Product Review Monday

By popular demand, we’re continuing our “Product Review Monday” series. Up to this point, it’s been “Book Review Monday,” but we’re expanding somewhat to profile some favorite products besides books.

So today, let’s examine a great light source during power outages.

Our favorite go-to light source during power outages is the kerosene lamp. I’ve been in love with kerosene lamps since I was a teenager, and in fact still have (and frequently use) a beautiful lamp my parents gave me when I was sixteen.

But as much as I love the ambience they give, kerosene lamps are not ideal. They require care (so as not to be knocked over), they’re potentially dangerous (fire!), the light is not overly bright, and some people are sensitive to the odor, even when using lamp oil instead of kerosene. Plus, of course, you need kerosene (or lamp oil) for fuel.

When we moved here to our new home, it didn’t take long to learn power outages are very, very common. A windy day, a snowstorm, a Tuesday … outages can last anywhere from a few hours to several days.

The logical question that arose during this realization is: What happens if there’s a much longer power outage? Do we have enough kerosene on hand to supply all the lamps for a long time?

It was about this time we started searching for an LED light source, something portable, easy to handle, and off-grid. There are numerous options on the market, but we ended up purchasing something called a Dynamo hand-crank solar powered lantern.

This item had extremely good reviews, so we purchased one to see how we liked it. In fact, we liked it so well we purchased four more, and keep them in various locations around the house (and Older Daughter keeps one in her car for roadside emergencies).

This lantern is ten inches high and lightweight. While we usually keep them charged up by electricity, they can be charged a number of ways, including a USB port or a car charger. They have a solar panel on the top (ours still has the protective clear plastic film over it)…

…a AAA-battery case at the bottom…

…and best of all, an option to hand-crank the lantern (one minute of spinning the crank will give about 5 to 8 minutes of light, depending on how fast the crank is turned).

Fully charged, the lamp gives 16 hours of light at the lower (60 lumens) setting, or 10 hours of light at the higher (120 lumens) setting.

These are, unfortunately, a Chinese-made product, so I don’t know what (if anything) the tariffs situation will do to the price. Also, be aware a number of different names appear to be on the lantern: Aeptek, Whetstone, etc., but the product is identical.

(Obligatory disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, if you purchase through those links, I earn a small commission.)

We have used these lamps extensively during power outages. They’re easy to grab when moving to a dark part of the house at night (bathroom, closet, etc.), safe for children and pets to be around, and provide very decent light. It’s not the warm yellow light of a kerosene lamp, but instead the bright white light typical of LEDs. However it’s plenty bright to read by, do household chores, or place in a bedroom for children to see.

They are also, in my opinion, an important addition to our emergency inventory. Highly recommended.

Source: http://www.rural-revolution.com/2025/04/product-review-monday.html