# Power Failure Light



## Poppy (Apr 13, 2021)

The power just went out, I'm in sudden cave like darkness, in my PJs, and not carrying my EDC. How do I get to the kitchen to grab a flashlight without stumbling on one of the kids toys, that are scattered on the floor? I have to hurry, because the three year old is screaming afraid of the dark! 

Oh YES!!! The pair of Power Failure Lights, I bought last week came on automatically :thumbsup: Life is good!!!

They are only about $10 each, so they certainly fit into a budget category. Just plug them into an outlet and they stay on charge. Some have a light sensor, so they only come on at night, they can also be a day/night night lite. Typically, they'll run for 1-3 hours on a charge.

One in the garage, one in the basement, and one centrally located in the main portion of the house is typically all you need. I have one attached to a light weight extension cord, and placed above the refrigerator, and one above the entertainment unit.


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## Jean-Luc Descarte (Apr 13, 2021)

I've seen a few of those. The model I know stays off as long as it's being powered by the outlet, and turns on when the juice is cut.

Problem is, they come with 18650s. The cheapo ones. :shakehead


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## Hooked on Fenix (Apr 13, 2021)

I have one old sunbeam one from Costco that still works. My older one with induction charging stopped working recently and I had to replace it with a $10 GE one from Walmart. I wish Costco would bring back the three pack of these lights for around $20. Never got to get the newer and brighter ones with the usb charge port or the one that replaced those. Mine were three and four generations back. The GE one is okay and I like that it’s warm white, but I am hesitant about any emergency light that doesn’t list the runtime as is the case with most of these lights. Beware that some of the newer lights are just nightlights that run on alkalines when the power goes out. Those do not charge an internal battery. I like ones with the flashlight and nightlight/area light combo with internally charged batteries. Most stores only carry one or two types of these lights and the rest are not really power failure lights despite being advertised as them.


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## Poppy (Apr 15, 2021)

This one says it is rechargeable. Years ago, I took this one and a couple of other styles apart, and they had either NiMH, or NiCad batteries in them. Today, I decided to take this one apart and take pictures, but it is held together with Y shaped really small security screws. I don't have a set small enough.

Hooked on Fenix, is right though, not all are rechargeable. So you have to read the fine print, or be aware that some print may not be included.


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## Mr. Shawn (Apr 15, 2021)

What, Poppy? No ENC (Every Night Carry) light? No pockets on those PJs? Ha ha.

I'm glad the backup lights came to the rescue. Thank you for the testimonial.


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 15, 2021)

I have sort of an alternative to power failure lights.... motion sensor battery lights that are placed in strategic spots so when the power does go out you just have to move and they turn on so you can navigate to wherever your light stash is.


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## Poppy (Apr 17, 2021)

I was wrong... my security screwdriver set, is small enough.
I got that GE light apart, it has a 3-button cell NiMH battery pack 110 mAh


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 17, 2021)

Now you can mod it with an external eneloop pack for extended runtime lol.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Apr 18, 2021)

I took apart my old sunbeam induction light before throwing it out to see if I could replace the battery. I couldn’t. It had a lithium polymer battery I think around 600 mAh. Something in the 100 mAh range is kind of pathetic. No wonder they don’t want to advertise runtimes. I think these lights ought to last a few hours at least on high. Some of the newer ones default to a low setting like 5 lumens when the power goes out to extend runtimes on their puny batteries. Makes it a light locator when instead you need a find your way through the house light. If I only wanted a light locator I’d get a light that glows in the dark or has tritium vials. I like ones that come on as an area light bright enough to see across the room with a regular flashlight I can turn on if I take it off the wall. Having to have a flashlight to get to the power failure light to avoid stumbling around in the dark defeats the purpose of the light. Apparently they don’t make them like they used to.


