'ZDNet Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNet's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNet nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNet's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.

Last night the power went out for about six hours. Now, it was late, so I could have done what most people would have done and gone to sleep.

Instead, I started looking at the tech that I had to take me through the power going out. I could easily go for a few days powering my essentials and even have the capability to recharge devices using solar or the 12V outlet in my car.

OK, so let's go through the tech essentials for when the power goes out.

Pretty obvious this, and I'm pretty sure we all have one.

The flashlight feature came in useful, and then I used it to contact the power company. It also became my connection to the outside world until I got my router running on backup power.

One of the reasons I like to keep my phone charged up at all times is that I don't know when I'll need it in an emergency or for how long I'll need it.

A great phone with super-long battery life.

Packed with features you won't find on the iPhone.

I have loads of power banks, ranging from small ones that can fit into a pocket to huge ones that definitely won't.

And all are fully charged and ready to go.

While I don't think any normal person needs as many power banks as I have, I have a small one that you can take with you and a bigger one that you can use at home.

Remember to keep your charging cables nearby too. They're so cheap these days that buying a spare set to keep for an emergency might not be a bad idea.

Lots of power to keep all your devices charged up.

Tiny power bank you can take with you everywhere.

I have a lot of rechargeable lights that I use for photography and videography, and they serve me well when the power goes out. These have magnets to allow them to be stuck to stuff and can be brightened and dimmed to suit.

A great photographic light that doubles as an emergency rechargeable flashlight.

Having a rechargeable flashlight or two at home is a good idea for most people. Power outages really aren't the time to be messing about with candles and naked flames, no matter how nice and atmospheric they are.

I find that keychain lights are the best. They're small and unobtrusive most of the time and not going to be blinding when you're waving around the house at night.

Fantastic little flashlight for your keyring. 

Most people can now ride a multi-hour power outage with a phone, a power bank, and a flashlight.

But there are some people who want more power.

A selection of power stations

Maybe to run a CPAP machine, some other health device, or something needed for work.

Some power stations even come with built-in lighting, which is pretty cool.

This is where a power station comes into its own.

What differentiates a power station from a power bank is that a power station can output mains AC power, and they come in all sorts of sizes, power capacities, and prices.

Some you recharge from the mains, and others you can recharge using other means, such as by using a solar panel or the 12V outlet in a car.

It's really a case of how much do you want to spend! The more power you need, the more output power you need, the bigger the power station, and the more it will cost.

And if you need solar panels, then the hardware requirements increase, as well as the costs increase substantially.

A very handy power station that is perfect for power outages and camping trips!

This is a monster of a power station.