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You want three kinds of light. A torch per person for moving about, a lantern for the room you’re all sitting in, and one head torch for whoever ends up looking at the fuse box.
In a hurry? The one I'd buy from each shelf.
- TorchesOlight i5T EOS£15–35
- LanternsVango Lunar 250 Eco Recharge£20–45
- Head torchesPetzl TikkinaUnder £25
Torches
Lighting EVER LE1000, pack of two
One per bedside
Two torches for the price of a sandwich meal deal and a coffee. They take AAA batteries, they zoom, and when one inevitably migrates to the car you still have the other.
Olight i5T EOS
The one you’ll actually carry
Runs on a single AA, so it works with the rechargeables from the power page or any battery in the house. Small enough for a coat pocket.
Ledlenser P7 Core
The household’s main torch
German, solid, focuses from a wide flood to a beam that reaches the end of the garden. Seven-year warranty if you register it, and I’d expect nothing less from you.
What more money buys. Build quality, a better beam and a longer warranty. Brightness stops mattering indoors at about 300 lumens. Past that you’re just annoying the cat.
What to skip. “Tactical” torches promising 90,000 lumens. The number is made up and so is the tactics.
Lanterns
A torch pointed at the ceiling is a poor lamp. A lantern lights a room so people can see each other, eat, and play cards badly.
LE rechargeable camping lantern
One room, a few evenings
Charges by USB, runs for hours on low, and doubles as a small power bank in a pinch.
Vango Lunar 250 Eco Recharge
The living room
A proper camping brand, a hook for hanging it, and a warm light that doesn’t make everyone look unwell.
BioLite AlpenGlow 500
People who’d like the cut to be pleasant
Bright, warm, dimmable, and it will charge a phone. It also does a flickering candle effect, giving you the atmosphere without the fire brigade.
Head torches
Petzl Tikkina
The fuse box, the loft, the bins
The basic model from the people who more or less invented the head torch. Three AAAs, one button.
Black Diamond Spot 400
Regular use, proper weather
Waterproof, brighter, and has a red mode so you can check on a sleeping child without waking them and learning a lesson.
Petzl Actik Core
One torch for everything
Rechargeable by USB, and takes ordinary AAAs when the rechargeable runs flat. Belt and braces. I approve of both.
If you must have candles
Use battery tea lights for the look of the thing. If you light real ones anyway, put them in a proper holder on a hard surface, never leave the room, and keep them well away from curtains, children and anyone telling a story with their hands.