Hand-cranked flashlights offer light and other functions when out on the trail or during a survival situation. This type of lighting has come a long way over the past few years and the price point is great.
Extra Functions
You need to look at different lights to discover their total functionality. If you are just looking for a hand-cranked light that might actually limit you a bit.
A lot of the hand-cranked flashlights on this list have one or more of the following extra features.
Radio
An FM/AM radio and small speaker are built into even some tiny flashlights is common. Sometimes there is a weather radio option that is often more useful than the regular radio. Kids sometimes like the handcrank lights with a radio because they can take them a lot of places and they are inexpensive so parents don’t have to be so concerned.
Battery Bank
Being able to keep small devices like a cell phone or tablet charged during and emergency is a great thing. While these are not the most powerful chargers, they are enough to keep your phone going, an e-reader topped off, or run a small tablet a little longer. The key is to remember to start charging before your batteries get lower than 25%. Some small chargers have a hard time charging if batteries are totally depleted.
Extra Features Do Add Weight
Safe-T-Proof Solar, Ha...
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Like any device, the more you add to it the more it is going to weigh, and there is the increased bulk. Sometimes the weight is not as much of a factor as how large the device is overall.
Hand Cranked Flashlights Are Work
Consider that you are probably going to have to crank your flashlight a full minute to get 10 minutes of light. These are not lights you want to rely in for continuous use. At the same time if you are setting around the campfire and want to listen to the radio it might not seem like much hassle to crank along.
Durability Versus Cost
While these devices are supposed to be made for rugged use, quality and durability are going to vary. If you want one of these for regular use on your excursion, then go for a higher grade light.
I am very surprised the value you get for under $30. In fact, some of the more basic lights with a low crank input and a lot of light are $10 each. This has made me reconsider the types of flashlights and overall lighting choices we have in our home.
Flashlights were always a big deal around our place. When Matt and I were living in that old camper trying to build our house and farm we relied a lot on flashlights. If a flashlight didn’t perform well we tossed it. When you have little or limited power then you have to make sure lights are scattered in key areas like by the doorway or beside the bed.
Light is important for your safety during an emergency.
Light is critical. Without good lighting, you put your safety and well being at risk and impede your ability to take care of your family during a survival situation. Without proper lighting, you can slip and fall or cut yourself. Remember that if SHTF or there is a natural disaster you may find that you are having to take on tasks that you are not 100% proficient in. This is also a case where the odds are that your stress levels will be high.
Light also allows you to at least read and write during a grid down situation too. Years ago there was a lot of sewing and other household tasks that went on after daylight hours had passed. Just setting in the dark is no fun. During the months when the days are short this can be especially bad for overall morale and health.
ENHANCE NIGHTLUX Outdo...
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Backup lights should be beside your bed. Make sure elderly and disabled family members know exactly where their light is. Glow in the dark decals or tape can help them locate it too.
Elderly and disabled persons need to be especially careful to have some emergency lighting close at hand. There have been cases where older folks have remained in bed too long during an emergency simply because they had no light and were afraid of falling in the dark. Some of the hand-cranked lights on this list may be better than others for disabled persons or the elderly depending on their individual needs.
Safe-T-Proof Solar, Hand-Crank Emergency Radio, Flashlight, Beacon, Cell Phone Charger
For those that like things that serve multiple purposes, there is this handy flashlight and radio combination. I have to say I like the handle on this flashlight. Unlike some flashlights on this list, the handle is more like that you find on the old-fashioned larger flashlights. The color is easy to see which can be helpful.
Oh and this also has a little solar panel so during the day you can keep it charged that way and then use the crank at night if desired!
This device also is a battery bank/cell phone charge, an emergency siren, and it has a blinker function so it can get a lot of attention if you need it to. I am not usually one that likes to recommend something that has so many functions that it sounds too good to be true. A lot of the time more function means that it is not built well because the maker is trying to put too much into a small package. In this case, this seems to get solid reviews.
NIGHTLUX Outdoor LED Camping Lantern Rechargeable USB – 42 Lumens
I kind of want just to order a few of these right now because I like that you can use this like a flashlight and a lantern and it gives a lot of light. This is big enough to be a good choice for beside your bed in an emergency. In fact, that seems like an excellent use to me.
If you don’t want to hand crank, then you can charge this via USB, so it is easy to keep charged up in your car or by using a USB port on your computer when at home.
The duel settings allows for you to choose a 13 lumen flashlight setting for when you just want a little light or you can choose the 42 lumen lantern mode. There is also a low and high setting for flashlight and lantern. So if you are in flashlight mode you would only be using 3 LEDs in low and 6 in high. The lantern on low is 6 LEDs and 12 LEDs on the highest setting.
Lighting time depends on the brightness you choose and if you are cranking or have a fully charged unit via USB. If you have no charge and are using the hand crank, you can expect to crank for 1 minute to get 5 minutes of the highest lantern setting and 13 minutes on the lower setting.
If you start out with a full charge, you can get 8 hours on the low lantern setting.
A carabiner clip is built in and allows for easy hanging on branches, in tents or just for attaching to your pack when you hit the trail.
Bigfoot Outdoor Compact Solar Camping Tent Lantern & Flashlight
Best for those on a budget that want just a light but with amazing durability!
These are just basic little hand-crank flashlights on the first appearance, but I have to say that they are above and beyond what you expect. These lights would come in a two pack for about $20 so if you were judging them based on the price you would be thinking how good they could be for that price? The truth is that these little lights will operate for an outstanding 80 minutes with just 1 minute of crank time.
This is the best return for the work I have found in an hand-crank light. On top of that, you can charge these lights with the solar panel during the day. If you are concerned about ruggedness, then you will be impressed that these lights are built with a rugged housing, and they are waterproof to 45 meters! This is a good budget light to throw in a bug out bag and keep in all your vehicles and boats!
