The EXACT light I have is the CK 9288 at
http://www.thaisangfah.co.th/Light 2.htm
I believe that it's not just that there's a light on them, but the sheer BLINDING intensity of it that has a lot of the shock effect. Shine a maglight on them and they might notice it if they're not too into what they're doing.
Shine a million CP spotlight on them though and there's NO mistaking that someone has taken an intense interest in what they're doing.
It's especially good if you can zap 'em straight in the eyes with it while they're in the dark. Then it has a physical impact as they're optic nerves are suddenly overloaded. Think about when someones turned on the lights in a room that you've been sitting in the dark in for hours. Then multiple that by hundreds of times.
SOP, of course, is to hold the light at arms length to the side when you turn it on, in case you get that one in a million BG who's an ex-ranger who's program to dive for cover and double tap the source of the light. But really, I've never seen anything but the "roach scurry" when using it.
A few weeks ago, I was outside at 4AM taking a piss (hey, it's the country
) off my back porch when I see a car drive up the levee road a few dozen yards then cut out it's lights. Now, I know damn well no one uses the levee road for getting home or going anywhere since it dead ends in an orchard.
But there are plenty of sheds, houses, and barns that abutt the levee.
So, I go get the light and light them up! After about 20 seconds I cut off the light and hide behind a tree. A few seconds later, the car starts up and burns rubber back to the main road. Mission accomplished.
Could have been horny teens or burglars. Don't much care what, they didn't belong there so I made it clear to them that someone knew this. They probably thought I was either the cops or calling the cops.
I suppose the situation that you use the light in will make a difference. If you use it to light up a group of street thugs parked behind the local stop-and-rob, you might instigate a chase or gunfire for "dissing" them.
But when it comes to the local crackhead looking for something to steal, nothing beats it.
And if you DO get some weirdo who decides he's going to mess with the person who DARES interupt his midnight shopping spree, you still have the advantage that you can see everything he does very clearly, but he can't see you at all.
(Keep one eye closed if feasible to preserve your night vision)
Cut out the light and E&E in the darkness while he stumbles about with his night vision shot.
Oh, an idea! A remote switch that's wired to the light so you can set the light down, spool out the remote, THEN hit the switch. Any return fires going towards the light, away from you. You can also set it up as a decoy to draw them away from you while you ambush from behind or run the other way.