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 18, 2021)

I recently purchased a 4 pack of push lights from walmart. They run off of 3AA batteries and have about 10 lumens of output in a warm white color. They aren't very bright but I'm guessing runtime will be in the 100 hour range perfect for a power outage. I placed them in strategic places so if power does go out I can find them in pitch dark. They will even run off 2AAs but are half as bright as I tried one using 2 duraloops. As cheap as they are you can toss depleted alkaleaks in them to fun off of as you get a 4 pack for about $4 and change I think that was the price.


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## Poppy (Apr 18, 2021)

Two weeks ago, we had company for dinner, and a sky darkening storm blew through and killed the power for 1 1/2 hours. There was still *some* ambient light coming in through the sliding doors, and windows, so there wasn't instant total cave like darkness, but we did have the lights, on. The power went out, and so did the lights. Instantly the little power failure lights came on. They stayed on for the full 1 1/2 hours.

IMO, they are safety lights. At 20 lumens, they throw enough light that one may navigate in safety. I think it is generally agreed, that 100 lumens ceiling bounced is a comfortable amount of light for an outage. Therefore they'll offer enough light that you may get to whatever lights that you'll use for your emergency back-up lights, in safety.

The following week our guests returned, and asked... where can they get a power failure light? LOL... the one pictured arrived the previous day. It was a gift for them. I was delighted. Sometimes, you may gift a light to someone and get a "uh... thanks" response. This particular time, they really saw the value in the light, and really wanted one. It made me feel good to show them that we think enough of their friendship, that we went out and got one for them before they asked.

If the power failure occurred 2 hours later, the effect of the auto on lights would have been much more dramatic.


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 18, 2021)

Awhile back I built an LED lighting system around my computer monitor and keyboard. It consists of a modified 4 port USB hub with separate switches, an adapter cable and dimmer for a strip light system and 2 DIY 2x18650 power bank kits with 4 salvaged 18650 cells for power. I bought USB female ends and USB male/female extension cables and a handful of 3xSMD LED USB modules for light. I have this setup cranked down to just what I need to light up the 4 modules and it runs for weeks off a single power bank and when that power bank conks out I have the second one sitting right near I swap them out and put the discharged one on a charger for half a day. I've had short power outages where my UPS kicks in and rarely are they long enough I have to shut down my computer but when I do the lighting system is plenty. I can see the room lit up from almost every room I frequent in the house. At night I turn off the lighting system to sleep and I have lights by my bed. I also have these small 1x18650 round lipstick style power banks that support very low power output that I put these 6xSMD USB dimmable sticks in it and can use them as area lights they run for weeks on their own or you can turn them up and light up a room pretty good maybe 60-100 lumens. I have lights with USB cables on them that I can connect to power banks and set up anywhere I want to, and have USB adapters and extension cables and switches on extension cables. I have lights in almost every room here so I don't need a power outage light.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Apr 19, 2021)

I live in a high fire danger area of San Diego county. Whenever it gets windy, SDG&E shuts our power off for as long as 3 days at a time. Runtime on power failure lights is important to me as is brightness. I don’t expect them to run for days, but is it too much to ask for one that comes on as an area light at 20 to 40 lumens for at least 3 hours? Coming on at a 5 lumen default during a power failure like my new GE one is a joke.


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 19, 2021)

Hooked on Fenix said:


> I live in a high fire danger area of San Diego county. Whenever it gets windy, SDG&E shuts our power off for as long as 3 days at a time. Runtime on power failure lights is important to me as is brightness. I don’t expect them to run for days, but is it too much to ask for one that comes on as an area light at 20 to 40 lumens for at least 3 hours? Coming on at a 5 lumen default during a power failure like my new GE one is a joke.


That is why I suggested motion detector lights. If you can find one that has low parasitic drain or adapt one to larger batteries then as long as you have lights on at night or it is daytime it won't come on but when power goes out all you have to do is move for it to come on and get you to where your area lights are. 5 lumens is barely enough when your eyes are adjusted for night vision the shock of being in a lighted area where you have 1000 lumens light source then nothing but 5 lumens might as well be in the dark for the next 5 minutes.


