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Solar torch for power cuts

Updated: 22 October 2026

The lights have gone, and the phone torch is already eating the battery you need for a call. A solar torch for power cuts only helps if it can come on without a socket and without draining that phone. The UK government Prepare page asks households to keep a battery torch or a wind-up torch, because torches are safer than candles. Solar on the box does not meet that test while the torch is in a closed drawer. The five listings are the [solar torch comparison](/hub/garden-decor/solar-torch). Peter F., 21 October 2026. This page did not run a blackout.

The lights have gone, and the phone torch is already eating the battery you need for a call. A solar torch for power cuts only helps if it can come on without a socket and without draining that phone.

Our top picks

igadgitz Xtra igadgitz Xtra U4456

Best overall

igadgitz Xtra igadgitz Xtra U4456
8.3/10about £17.99
View offer
Synkris Synkris wind-up

Alternative

Synkris Synkris wind-up
5.3/10about £9.99
View offer
E-SHIDAI E-SHIDAI USB and solar

Best value

E-SHIDAI E-SHIDAI USB and solar
7.9/10about £7.91
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What to have ready
  2. 2.Which of these torches still work with no mains
  3. 3.Where it should sit
  4. 4.Phone boost and when to stop

What to have ready

Keep a torch you can turn on when the consumer unit is dark, and keep the phone for 105 in England, Scotland and Wales, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. Prepare says torches are safer than candles. A solar panel does nothing during the cut if the torch is indoors in the dark. The charge had to happen yesterday: daylight on a sill, USB while the power was up, or a crank you can turn now. Which contradictions to read before you rely on a title is the solar torch buying guide.

Which of these torches still work with no mains

Two listings have a crank, so they can make light with no socket and no sun, within the limit the seller printed. The igadgitz Xtra U4456 is £17.99, with 4.6 from 1,175 reviews and 8 lumens claimed. A bullet says one minute of cranking gives 60 to 110 minutes, while other fields say 1 hour and 4 hours. Synkris, at £9.99 with five reviews, claims eight minutes from one minute of winding. The other three must already be charged. A flat PCXWTLN, E-SHIDAI, or Vellichor stays dark until the power returns, and UK reviews of the last two include torches that will not charge. The pick and the skip are on best solar torch.
igadgitz Xtra igadgitz Xtra U4456

Testsieger

igadgitz Xtra igadgitz Xtra U4456
8.3/10about £17.99
View offer

Where it should sit

Put the crank where your hand already goes: a hook by the consumer unit, a marked drawer in the hall, or the glovebox if the car is where you get stranded. A USB torch belongs on charge while the mains is healthy. Once a month, switch it on. The steps are on how to charge a solar torch. Sealey’s wind-up claims up to 30 minutes from one minute of winding, and Green Flag’s mini wind-up is a glovebox product. Neither ratio belongs to the torch you hold.

Phone boost and when to stop

E-SHIDAI claims a USB output from a stated 1200 mAh cell. Vellichor says the torch can charge a phone and does not state a capacity. igadgitz has no USB output. A 1200 mAh cell will not refill a smartphone. Use the torch as the light, and keep the phone for 105 or 03457 643643. If a lithium torch is hot, swollen, or smoking, take it off charge. A loose cell goes to a shop battery point. A sealed torch is electrical waste. Do not open the case. The E-SHIDAI bullets exclude adapters above 5 V.

Common questions

Will a solar torch work if the power is already off?
Only if the cell already has charge, or the torch has a crank you can turn in the dark. The panel needs daylight, which you do not have indoors at night. igadgitz and Synkris can be wound. PCXWTLN, E-SHIDAI, and Vellichor need a charge that happened earlier. A torch you unbox during the cut, with an empty cell and no crank, waits until morning.
Should I use my phone as the torch?
The Prepare campaign says the phone torch drains the phone. You want that battery for 105 in England, Scotland and Wales, or for 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. A separate torch, crank or pre-charged, is the light. The phone is the call. A USB output on a small torch does not replace the handset’s own charge.
Are candles acceptable for a power cut?
Prepare says torches are safer than candles. A naked flame in a dark room, near curtains or where people are moving, is the risk that page is avoiding. A wind-up or battery torch shows you the steps and the consumer unit. Candles are a poor default once a working torch has a known place.
Where should the torch live?
Keep it where you can find it without a light: by the consumer unit, in a marked hall drawer, or in the glovebox. A windowsill suits a panel between cuts, as igadgitz reviewers describe. A closed drawer does not charge a solar cell. Switch it on once a month so a flat cell shows up on a normal day.
Which of these five can make light with no socket and no sun?
igadgitz and Synkris, because both have a crank. The igadgitz claim is 60 to 110 minutes from one minute of winding, with other fields that say 1 hour and 4 hours, at a stated 8 lumens. Synkris claims eight minutes from one minute, from five reviews. The three USB-and-solar torches stay dark if you did not charge them before the cut.
What number do I call to report the cut?
In England, Scotland and Wales the Prepare page says call 105. In Northern Ireland the number is 03457 643643. Neither number is a product helpline, and neither means these torches are government-issued. Use the phone for the call and the torch for the light.
What do I do with a lithium torch that got hot?
Unplug it, move it away from anything that can catch, and do not put it in the household rubbish. A loose cell goes to a shop battery point. A sealed torch is electrical waste at a recycling centre. Do not open the case. OPSS reports of hot lithium torches name other products, not these five. Heat is still a stop signal.

Related pages

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Best solar torch: crank pick, USB value, thin sample

Solar torch buying guide: charge, water, then lumens

How to charge a solar torch: USB, crank, then panel

Sources

Public UK sources for the IP code, product marks, battery waste and green claims. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 21 October 2026. No lumen, ingress or crank test was run for this page.

  1. BSI, BS EN 60529:1992+A2:2013 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. RS, IP ratings (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, consumer product safety advice (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, batteries (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, recycling batteries and electrical waste (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. OPSS, product safety report 2408-0050 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. ASA, CAP Code rule 11.1 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Streamlight, ANSI/PLATO FL 1 summary (retrieved 21 October 2026)