Automatic Power Failure Lights

I'm looking for rechargeable flashlights which will turn on automatically when the power fails. I have the Power Failure model Streamlight Litebox, but it's too big (and ugly) to put in some places in my home. I'm looking for something smaller.

If anyone can recommend for or against specific power failure lights, I'd appreciate it. None of the manufacturers say how bright their lights are, so information on that point would be very helpful.

Black & Decker make one model that works with the Versapack rechargeable system it also charges a spare battery at the same time I have one works great

Make sure that the ones you choose have photo sensors in them or else when the power goes out during the day, your lights will come on uselessly.

Thanks, eebowler, but daytime power outages are rare enough where I live that it's not an issue for me.

The widely available rechargeable flashlights with a power failure function are:

The Dorcy Failsafe line of rechargeable flashlights
http://www.dorcy.com/failsafe.htm

Garrity Power Outage Lites
http://www.garritylites.com/site/retail_list.php?cat=2

Energizer® Super Charge™ LED Rechargeable Flashlight
http://www.energizer.com/products/flashlights/flashlight.asp?cat=5&id=6

Energizer® Double Duty™ Flashlight
http://www.energizer.com/products/flashlights/flashlight.asp?cat=5&id=8

Unfortunately the manufacturers give almost no information about these lights besides their vague marketing points, such as "Super Bright!" and "Powerful".

I could not find any reviews of them either. If anyone owns one of these and can shed a little light on the issue, please chime in.

OH, Yeah. If you don't mind it being big and ugly, the Streamlight Litebox power failure model is great. It lights up a large area very brightly.

This was discussed in another thread a while ago, and some folks were pointing out the long term issues. Primarily, leaving these things plugged in all the time with their (typically) dumb trickle chargers eventually degraded the batteries to where they wouldn't hold much of a charge. Most of the lower cost units use simple trickle charging and ni-cads, not necessarily the best combination.

The most important thing for me is the POWER FAILURE aspect. (imagine a pitch black house on fire). But there just doesn't seem to be many flashlights that have a power failure option, especially not high quality rechargeables.

If I could, I'd install standard emergency lighting, like you see in retail, public and industrial settings. That's not an option though. So, I need wall flashlights that will come on when power goes out.

I know the flashlights I listed have drawbacks. I'm trying to find the best solution from a mediocre bunch I guess.

perhaps you'd be best off looking for the one with the most readily available, cheap replacement battery. that way you could bypass the degradation issue by changing the battery every year or two.

That's not a bad idea.

The Energizer flashlight uses standard NiMH AA Batteries. The Dorcy Failsafe flashlights use NiMH batteries that may or may not be standard. The Garrity flashlights use NiCd batteries which are *probably* standard sizes.

I'm not crazy about the shape of the Energizer flashlight, though. I'd like to know if the Failsafe flashlights use standard size batteries.

Also, consider the led ones w/ long runtime. The incandescant ones may only last a few hours on a charge. I've seen some that said 2-4 hours of battery life. Meaning you could wake up early in the mourning or arrive home a few hours into a blackout -too a dark house.

Hello KevRoanoke,

I take a little different approach...

I have the 20/$20 key chain lights ( www.countycomm.com ) all around the house. You can use Velcro dots to keep them handy, but out of sight. At $1 each, you can stick them under the dining room table, in the stereo cabinet, on the bottom of the TV, etc.

In an emergency, I can just grab one of those and make my way to a light that would better serve my needs. They have lithium batteries and should handle storage well.

The whole family knows how to find a light. Part of our family fire protection plan.

Tom

I bought a Dorcy Failsafe flashlight, model #41-1042. In a nutshell - it's worthless. It's light output is meager, especially for an incandescent flashlight. Worse than that, it has no power failure features. For details, read this excerpt from my letter to Dorcy customer service:

"I only bought this flashlight because your product information states that it has a "Power failure feature". Your website clearly says the "light comes on when power goes off." I followed all the instructions included with the light, and charged it for 48 hours before testing it. The 41-1042 does not turn on when the power is cut off. It doesn't seem to be a malfunction, since the enclosed instruction sheet makes no mention of any power failure functions. Regarding the red LED on the 41-1042... Unless the flashlight I have is broken, the packaging is mistaken about how it works. That LED is controlled solely by the position of the charging prongs. When the prongs are out the LED is on. When the prongs are folded in, the LED is off. The absence or presence of electrical power has no affect on the lights of the 41-1042."

