On average, people experience about four hours of power loss each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the extended blackout in Manhattan following Hurricane Sandy, the first thing I thought to reach for was a flashlight. It makes sense: a good flashlight is essential for any emergency where you’ll be in the dark.
69% of Americans have assembled some kind of emergency supplies according to a 2024 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) study. If you’re not already among that 69%, getting a great flashlight could be a starting point. We selected a few top-rated options that fit different needs and niches.
Many pre-made emergency kits come with a flashlight, but they are typically not very powerful, and having more than one means extra flexibility during an emergency (if needed). Here are a few things we considered to select emergency flashlights:
- Brightness (in lumens): Lumens are a measurement of how much light is emitted by a source, and is a helpful metric to compare flashlight brightness.
- Battery type: We preferred flashlights that are compatible with multiple kinds of batteries — the flexibility can be helpful in an emergency.
- Light modes: Almost all of our top picks have multiple light modes that differ in intensity. Importantly, most of them have a strobe mode that can be used to signal.
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All of our picks are top-rated options with at least a 4.0-star rating from hundreds of reviews on marketplaces like Amazon. We include battery-powered and rechargeable options, plus some other forms of light you may find useful for your emergency kit.
Best overall
This flashlight hits a great balance between features, convenience and price. It can run off of the included rechargeable battery or two disposable AAs, meaning more versatility in different emergency situations. Among its five light modes is a “Firefly” mode that outputs a tiny amount of light, but gets up to 27 days of battery life, a good option for subtle light that won’t wake anyone up (imagine you are trying to move around a bedroom where other family members are sleeping).
NBC Select commerce editor Jordan Bowman loves a similar version of this flashlight, the Thrunite Archer 2A V3. It’s a more affordable option, but it’s less powerful and runs solely off of AA batteries, no rechargeable option.
Best compact
If you are looking for something a little smaller that can easily double as a travel flashlight, the Olight Baton Turbo is a great option to consider. It’s 3.22 inches long, almost half the size of our Thrunite pick, meaning it’s easily pocketable (or clippable with its built-in belt clip). Like our top pick, it comes with a rechargeable battery, but you can also use a disposable CR123A battery instead — the flexibility is useful in an emergency situation.
While the magnetic charging cable for the rechargeable battery is convenient, it is also proprietary — you can’t charge the Baton Turbo with a regular USB-C charging cable.
Best premium
This premium flashlight has a few upgrades over our other picks. The most significant difference is brightness: it can get up to three times brighter than our picks from Thrunite and Olight, making it more useful in large outdoor spaces. It’s also IP68 dust and waterproof — most of our other picks don’t have any dust protection rating.
You could also consider the newer Fenix TK17, which gets a bit brighter, but it’s more expensive and has less reviews.
Best headlamp
Headlamps are great for any activity where you need light but also need both your hands, this means nighttime activities like running or grilling and also a variety of emergency situations. This one from Black Diamond has a few extras like a red light night vision mode and a locking feature to prevent accidental button presses.
You can power the headlamp with either a rechargeable BD 1500 lithium ion battery (sold separately) or three AAA batteries.
Best lantern
Lanterns are great for illuminating space around you, not just one point like a flashlight. They’re ideal for anytime you’ll be staying put — think playing a board game at night during a black out. This one fits in a hand and has a small metal hanger that you can use to hook it onto things. It also has multiple lighting modes and colors, including a warm yellow light, cool white light and soft red light. It can also act as a power bank for your other small electronics — think smartphones or rechargeable flashlights.
Best light stick
A light stick can be helpful if you want to make note of a specific spot for an extended period of time without wasting flashlight battery power — think marking a specific point (indoors or outdoors) or illuminating a very specific spot in a room. It’s a good supplemental light source for specific situations (in addition to a flashlight, of course).
Best high-powered
A high-powered flashlight like the Fenix LR35R is useful for specific situations and environments — think rural homes with extensive land where you might need to illuminate a large outdoor area like an open or woodland field. It is USB-C rechargeable and not that much bigger than our other top picks, despite its increased brightness.
The Fenix LR35R, or any other high-powered flashlight, is probably not the best option to pack in your emergency kit, however. It’s so bright that it’s impractical for most indoor or dense urban environments.
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I’m a reporter at NBC Select who covers technology and fitness including recent stories on air purifiers, wireless earbuds, and walking shoes. For this piece, I researched emergency preparation guidelines from reputable agencies like FEMA, the CDC and the American Red Cross. I then selected top-rated flashlights and lighting sources based on market research.
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