Lamps & Torches

Lamps & Torches

Torches, flashlights and portable work lighting, and lumens is the number that actually matters rather than the size of the head. Roughly 100 to 250 lumens covers a household torch for a power cut or checking the attic. 500 to 1,000 lumens suits outdoor use, walking a dog on an unlit road or working under a car. Above that you are into floodlight territory for a site or a yard. Beam type matters as much as brightness: a focused spot throws distance, a flood beam lights a work area, and most decent torches now do both on a twist. Then the power source. A battery torch on AA, AAA or D cells will always work if you keep spares in the drawer, and is the sensible choice for an emergency torch that sits unused for months. A rechargeable LED torch is brighter for its size and costs nothing to top up, but a flat one is useless, so many households keep one of each. Head torches leave both hands free, which is the difference between finishing a job under a sink and holding a torch in your teeth, and the 120 to 400 lumen models cover walking, cycling, fishing and attic work. Inspection lamps with a magnetic base or hook suit working on a car or in a press, rechargeable work lights on a stand light a whole room or a site, and camping lanterns up to 750 lumens throw light in every direction rather than a beam, which is what you want on a table during an outage.

Lighthouse covers rechargeable and battery LED torches, head torches, inspection lamps, work lights and lanterns across the lumen range. Energizer carries household and pocket LED torches, head torches and lanterns, and Powermaster supplies torches, work lights and floodlights. Duracell and Eveready cover the battery torch end, Ultralight and Luceco rechargeable and site lighting, and Scangrip, DeWalt, Faithfull and Stanley the trade inspection and work light range. Newgrange Living adds decorative lanterns. For batteries see Batteries, for bulbs Lightbulbs, for home lighting Table Lamps & Lanterns, and for the wider outage range Power Cut & Emergency Essentials.