I'm taking it back to Sears to get my money back. Dorcy's customer service dept had no interest in rectifying the situation. Their first response to me said that they were "Sorry for the misunderstanding". They didn't offer to do anything about it though. After I sent them another message asking them to do something about it, they replied with this:
"If you would send the light back to us that you have to address listed below, and attach a copy of this e-mail, I will see what we can do for you."

Customer satisfaction is apparently not a high priority at Dorcy.

These are my favorite. A local TV station did a test of these and liked them so I bought one to try. I now have one in each room of my house, they are great. I travel a lot for work and feel better leaving my family alone when the power goes out. We have tested these many times this year so far, unluckly. I'm not affiliated in any way with this company, fyi.
http://www.tekplate.com/

Just my two cents.
Shawn

This looks like it might be the report you referred to- http://www.abc-7.com/News/DIW/tekplate.shtml
-----------------------------------------------------------
"When a hurricane or even a heavy rain storm strikes, it's easy for the electricity in your home to be knocked out. If it's at night, you're stumbling over your furniture to find a flashlight or a candle.

A product called the TekPlate says it not only kicks on light when the power goes out, it's enough to light up the room. ABC7 put it to the test in this week's "Does It Work?"

**** Murno of Port Charlotte installed TekPlates over the light switches around his home. The battery operated lights are supposed to switch on when the power's out and provide enough light to illuminate an entire room.

An antenna in the TekPlate reads the electromagnetic waves behind the switchplate, so it can tell when the power is cut off.

**** then cut the power to his house to see if the TekPlates worked.

Looking around the living room, the furniture was fairly visible. **** was impressed.

"All the stuff at the low level you might trip over, I think is easily located. And it shouldn't be any problem at all," he said.

Ann Murno tried the TekPlate out in the hallway. Again, she could clearly see each doorway.

"I was kind of amazed at how much light you got. I though it would be a little night light kind of thing. But it's a lot more than that," she said.

The TekPlate light was even visible from outside the house – a sense of safety the Murno's say they didn't have before.

TekPlates sell for 20 dollars each and run on batteries. You can order them through the TekPlate website.

- By Heather Sullivan
© Copyright 1996 - 2005 Waterman Broadcasting Corporation."

You can get smallish automatic emergency lights on eBay. You just add a lead cord to one instead of hard wiring it and you have a big d*mn 6 volt flashlight that comes on when the power goes out. Leave it behind the couch or something, when the lights go out you'll see it fine. I bought a number of them myself and am in the process of converting them over from incandescent to Luxeon LEDs.

What!?! you mean you folks don't cable your lights to the uninterruptible power system? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I've had 4 of these Intermatic power failure lights for at least 10 years (earlier square models) and believe it or not, they still work great and run for at least 25 minutes despite having been plugged in almost full time over the 10 years. They are great lights for their purpose.


square power failure light

Round power failure light

[ QUOTE ]
KevRoanoke said:

Garrity Power Outage Lites
http://www.garritylites.com/site/retail_list.php?cat=2


[/ QUOTE ]

I have two Garrity power failure flashlights that I bought about 6 years ago for about $20 at the time. They have generally been plugged in during this time and have worked well for mass-market inexpensive flashlights, being equivalent to roughly a 2D incandescent light. They are not at all impressive by my present standards but have lived up to my expectations and have been useful enough. However, I can't vouch for the quality of the current versions offered by Garrity.

Bill D.

I use the ones by energizer that has an led light, its dim, but 80 hours on low, 8 on hight, 12 bucks at walmart.

I saw one at ccrane that has a light and radio. So you can choose to have the radio or light come on.

Myself, I use to use my 600 watt network power cell to run a light, computer and fan. We had the power fail at my folks house and I kelt right on computing and my folks thought it was strange that my room had power, but no one else. Another time the power failed and I had my unit on. I took it to the living room to watch tv. Dad came home to our house with the power failed, yet we were in the living room with the windows open and tv on sitting in the dark. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif