(Serious) Why do so many cheap lights have unavoidable strobe modes?

i’m the asian, and honestly we(I) dont love the strobe much
but asian love big number, so people choose 5 mode flashlight more than 3 or 1 mode one
but they rarely use all 5 modes
i like the light with strobe, but must be hard to accest strobe( double click, pressed long, etc), not the click to switch mode like some chinnes light

I think some company started with having 5 modes and all other copied the code to programm their lights

The more modes the better they think

Quality manufactors did research how customers like their lights and found out that they should be hidden, have moonlight and other features

I can think of situations where strobe and beacon mode can be useful (I still hate them). But has anyone heard a story or has been in a situation where SOS mode saved the day?

in my opinion? mrheosuper and lightbringer are probably right.

for no other reason than it costs nothing, and, a “5” looks better than a “3” or god FORBID a “1”.

i think we have all seen “specs” (and i use the term “specs” very loosely here, lol) but really, a “5 mode” has become a “7 mode” before, by “adding in” both “zoom in” and “zoon out”.

which is even more ridiculous, but… some will try to squeeeeeeze a “7” out of a solid “5”, ha ha.

its not just flashlights, I have to deal with “happy specs” that mean nothing, and TELL me nothing… on all kinds of devices.

me and some guys on a different thread? Were all discussing “budget” USB digital microscopes. One guy bought one. Soon as he turned it on, he found out the “1600” or “1400” pixels? Was only for taking still pictures, they MEANT to say it was only VGA when you need a “live feed” video… you know, like you actuially need to solder in real life, like the product is advertised for?

i cant picture that just “slipped their mind”, its yet another edition of…

“happy specs!”

==

i’m used to it. I’m not making fun or even really complaining… by this point, its just entertainment, really.

It’s a feature that costs very little (someone still has to write the code though and he/she probably wants to get payed for the effort) to add and all features sell. Since it’s so cheap to add; even if it leads to only a handful extra sold, it pays off.

No harm in adding it either (for the seller); it probably hasn’t stopped anyone from buying a light. So as long as we don’t avoid buying lights just because they have blinky modes, the disco modes will stay with us.

Doing a runtime test with SOS in my window the police came in late night to see if I am OK

I think it was included to give the sense that there actually is some kind of control element of whats going on in the light. It’s not just a simple on/off, but they can actually make the light do something beside just shine. Gives the feel that there is some advanced stuff going on.

Not SOS specifically, but a blinking mode. Two Swedish climbers where caught in an avalanche while making the approach to a climb in darkness. One got injured. The one who didn’t took of his headlight, set it in blinky mode and pointed it to the mountain hut from where they made the approach, and then went back to attending his buddy (out of sight from hut). Someone in the hut heard the avalanche and went out to look. In the mountains, blinking lights generally means distress, so a rescue was immediately initiated.

Possibly if he just put his light in constant on and pointed it to the hut, the same thing would have happened, but then the person who spotted the light might have had to spend a little time to check weather the light was moving or not, and would it would not be clear weather a rescue was really needed. With blinking there was no question.

Isn’t the word “tactical” also a reason?

tactical in stead of practical…

we can’t deny the usefulness of the Blinking mode, nor the annoying of it
i do like how some driver(BLF A6, Astrolux S2,etc) and some brand flashlight(olight, nitecore) hide thier Blink mode(except “strobe ready” flashlight);
another example for annoying driver is stock convoy s2+ driver, it drives me crazy because of 2 Group Mode, and how easily to switch between 2 group

You can flash Convoy drivers with biscotti firmware or buy one with new firmware

Can’t speak for others, but I have passed on lights if they have blinkies at all, and even if “hidden”.

There are so many out there without blinkies that I still have plenty of other choices.

It’s mostly the combination of blinky modes and the dreaded “next memory mode” that makes a light a piece of s*.

Is there a way to remove blinies from a driver? Idk how it works but if it’s programed or a chip can’t we remove the chip or reprogram the driver?

because strobe mode can lighten up the party :partying_face:

Depend on the driver
Basically, we can
Some cheap chinese light have horrible pwm frequency, and some people have reprogramed the driver for new mode and bumping the frequency

I always thought a waterproof laser pointer would be worth it’s weight in gold in many survival situations. Stuck on a mountainside….lost in the wilderness….lost at sea etc. I actually carry a laser pointer with me when going out to sea or to remote areas. Imagine you’re up on a snow covered mountain alone with a broken leg and your car is miles away…but you can see vehicle traffic or a town about 5 miles away…

I don’t want strobe.
I don’t need strobe.
I hate strobe.
Strobe is stupid.

“Oh my God! Paula is having an epileptic fit! Somebody call 911!”

“tactiLOL”