Strobe Light

You're correct that xenon gas tube strobe lights do have a limited lifespan. However it's not the only part that can fail. You would be better off replacing the entire unit at once. Chances are that one or more parts that generate the high voltage needed to strike an arc may have failed in addition to, or instead of the flash tube.

Sounds like I'll be making an otherwise dreaded trip to the mall!

If you have a pro audio, DJ supply or Guitar Center in your area, you might check out a DJ style strobe. You'll get a better made product than the cube style that most retail stores carry, and some of the LED models are comparably priced. I'm guessing that if you're replacing the strobe tube to save money, you might not have $200 or more for a pro quality unit, but it's a better deal in the long run.

Didn't even know Guitar Center sold strobes! I like to look at their keyboards because it's way cooler than the kinda stuff you find at Best Buy or in a piano store.

Back in the '70s and '80s, guitar Center was primarily for musicians, but had just enough sound reinforcement gear to keep a touring show up and running.

Recently I rediscovered Guitar Center after finding one of their stores in a mall when I had time to kill, and later discovering that the Best Buy closest to my new home had a Guitar Center boutique inside the store. One thing I noticed was that even the boutique carries a lot of DJ equipment of all kinds, including plenty of flashy lights of all kinds.

Back in my time, a brand such as American DJ would be one I'd avoid because of the many substandard brands of "less than pro" gear that preyed on entry level acts. However since ISO9000 quality standards have become nearly universal, and in no small part due to the decline of the live act and the rise of the DJ to fill the void, you now can get all sorts of dramatic strobe lighting that will last far longer than the old cube style strobe from the local radio Shack store.

Give it a look, see what you find.

Now I'll probably never go to RadioShack again! I've only been there a handful of times in my life and it always feels secondary to other similar stores, even Circuit City.

There's also the minor fact that they're going out of business. LOL

RadioShack under Tandy was a "better than nothing" alternative to the real electronics parts stores that preceded it. (Allied, Lafayette, Olson...probably before your time.) But the aggression training that they gave to all their employees since ~1985 made the stores almost unbearable to go into! Their reputation for "cheap crap" didn't help either.

Now if I need speaker wire or a fuse, I'll have to get it online. I've noticed that Batteries+ (now "Batteries Plus Bulbs") and big box hardware stores carry most of the oddball stuff that I knew I could find at a RS store...

I heard they've been struggling, didn't know they're actually going outta business.

I hate all these bungalow-style stores where you feel like the moment you walk in, the whole damn place notices and has to be like "How can I help you today?" before you finish getting your legs in the door.

Would be really curious what Radio Shack was like back then, before they stylized to RadioShack. They should acquire Kmart on their way out and close both down. It'd be like the time Home Quarters bought Builders Square and then immediately went out of business themselves.