How effective is a strobelight exactly?

[somerandomguy]

I was looking into getting a Viridian X5L laser/Flashlight combo, and I noticed it has a strobe function that you can modify to make it strobe faster or slower. http://www.viridiangreenlaser.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=82

Like how useful is it actually and in what situations would it be useable in? And would it be better to have it strobe fast or slow?

 

[swalton1943]

Don't know about on a handgun but they work great for varmits in the attic or under the house. Coons, skunks, possums, and bats. It should work on two-legged critters as well, but I haven't tried it on them.

 

[AJumbo]

I just went through a social flashlight class, oddly enough, and have developed an opinion about strobes:

They're great for creating disorientation and confusion in a poorly-lit, high-adrenaline defensive situation. I suspect that there might be a similar effect on the bad guy.

 

[jlbraun]

They are an extra option that is hard to get to in the heat of the moment. Simply wave the light rapidly from side to side across the subject's face - it works just as well and is far easier to do than finding the strobe option in a flashlight's menu. Try it yourself.

 

[Zeeemu]

Difficult to say, exactly. Young and old eyes have different restoration times. However, a bright flash did seem to work for a short time in the movie, 'Rear Window'.

You could perform an experiment on yourself to ascertain how much time you would need to reacquire a target in various lighting situations. The answer could suggest a suitable flash repetition rate.

 

[Drail]

How bright it is would be much more important than if it strobes fast or slow or not at all. Best use I could see for it would be to remove it from the gun and lay it somewhere and then move somewhere else before recieving incoming fire. ( a joke) My choice is always a powerful hand held light with a momentary contact switch on it. Strobe it in their face with your thumb. More useful than a weapon mounted light on a hand gun. One of the guys on our pistol team used to carry an incredibly bright photo flash unit from a 35mm camera and flash it in your face (for a laugh). You were pretty much blind for at least ten seconds or more.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

I have used strobe lights in training environments to disorient "attackers" and "defenders." The strobe frequency has little to do with how effective it is, although I did an experiment in high school looking for a particular frequency which would cause nausea. On Viridian lights, the strobe feature is often 20% or more brighter than the constant on feature of the light to increase its effectiveness of overloading the retina of the eye. It is designed to have a similar effect of turning on/off the lights on someone who has let their eyes acclimate to the opposite. Light on then off vice versa, hard to see until your eyes adjust. The eyes will attempt to adjust to the light level of the strobe and can't keep up.

 

[788Ham]

Must be why a lot of PD's have outfitted their patrolmen with strobe flashlights, why wouldn't it work for you? Disorientation works for good guys as well as BG's.

 

[jmace57]

I had no idea this was the reason. I presumed that flashlights had this option to get peoples attention easier than a standard light.

 

[tuj]

Supposedly MI6 trained to use high-powered strobes to cause car accidents as a 'clean' way of liquidation.

 

[msrfrog]

It will work good if it is powerful enough. Shine it in your eyes and you will see.My coworkers flashlight stobes and in a fully lit shop it is distracting.

 

[HKGuns]

Strobes can be very effective. While a bright light will force a reaction, a strobe will just about drive someone nuts.

 

[Shadow 7D]

The idea is neural overload, they have done research on it
certain frequencies are disorientating
some MUCH MORE than others

 

[Averageman]

I was at a Greatful Dead concert one time and those dang strobe lights had them Hippies going nuts!

I cant see how a strobe would be any less problematic for the shooter than the shootee; but I can see some sharp Lawyer getting that Litigated in to Several Million dollars.

"So you used that light to disorient the Suspect?"
"Yes, that is specifically what the strobe is for."
"So, when you fired, were you under the same effect looking in to the light as the Suspect was?"
"No, NoSir, definatly not, it is specifically set not to effect Law Enforcement Officers."
'Ummmmmm yes, Hmmmmmmmm."

 

[Charley345]

The strobe is much much more disorienting when it is pointed at you, than when you are holding pointing it away.

I just recently got a Viridian C5L and the instructions say it is factory set to the best frequency for the strobe.

It can be set up so that when you turn it on it comes on with any combination of steady or strobe of both the laser and or the light.

I am impressed with how visible the laser is in daylight.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

My little girls like to play with my strobe for dancing and such.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I have used them in real life and had them used on me in force on force training. The effect is minor, but there is an effect. Any bright light is going to cause some disorientation. A strobing light will cause some more. If you have your choice between a non strobing light and a strobe, get the strobe. I can't tell you it's going to work 100% of the time, but it's another card in your deck. When it was used on me in force on force, I could feel the effects, particularly after the fact.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

I wouldn't bother with a strobe feature.

Your flashlight is for target ID. A simple press on/release off pushbutton is the best choice.

Multifunction switches (strobe/SOS/dazzle/brightness) introduce unnecessary complexity and unnecessary decision-making under stress, and the risk of the light entering a mode you did not intend or want.

Keep it simple.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

The OP is contemplating buying a Viridian X5L. The switches are not at all complex, I have the compact version the C5L and have the light and laser "set" to how I intend to use them. There are 2 buttons, one on each side making it easy for either hand shooting. Push both at the same time to cycle through the presets of light only, laser only, strobe light etc. Push only one to turn on the mode you previously set. Not all that complex.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Not all that complex.

Until you train hard with it under stress and find out for yourself differently.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

Until you train hard with it under stress and find out for yourself differently.

My strobe light of choice for actual combat use is a Novatac SPL-120 mounted on an M4 with a pressure switch. It has seen plenty of use guiding lethal and non lethal rounds. Train as you fight, maintain your equipment and it will work wonders.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

So now not only do lights illuminate, disorient, but they also guide rounds? I thought that once they left the barrel, the rounds were pretty much on their own.

 

[Ehtereon11B]

Deleted

 

[wally]

Dope using "club kids" seem to like the effects, I suspect if you run into a gobblin that hangs with them, it'll likely be more disorienting to you than to them.

 

[Alexey931]

Don't know about on a handgun but they work great for varmits in the attic or under the house. Coons, skunks, possums, and bats.

Is it really advisable to confuse a skunk right in your own basement?