long lasting rechargable/solar/crank flashlights?

I'm lost looking for long lasting flashlights....ideas?

I'm thinking we need one crank/solar to stash in the car and a more powerful hand held or head light for tasks around the house...maybe three of them total?

I would like something that would last at least the rest of my life....so maybe a flashlight with thirty year lifespan

The best headlamp we've ever had is Patrick Freeburg's veriglow Loma Creek headlamp. It's super bright with a wide beam that's perfect for working on stuff. It holds its charge really well, bring bright for hours and hours after one charge, and even after having used it for a year and lost it for almost a year, it still had it's charge. I LOVE mine. And, you don't need batteries--jjust don't loose the charge cord and you can plug it into any usb port to charge (so your computer, a USB plug-in, or even a hand crank radio that has a USB port.). Here's the link to my review: https://permies.com/t/72250/USB-Rechargeable-Headlamp-Veriglow#602328



My current favorite little handcrank flashlight is this guy: Coghlan's Dynamo Flashlight. It's TINY. It's maybe an inch long, and fits well in my purse. I've two for a few years. One seems to have lost it's ability to hold a charge, but it still illuminates when I crank it. The other--despite being lost and unused for a year or two--still holds a charge. I might not be the best for arthritic hands, but I love that it makes light no matter what, and it's tiny. I bought mine in a camping store for $7, and the best price on amazon seems to be for four. You could find them elsewhere on line, too. I can't say whether they last 30 years, but mine are 6 years old and still great.



As for solar flashlights/radios, my experience thus far seems to say that they don't keep working much more than a year or two. A radio might keep playing in the sunshine, but the sunshine doesn't charge the battery....which kind of defeats the purpose with a flashlight. That's happened to two of my solar radios. I would definitely get one with a hand-crank back up. I like having a radio/flashlight in the car as they're multipurpose. But, so far I haven't found one that lasts the tests of time. The one Dale wrote about here Eton microlink FR 160.: is good and mine is 11 years old and still working, though it doesn't hold a charge for long. You have to crank it for a while before using it, but then it works like it should. I got a different one (I need to find the link) and when I didn't use it for a year, it stopped holding any sort of charge. You had to crank it while using it.

I found an amazon listing for the Eton radio/flashlight here but they're currently charging $77 for a radio/flashlight that I'm pretty sure I originally paid no more than $25 for.

Thank you Nicole!

I like the headlight especially.

We had two little crank/solar radios that did last a long long time.  Mine especially because my husband used his a lot in his non electric shop.  I think we sent them to the thrift store after probably twenty years when they quit solar charging but still crank charged and were collecting a lot of duct tape to hold the plastic together.

I'm not too interested in the radio but like the idea of a usb port charge for a flashlight.  We have a hybrid car now so I think it will be useful for charging up stuff when we need to.

I would sugest. Any good LED flashlight(mag light mini mag light) combined with the SONY ENLOOP battery... They are not lifetime but they are the best on the market . also any flashlight with a rechargeable battery is going to have a cheaper (lower quality) BATTERY... I have a mini mag that is in my pocket everyday. It is about 7 years old. All the paint is gone. It has never failed me. I put glue around the body so that I can hold it in my teeth without abrading my teeth. I keep several more on keychains and in my glove boxes and tool boxes and 1 in my bug out bag.the battery costs more than the light.

We've found some good, inexpensive flashlights that charge with a USB adapter. We charge them using solar electricity from an Iron Sun kit (nickle iron batteries -- which can last for decades charged with a small PV panel, which we also use for charging our electronics and for lighting in the evenings, since we are an off-grid homestead). Small enough to fit in a pocket or on a keychain, plug right in like a flash drive and costs just $5 (good to get a few if you are like me and misplace things easily). They are included as part of the Iron Sun kit -- worth checking out for anyone interested in durable, inexpensive solar equipment that can last for decades -- and also offered as "Micro Flashlights" at https://livingenergylights.com/product/iron-sun-kit-accessories/

I have a hand cranked flashlight, it is better than nothing.  And, in special situations they may be the best option. I like the flash lights that are usb rechargeable.  I bought 4 from WalMart over the past couple of years. They continue to work great.