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## Poppy (Apr 20, 2021)

The one I posted above is 20 lumens when the lights go out. It was still running strong at 1 1/2 hours. Imo it is not intended to be my main light source, for that I'll place a couple 18650 lights. I just got a 2 cell 18650 cob light that does a nice job when ceiling bounced.


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## bykfixer (Apr 25, 2021)

I just outfitted my new shed with "puck" lights from Home Depot. They are about the size of a hockey puck and have a well dispersed 30 lumens with light sensing and motion sensing ability. If no motion is detected they turn off after 20 seconds. Oh, they had USB chargeable types and rechargeable cell types but they cost as much for one as the twin pack of the puck lights. They were 20 lumen COB type. I hung one over the door to guide my way out and one in the ceiling to turn on when I enter the building. Being at right angles from each other hopefully means one won't cancel the other out. 
I may relocate the one over the door onto the door so that it will light the area outside the shed when I open the door to leave. While there I bought a dozen pack of lithiums to power the lights year round. 

Now, I had already hung a flashlight on the door knob and one beside the door but figure the puck lights would be good for hands free illumination. If it works out I may place a few throughout my home for lights out but will probably opt for lights with an on/off switch since the hounds tend to move around the house at night. 





When the door is opened.
Plenty of light to read by. Open door and the ceiling light turns on. Enter and the one over the door turns on. If you don't move around a lot the one in the ceiling turns off but the building is still lit. Wave your arm or something and the ceiling light turns back on. 





Wait outside 20 seconds motionless and ……


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## ampdude (Apr 27, 2021)

Maybe not an option for some folks, but I just have lights all over the place. If the power went out right now, I don't even have a flashlight on me. But I have a three shelf plastic container on a living room table with about 25 or so flashlights behind me. A lot of them are cheaper quality, some medium grade and a few more expensive ones.


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 27, 2021)

ampdude said:


> Maybe not an option for some folks, but I just have lights all over the place. If the power went out right now, I don't even have a flashlight on me. But I have a three shelf plastic container on a living room table with about 25 or so flashlights behind me. A lot of them are cheaper quality, some medium grade and a few more expensive ones.


I'm the same way. I have lights in most places here and put my cheapest ones in places I almost never need one just to make them of some use. I've found that you need more than one light in some areas as there is a chance of failure especially if you have alkaleaks in some of them. I also have area lights in strategic places (dim ones) good enough to light up the house to navigate in it when there is no power.


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## Poppy (Apr 29, 2021)

Nice shed Mr. Fixer :thumbsup: that looks like it was a bit of a weekend project.
It looks like it has a nice floor in it. The toughest part of a job like that is getting it level.

Illuminating it with COB motion detection lights is a good idea. As you know they throw a nice broad beam.

------------------------------
I'm afraid that I have been misunderstood.

I have been a proponent of auto on emergency lighting for a long time. Before these little plug into the wall LED lights were available, I used to have a set of SLA powered EXIT lights at the top of my stairs. They had two incandescent bulbs, and only lasted for about 20 minutes. Twenty minutes isn't much time, but it is enough for you to exit the building, or to gather and put in place some longer lasting lights.

These little LED power failure lights draw about 1/5th of the wattage that a 7 watt incandescent night light draws, and throw about the same a mount of light... maybe more. They last 1-3 hours.

The last time I checked (about 8 years ago) the Emergency auto on EXIT lights are now using LED instead of incandescent bulbs. I expected that they would last much longer. I was wrong! They are no longer powered by SLAs, but instead they are powered by LITTLE NiMH batteries. They still only had about a 20 minute run-time.


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 29, 2021)

I'm glad they are no longer using SLAs in them as nimh are a lot cheaper to replace and with proper care they could last a lot longer. It is likely they are more concerned with a certain length of runtime than improving upon them. I've seen these bulbs that screw in light sockets that have an 18650 in them I think and charge it via the socket and when power goes out they automatically come on. I'm not sure if they are remote controlled but likely so because in order to operate fully the power to the socket needs to stay on so your light switch on the wall or the switch on the lamp itself no longer is used to turn them off.


