I love all kinds of flashlights. I have headlamps for camping and running and flashlights of all sizes. Living in hurricane territory, flashlights and batteries were always available in our house. The older ones were so dim compared to the new LED super bright and lightweight models.

Today I want to share a few products that make sure we don’t get left in the dark. One is my favorite light and one is a very disappointing one. And I also finally spent the money on a 300w battery pack.

This Black And Decker rechargeable trigger style spotlight is my favorite. I love the way it fits into my hand, is easy to turn off an on with a button on the handle, and recharges via USB port. We have had this for awhile and it gets a lot of use so we recharge it regularly. I take it with me when I close up the chicken coop for the night and I shine it all around the property where I can spot deer and other critters in the dark from far off. It also has a handy stand so you can set it on a table if you need to work on something dark.

Unfortunately Amazon does not have the Black and Decker, I guess it’s too old, but this one looks very similar and Stanley usually has pretty good products.

Now this lantern I saw on the Costco website one day when I needed to restock my supply of AA and AAA batteries. If you buy batteries in bulk they are way cheaper, by the way. So I was browsing the different flashlights and lanterns and I was looking for a rechargeable one. But I accidentally ended up with this one. It has a charging port but that is to charge your phone from the batteries! It actually uses 4 D batteries, ugh! I was really mad at myself for buying this by mistake, and I actually bought TWO of them. Besides using batteries and being very heavy, the worst part of this lantern is that it’s so bright it will BLIND you! It’s really useless. You have to close your eyes when you turn it on and then put it somewhere above your line of vision. I should have returned them, but it’s so much hassle. Zero stars!

While I was shopping for batteries, I also remembered that I had wanted to purchase a Jackery power station. I had been putting it off because I wasn’t sure I could justify the expense. BUt they kept talking about possible power outages this hot summer, so I decided I needed one. Well, the Jackerys cost $300 on their website, so I decided to see if Costco had a better price. They had this Massimo power station/battery pack for $279. Not much difference, I know, but I decided to buy it.

I finally had a chance to use it when the fire forced us to shut off the breaker that went to my daughter’s bedroom. I hooked it up to her Bipap machine and it worked beautifully. You can charge the power station with a regular power outlet, your car’s cigarette lighter, or with a solar panel which I plan to buy later. Since the Jackery is basically the same price, here’s a link to both items.

My Costco membership is expired now and I am not sure if I will renew. We don’t have one close to us, so I might go with Sam’s Club, or nothing. Which one do you use?

Hope you enjoyed this review. What are your favorite emergency light sources?