10 Reasons Why You Need An Emergency Light, Pick An AA Headlamp

At BestTacticalFlashlights.net we review flashlights and create flashlight buyers guides to help customers find the best flashlight for their needs.

We wanted to write up a quick article for Thrunite to let them know why we think the TH20 headlamp is a great headlamp and why you should be considering it for a backup or emergency light.

First though why would you need an emergency flashlight and what qualities should you look for in one?

Why you need a Backup or Emergency Flashlight

1. Sometimes the power just goes out

The whole point of having an emergency flashlight around is that you do not know when you will need it. Sometimes storms come and sometimes the power goes out. If you do not have candles around we hope that you have a flashlight. Either way, using a flashlight is safer.

   2.The flashlight you have with you is the one you will use

We carry some kind of little flashlight with us everywhere we go and you would not believe how often we use it.

Before you decide to EDC a flashlight you might not think it will be that useful.

But, there is a reason why most EDC pocket dumps have a knife, a flashlight, and a pen.

Being able to see, cut, and communicate comes up often. From looking under the couch for something for a kid to spotting glass slivers when something breaks a flashlight is a very useful tool.

Why your backup flashlight should be powered by AA Batteries

1. AA primary batteries have a longer shelf life than rechargeable batteries

We are all for using rechargeable batteries but something that most people do not realize is that rechargeable batteries self-discharge.

This means that after a certain amount of time they go dead all by themselves.

This is true for all batteries but with Alkaline or Lithium non-rechargeable batteries you are looking at 10 years. With NiMH or Li-ion batteries, the time frame is months not years.

So if you plan on having a flashlight that maybe you just keep in your glove box for when you might need it, it should be a primary battery, not a rechargeable.

   2. AA batteries can withstand more temperature fluctuations than li-ion batteries

Working off of the glovebox idea, cars have big temperature fluctuations.

Most rechargeable batteries do not like these big temperature fluctuations. Recent studies show that Li-ion batteries start to degrade at temperatures above 45 degrees celsius. This is 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

That is hot but personally, I have been in 125 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer dessert and I bet that the temperature inside of a parked car was well over 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

So for the car glove box, you should not be using Li-ion batteries. We would go with primary lithium batteries since they are at their best between -30 to 60 degrees Celcius or -22 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the biggest range of any battery.

   3. AA batteries are the most common batteries available today

The most common battery in the world is the AA size battery even most small little shops will have AA batteries.

For this reason alone we feel that the best option for a backup or emergency flashlight is one that can run on AA 1.5 Volt batteries.

   4.You can get good AA flashlights at a reasonable price

If you look at quality flashlight manufacturers the li-ion based flashlights are almost always more expensive than standard-size battery flashlights.

This is because Li-ion batteries need more technical parts to run well. Also, many li-ion based flashlights have internal recharging which is an added expense that we do not need for an emergency or backup flashlight.

For this reason, you can still shop high-quality flashlight manufacturers like Thrunite and get AA lights at a reasonable price.

   5. For the power capacity, the AA has way more than AAA batteries and they are way lighter than 18650 batteries if you need to use them all day or night.

Why your emergency flashlight should be a Headlamp

1. Hands-free use

The biggest benefit of using a headlamp is that you are hands-free while you are using it. If you are in a situation where you really need an emergency light then you probably also need to be hands-free.

Just think about changing a tire on the side of the road at night trying to hold a flashlight in your hand or in your mouth. A headlamp makes so much more sense.

   2.Your main light is probably handheld so you can use both

Now if you have a main EDC flashlight that you are carrying with you then it is probably a handheld light.

In this case, it also makes sense for your backup light to be a headlamp so if you needed to you could use both. You could point at something with your handheld light and look at something else with your headlamp.

   3. Way easier to use a headlamp handheld than a handheld as a headlamp

And in minimalist fashion, if you could only choose one. Either a headlamp or a handheld for an emergency or backup situation remembers that it will be way easier to use a headlamp in your hand than it would be to stick and handheld flashlight on your head to be hands-free. They are just more flexible.

Now that we have convinced you that you should have a backup light that can be powered by an AA-sized 1.5 Volt battery and that it should be a headlamp, let me tell you why at BestTacticalFlashlights.net we think the Thrunite TH20 is a great option (Check our TH20 Review).

1. The Thrunite TH20 is built by a respected and trusted company.
2. The TH20 is a simple light so there is not much that can go wrong with it.
3. The TH20 is very durable and feels like you could drive a car over it without any problems.
4. The TH20 can run off of AA-sized 1.5 Volt batteries AND run off of 14500 Li-ion batteries for added performance. (Extra flexibility in an emergency situation is important)
5. It has one of the lowest Firefly or Moonlight modes out of any light we have seen at 0.3 lumens that will last for 14 days on a AA. That is enough light to get around in the dark and if you only used it at night you are looking at 28 days before you need to find 1 more AA battery if it is a really extreme emergency.
6. SOS mode if you need quick bursts of light so you can be found but will not drain the battery quickly.
7. For the quality of the light, it is affordable. More expensive than cheap throwaway lights but built to last with all of the previous points.

The Thurnite TH20 is our choice for a durable easy to use AA headlamp that we put in places like gloveboxes and emergency kits. Make sure you have a light that will work when you need it. And check out our site at BestTacticalFlashlights.net