Whether you are trying to make it through a storm or find yourself on the side of the road there are times in all of our lives that we need some supplemental light.
In situations where a large amount of light is needed for a long period of time such as nighttime construction work or in emergency situations you can operate a set of work lights from a small gasoline generator. This would allow you many hours of light in a large area. Inside your home you can connect a generator to your circuit breaker box and power your home for hours through your normal lighting system.
If you are in need of temporary work lights outdoors then it may be possible to harness power from the alternator on your vehicle. Special harnesses are made to allow direct connections through an inverter. This is appropriate for larger vehicles and trucks that are often in the field at night.
Temporary Battery Operated Lights
Some tool manufacturers have begun to manufacture larger work lights that run off of the batteries that power their tools. This is much better then the small hand held devices and they can come in LED or Florescent versions providing a reasonable amount of work time.
Flashlights and Battery Operated Lanterns are another choice for general lighting. Unfortunately you will find that lanterns do not usually offer enough light for detailed work they can provide some general light where none exists.
Lanterns are powered by a series of C or D cell batteries or by a single larger 6 volt battery found in some larger flashlights.
You will find that most lanterns are now florescent type lights
Battery Operated Drop Lights are available in both florescent and LED models and have similar problems with generating intense light for working but are easy to carry and provide better general light then a standard flashlight.
Flashlights come in a variety of different sizes and types. Personally I prefer the standard incandescent type bulbs which may be filled with a different type of gas to provide better results.
Newer flashlights are now coming to market with multi LED bulbs and are suppose to reduce the amount of electricity used and extend run times.
LED, Florescent or Incandescent
The choice of which bulb type is best for your situation is up to you. The best way to understand the limitations and features of each is to actually use each type of bulb in various different settings.
If you are looking for the brightest light with a long extending beam as needed in a flashlight then incandescent lights are probably going to provide the best results. They are good general purpose lights that have one drawback and that is the amount of energy they need to run.. for this reason they are not good choices for long term lighting of an hour or more.
If you need some general purpose lighting for your home during a power outage just so you can see your way around or sit and wait for the power to come back on a Florescent or LED Lantern is a good choice. It will run for an extended time of up to a few hours on a single battery charge. However they do tend to take many more batteries then a standard flashlight which could leave you in the dark if someone took the batteries for other devices or if you can not find enough good ones to operate the light.
Personal Sized Flashlights
It is important to have a small personal sized flashlight for each member of your family.
Small flashlights that run on a single or two double AA batteries can produce enough light to allow you to find your way through a building and check electric service or find larger lights. When on the road they are good for walking to your car or finding things you may drop while storing packages.