Best emergency torches & wind-up radios (2026)
Official advice is clear: a torch, not candles, and a battery or wind-up radio for when the power and mobile networks are down. Here are the ones that actually last, at UK prices we track.
By Tom Rowland · Updated 18 July 2026 · 7 products, price-tracked
Before you buy
For a power cut, brightness is nearly irrelevant past a point: 100–300 lumens lights a room or a garden path comfortably, and the four-figure lumen counts on tactical torches buy runtime penalties, not usefulness. What matters is runtime at a useful brightness, a mode you can find in the dark, and a torch per adult so nobody's carrying the only light.
Power source is the real decision. AA/AAA torches run on batteries you can stockpile and share with the radio; USB-rechargeable torches are brighter and cheaper to run but die with your power bank. A sensible household mixes both — and a head torch, which frees your hands for fuse boxes, pets and stairs.
For the radio, wind-up-plus-solar models remove the battery question entirely, and many charge a phone in a pinch. Check it takes FM as well as DAB: FM transmitters have longer range and the BBC's emergency broadcast arrangements lean on it. A minute of cranking typically buys several minutes of listening — tedious, but it always works.
Top pick: Fenix PD36R Tactical Torch. A genuinely well-made, rugged torch that recharges over USB-C and runs for hours on its large 21700 cell. It is more torch than most households strictly need, but it is the sort you buy once and rely on for years.
| Item | Type | Brightness | Power | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fenix PD36R Tactical TorchTOP PICK | Rechargeable tactical LED torch (handheld) | 1,600 lm | USB-C rechargeable; 1x 21700 Li-ion (5000mAh cell included) | £108.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Ledlenser P6R Core Rechargeable Torch | Rechargeable handheld LED torch | 900 lm | Rechargeable Li-ion (magnetic USB charge) | £65.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Petzl Tikka Head Torch | LED head torch (compact, Hybrid) | 350 lm | 3x AAA (Hybrid; CORE rechargeable optional) | £28.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Anker Bolder LC40 LED Torch | Rechargeable LED handheld torch | 400 lm | USB-rechargeable 3350mAh Li-ion battery (Micro USB) | £25.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Lantern | Rechargeable LED lantern with USB power hub | 600 lm | 5200mAh (18.7Wh) battery; 5V USB out; USB/solar/hand-crank recharge | £60.00at usual price | Check price → |
| RunningSnail Wind-Up Emergency Radio | Hand-crank & solar AM/FM/NOAA emergency radio with LED torch | 130 lm | Hand crank + solar + USB + 3x AAA; 2000mAh built-in battery | £28.00at usual price | Check price → |
| FosPower Emergency Weather Radio | Hand-crank & solar emergency radio (AM/FM, NOAA WB) | 20 lm | Hand crank, solar panel, USB rechargeable, 3x AAA; 2000mAh Li-ion power bank | £30.00at usual price | Check price → |
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Fenix PD36R Tactical Torch
Who it's for: One dependable rechargeable torch that keeps working through a long power cut.
A genuinely well-made, rugged torch that recharges over USB-C and runs for hours on its large 21700 cell. It is more torch than most households strictly need, but it is the sort you buy once and rely on for years.
- Bright 1600-lumen output with a useful 283m throw, plus low modes that run for days for everyday household use
- USB-C recharging and a big 5000mAh 21700 cell mean long runtimes and no proprietary charger to lose
- IP68-rated and drop-tested aluminium body; a serious, long-lasting build rather than a drawer torch
- Noticeably pricier than a basic emergency torch, and the tactical strobe and top brightness are overkill for simple power-cut use
- Relies on its single rechargeable cell, so you should keep it topped up and ideally hold a spare 21700 for a prolonged outage
Don't buy if You just want a cheap light in a kitchen drawer for the occasional blackout, or you specifically want something that also runs on standard AA batteries or winds up when there is no power to recharge from. A £15-25 torch or head-torch will cover that.
Ledlenser P6R Core Rechargeable Torch
Who it's for: A buy-once torch for the kitchen drawer or grab bag that will still work in a decade.
A genuinely well-made 900-lumen torch with an IP68 waterproof body, a focusable beam and a 7-year warranty, so it earns its place as the household emergency torch. You pay a premium over budget brands, but the build quality and long low-mode runtime justify it for something you want to rely on in a power cut.
- Robust aircraft-grade aluminium body, IP68 waterproof and backed by a 7-year warranty
- Sensible spread of modes with a very long 95-hour low setting - useful when you need light to last, not just to be bright
- USB rechargeable, so no scrabbling for disposable batteries during an outage
- Noticeably pricier than capable budget torches that also hit 900+ lumens
- Uses Ledlenser's proprietary magnetic charging contact rather than a standard USB-C port on the torch itself
Don't buy if You just want a cheap spare for the grab bag or the most lumens per pound - a £15-25 torch will cover a basic blackout, and this is overkill if it will mostly sit unused.
Petzl Tikka Head Torch
Who it's for: A dependable, no-fuss head torch for the grab bag and everyday household use.
The Tikka is a reliable, lightweight classic that does the essentials well without gimmicks. For a home emergency kit its AAA batteries are a genuine plus — you can stockpile spares and it will work after months in a drawer.
- Runs on standard AAA batteries you can keep in stock, so no dead lithium cell when you need it
- 350 lumens with three white levels plus a red mode to preserve night vision
- Compact, light and easy one-button operation, with a glow-in-the-dark reflector to find it in the dark
- Not USB-rechargeable out of the box — the CORE battery is a paid add-on
- 350 lumens and a flood-only beam are modest next to pricier rivals if you want long throw
Don't buy if Don't buy if you want a rechargeable torch out of the box or a powerful long-range beam — look at the Petzl Actik Core instead.
