I have a small Novatac 120 that uses one lithium cell. The strobe feature...especially at night, WILL annoy the crap out of you. There is no question that it will disrupt you.
When I go out walking, I have a Leupold 3 cell that puts out a BUNCH of light and the strobe feature on that will definitely get your attention.
It is the most powerful flashlight I own. There are others that will produce even more light.
I would like to see someone test one in a theater and see just how temporarily blind it would render a person.
I think the Leupold I have is an MX420. It was pretty expensive.
I did buy an additional 2 cell main body to make it a little smaller. You would get the same brightness but the battery life would be reduced.
Geetarman