I Live in the Caribbean and I Always Keep These Rechargeable Lightbulbs in My Emergency Kit
From year-round flip-flop weather to spur-of-the-moment scuba dives, life in the Caribbean has its perks. Being in the path of hurricanes, however, is not one of them. I live on a small island near Puerto Rico, and I’ve experienced firsthand how quickly a blackout can turn your life upside down. In September 2017, back-to-back Category 5 storms — Hurricanes Irma and Maria — took down our entire power grid, and it took more than a year until electricity was fully restored.
Okay, so my situation was a bit extreme, but natural and manmade disasters are only going to continue to push old technology to its limits no matter where you live. Trust me, when the lights go out, you want to be prepared. You can bet I learned a lot over the course of those sweaty days and pitch-black nights, including the most crucial items for storms. One of my most important essentials to have at the ready? JackonLux Rechargeable Emergency Light Bulbs. I was lucky enough to ride out the 2017 storms with a friend who had these lightbulbs in her hurricane kit, and now they’re a non-negotiable in mine. For less than $10 apiece, these babies make blackouts totally bearable.
On the surface, these wonders of modern technology look and work just like regular LED lightbulbs (albeit a bit bigger), but they function whether or not electricity is flowing from the grid. Plug them into an existing lamp or fixture, and when an unexpected blackout happens, these bulbs will stay on when everything else goes dark. The brand guarantees a three- to four-hour run time, but lots of users report that theirs have lasted up to 10. “I recently had about a 12-hour outage and I went to bed with the lamps on,” commented one happy customer. “When I woke up, about eight hours later, they were still on at about the brightness of a night light. I couldn’t believe they lasted that long.” In fact, more than 9,000 five-star Amazon reviews shower this product with high praise ranging from “safer and easier [than candles]” to “every home should have one or more in case the power goes out.”
Don’t have a lamp nearby? Don’t worry — the bulbs come with external sockets complete with their own on/off switches and hooks for hanging, which is why they’re pretty popular for camping, too. (Blackouts are about as close to camping as I like to get, so I keep them safely in my storm kit.) But here’s the real reason that these bulbs are so incredibly cool: You don’t even need to plug them into anything to get them to work. Simply press your finger to the port, and you’ll see the bulb “magically” light up! Expert tip: When you don’t have TV or internet, making a lightbulb work with just your finger suddenly becomes riveting entertainment.
“When I found these I had to try them, because it seems that power outages are becoming more frequent, lasting from seconds to lonnngg hours,” commented another user. “THEY WORK! You put one in whichever lamp you need to have light if the power goes off and use it like a normal bulb. It charges while you use it. I have experienced two times, so far, when there was a power outage and the bulb stayed on! YAY! TV, all other lights, fridge, etc. went off. But I wasn’t left in the dark!!!”
Each bulb emits up to 850 lumens, and this package comes with four bulbs, which is the minimum amount I’d recommend keeping on hand for emergencies. “I absolutely love them. Makes outages so much easier! No more fumbling around for flashlights or candles,” added yet another happy user. “I liked them so much I purchased them for Christmas gifts for all the households in my family.” Not a bad idea, come to think of it — especially now, when there’s a five percent coupon you can apply to your purchase.
My recommendation? Whether you’re shopping for yourself, a loved one, or both, stock up on these rechargeable emergency bulbs now. I promise you, the next time the lights go out, you’ll be so happy you did.
Buy: JackonLux Rechargeable Emergency Light Bulb, 4-Pack, $33.23 (normally $34.98)