No one wants to be in the line of danger, but disasters and accidents do happen. However, your survival chances depend on how equipped you are. The hand crank flashlight is one vital gadget in an emergency where the power supply is cut.
Hand crank flashlights offer many advantages over regular flashlights, such as reliability, user-friendliness, and eco-friendliness. However, they may not be as powerful as the common battery-powered flashlights.
This article explores the pros and cons of hand crank flashlights. I’ll also provide some product examples, including factors that should inform your purchase decisions.
The Pros of Hand Crank Flashlights
Hand crank flashlights are excellent alternatives or backups to more expensive and conventional flashlights because they present numerous advantages. Let’s check out some of them below:
The Hand Crank Flashlight Is Dependable
You can always rely on the hand-crank flashlight. With this flashlight, you’ll always have a light source, no matter what situation you find yourself in.
While regular flashlights may let you down when you’re in a pinch due to a dead battery, the hand crank flashlight will not, as it doesn’t require any power source. To start this small machine, you only need to crank the flashlight to generate energy and charge the gadget’s battery.
Looking for Hand Crank Flashlights? These are the top sellers on Amazon
The Hand Crank Flashlight Is Eco-Friendly
You may not be concerned about the environmental impact of a flashlight, but the issue is now a big deal. Daily use of fossil fuels has altered our climate a great deal. One significant effect is the depletion of the ozone layer, increasing the number of UV rays reaching the planet.
We know that UV rays are hazardous to human skin. Unlike the components of conventional flashlights, such as batteries, the hand crank flashlight can easily be recycled.
The Hand Crank Flashlight Is User-Friendly
The hand-crank flashlight is very easy to operate. You don’t need a manual to use it. Crank the handle a few times.
Most hand crank flashlights have their handles on the side, like this BFVV Hand Crank Flashlight (available on Amazon.com) that requires you to wind the crank a few times. The longer you wind, the longer it stores power. For most hand-crank flashlights, the light can stay on for as much as an hour if you wind for a minute.
The Hand Crank Flashlight Does Not Need an External Supply of Power
Getting an external power source can sometimes be difficult, especially if you’re moving. This is where hand-crank flashlights offer a better choice.
You won’t need external power to turn them on. Just keep cranking for illumination, which isn’t such a hard thing to do. Having total control of your light source is one advantage of hand-crank flashlights.
Some of the Hand Crank Flashlights Have Multiple Functions
Some hand-crank flashlights do more than produce light. Some include additional features like a radio, charging port, or even a hammer (an essential survival tool). These features enhance the overall user experience.
This Mesqool Weather Radio Solar Hand Crank (available on Amazon.com) is a perfect example of a hand crank flashlight with multiple features. It’s a 5-way powered hand-crank flashlight that incorporates a weather radio, USB charger, a compass, an alarm, a headphone jack, and a power bank in one device!
This Puiuisoul Emergency Hand Crank Flashlight (available on Amazon.com) takes the multi-feature concept slightly higher. Some of its functions include working as an emergency radio, a solar power storage device, and a power bank. In addition, it has a motion sensor reading lamp.
The Hand Crank Flashlight Serves as an Essential Survival Tool
If you’re always on the move, you’d better have control of the uptime and downtime gadgets you use. Depending on external sources (which may be hard to come by) can result in disappointment.
The hand crank flashlight takes care of these concerns. This makes it an essential survival tool. The gadget ensures you’re always in time for a response in an emergency or danger.
You Can Store the Hand Crank Flashlight Away
For most regular flashlights, keeping them away for too long is a factor that contributes to them being unable to function correctly later. This is not the same for the hand crank flashlight. The hand crank flashlight can be stored after use, along with other camping gear or survival kits, and used when needed. It will still be functional.
Tip: You can store your flashlight after use and return to it later, and it will still be functional, but this does not mean you should dump it just about anywhere. It would be best to store your hand crank flashlight in a cool, dry place, away from the reach of rodents.
The Hand Crank Flashlight Stores Charge
A supercapacitor is charged in the hand crank flashlight, enabling the gadget to store charge. With ten minutes of cranking, some hand-crank flashlights can store charge for thirty minutes.
For other hand-crank flashlights, with the same ten minutes of cranking, they can store charge for sixty minutes. It can work for thirty to sixty minutes whenever you switch it on after cranking it for ten minutes.
The Hand Crank Flashlight Does Not Need a Continuous Cranking During Use
An important rule is not to crank the hand-crank flashlight while in use. Unlike other flashlights, which may need to be pumped while in use, nothing needs to be done to the hand crank flashlight while it is in use. With the hand crank flashlight, you only use it after cranking.
Tip: When using a hand crank flashlight, it is best to bring it closer to your body. This way, the light emitted will not spread out, making it last longer.
The Hand Crank Flashlight Is Portable
This is another advantage of the hand-crank flashlight. It has an ultra-compact design enables it to be moved easily from one location to another. The hand crank flashlight also can stay through adverse conditions, like in the case of natural disasters.
Even hand-crank flashlights with multiple functionalities are specially designed for convenience and portability.
