Look for: Emergency Power Flashlights

All,

I've been away from the forum for a couple years now. But I have need of some "in the know" guidance.

I'm looking for some flashlights for my house...I want the kind that plug into an electrical outlet, and in the event of a power outage, they automatically turn on as an emergency light, but can be pulled from the outlet and used as a flashlight.

I've seen cheapo single LED versions of this, but they are no better then the $5 craptastic walmart flashlights you give to little kids.

I'm not expecting an all aluminum 300 lumen tactical wall-wart (But that would be cool huh?), I do want something that guys like us would actually call usable.

Thoughts or suggestions?

Do you have access to a Costco? A friend of mine bought a 2-pack of emergency lights for $10. They were 24-LED I think, and are powered by a Li-Ion battery. They seem to work pretty well and have two modes.

Robin24k said:

Do you have access to a Costco? A friend of mine bought a 2-pack of emergency lights for $10. They were 24-LED I think, and are powered by a Li-Ion battery. They seem to work pretty well and have two modes.

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And these were wall-wart type Emergency Lights/Flashlights?

I don't have a Costco account, but I have a friend who does. If they are decent plug in emergency lights, I'll for sure check them out!

Just use some night lights with daylight sensors. That way you can use a better flashlight than those cheapo wall wart ones when the power goes out.

ampdude said:

Just use some night lights with daylight sensors. That way you can use a better flashlight than those cheapo wall wart ones when the power goes out.

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Thanks. But that's not what I want.

Lonely Raven said:

And these were wall-wart type Emergency Lights/Flashlights?

I don't have a Costco account, but I have a friend who does. If they are decent plug in emergency lights, I'll for sure check them out!

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Yup, they are about the size of a mid-size cell phone and have a flip-out plug on the back. I think it's $10 for two, but it could be $20. Not too sure as it was a while back (I also don't have a membership, had to go with him so I could buy my Maglite 2-pack ).

I researched this some time ago (may have even started a thread) But, from what i've read/seen I think the consensus is that they're all pretty much equally craptastic.

flasherByNight said:

I researched this some time ago (may have even started a thread) But, from what i've read/seen I think the consensus is that they're all pretty much equally craptastic.

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That does appear to be the case. I was hoping I missed something that you guys would be on top of.

I guess we need to talk Fenix into making one. :twothumbs

The Streamlight SL-20X LED has a feature that if you put in into the charger with the light on, say the LED's, they will turn off as long as current is applied to the charger. When the power goes out, it will turn on. So therefore, the LED's will come on if that was the last mode turned on. If you left it with the incand bulb on, it would come on. The SL-20X LED comes with a NiCad battery pack, but NiMh packs are available aftermarket.

That is a viable and clever solution! A bit expensive, but meets all my requirements!

Thanks so much for that, Brigadier!

:thumbsup:

Wish I had 100 bucks to spend on a nitelite
:nana:

Yikes...and the price can't be justified by possible use as an EDC.

I think it is a bit overkill though, unless you have a use for such a large light...

The two pack of emergency lights at Costco are of excellent quality. They are the finest lights of their kind that I have found by far! The normal price is $24.99, but they have been on sale for a while in my club for $19.99 (I wish they were $10!).

They use a 18650 Li-ion cell and 24 of the brightest 5mm LEDs I've ever seen. The light has a switch on the side to allow you to choose to run on 12 instead. Stated runtime is 8 hours on 12 LEDs, and 5 hours on all 24. They can also be turned off completely, and they make great flashlights that are always handy and charged. An excellent product all around IMHO.

Peter

Aha! That was the light I was describing.

My feelings exactly

Peter

So that two pack pictured is the CostCo one? If you guys say it's pretty decent, I'll check it out. And two for $25, sure beats a $100 emergency light in bang for buck.

Yup, that's the one.

Coleman sells rechargeable lanterns that you can leave plugged in indefinitely trickle charging an SLA, and when the power fails, the lantern comes on automatically. The Retro is one, and I believe their other SLA models do, too. They are under 40 IIRC. Lanterns make great power outtage lights.