Prices and stock checked 4 November 2026. Specs are the makers' figures.
A head torch leaves both hands free for the fuse box, the stairs or the kettle on a camping stove. For a drawer that may not be opened for a year, choose one that runs on AAA batteries, such as the Black Diamond Spot 400 at about £32; you can buy fresh batteries anywhere. A rechargeable one is cheaper to run, but only if you keep it charged.
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The government's Be Ready checklist lists a "Torch (and spare batteries)" and says "Torches are safer than candles." National Grid's advice is to "Keep a lantern or torch somewhere that's easy to find", and the Met Office suggests "multiple torches along with extra batteries".
What to look for
Lumens are total light, not reach. On a torch tested to the ANSI/PLATO FL 1 standard, Petzl explains, brightness is measured "between 30 and 120 seconds" after switching on, with new batteries. 100 to 300 lumens is plenty indoors.
Run time is to 10%. The FL 1 run time lasts until the light has dropped "to 10 % of maximum light output", so a torch doesn't stay at full brightness for its quoted hours. Look at the low setting's hours: that's what gets you through a long night.
Batteries or rechargeable. AAA batteries store well and are easy to replace. Rechargeables are cheap to run but need charging, and some use their own cable. A torch that takes both covers you either way.
A red light is gentler at night: Petzl says it helps "preserve night vision" and avoids dazzling others.
The makers' figures. Run times for each torch are in its entry below. Water ratings are the last digit of the IP code: 4 copes with rain and splashes, 5 and 6 with jets of water, 7 with a brief drop into water, 8 with being under water to the depth the maker states.
Head torches worth a look
Black Diamond Spot 400Our pickFor most homes
Runs on three AAA batteries, which keep for years in a drawer, or Black Diamond's rechargeable pack. Spot and flood beams, a red light, and rated to survive being dropped in water (IPX8, 1.1 m for 30 minutes).
Brightness
400 lumens
Batteries
3 x AAA included, or Black Diamond's BD 1500 rechargeable pack
Run time
200 lumens for 5 h, 6 lumens for 200 h on AAA (Black Diamond)
A plain wide beam and one button, on three AAA batteries or Petzl's rechargeable CORE pack. No red light. Petzl gives 10 hours at 100 lumens and 100 hours at 7.
Brightness
300 lumens (ANSI/PLATO FL 1)
Batteries
3 x AAA included, or Petzl's CORE rechargeable pack
Run time
100 lumens for 10 h, 7 lumens for 100 h on AAA (Petzl)
Comes with Petzl's rechargeable CORE battery (USB-C, cable not included) and also takes three AAA batteries, so a flat battery in a long cut isn't the end of it. Wide or mixed beam and a red light.
Brightness
625 lumens on its CORE battery, 450 on AAA
Battery
Removable CORE rechargeable included; takes 3 x AAA instead
700 lumens from a small removable rechargeable cell, USB-C charging, and the body unclips as a right-angle hand torch. It also takes a CR123A battery. Fenix's UK site says most settings dim as the battery runs down.
Brightness
700 lumens
Battery
Removable 16340 rechargeable cell included; takes a CR123A instead
Run time
130 lumens for 12 h 15 min, 30 lumens for 58 h (Fenix)
350 lumens on three AAA batteries (included), with spot, flood and red light, for about £15 at Argos. Energizer gives up to 4 hours but doesn't say at which setting.
800 lumens in short bursts, a focus wheel from spot to flood and a red light, waterproof to IP68. The battery is built in, and it charges only through Ledlenser's magnetic cable.
Brightness
800 lumens in short bursts
Battery
Built-in 2,000 mAh rechargeable, not replaceable
Run time
250 lumens for 6 h, 20 lumens for 60 h (Ledlenser)
Charging
Magnetic cable with a USB-C plug, about 3 h 45 min
These are findings other testers have published, credited with links.
Black Diamond Spot 400CleverHiker found the run times close to Black Diamond's figures, but the controls took two or three outings to learn, and the sensitive tap control switched it to full brightness by accident.October 2024
Petzl TikkinaCleverHiker found the single button simple to use on an earlier version, though the plastic frame began to rub after about two hours without a hat.October 2024
Petzl TikkinaBASE Magazine found over months with the late-2022 version that it switched itself on in a bag more than once, squashed by other kit.April 2023
Petzl Actik Core 625Outdoors Magic found the medium setting "easily bright enough" on hikes that finished in the dark, and the torch stable and comfortable while running.December 2025
Fenix HM50R V2.01Lumen measured 678 lumens at 30 seconds on turbo, falling to 268 lumens at ten minutes, and turbo ran for 1 hour 36 minutes, on a smaller 700 mAh cell than the one now supplied.September 2021
Ledlenser HF6R CoreWalkhighlands found even the lowest setting enough for walking on paths and the focus wheel easy, but it charges only through Ledlenser's magnetic cable, not a phone cable.October 2023