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## bykfixer (Apr 29, 2021)

The puck lights aren't COB but are an LED with an opaque plastic cover over them Poppy. I did however pick up a COB pocket light to turn on when I figure on staying in the shed more than a few minutes. It's aimed in such a way that when lit it turns off the little motion sensor lights. They kept turning off while I was hanging a bubble wrap privacy curtain over the window. Yup, two layers of bubble wrap over a window lets in nearly all of the light but masks what is inside. Look through a sheet of bubble wrap sometime. It's much like looking through wax paper. 

Right now the shed is near empty but soon it will house things from another one that will be demolished this summer. The other one is electrified.


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## Poppy (Apr 29, 2021)

This little number from walmart might work well.
Considering that it take three AA cells, it should have decent run-time.

Also there is the FREE 3AAA ones from harbor freight.
They are also magnetic.

Oh and did I mention free?


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 29, 2021)

Poppy said:


> This little number from walmart might work well.
> Considering that it take three AA cells, it should have decent run-time.
> 
> Also there is the FREE 3AAA ones from harbor freight.
> ...



I have two of these I bought from Steve's Wholesale tools with cheap HD batteries included for $3 each. Mine only have one mode though.
The magnet on the back is good, I have mine stuck to my metal cabinet.
160 lumens is almost not enough for an area flood the light is good for closer work but you almost need 300 lumens for an area work light.


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## ampdude (Apr 30, 2021)

Lynx_Arc said:


> I'm the same way. I have lights in most places here and put my cheapest ones in places I almost never need one just to make them of some use. I've found that you need more than one light in some areas as there is a chance of failure especially if you have alkaleaks in some of them. I also have area lights in strategic places (dim ones) good enough to light up the house to navigate in it when there is no power.



Yes, there really is no substitute for a good source of flashlights with primary batteries. Especially lithium primaries when there's a real crisis.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Apr 30, 2021)

The motion sensing lights are nice for lighting up a shed, but I prefer dimmer power failure night lights for home use. 200-400 lumens is too much instant on light for keeping your night vision in the middle of the night. It’s easier for the eyes to adjust to 20 lumens that’s already on. For a shed, I think I prefer the toggle light switch c.o.b. lights placed next to the door. They stay on longer, and I don’t need to clear a space for a ladder to change the batteries. The 4AA version of the toggle switch light is 400 lumens. The smaller 4AAA one is 200 lumens. These lights usually cost $4-$12 depending on model and where you get it from (Harbor Freight, Walmart, Big 5 Sporting Goods). Don’t bother with lights that have a remote type switch. They tend to have poor runtimes as the sensor drains the batteries in a month with little to no use.


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 30, 2021)

ampdude said:


> Yes, there really is no substitute for a good source of flashlights with primary batteries. Especially lithium primaries when there's a real crisis.


I disagree. I've gone from using primaries to using mostly nimh to now using mostly 18650s. In a crisis I have so much power in 18650 format that I could go months without using them up. I have about 20 20v tool batteries and 50-60 bare 18650 batteries I salvaged from laptop and tool battery packs and about a dozen power banks I bought over the years dirt cheap plus several dozen cheap power bank kits I paid from $1-$3. I just don't like using primaries any more but am forced to in some situations. I've invested in 18650 lights, headlamps, lanterns, tool lights and USB adapters and USB lighting solutions with cabling and modules and switches and such.
In other words I've substituted nimh for alkaleaks, and now 18650s for nimh and alkaleaks. 
There is no substitute for 18650s other than 21700s perhaps.
In power outages long ago I relied on SLAs but they all died on me over the years and were too costly to replace and nicads ended up being too labor intensive to keep up with if you left them alone for 6 months to a year they would be dead. LSD nimh were good but it took awhile for me to gravitate away from C/D and 6V lanterns then I had to gravitate towards 18650s and that took awhile.


