A tool that has escaped recent media coverage has been a good flashlight. With the advances in LED (light emitting diode) technology, a good LED flashlight can be placed in a pocket or a purse and is just as bright as or brighter than flashlights used by police officers.

LEDs have found their way into our lives and we see them and use them everyday and probably never notice them. The next time you stop at a traffic light, take a closer look. You will notice many smaller dots of light that form the bigger light. Those little dots are LEDs. They are brighter, last longer and consume much less power than the old bulbs that used to be in there. So how can LEDs used in traffic lights be used for self defense?

LEDs have replaced incandescent bulbs in many applications; flashlights are no exception. Because LEDs are brighter and consume less power, a flashlight can be much smaller than in the past, but produce much more light than its bigger brothers. By adding a good LED flashlight to your self defense arsenal, you are discouraging a would-be attacker right from the start. Just having a flashlight in your hand can help deter an attacker; the attacker realizes you are aware of your surroundings and paying attention.

Because LEDs are essentially micro chips, they can be programmed to perform different functions. Strobe lighting has been added to many LED flashlights. It has been proven that shining a strobe light into the eyes of an attacker will disorient an attacker, sometimes to the point of becoming physically sick. There is also a chance that a strobe light will trigger a seizure in people with seizure disorders. The bad guy should have thought of that before he attacked.

Strobe lights have an effect on the eyes that stop the eyes from focusing properly in low light, allowing the user to create distance from the attacker or to move in to take control of the attacker. Most attacks occur in low light and surprising an attacker with a blinding strobe light can give you sufficient time to run and yell for help or move to another tool if need be.

As an owner of an LED flashlight, it is appropriate to have your flashlight in your hand any time you are in low light, while walking at night, while in a parking garage or just walking to your front door. The same cannot be said for a handgun, a tazer or pepper spray.

We all want to believe we will have our hands on a device and ready to go; but while carrying an arm load of groceries, children, purses and the like, getting to a self defense device in an emergency is difficult, if not impossible. Although each of those tools is effective in performing its task, holding a flashlight at the ready is much less cumbersome and offensive and there is real useful benefit as well.

If you are attacked, you already have your frontline of defense in your hand; just point and push the button. The effects are not permanent or damaging, but could be sufficient to create distance to get another tool ready to defend yourself. Hopefully, the blinding effect of the strobe light will have been enough to convince the attacker to retreat and find another target.

As you consider what tools you need to defend yourself, consider investing in a high quality LED flashlight with a strobe first and then add tools from there. You will gain the benefits of having a light source with you when you need one, even for non-emergency situations and you will have a front line of defense to defend yourself if you are attacked.