Solar/ Handcrank flashlights

I recently bought a solar/ handcrank flashlight called Secur and it seems pretty good. So far I have only used it during a power outage but it does seem to work well and feels pretty sturdy. Does anyone else have it or any suggestions on other good ones? Would such a flashlight work well in wilderness situations? Thanks.

Many of the solar/handcrank flashlights out there use cheap coin cells to store energy, and so don't last long at all -- the coin cells can only be recharged so many times before they won't take a charge again.

Good ones use capacitors. Capacitors have a much longer service life but may have more parasitic drain. Good ones can also use other battery technologies like lithium-ion, although batteries that are allowed to fully discharge may be damaged or destroyed.

Given where the your unit is sold and that it comes with a five year warranty, I would think that it is also capacitor-powered.

The only ones I have in active service are powered by capacitors. One is a solar/handcrank radio/flashlight gizmo from Eton, the Microlink FR160. It lives in our designated tornado shelter and has given us flawless service. Your post reminded me to test it and set it on the windowsill for a solar charge. This unit has a USB output for charging a cellphone; I would guess that you'd need to crank it for a solid ten minutes to get a useful amount of charge for a smartphone. Highly recommended and available online for $19. I have no affiliation with Eton.

The other one I have is a no-name handcrank LED flashlight with a 12V output. It's chunky but light and surprisingly sturdy. After banging around in the trunk of my car for ten years it still works.

I haven't seen one that performs worth a darn compared to modern battery-powered LED flashlights. Solar/handcrank flashlights are significantly larger than many battery powered flashlights. For me, I wouldn't put one in a kit that was going to be carried by a person any significant distance. For a kit that sits in a vehicle or a structure, they can make sense as a backup.

I have a few relatively inexpensive hand-crank flashlight/radios. I keep them in my cars. I don't know the type of battery. Anyway, the instructions were to crank them periodically, even if not using. (I assume that means the battery is damaged if fully drained.) Unfortunately, I failed to follow the instructions after the novelty of them wore off. Now, the batteries are basically dead. Next ones I get, I will set a reminder in my phone to crank them periodically.

By the way, I think of these as a backup to a conventional flashlight, not as my first option. Also, they're bulky to carry. So, they are devices that reside strictly in my home or car.

I think chaosmagnet summed it up neatly.

A couple of additional thoughts:

- Generally, any crank light made by Freeplay is of very good quality.

- Inexpensive "coin cell" lights still put out light while you crank, so you're not completely stuck. Great for kids, but not for changing a tire.

Checking out their web page, they have some "different" products. Is your light the SP-1002? If so, it strikes me as rather dim (max 8 lumens)and a bit heavy (6.5 oz). The manual implies that the unit might be a bit finicky (crank for a minute once a month for max battery life).

My preference for wilderness use is a headlamp powered by AA (primary lithium or NiMH rechargeables) with variable lumen output,the most useful of which is usually around 80-100 lunens). Used sparingly, such a light will last for days and fresh batteries are easily carried.

But this is opinion, not experience. Use your light and let us know how it works....

OTOH, a long running 1xAA that gets a couple hundred hours runtime on its single battery, along with a handful of kirkland 25-cent AA batteries, would keep you running for weeks 24/7.

I have even seen hand crank flashlights, with batteries, but not connected to the charging bits. A independend battery circuit and a independent crank as you go circuit. Here is one i took apart.

I generally battery lights, because they are better lights (throw, lumens, etc,). I haven't seen a well made crank headlight yet, which would be the prefered type of light it you have to choose just one.

My EDC Fenix E01 flashlight with an Energizer Ultimate Lithium AAA battery gives me almost a year's worth of light (on one battery) with almost daily use. And I keep spare lithium batteries.

I see no need for a hand-crank light. Every one I have tried takes a tremendous amount of cranking for a very short period of light.

I feel the same about hand-crank radios. A battery powered radio will last weeks or even months with regular playing. Just keep spare batteries and there is no need for hand-cranking.

My experience with lithium batteries and single cell AAA batteries is similar. Just keep a backup lithium handy and you can go forever.

For long term use,acquire a solar panel and charging unit and you can easily keep AAs and AAAs topped off indefinitely.

This just shows that I am not at all cranky....(This is to forestall the inevitable comment by AKSAR)...

I have a small collection of hand crank lights going back to the 40's.

The only reliable ones are what I would call hand pumped. When you pump the light comes on, when you stop out it goes. No batteries or capacitors. Very simple.

When you need light they work, always. Can't put them down of course but low effort needed and the rhythm of pumping is slow.


I have discovered that many satellites now do not have batteries or any power store on board. This is because the battery is the main limit on the satellite's life and they also too often fail. The satellites are set into an orbit of continuous light or the operator puts up with intermittent, but easily predictable blackouts.

I use a combination of lithium primary and NiMH rechargeable batteries. As lithiums run down or time out I'm shifting to more NiMH. NiMH rechargeable batteries and a good solar battery charger like a Goal Zero Solar Charger and you can keep batteries charged indefinitely. It's another reason to standardize on AA batteries.

Yes, the one I have is the SP-1002. I have two at home mainly as backup in case the family decides to use my flashlights and/or batteries without telling me One is very accessible and the other is part of my 72 hour bag. They aren't that bright but put out enough light to be useful in very dark situations like the inside of a house.

I use a USB rechargeable flashlight with a Levin 13W folding solar Panel.

Here are some reviews

Olight R40;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOJ6BT3Vg0M

Levin Solwing 13W solar Panel;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWRrR8D32e8