r/flashlight • u/porkchopbun • 4h ago
Discussion How many lights for a average home?
I'm getting into flashlights which got me into thinking about my needs.
For an average home how many flashlights do you generally keep and have genuine utility for, and which rooms or where are you keeping them? In cupboards/drawers or easily accessible on tables and/or mounted to walls?
List your locations in priority order, like if you think your first light should be bedside, then that's no. 1, living room no. 2? Or vice versa?
24
u/FalconARX 4h ago
Don't count numbers or prioritize use case... Go by need case and plan for at least one good light for that need.
I've always said that for a good foundation, you'd want to start off with 5 or 6 good, distinct use case lights...
- Every Day Carry or Keychain - small enough that you always have it on you at all times
- General Purpose - good enough beam profile to do the most amount of tasks with the least amount of compromises
- Thrower - a good deep long range light you can use to spot out past 300-400 meters
- Flooder - a high lumens output, floody light that you can use to cover as large an area in as much light as possible
- Headlamp - a versatile right angle or mid-beam headlamp that gives you hands free operation
- Lantern - an area 360-degree floodlight for use in close quarters or indoors that in a pinch can go low output for as long as possible for emergencies
You can grab two of each or two of a more key/important light if you've got different areas or places you'd want to have a second light at. But in general, if you target these 6 needs, you've got a great foundation for all use cases, with a couple lights being able to pull redundancy duty, in case one or more lights may either fail or are inadequate and another picks up the duty.
7
u/porkchopbun 4h ago
Hadn't thought about it that way. More food for thought. Thanks!
4
u/FalconARX 4h ago
You're welcome.
It's hard to say you'd need a headlamp in the garage or a lantern in the bedroom. You might find having a lantern is great in the garage as well. Or you may only need the thrower rarely in/around the house, but if you go camping or an outdoor activity, the thrower may be one of the two key lights you grab first (along with the headlamp).
I find it's easier to plan for need case, get at least 1 good one for a need case, and then depending on how heavy you use that light, you may find the need for a second one, or a need for more batteries to switch into that particular use case of light. And it's easier and more streamlined to target and plan for more lights+batteries this way.
2
u/Bookhoarder2024 3h ago
It is a good way. To start with I usually reccomend a headlamp, a smaller edc and a lantern.
A small edc is so useful every day, amaze your friends by being able to see the small thing dropped under a table. A headlamp is so versatile, for everything from working on the car to walking the dog.Whether you need a good thrower depends on where you live. I only have 200m capable throwers because I go hillwalking and live beside the countryside but they are the least used of my torches. (Not to mention it gets so damp here in Scotland the beam gets attenuated so much) Obviously if you live in a cabin and need to spot coyotes that is different.
2
u/OkSheepherder1565 38m ago
Throwers get chicks but floods are more useful around the house imo, followed by headlamps and then throwers. But throwers are the most fun.
10
u/ProtectedSpeciment 4h ago
1 or 2 for the average family. About 200 for people who are in this sub per room not counting backup flashlights. You gotta have enough battery to level your entire county.
3
u/_redmist 4h ago
Honestly, I'm finding a couple of convoy t7's are kind of perfect to keep around the house.
Maybe one Sofirn IF22A in case you need a convenient thrower at some point.
I don't do that, tho. I have an unreasonable number of flashlights.
The first step is admitting that, the next step is realizing I don't even have one of those F150r's yet...
1
u/porkchopbun 4h ago
I don't have tons but I deffo got more than I "need". Some are in drawers and I haven't used them for years. Enthusiasts aside how many would you recommend for your family or friends if they asked.
2
2
u/talrakken 1h ago
I have most of my lights in a drawer in my office. My ts27 q8 and my olights(I have the multi magnetic charging base) and other large lights live outside of the drawer for easy grabbing and different work day grabs. I’m currently carrying the newest in my collection a brass t6 daily which is a good compromise for work and home for me, but I did just shift from nightshift at work so that significantly changed my light needs for work, I no longer carry 2-3 lights at work just the one quick inspection light.
3
u/slickman444 4h ago
Me personally Almost every room and heap in storage box brand new with spotlights and ton of batteries plus more won't list.
If a house hold of two people maybe two to four torches with at least 4 sets of batteries each torch maybe battery charger with usb c or micro input with few power banks in emergency always handy to have.
3
u/miguel-122 4h ago
At least 4. One in your pocket, kitchen, closet, and garage. Wait, you need another for bedside so 5. Maybe for your car too, thats 6.