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## Scotty321 (Apr 30, 2021)

I bought a couple Energizer Emergency lights (NiMH) for power outages for my parents. However, I had a propane generator installed a few years ago, as I was worried about sump pump and backup failing if we had 24+ hours of power failure while it was raining. We also run on well and septic, so a power outage could affect our water supply.

The last time we had a power failure that encompassed multiple neighborhoods in my area for about half a day, the few houses with generators were the only lights in the area. The local grocery store had to dump all of it's frozen and refrigerated food because they all thawed and/or spoiled.


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## thermal guy (Apr 30, 2021)

I have those emergency backup light bulbs. Looks and works just like a regular led light bulb but comes on immediately when the power goes out they have a small backup battery in them. You can even take them out and walk around with them “ fun at parties “. They only run for an hour or two on the battery but that gives me plenty of time to get to my real lights and get set up.


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## ampdude (Apr 30, 2021)

Lynx_Arc said:


> I disagree. I've gone from using primaries to using mostly nimh to now using mostly 18650s. In a crisis I have so much power in 18650 format that I could go months without using them up. I have about 20 20v tool batteries and 50-60 bare 18650 batteries I salvaged from laptop and tool battery packs and about a dozen power banks I bought over the years dirt cheap plus several dozen cheap power bank kits I paid from $1-$3. I just don't like using primaries any more but am forced to in some situations. I've invested in 18650 lights, headlamps, lanterns, tool lights and USB adapters and USB lighting solutions with cabling and modules and switches and such.
> In other words I've substituted nimh for alkaleaks, and now 18650s for nimh and alkaleaks.
> There is no substitute for 18650s other than 21700s perhaps.
> In power outages long ago I relied on SLAs but they all died on me over the years and were too costly to replace and nicads ended up being too labor intensive to keep up with if you left them alone for 6 months to a year they would be dead. LSD nimh were good but it took awhile for me to gravitate away from C/D and 6V lanterns then I had to gravitate towards 18650s and that took awhile.



The counterpoints I would argue to that would be that you must keep the batteries fully charged all the time and that tends to degrade them, but li-ions are better about that nowadays. And primary lithiums are more reliable for hot or cold weather situations and more reliable in general. They're lighter. They're better in weaponlights. They're more versatile in voltage capability. I say have a bit of both, but primaries should be part of any emergency stash. They last over 20 years and are basically fire and forget where li-ions require a little bit more maintenance and are not quite as usable in as many lights for size and voltage purposes. And if you can't find a way to recharge the lithium ion batteries because of power problems or charger or whatever, they're no better than primaries in that regard.


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## Lynx_Arc (Apr 30, 2021)

ampdude said:


> The counterpoints I would argue to that would be that you must keep the batteries fully charged all the time and that tends to degrade them, but li-ions are better about that nowadays. And primary lithiums are more reliable for hot or cold weather situations and more reliable in general. They're lighter. They're better in weaponlights. They're more versatile in voltage capability. I say have a bit of both, but primaries should be part of any emergency stash. They last over 20 years and are basically fire and forget where li-ions require a little bit more maintenance and are not quite as usable in as many lights for size and voltage purposes. And if you can't find a way to recharge the lithium ion batteries because of power problems or charger or whatever, they're no better than primaries in that regard.


