Flashlight, power bank, or emergency radio: what you need to have in your home if the power goes out
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
Autumn storms, a blown fuse or a district-wide power outage: without electricity, you quickly fall back on whatever you happen to have in your cupboard. This guide compares flashlights, power banks and emergency radios.
The first time you realize your flashlight has dead batteries is usually when you need it most. The same goes for the power bank that's been lying empty in a drawer for months and the radio nobody remembers where it is.
With days getting shorter and storm season approaching, now is a good time to get those items seriously organized. Not with a shed full of survival gear, but with a handful of devices that work when the lights go out. Below are the key choices that matter.
What do official bodies actually advise?
The Dutch government states on its emergency kit page that you should be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours after an emergency. Mentioned are a flashlight, a battery-powered or wind-up radio, cash (a guideline of €70 for an adult and €30 for a child is given), and long-lasting food and drink. For the complete list, the Dutch government refers to Denkvooruit.nl. Consult those sources yourself if you want to put together a complete kit — here, we limit ourselves to the area we know about: light and power.
The common thread in this advice is remarkably sensible: you want devices that work without the electricity grid. That is immediately the most important selection criterion.
Light: why a dynamo lamp is different from a flashlight
A regular battery-powered flashlight is fine, as long as the batteries are full. The problem is you only find that out at the wrong time. A lamp you can charge yourself bypasses that.
The Mini LED Flashlight with Hand Crank (€14.95, in three colors) works with a dynamo: you turn the crank and have light, even if it hasn't had a battery for years. Handy as a fixed light in the meter cupboard, car, or camping box.
If you want light that fills a room instead of a beam: the Solar Lamp with power bank (€32.00) charges via sunlight or USB and can also charge a phone itself. Two functions in one device saves searching.
One piece of advice you rarely read on packaging: do not use candles as your primary emergency lighting. They give little light and pose a high risk, especially with children or pets in the house. Save them for ambiance, not for outages.
Power: how much power bank do you need?
For your phone, it's all about capacity, expressed in mAh. A compact power bank like the Powerbank 3000mAh (€14.95) is intended as an emergency ration: enough to significantly recharge your phone so you can stay reachable and read messages. Small enough to permanently keep in a bag or jacket pocket — and that's exactly where such a thing belongs, because a power bank at home in the closet won't help you when you're on the go.
If you want to power more than a phone — think of a laptop, a lamp, or a small device while camping — then you're in a different category. The Flash Fish E200 Power Station with portable 60W solar panel (€350.00) is a power station: it delivers 200W, has 151Wh of capacity (40,800 mAh), and can be recharged via the included panel. This is an investment that makes sense primarily if you regularly find yourself without grid power — at the campsite, on a boat, or in a shed without a connection.
If you primarily have a shortage of power outlets at home rather than power itself, then a USB charging station with 8 ports with Fast Charge and PD (€14.95) solves that: all devices in one place, so you can recharge everything simultaneously during an announced outage.
Information: the radio that still works when the network falters
During a major outage, mobile networks and the internet are not automatically available. That's why a radio is on the Dutch government's list. The Multifunctional Emergency Radio with solar, USB, and hand crank (€70.00) combines three things you want in such a situation: a wind-up radio, a built-in flashlight, and a power bank function. That makes it more expensive than a simple flashlight, but it replaces three devices.
Find out now which frequency the regional emergency broadcaster in your province uses and write it down on a note next to the radio. Without the internet, looking it up will be difficult.
Batteries: buy to measure, not by feeling of stock
Most households have a drawer full of dead or half-dead batteries and not a single full one. Solve this by buying one type in bulk for the devices you actually use.
Two practical points: remove batteries from devices you don't use for months, and store spare batteries in one fixed place with the flashlight. Searching in the dark with your phone's flashlight is exactly the situation you want to avoid.
A minimal set you can assemble tonight
One light that works without batteries — dynamo or solar — in a fixed, known spot.
One charged power bank in the bag you carry daily.
One radio that is not dependent on the mains power, with the frequency of the regional broadcaster written down next to it.
One supply of batteries in the size your devices use.
Optionally, a Keychain Mini Whistle (€2.95) — small, but audible over a greater distance than your voice.
Then set a reminder in your calendar to check twice a year if everything is still charged. That's the step most people skip, and precisely the step that makes such a set work.
Assemble it yourself
The mentioned lamps, power banks, and radios can be found in the collections Batteries & Chargers and Camping & Outdoor; for additional lighting, you can look in Lighting & Lamps. If you want to know which combination suits your situation — at home, in the car, or while camping — feel free to email info@verpakkingdeals.nl. For the full contents of an emergency kit, we refer to the information from the Dutch government and Denkvooruit.nl.
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