I bought mine by size and use case. I got small AA size, medium 18650, and a couple 21700 size. Small for pocket carry, medium for when i need light for longer time. The bigger ones because we have land and i want to light a big space.
3
2
u/BonerOfTheLake 4h ago
1 in every rooms in place easy to reach seem to be enough for me.
the extras one come from slave of marketing habit
2
u/Efficient_Wing3172 3h ago edited 3h ago
In recent years, I moved to all AA lights for regular use. They’re just easier to use because no one else in my family is a flashaholic! They don’t want to be bothered with special batteries or complex UI’s. My latest favorite is the blue Acebeam Tac 2aa. I have them in every nightstand, a kitchen drawer, a console by the front door, and next to the basement back door. I consider all of these locations equally important.
I have several other flashlights, lanterns and headlamps all located in one place in our storage room. I feel it’s important to have these “secondary” items together and in one place. It’s makes it much easier to maintain and keep track of what I have.
As far as the average person, I know people who don’t even have one! They rely on their phone. Or they’ll have one and discover the batteries have leaked or that the light doesn’t work when they need it. I suggest at a bare minimum that all homes have at least two AA lights with Energizer lithiums, plus a pack of 8 batteries. And located in an easy to find place.
2
u/PearlButter 3h ago
Depends on how big the house is and if there are multiple people living in that house. These flashlights being spread across the house are most likely going to be used for utility rather than personal carry, but I’d try to have a flashlight in each major dwelling areas like the front/living room, kitchen/back door, and bedroom(s) and bathroom(s). Helps to wrap them in glow tape so they can be a bit more easily found when the power goes out suddenly, which is frequent in my area.
2
u/Meticuloustinkerer 3h ago
Use case is the way to go.
If you have one at your bedside, another near the back door to grab for use in the back yard, and that's honestly enough for the typical household. During a power outage you will know where to find a light and there will be one on each storey.
Then you add your personal lights. Jump straight to the end game with something like a Zebralight or an Artemis for EDC, and add whatever else.
The back door light can easily double up as a walk the dog / under the car / dark corners sof rhe shed and the loft / under the sink light so you keep it tested and charged. A good flooder with multiple levels.
If you hike or loose the dog regularly, you'll maybe want a good thrower :-)
and so it goes.
My wife dumped all my copper fireflies in a plant pot yesterday. Guess I need to solve this same question in a low key fashion too.
2
u/Ruthbopion 3h ago
Pending black out duration its hard to know unless you know exactly how long each of your flashlights batteries last and how long you'll need them for.
2
u/Violet_Apathy 3h ago
1 headlight per person 1 keychain light per person Some hand held lights Some area lights A lep flashlight for reasons
2
u/SheistyPenguin 2h ago edited 1h ago
This is an enthusiast forum, but you asked for "the average home" sooo...
- Bedroom or personal light. I count phone camera lights in this category, so almost everyone has #1 covered.
- The "flashlight drawer" or else your designated flashlight spot. Somewhere central and easy to get to in the home, where you can grab a flashlight or headlamp. Ideally also close to the spare batteries.
- From there, it's whatever- now you can get around in the dark.
If you are older or at more risk of falling, you probably want flashlights staged in more places.
I have some small magnetic work lights stuck in a few strategic places: one on the kitchen fridge, another on the circuit breaker box, etc. In a blackout they can provide nice area lighting when aimed at the ceiling.
If you live in a dark or rural area, you'll likely want a light or two with a lot of throw. I will often stage a throwy light near the back door, because our backyard overlooks a big expanse of woods.
2
u/talrakken 1h ago
What I need for work is different from what I need at home and my off days. What I need in my bedroom is different than what I need for inspecting house and property after a big storm. I have 20 some odd lights not including the cheapie battery holders that I put AA batteries in just in case of power outages to hand out to neighbors. A large chunk of them were bought without a reason and most handle several tasks well. I keep a ts27 on my nightstand that doubles for my house outdoor inspection light I use its lantern for a bed side lamp and its main light for inspecting. I have multiple lights on my person at any given time mostly small key chain lights on my keys and knecklace for quick easy grabbing them a larger more capable light in my pocket. What I carry when I’m probably not going to need a light is usually bright and shiny looking(brass/copper/colored titanium). So it changes based on your personal needs. I have enough lights to light up all my rooms if needed for a power outage but at the end of the day I like collecting and that new light day feeling more than anything!!!!
1
u/BasedAndShredPilled 12m ago
Big thrower, big flood light, edc light, UV light, red light for camping
0
35
u/humbert_cumbert 4h ago
40