When the lights go out unexpectedly and your energy company doesn’t give you a set time for when the power will get fixed, you’ll want to be prepared with emergency light sources to illuminate all the dark rooms in your home, especially the ones with no windows. While candles can be an efficient source of light, they can’t burn forever (usually only 4 hours at a time) and could create a fire hazard if not watched closely. A handheld flashlight or lantern can be a reliable light source as you move from room to room in your home. Don’t worry about stumbling around in the dark until your lights are fixed, especially during those nighttime outages, we’ve got the 4 best portable lighting options for your power outage needs.
1. Streamlight Super Siege Rechargeable Lantern
The Streamlight Super Siege Rechargeable Lantern is ideal for illuminating large areas (living room, kitchen, and bedroom) in your home during a power outage. This lantern gets up to 1,100 lumens on the brightest setting which will run for up to 5 hours. To keep the lantern lasting for longer periods, the lowest setting provides 125 lumens and runs for up to 35 hours. What makes this lantern an ideal choice among other portable lighting options is that it uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and has a battery level indicator for when it’s time to recharge.
2. STREAMLIGHT PROTAC HL 750 LUMENS WHITE LED WITH BATTERIES AND HOLSTER
When you need a lighter, handheld option to take with you during a power outage, the Streamlight ProTac HL Flashlight is our 1st choice. The ProTac comes with three light settings (high, low, and strobe) with the highest setting getting up to 750 lumens. It will run up to 1 hour and 15 minutes on the highest setting providing 253 meters of light. The lower setting can run for as long as 18 hours, providing light up to 57 meters. With the new C4 LED technology, the ProTac HL has a lifetime use of 50,000 hours.
3. Streamlight Propolymer Dualie Flashlight
The Streamlight Propolymer Dualie Flashlight is bright and shines ahead and down so you avoid tripping or falling over furniture and other items around your home during a power outage. The Dualie features 3 light modes (spot, flood, and spot/flood simultaneous) with each mode getting between 140-245 lumens for 9-18 hours of run time. The beams intersect for up to 171 meters of beam distance, so there are no blind spots as you maneuver around furniture and corners.
4. Streamlight ProTac 2L Flashlight
The Streamlight ProTac 2L Flashlight is compact and great for a variety of everyday uses. You can store it in your junk drawer, a toolkit, or even carry it in your purse for on-the-go emergencies. The ProTac 2L offers 3 light modes with the highest setting providing 350 lumens, allowing it to run continuously for 3.25 hours. It’s an extremely durable flashlight that can handle everything life throws at it, especially if you drop it while navigating through your dark home during a power outage.
How many lumens should an emergency flashlight have?
Most flashlights within 20-250 lumens are great for use during a power outage. The average flashlight emits 100 lumens and is typically pocket-sized for easy portability. If you’re looking to really illuminate a room, flashlights with up to 1,000 lumens might be ideal for you. 1 lumen of light is the same level as light from 1 candle, so you can see how powerful some of the flashlights we’ve recommended are. It’s a good idea to get a flashlight that has multiple lighting options so you have the option to adjust the intensity if needed.
H3: What are the longest-lasting flashlight batteries?
The type of battery you use will be dependent on what your flashlight takes. Most flashlights take either AA or AAA batteries. Alkaline, Lithium, or NiMH batteries have been known to last longer than most heavy-duty batteries. All lighting products mentioned above come with recommendations for alkaline or lithium batteries. Alkaline batteries are the most affordable option and have 5-10 years of shelf life, while lithium batteries have 15-20.
Are phone flashlights as good as regular flashlights?
Phone flashlights can produce as much as 40 lumens of light which is an effective way to light up close-by areas as you walk around during a power outage. However, using the flashlight on your phone can quickly drain the battery, which isn’t ideal when you don’t have electricity to charge it. They’re also nowhere near as efficient as a true flashlight.