The Cons of Hand-Crank Flashlights
We’ve covered some pretty incredible things about the hand-crank flashlight. However, this remarkable device also has some limitations. We’ll discuss them below:
The Hand Crank Flashlight Is for Emergencies
It’s important to remember that although it’s a good idea to have the hand crank flashlight, the device is primarily for emergencies, not your regular flashlight. Even though some include multiple functionalities, it remains an essential survival tool, as discussed earlier.
The Hand Crank Flashlight Does Not Retain Enough Power
The hand crank flashlight may not maintain enough power after cranking. It will keep power for the most part, but it may not meet your requirements. It may be necessary to crank multiple times to keep a small amount of power.
The Hand Crank Flashlight Isn’t As Bright as the Conventional Flashlights
Battery-powered flashlights are usually significantly brighter than hand-crank flashlights. This limitation can be a concern in emergencies when you need to have your environment wholly illuminated. That’s why hand crank flashlights are better suited as backups for regular flashlights.
Some Hand-Crank Flashlight Handles Are Hard To Crank
You’d expect cranking to be easy to execute for a device that requires cranking to generate power. However, this isn’t the case with some hand-crank flashlights. You’d find some quite hard to crank. This makes using the device more of a chore than fun.
Some Hand-Crank Flashlights Are Not Durable
An essential survival tool should last as long as possible. You wouldn’t want to crank on your device at some point and not have it respond. However, some hand-crank flashlights are not durable.
And on a relative scale, you may not have better results by putting hand crank flashlights head to head with regular flashlights. If you want a more durable hand-crank flashlight, you may need to invest in a pricier option with excellent reviews.
Extra Cost for the Hand Crank Flashlight
You may need to try your hands at different hand crank flashlights before knowing which is best for you. The implication is that you’d spend money on gadgets you may not use. Consumer reviews may help you decide on a brand, but sometimes you may have many contrary opinions.
Using the Hand Crank Flashlight Could Be Exhausting
You could get exhausted quickly if the hand crank flashlight is your only means of getting a power supply because you cannot build enormous electricity from cranking. While the hand crank flashlight can store charge, depending on the extent to which you want to use the hand crank flashlight, you may have to crank it now and then.
The force expended by the hand crank flashlight is not the same as that of a windmill or a power plant. Hence, there is no way the hand crank flashlight can generate enough force to maintain a good amount of charge.
Hand Crank Flashlight vs. Regular Flashlight
A hand-crank flashlight provides light without using batteries. We love our battery-powered flashlights, but they’re not ideal for emergencies. At some point, the batteries lose their power and wear out.
Being in an emergency can be perplexing. Being in the dark in an emergency is even worse. Hand-crank flashlights are a much better option because they’re more reliable. The hand crank flashlight requires just a few cranks on the hand, and your light is up and running in no time.
For a person whose primary means of a light source while out there is through battery-powered flashlights, it will be fascinating to hear about a flashlight that does not require batteries. That said, how exactly does a hand-crank flashlight work?
How Do Hand Crank Flashlights Work?
Hand crank flashlights need mechanical energy to work, just like you use energy to chop some wood in the forest.
Hand crank flashlights work by using kinetic energy. Cranking the flashlight stimulates gears in the flashlight; these simulations transfer mechanical energy to the electric generator, transforming it into visible light.
Factors To Consider When Buying a Hand Crank Flashlight
Are you shopping for a hand-crank flashlight? Here are some essential factors to consider before choosing a brand.
Your Needs
Unless you’re an item collector, it’s best to stick to what you need. As I’ve mentioned earlier, hand-crank flashlights were made for emergencies.
Although many models now include extra features like radio and USB charging, there’s no point in buying them if you’re not going to use them. However, some features like weather functions may come in handy if you’re more of an adventurer.
On the flip side, these features can be helpful in the wake of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, a storm, or an earthquake.
The radio will keep you informed while you try to sort yourself out, and the USB charging will be a valuable power source for your cell phone and keep communication lines open. In a nutshell, the purpose will define what you need and inform your purchase decisions.
Quality
You don’t want to compromise on your safety gadgets regarding survival. Your life may depend on it. If you’re getting a hand crank flashlight, get a quality product. They may not come cheap, but they’re definitely worth the trouble.
And one more thing, consider getting a waterproof flashlight. It will help you when you’re in the rain or in an area where you’ll be dealing with plenty of water, such as a flood. The Raddy SW5 Emergency Hand Crank Flashlight (available on Amazon.com) is one excellent example. The manufacturers made this flashlight with situations like hurricanes and violent storms in mind.
Conclusion
The numerous benefits of hand crank flashlights explored in this article highlight their significance as an essential survival tool. Some advantages discussed include the following:
- Reliability
- Eco-friendliness
- User-friendliness
- The versatility of some multifunction models
However, they also have some limitations. They include:
- Lower light intensity than regular battery-powered flashlights
- Recharging through cranking requires time and effort
- Low durability of cheaper models
These limitations don’t remove the fact that hand-crank flashlights are helpful devices during emergencies or disasters. The multifunction models provide radio and USB charging features to enhance the user experience.
