Light is the first thing you reach for when the power goes out. Ready.gov’s advice is to use flashlights and battery lanterns, not candles, which cause house fires during outages. A good set-up is a headlamp for each person, so their hands are free, and a lantern or two to light a room.
We compared lights on brightness and run time, what powers them (rechargeable, AA batteries, crank or solar) and how well they are built.
Best overallLepro 1000LM Rechargeable LED LanternCheck price
Check price
Best headlampLepro Rechargeable LED Headlamp (2 pack)Check price
Best for blackoutsEnergizer Auto-On LED Flashlights (3 pack)Check price
Lepro 1000LM Rechargeable LED Lantern
For: lighting a room for a whole evening, and topping up a phone
- BrightnessUp to 1,000 lm
- Battery4,400 mAh, USB-C
- RuntimeUp to 12 hr (warm, 300 lm)
- RatedIPX4
A bright, dimmable lantern with warm and daylight modes, hooks top and bottom to hang it upside down over a table, and a battery that doubles as a power bank for a phone. Lepro rates it for up to 12 hours in warm-white mode.
What we like
- Bright and dimmable
- Warm light for evenings
- Charges a phone
Watch out for
- Needs recharging in a long outage
Etekcity Collapsible LED Lanterns (4 pack)
For: a lantern in every room, on AA batteries
- Count4 lanterns
- Brightness154 lm
- RuntimeUp to 50 hr
- Power3 AA each, included
Four collapsible lanterns that run on ordinary AA batteries (included), so they work however long the outage lasts if you keep spares. Each gives up to about 50 hours, per Etekcity, and collapses to the size of a phone. Among the most-reviewed emergency lights on Amazon.
What we like
- Four for the price of one
- AA batteries: no recharging
- Very long runtime
Watch out for
- Dimmer than the rechargeables
- Plastic build
Lepro Rechargeable LED Headlamp (2 pack)
For: a headlamp for every person in the house
- Modes6, incl. red
- RuntimeUp to 15 hr
- Weight2.65 oz
- RatedIPX4
Two light, comfortable USB-C headlamps with spot, flood and red modes, rated for up to 15 hours a charge. Hands-free light is what you want when you're cooking, carrying or looking after children in the dark.
What we like
- Two in a pack
- Light and comfortable
- Red mode for night
Watch out for
- Rechargeable only
Energizer Auto-On LED Flashlights (3 pack)
For: light the moment the power goes out
- Count3
- ModeAuto-on in a power cut
- UseNight light, flashlight
- ChargingPlug-in
Plug-in lights that stay charged in a wall socket and switch on automatically when the power fails, so you're never feeling for a flashlight in the dark. Pull one out and it's a handheld flashlight. Put one in the hall, the kitchen and a bedroom.
What we like
- Turn on automatically
- Always charged
- Double as night lights
Watch out for
- Modest brightness
- Use a wall socket each
Lepro 1000LM Battery-Powered LED Lantern
For: a bright lantern that runs on D batteries
- BrightnessUp to 1,000 lm
- Power3 × D batteries
- Runtime12 hr at full brightness
- RatedIPX4
The battery version of our top pick: as bright, dimmable, with four modes, running on three D batteries for up to 12 hours at full brightness, per Lepro. The best choice if you'd rather store batteries than keep things charged.
What we like
- Very bright
- D batteries last
- Metal handle and hook
Watch out for
- Batteries not included
- Not rechargeable
Blukar Rechargeable LED Headlamp
For: switching the light on and off with a wave
- Modes8, incl. motion sensor
- Battery1,200 mAh, USB-C
- RatedIPX5
A bright headlamp with a motion sensor, so you can switch it with a wave of the hand when your hands are dirty or full, and a red mode.
What we like
- Motion-sensor control
- IPX5
Watch out for
- Rechargeable only
Lumens, runtime and batteries
- Lumens measure brightness. Around 100 lumens is plenty for moving around a dark house; 300 or more is useful outdoors. A lantern on its low setting may run for days.
- Run time depends on the setting. Look at the runtime on medium or low, which is how you will use it in an outage.
- Batteries: rechargeable lights are cheaper to run, but in a long outage lights that also take AA or AAA batteries keep going. Store spare batteries, and charge rechargeables before storm season.
- Crank and solar lights are a useful backup in a kit, though they are dimmer and charge slowly.
How many?
At least one headlamp or flashlight per person, plus a lantern for each room you will spend the evening in, and a light in each car kit.
How we rate
We score every pick out of 10 on four things, weighted for what matters when the power is out or the trail is long: whether it does the job when you need it (40%), meaning a filter's rated capacity and what it removes, a radio's reception and charging options, a kit's contents rather than its piece count; build and reliability (25%), including seals, batteries and shelf life and what owners report after months in a closet or a pack; ease of use under stress (20%), whether it can be set up in the dark, with cold hands, by someone who has never used it; and value (15%).
We have not tested these products ourselves. We read the manufacturer's specifications, certifications and instructions and look for the patterns in verified owners' reviews, both the praise and the recurring complaints. No brand pays for placement, and a commission cannot buy a higher rating. When a pick changes, we will say so on this page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best emergency light for a power outage?
A rechargeable lantern for each room you’ll use and a headlamp for each person. Lights that also take AA batteries are the most dependable in a long outage.
Are candles safe during a power outage?
Ready.gov advises against them because of the fire risk. Use flashlights and battery-powered lanterns instead.
