SS

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There are a lot of myths out there in the realm of the tacti-cool. The .45 will NOT lift an attacker off of their feet if they're shot with it, a pump action shotgun will NOT cause home invaders to defecate in their pants just by racking the slide......


A friend of mine was awakened at ~3am by noises downstairs. It was an intruder. He loudly racked his 12ga pump-gun and all he heard was running as the bad guy exited quickly. The racking sound can work very well, especially since every single bad guy knows exactly what the noise means.

Of course, a strobing light will not work as well as a 12ga, but it will give you an edge - a small advantage, but really only at night. I like the fact that my strobe would 'likely' disorient a drunk or bad guy for just a couple of seconds, which would hopefully give me enough time to get away. I saw a drunk guy get strobed in a bar this past summer, and you woulda thought someone punched him. It totally messed him up, he fell right off his chair, lol..............
 

nksmfamjp

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It is used to incapacitate while you are getting and firing your weapon of choice. It is not very effective long term.(~2s) Still, if you spotlight someone out in the open with 800 lumens or so, and they have an easy escape, they will probably run. It would be illegal to shoot at that distance.

2000 - 5000 lumens would be better! HID will get you this.

For an EDC, it is pretty hard to pocket more than about 200 lumens. I will get argument, but pocket lights to me are 1 x 123 or 1 x AA. That won't get you 800 lumens!
 

srfreddy

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It is used to incapacitate while you are getting and firing your weapon of choice. It is not very effective long term.(~2s) Still, if you spotlight someone out in the open with 800 lumens or so, and they have an easy escape, they will probably run. It would be illegal to shoot at that distance.

2000 - 5000 lumens would be better! HID will get you this.

For an EDC, it is pretty hard to pocket more than about 200 lumens. I will get argument, but pocket lights to me are 1 x 123 or 1 x AA. That won't get you 800 lumens!

Unless you have a Tri-EDC......
And HID's have start up time. What you need is the SR-90, double click for strobe.
 

DollarstoreLurker

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I gave my sister a Hugsby P2 in the hopes that she could use it at night to deter attackers.

Not so much as defend herself with it as just make herself visible and known, making herself look prepared, stopping a mugger from considering her an easy target.

Is this solid logic, or does it make her more of a target in the first place?
 

tadbik

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The only way a strobe flashlight can be used effectively against a suspect is to throw it at him/her!
 
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