The Benefits and Features of a Quality LED Emergency Lantern

Personal Lantern Model: TT7100CP See details Market price: $60.00 Our price: $48.00 save 20%

Whether the power at home is out from a severe storm or you’re out camping and simply need some light, having a dependable light source that isn’t going to fail at a vital moment is essential.  If you’re looking for a light source that will not only illuminate your way when you need it but that also has a variety of emergency features to make sure that you’re never stranded in the dark, then you might want to consider purchasing an LED emergency lantern.  These lanterns produce a strong white LED light which will light your way at a fraction of the energy cost of traditional light bulbs, and generally also are easily converted from their lantern mode into a more standard LED flashlight.

Why LED?

You may be wondering why you should choose an LED emergency lantern over a standard flashlight.  There are a variety of reasons for choosing a lantern that uses LED light bulbs instead of a standard incandescent light bulb, the least of which is the nature of the bulb itself.  LED’s are not true “bulbs” in the fact that they contain no glass casing or a filament, which means that you don’t have to worry about the bulb breaking or the filament burning out at an inconvenient time.  A white LED light will burn for years longer than a comparable white light bulb at a much lower energy cost, and many LED’s can be combined in your lantern or flashlight to produce a brighter light in the same amount of space as a standard bulb would be able to create.  Because multiple LED’s are used in these lights you are also generally able to use different light settings easily as well… you might have a full power lantern during the evening, but as night sets in you simply need to push a button and you suddenly have an LED night light with a gentle glow.

Key Features

When shopping for an LED emergency lantern you should have a few key features in mind so that you’ll be able to make use of it both for emergency situations and whenever you simply need a light.  Look for a lantern that is convertible between a “lantern” mode and a “flashlight” mode, and that features multiple LED’s (usually 8-12, depending on the size of the lantern.)  A hand crank to provide emergency power in case the batteries are low is a wonderful feature if you can find a lantern that has one, as is a rechargeable battery pack (as opposed to simply requiring 2-4 batteries.)  Having an adjustable light intensity either through different settings or a dimmer switch can also help you to better use the lantern to meet your specific lighting needs.

Optional Features

There are a number of optional features that can be found on LED emergency lanterns which can be useful but aren’t necessarily deal breakers if the light you’re considering doesn’t have them.  Options such as a built-in radio for listening to news or weather reports, emergency road flare settings which blink orange or red lights, and other related features can all be useful when using your new light in emergency situations.  If you’re torn as to whether you need some of these features or not, take the time to get online and find LED flashlight reviews so that you can see what other people think of the usefulness of some of these options.

-Ben Anton, 2007
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