Actually you don't need to keep them fully charged at all as power density of 18650s is so much more than L91s.
The volume of 3 L91s is about 1.8 times the volume of a single 18650 cell and given an L91 is about 3000mah and an 18650 can be bought up to 3400mah they are about even but at almost half the volume so essentially if you were to buy 30 AA L91s you could match the power of them with 10 18650s and have room for a dozen more L91s or another 7 18650s. 
So with the huge difference you could let a similar size pile of 18650s discharge to about 65% total capacity and still match the power of the L91s and likely they would weigh less to boot. I likely will always have a few lithium primaries for certain devices that is is not advantageous to use 18650s for but most things I've gravitated to the format already. 
Having to manage a single 18650s vs 3-9 times lithium primaries (AA/AAA) makes things a lot easier and having to either change batteries several times more often or fumbling with 2-4 or more AA/AAAs in a crisis can be a big advantage. I've used an 18650 headlamp and work and it lasts me up to a week if I use it sparingly and several days if I use it normally vs having to swap out primaries there is no comparison.
In a crisis the less weight and bulk you have the better. Now having to add chargers into the mix will take space but once you procure a source of power it saves you from buying primaries and sometimes inflated prices at out of the way places known for high prices just to find any. 
I don't forsee an apocalyptic type situations around here as in this area of the country the worse that can happen is an F5 tornado and even that didn't leave people with absolutely no power or fuel anywhere there was anything left standing. The ice storm in 2007 here had half the state without power but I had a car charger and nimh cells and I didn't use primaries in my main lighting solutions so my extra alkaleak stash was unneeded after 5 days I got power back but my neighbor down the street didn't have power at their house but they had power at work to charge things. Primaries are useful but IMO it is best to not have to count on them as your main source of backup. For the price of 3 L91s you can just about buy an 18650 and likewise.. throw it away after using without recharging it and take up a lot less space.


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## Poppy (May 1, 2021)

Here I am trying to awaken old brain cells to draw on memories made years ago.

A single 18650 has about the same number of watt hours, as three AA cells. 
An alkaline D cell under low load, ( < 1 amp) has about the same number of watt hours, as a 3400 mah 18650.

Regarding the comparison of alkaline to LiIon chemistry, alkalines do OK under low load, but when placed under load, they fail miserably at loads greater than 1 amp. 

A 3D lantern with a modern LED pushing out 100 lumens will last as well as a 3- 18650 LiIon soda can light that is also outputting 100 lumens.

IIRC the 3D alkaline light will perform fairly well up to 300 lumens, but beyond that there is no comparison to LiIons. 

So I guess... primaries vs rechargeables is dependent upon the personality of the user. If the user is a flashaholic, he will likely periodically monitor the status of his battery stash and periodically top his rechargeables off. OTOH if he is one who leaves alkalines in lights long enough that they leak and cause damage, he may be better served by keeping a stash of primaries, but outside of the light.

Like Lynx_Arc, I have the ability to recharge my 18650s in my car if needed. But if the outage is that long, that I need to recharge, I'll already have my generator running to save food from spoiling.

Perhaps a blend of the two is most prudent. 

Personally I rely on 18650s for the most part, but I do have about six 3D cell lanterns (yes a stupid number I know). I have a number of unopened packages of D cells in reserve (some are out-dated, or nearly so). During a power outage, I gave away a 3D lantern to a neighbor, who wasn't sure if he had a working flashlight, and an auto-on, plug into an outlet, emergency power failure light, similar to the one posted above.

IMO the auto ON light is a very often, not included essential, in most households.


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## thermal guy (May 1, 2021)

“ the auto ON light ”

Absolutely. This is what you need so you can get your plan into action.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 1, 2021)

I seem to recall some flashlights having a find me mode in the past. I made a lantern with a flashing red LED I can turn on to find it in the dark


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## Chauncey Gardiner (May 9, 2021)

While I don't consider the newly released Maelstrom MXS Standby a budget light, it does have an automatic on feature whenever the charging base's power source is cut. 

With that stated, here she is -


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## Dave_H (Jun 6, 2021)

thermal guy said:


> I have those emergency backup light bulbs. Looks and works just like a regular led light bulb but comes on immediately when the power goes out they have a small backup battery in them. You can even take them out and walk around with them “ fun at parties “. They only run for an hour or two on the battery but that gives me plenty of time to get to my real lights and get set up.



I also have some of these, 60W and 40W equivalent. I have not done much testing, but they seem to work OK.

