The best lights for power cuts!

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stevec

Full Member
Oct 30, 2003
549
145
Sheffield
I've stayed at a holiday cottage where they had little torches that were plugged into the mains.

If you took the torch off the charger it lit up and if the mains dropped out it lit up. It was on a farm in quite a rural location so probably an issue for city slickers like me who are used to streetlights

I guess your search engine of choice might throw some answers
 

grizzlyj

Full Member
Nov 10, 2016
181
126
NW UK
We have one of those little plug in torches too, or similar anyway. When the power goes off they light themselves up so quite handy on landings for instance.
I also have two small sheets of glow in the dark plastic from an online shop selling tiny survivally things like compass, bobby pins, hidey hole buttons and the like but I can't remember what it was called.
Anyhow, if the lights are off I have tiny torch plus watch sitting on top of one of them by my bed so I can see where they're sitting, and the other on the corner of a cabinet I have to navigate round to get to/from bed. Not bright enough to disturb, recharge themselves in the daylight, if you put a torch on them they get much brighter if needed. I'd have got more, but maybe I'll chop these up to spread them around a bit to waymark stuff in a dark house.
The little black torch in the pic I got from Hennie about 15 years ago and runs on a 9V battery with a small dim led so lasts for flipping ages, no leakage. I've been thinking about getting some more little leds that clip to the top of a 9v rechargeable battery which would maybe work like a long lasting candle? (Blocklite?)
Should have added if not obvious, the green circle photo is the result of holding a maglite over part of the white/grey plastic sheet in the other pic for maybe 5 seconds. It is still glowing in that pic too but the flash hides it. Left to it's own devices, the whole sheet glows just not as violently.
 

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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,665
McBride, BC
Just as long as the thing becomes my "first light" and a device that I do not need to fool with. After that, no other lights are a problem.
I've got 2 flights of stairs to get down to the batteries and the inverter of the solar system. The inverter came with a IR remote which can't see around corners, unfortunately. The inverter displays load, it does not see a 9W LED light as any load at all!
 
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Jared

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Sep 8, 2005
3,405
644
50
Wales
IKEA's FRYELE are hand held flashlights, that can remain in a wall socket, and turn on in the event of a power failure.

 

grizzlyj

Full Member
Nov 10, 2016
181
126
NW UK
My pics above are of these GITD sheets, big enough to rest small things on so you can see their silhouette in the dark. I couldn't remember where they came from yesterday :(

 
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grizzlyj

Full Member
Nov 10, 2016
181
126
NW UK
For me, it's finding that very first light.
Also, I'd forgotten you can get glow in the dark torches.
Someone of this parish mentioned Three Points of the Compass and I've been working through his postings. He suggests one such, £39 currently, RovyVon Aurora A5x EDC Rechargable. Peli make a GITD one too, and there are quite a few cheaper around.
 
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demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,694
711
-------------
As I often work on sites with fairly intermittent power I got myself a LED site light to go with my De-Walt batteries.
It's a fair size and not like a torch at all, wasn't cheap either but I have a few 5 Ah batteries and two 9 Ah batteries as well.
Theres also a double socket USB charger that clips onto the batteries to charge devices. All pretty easy to use and so much better than incandescent bulb lights that they're a revelation.
There's 12 Ah De-Walt batteries available but its a fair bit of cash for em when I don't really need them.

Most cordless tool manufacturers have a version of the LED site lights so its worth having a look at whatever platform you may be on.
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,502
2,912
W.Sussex
Also, I'd forgotten you can get glow in the dark torches.
Someone of this parish mentioned Three Points of the Compass and I've been working through his postings. He suggests one such, £39 currently, RovyVon Aurora A5x EDC Rechargable. Peli make a GITD one too, and there are quite a few cheaper around.
There’s a Nitecore version of the Rovyron that’s a fair bit cheaper.

 
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British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,962
Mercia
It’s a good little keyring light, the UV bit isn’t the beam, it’s to charge the GITD shell.
Oh that's a shame - I read the description and I thought that front UV was included
"The NiteCore TIKI is incredibly versatile because the body also produces light: UV-light (500mW) and bright white light (22 lumens). You use the ultra-violet light when looking for tracks, while hunting or to check identity cards and money. The UV light will also recharge the glow in the dark function. The white light is softer. Because it is better for your eyes it is the perfect light when, for instance, reading a book in your tent."
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,502
2,912
W.Sussex
Oh that's a shame - I read the description and I thought that front UV was included
No, they‘re in the little side panel along with 3 white LEDs for beacon/blinky use. The description is misleading. I asked Rovyron about theirs and the intention of the UV and they said it was mainly to activate the glow, not really a dedicated UV. I have to agree, it’s not very effective in its capacity to spot things the naked eye misses.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,962
Mercia
No, they‘re in the little side panel along with 3 white LEDs for beacon/blinky use. The description is misleading. I asked Rovyron about theirs and the intention of the UV and they said it was mainly to activate the glow, not really a dedicated UV. I have to agree, it’s not very effective in its capacity to spot things the naked eye misses.
Thanks for the heads up. I use UV light with florescent detector powder for tracking so it would have been ideal. I'll keep using a dedicated UV torch
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,502
2,912
W.Sussex
These are nice, it’s a Fireflys with aux LEDs. The main LEDs are neutral white and ramp smoothly from moonlight to mega bright. The aux can be dimmed, switched off, or set to pulse and draw hardly any power. There is also a longer tube for a larger battery.

Also comes in black with cyan aux LEDs.
 

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