Martial Arts advice

I find people generally tap quicker to chokes as the pain and 'danger' sensation when someone places pressure on your windpipe is, as you say, very strong and immediate. People will try and resist strangles for longer.

If youre behind its a better, but If youre doing a strangulation from the front, you can use the collar as long as you slide youre hands under the collar as far back as you can using your wrist area to cut off blood.
strangulations are better as the cut the blood flow to brain and a person under stress can pass out in seconds. Choke is longer as you cut of the wind pipe but is more painful and youre more aware so its scarier.