The 40W from HD consumes 8-9W when charging internal battery (7.4v 6.6Wh Li-ion), dropping to 5W. It claims 500 lumens on ac dropping to 300 lumens on standby. On the surface that seems not too bad, but the light distribution is not great. Compared to regular 40W equiv. LED bulb this one is larger, heavier, more expensive, and not as good optically. All this for 1-2 hours of standby in a fixed location. They were on clearance, understand why now.

Luckily around here power outages are rare and usually don't last long; and like many I keep flashlights various places around the house, plus variety of fixed or motion LED nightlights (ac and battery), solar lights on window sills, and small lanterns mostly running on salvaged alkalines.


Dave


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## Dave_H (Jul 18, 2021)

Recently I got a good deal on a Westinghouse-branded (in Canada) pair of nightlights with motion detector,
backup-battery for power fail, and a small flashlight. Pair were had for $10 plus tax. May be available from other
retailers under same or different brand.

(usual disclaimer: no connection to retailer or manufacturer/distributor etc.)

https://www.gianttiger.ca/1005599/p/1005599

I opened this one up as usual to see what's inside; removed two TORX screws. Inside are six SMT LEDS: two cool
white for emergency light, four warm white for nightlight and motion light.

Unlike a lot of similar products, the specs are fairly good. It uses a 250mAh Li-ion cell, claims up to 8 hours
standby light (not confirmed). 

This one had three modes:

-power-fail only
-night light always on with motion detect increasing brightness.
-night light with motion detect, normally off.

Dave

Found link to better description and specs:

http://www.westinghousebattery.com/products/4-in-1-rechargeable-power-failure-led-night-light/


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## Poppy (Jul 18, 2021)

Dave_H,
It looks like you found one that checks all the boxes, and at an incredibly low price!
Good hunting! :thumbsup:


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## Timothybil (Jul 19, 2021)

You can still find the ones with SLAs in them if you look hard enough. Back when I still lived in a two story house with little kids I looked into getting one of those and swapping the incans for LEDs. We moved out before I got around to it, so it never happened. Since then I have had small apartments where that many light heads weren't needed, and I always had a light next to the bed. These days I have a bunch of the Sofirn C01S AAA lights so there is one in a pocket in each pair of pants/pjs, and a Tool AA beside my bed. The Tool and the GT Micro I have also do a good job of ceiling bounce if I need more light.


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## vicv (Jul 22, 2021)

Let's be honest. We're never far away from our smart phones. They have a flashlight. Still, these are a good idea And I have a few of these stationed around my house


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## Vemice (Jul 26, 2021)

Not a budget light but living in south Florida I just got one of these.


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## Dave_H (Jul 28, 2021)

Poppy said:


> Dave_H,
> It looks like you found one that checks all the boxes, and at an incredibly low price!
> Good hunting! :thumbsup:



Thanks! I'd be interested to hear from anyone who manages to get one or more of these. Mine is working fine so far. Unfortunately they seem to be gone from local stores here (clearout).

Dave


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## Dave_H (Jul 28, 2021)

vicv said:


> Let's be honest. We're never far away from our smart phones. They have a flashlight. Still, these are a good idea And I have a few of these stationed around my house



Not always true. Smartphone may function OK as a flashlight in some conditions, severe functional overkill and far from an ideal solution for many people. A number of cheap(er) and ultimately expendable lights spread around is a good strategy.

Dave


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## paulr (Aug 31, 2021)

"Power failure night light" web search finds a lot of web hits. Another approach might be one of those USB power banks with a built-in flashlight (there are lots of those). A fairly simple software change could make it activate the flashlight automatically if you unplug the charger, so you'd just leave it sitting around plugged in most of the time. The light would turn itself after a few minutes so it wouldn't drain the powerbank if it lit while you weren't around. If it lit while you were around, you'd just go over to it and turn it on manually.

This is why I like open source flashlight firmware, and now I find myself wanting it for powerbanks too. Hmm.


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