USB

Due to recent storms and long power cuts (but thankfully none experienced here so far) I have thought of buying a camping light, however all the ones I've seen on Amazon etc have USB rechargeable batteries.
That doesn't sound to me like something you'd plug into a normal socket on the wall, so, although I know what a USB cable is, I have no idea how to use it for recharging the battery in the camping light - what would I plug it into ?
Please could someone explain this using very simple words, because I can't get any sense on the internet.
Thank you

 

It will be charged by the USB cable, so you plug the USB cable into a USB socket, which can be on a laptop/computer or if you have a USB socket on your 13amp sockets on the wall (if you have them), not sure if you can charge it from any USB sockets on TV's, routers etc

 

I shop on line and in the towns, I don't mind, it depends where I can get what I want.
I've seen these lights on Amazon so that's probably how I'd buy one.

 

Many years ago I bought a USB-rechargeable torch for the same reason as you want one.

We don't know when a power cut at night may happen, so the torch needs to be plugged into the mains until there's power cut at night when you would need it.
So you'd need to remember to recharge it every few months to keep the battery topped-up.

In all the 15ish years I've had mine, we've never had a power cut at night and now the rechargeable battery has failed the torch is useless without ever being used.

As an alternative I bought an ordinary torch and ordinary AA alkaline batteries.
The batteries have a shelf-life of at least 10 years and keep both torch and betteries in my bedside cabinet.

If you do get a rechargeable then this is the type of adapter you'd need-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/iPhone-Cha...sprefix=mains+usb+adapter,aps,144&sr=8-5&th=1

The torch would likely have a USB cable included.

Alternatively - consider a wind-up torch - no batteries required
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=wind+u...sprefix=wind+up+torch,aps,91&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

Thank you all for your help

 

Wind up torches for me every time.

 

I'm wondering about a wind-up torch, could they be used instead of the camping light ? ... to me a torch is a thing you'd use to look for something in a dark corner, or to find your way down the garden in the night - i.e. you'd point it at what you wanted to see. It doesn't sound like something that would give you light for an hour or two in a power cut ... or would it do that ?

 

You need to watch there are now two sizes of USB connectors as I found out when I bought my new iPad.

 

I've got a rechargeable floodlight from scewfix, not expensive and stays charged from months if you don't use it.
Also got a torch that takes the same battery as cordless drills.

I'm not keen on these rechargeable ones that need to be trickle charging all the time.
Not sure I'd bother with something that uses a USB socket.

 

Our USB torch is really good, the wind up one is rubbish. Biggest problem we found is finding the torch when the power fails.

 

I recently bought a couple of little emergency lights from Lidl. They stay plugged into a socket at all times and act as a night light - they detect when you approach them and light up. But if the power fails, they detect that and go into permanent "on" mode. You can lift the light part out of the charger/holder and use it as a torch. I am finding them very useful just in the night light function.

 

Which one have you got @pete ? Most of the ones I can see on their site are over £100, some over £200, and there are one or two tiny ones but they're in the £60s and £70s.

 

This one.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-rechargeable-led-work-light-1000lm/613kf