# Have you ever owned a strobe light? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988 "2019-09-10T15:59:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/1 "2019-09-10T15:59:12Z")
I don’t mean an automotive strobe light (tool). I mean something you use in your house/in a party, like [this one](https://www.amazon.com/Realistic-Brand-Xenon-Strobe-42-3009/dp/B00AGR8XFQ) Have you ever owned one? ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/2 "2019-09-10T16:02:57Z")
Yup. WAY back in the early 70s. Had a couple of blacklights, too. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/3 "2019-09-10T16:28:58Z")
Of course, standard kid equipment in late 70s/early 80s; as was the lava lamp & black lights & year-round Christmas lights. I was totally drug free until my late 40s. Just naturally trippy. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/4 "2019-09-10T16:33:50Z")
Got one from Target a couple years back for our front yard Halloween decor. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/5 "2019-09-10T16:36:40Z")
No, too many epileptic friends. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/6 "2019-09-10T16:37:22Z")
No, but I had a light switch and a really twitchy wrist. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/7 "2019-09-10T16:50:23Z")
No, but I had a plasma globe! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/8 "2019-09-10T16:51:48Z")
I have one of those multi-function flash lights that has a strobe function for emergencies. Since that doesn’t meet the spirit of the OP, I voted no. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/9 "2019-09-10T17:25:02Z")
My company bought one for an exhibit prototype about 15 years ago. It’s still up on a shelf in the shop. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/10 "2019-09-10T18:48:24Z")
Yes–a skull one like [this](https://us.letgo.com/en/i/skull-strobe-light_85cb16a8-ee23-48fa-9d96-4bc993d55f21). ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/11 "2019-09-10T19:32:09Z")
I still own it too. I bought it for when I feel like dancing to “Mr Roboto” ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/12 "2019-09-10T19:41:51Z")
Yep. We bring it out every week or two for the wee kids to dance to. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/13 "2019-09-10T19:43:50Z")
I own several different types of strobe light, including ones from Radio Shack and Spencer gifts that were bought in the 1970s and “professional” ones like the Martin Atomic. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/14 "2019-09-10T21:10:44Z")
I didn’t own one, but I had access to one. When I was stationed on Adak Island, I did airfield maintenance, so I had a spare approach strobe light in my shop. I used to schlep it up to a cabin where we had parties and let it rip. I once got a call from the airport tower asking me WTF was going on up on the hill. 😃 I also had a lava lamp. Hey, it was the 60s/early 70s. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/15 "2019-09-10T21:21:42Z")
Yes. Did I mention that a college roommate and I were both big fans of the B-52s? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/16 "2019-09-10T21:32:23Z")
Yes, back in the 60s and 70s. And I bought one a few years ago that was sold as a “strobe light” but was LEDs that turned on and off, with about equal times spent on and off. This was like a turn signal, and had absolutely no motion-stopping ability. It has since dawned on me how difficult it is to determine whether something sold as a “strobe light” actually has that stroboscopic effect. I think it has to be a xenon flash lamp strobe light – in spite of the fact that you _could_ design an LED based light with stroboscopic effect. LEDs care about average power but tolerate it in brief extreme pulses quite well. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/17 "2019-09-10T22:36:57Z")
Made a few for myself and others back in the 70s. Neat little thing when you were ------ studying. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/18 "2019-09-10T22:40:29Z")
I’ve got a LED light bulb that almost immediately after being installed decided to flaunt that “lasts forever” business by turning itself on and off randomly. The toggles aren’t fast enough to be a strobe, but sometimes when it’s toggling it can’t decide what it wants to do and strobes for a second or two. It’s a shining\* testament to my laziness that I haven’t gotten rid of it. \*intermittently ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/19 "2019-09-10T23:54:19Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Yes. Did I mention that a college roommate and I were both big fans of the B-52s? Giggling way too hard at that.😃 ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2019, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988/20 "2019-09-11T00:07:49Z")
I never owned a strobe, but I have an LED UV flashlight and I consider it probably the best material acquisition of my adult life. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-owned-a-strobe-light/839988.md?page=2)