Emergency Flashlight Now

There is no one best emergency flashlight. And you should definitely have more than one emergency flashlight.  But there are many that are good.  Here are some features to look for when selecting your emergency flashlights:

Bulb: for emergencies, you want an LED flashlight.  Incandescent bulbs use more power, don’t last as long, and break easier.  Go for LED.  (How do you know if you have LED or incandescent?  Incandescent looks like a regular light bulb, LED bulbs usually come in groups and are small, circular bumps)

Battery, hand crank, shake, or solar? depends on who you are and what you need.  I definitely recommend going with both a battery and a hand crank or shake flashlight for emergencies.  Solar is great as well, I’m just not as likely to have it charged up.

Size: again, this depends on what you need.  I recommend having several sizes on hand–small flashlights are easy to carry and store.  Larger flashlights are heavier, use bigger batteries, and generally produce more light.  Don’t forget a lantern or some other hands-free light (headlamp, tripod flashlight, etc), these are indispensible for power outages.

Another option in the world of battery free flashlights is the crank flashlight which gets its power by the user turning a crank.  These lights are different from the shake flashlights in that cranking seems to produce more energy in less time, although I should note cranking may also take significantly more of your energy than simply shaking.

Like the shake flashlight users, many people have been unhappy with the quality of light produced by their crank flashlight.  Those people are generally the ones who either A, expect their battery free flashlight to perform like a battery powered flashlight or B, have not purchased a quality crank light.  As with all of your emergency lighting, take the time, spend the money and buy a quality piece of equipment.

That said, let’s look at a few of the features offered by better crank lights:

Variable power switch: This is a great feature on any of your flashlights as it allows you to save power by switching off some of your available LED bulbs.

Optional wall charger: Obviously, these allow you to charge your flashlight when you have power by plugging it into the wall (that means no cranking!)

Radio: Having an alternately powered radio with your emergency flashlight is a good package.  The radio feature generally increases the size of the flashlight, but if you take this into consideration, this is a nice feature.

Battery/cellphone/ipod charger: These chargers get mixed reviews.  In theory, they are great, and it is very convenient to be able to power multiple items with your emergency flashlight.  In practice though, you have to realize it takes many, many cranks to run these chargers, significantly more than it takes to light the flashlight.  Additionally, finding a charger that fits your cellphone can be tricky.

Wrist strap: With the increased bulk and weight of crank flashlights, a wrist strap is very handy in allowing you to safeguard against accidentally dropping your light and carry other things with the light.

When you do get your crank flashlight, be sure to read and hang on to the instructions.  The manufacturer may have special suggestions to help increase battery life and decrease the number of cranks you need to make.

So, when you’re buying your emergency crank flashlight, remember to look for a quality light and expect to crank that light again, and again, and again.  And when the power is out and you need that light, it will be completely worth it.

Shake flashlights came on the scene a few years ago and made a big splash among parents and emergency preparedness fans alike: both groups tired of the hassles of buying and replacing flashlight batteries.  Since then, these lights seem to have fallen out of favor a bit, but don’t discount them as part of your emergency lighting plan.

Shake flashlights are sometimes called Faraday flashlights because they were developed using a principle discovered by Michael Faraday back in the early 1800s.  The principle is that when you pass a magnet through a coil of wire a small electrical current is created.  When you shake these flashlights, you are moving a magnet through a coil; the current created is stored in a small capacitor in the flashlight and then released when you turn the flashlight on.

Benefits of Shake Flashlights

1. They don’t need batteries.  No batteries to buy.  No batteries to store.  No batteries to go dead.  No batteries to replace.
2. Because they don’t have batteries, shake flashlights work well for long term storage such as in your 72 hour kit, the trunk of your car, or put away for emergency use only.  They also store well in higher temperatures where batteries lose their charge even faster.

Drawbacks of Shake Flashlights

1. You have to shake them to get them to work.  This seems elementary, but should be taken into consideration; you don’t want to rely on a shake light when you have hours of work in the dark ahead of you.
2. They’re not as bright as battery operated flashlights.
3. They contain strong magnets which may be harmful near electronics (including computers), credit cards, and pacemakers.

What to Look For When Purchasing a Shake Flashlight

First of all, look for a reputable brand/company.  A lot of the bad press surrounding these shake lights is the fact that there are many fakes on the market–flashlights that look and act like a shake light, but actually just have a big piece of metal to shake in them with some small batteries to actually power the light bulb.

Second, make sure you’re getting LED bulbs.  These bulbs last longer and use less energy than a traditional incandescent flashlight bulb.

Third, pay attention to quality details.  The magnet and coil inside may last forever, but if the casing, switch, or lens are cheap, the flashlight will not.  I like a flashlight made of a high quality plastic and prefer that it floats.  You may also look for some glow in the dark features which allow you to find this flashlight in the dark (a great idea when you’re turning it off and on to save power).

Are Shake Flashlights the Only lights you need?

We at Emergency Flashlight Now don’t recommend any single emergency light source as your only emergency light source, but we certainly recommend a high quality shake flashlight as an integral part of your emergency lighting plan.