Anker Bolder LC40 LED Torch
Who it's for: A no-fuss rechargeable backup torch to keep in a drawer or grab bag for power cuts.
A dependable, long-established Anker torch that does the household basics well: rechargeable, weather-resistant and bright enough for indoor and garden use during an outage. It is not the most powerful option on the market, but it is honest value for keeping in a kit.
- USB-rechargeable with roughly 20 hours of runtime on medium, so there is no scramble for spare batteries when the power goes
- IP65 water resistance and an aluminium body cope well with rain and knocks in a drawer or grab bag
- Widely sold and heavily reviewed model at a modest price - reassuringly ordinary rather than flashy
- Still uses the older Micro USB charging port rather than USB-C, so you may need to keep the right cable to hand
- At 400 lumens with strobe and SOS modes, it is middling by current standards and the extra flashing modes add little for home use
Don't buy if Don't buy if you want hands-free light for jobs during an outage - a headtorch is far more practical - or if you specifically need modern USB-C charging.
Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Lantern
Who it's for: Households wanting one bright, rechargeable lantern that doubles as a hand-crank backup and emergency phone top-up.
A well-built, genuinely bright lantern with three-way charging — mains USB, Goal Zero solar, or a built-in hand crank — and a USB output that will give a phone a useful top-up in a power cut. It costs more than a basic camping light, but the versatility and build quality earn their keep for emergency use.
- Three ways to recharge — USB, Goal Zero solar panel, or the built-in hand crank — so it still works when the grid is down.
- 600 lumens with a smooth dimmer down to around 2 lumens, plus directional and 360-degree modes for reading or lighting a whole room.
- The 5200mAh internal battery feeds a 5V USB output, so it's a light and a modest emergency phone charger in one.
- Runtime is short at full brightness (roughly 2.5-5 hours), so you'll dim it to make it last a long outage.
- The hand crank is a trickle only — about a minute of cranking for ten minutes of low light — a genuine last resort, not a quick recharge.
Don't buy if Don't buy if you only need a cheap standby light for the occasional power cut — a £15-25 rechargeable LED lantern covers that, and the crank and power-bank features would go to waste.
RunningSnail Wind-Up Emergency Radio
Who it's for: A cheap, self-contained crank/solar backup radio and torch for the home blackout drawer.
A dependable, low-cost crank-and-solar set that earns its place in a blackout drawer as a backup FM/AM radio, torch and reading lamp. Just don't expect the crank or the small 2,000mAh bank to do serious phone-charging, and note the NOAA weather band and absence of DAB are of little practical use in the UK.
- Genuinely multi-source power (hand crank, solar, USB and AAA), so it need never be caught with a flat battery.
- All-in-one and drawer-friendly: FM/AM radio, LED torch, reading lamp and a small phone top-up in one splash-resistant (IPX3) unit.
- Very affordable and simple to operate, with no reliance on the mains once charged.
- The crank is a trickle rather than a real charger (about a minute of winding buys only a few minutes of radio), and the 2,000mAh bank only part-charges a modern phone.
- No DAB, and the NOAA weather band is a US feature with no transmitters to receive in the UK.
Don't buy if You mainly listen to DAB-only stations or expect it to keep a modern smartphone alive; treat it as a backup FM/AM radio and torch, not a power source, and pair it with a proper power bank if charging matters.
FosPower Emergency Weather Radio
Who it's for: A cheap, keep-in-the-drawer multi-power radio and torch for UK power cuts.
A genuinely handy, low-cost backup that charges four ways and doubles as a torch and small power bank, so you are never left in the dark during an outage. Just treat the 'weather radio' badge with caution: the NOAA alert band it advertises is a US broadcast, so in Britain you get AM/FM only.
- Four power options (hand crank, solar, USB and AAA) mean it works even when the grid and your batteries are flat
- Built-in torch, reading lamp and SOS alarm make it a sensible all-in-one for a grab bag or kitchen drawer
- Inexpensive and light, so it is easy to justify keeping one purely as a just-in-case backup
- The NOAA weather-alert band does not broadcast in the UK, so that headline feature is effectively dead here
- Hand-crank and solar charging are slow trickle sources; the 2000mAh bank barely tops up a modern phone
Don't buy if You mainly want a device to keep a phone charged or to receive genuine weather warnings in the UK. For phone power a dedicated power bank is far better, and UK alerts come via the national Emergency Alerts system on your phone, not this radio's NOAA band.
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Common questions
How many lumens do I need in a power cut?
Far fewer than the boxes suggest: 20–50 lumens reads a book, 100–300 lights a room or path. Higher outputs drain batteries dramatically faster — runtime at a modest setting is the spec that matters.
Rechargeable or AA batteries?
Both, ideally. AAs are cheap to stockpile and work in the radio too; USB-rechargeable torches are better day-to-day but compete with your phone for power-bank capacity in a long outage. Whichever you choose, store spares.
Do wind-up radios actually work?
Yes — expect a few minutes of listening per minute of cranking, more at low volume, and most models also take batteries, solar or USB so the crank is the fallback rather than the plan.
Why do official lists say a torch and not candles?
Fire risk. House fires rise during power cuts, and a knocked-over candle in a dark, unfamiliar room is exactly how. LED torches are brighter, safer and last longer — keep the candles for dinner parties.
Is my phone torch enough?
For finding the fuse box, yes. For an evening-long outage, no — it flattens the battery you need for calls and information. A £15 torch exists precisely so your phone can stay a phone.
FM or DAB for emergencies?
Have both if you can. DAB is the day-to-day standard, but FM signals travel further and the emergency broadcasting arrangements historically favour it — which is why wind-up emergency radios almost all keep an FM band.