Flashlights are seemingly simple devices, so it can be easy to forget to do your research before purchasing one. But it’s worth knowing what goes into these handy torches—especially when you consider that you’re counting on whichever one you buy being reliable during power outages and camping trips for years to come.

Bulbs and Features

Most all flashlights now use LED bulbs, which means you don’t have to worry about the dimness and quick battery drain of older incandescent flashlights. And because LEDs are so efficient (most of the energy they draw from the battery goes toward producing light, not heating a filament as with incandescents), you also don’t have to sweat replacing the bulb, since most LEDs are intended to last as long as the flashlight itself.

Flashlights are also now more feature-packed than ever. Some come with strobe lights, which can be helpful if you’re trying to get someone’s attention in an emergency. Then there are multiple modes and colors—those go from merely for aesthetic preferences to suited for certain situations, like how red wavelengths are easier on the eyes and less liable to wake up your bunkmates if you’re trying to sneak out of the cabin at night to answer nature’s call. And solar or USB charging can free you from the hassle of swapping batteries in and out.

While all these sound fancy, keep in mind what you’ll most likely be using the flashlight for when buying your next one. You may not need all the fancy tricks—or you might.

How Flashlights are Rated

Flashlights will often have an IP rating—like IP65 or IP68—that give you an idea of their durability. The first number indicates its protection from solids; six is the maximum, meaning it should be completely impenetrable to things like sand and dust. And the second number indicates how water-resistant or waterproof it is, where eight is the maximum and means it can be submerged in water deeper than one meter. Sometimes you’ll also see a rating like IPX4, or IP6X, where the “X” simply means that the product hasn’t been tested for protection from solids or liquids.

That rating only gives a partial picture of the flashlight’s durability, however, and you’ll also want to take into account things like the materials used—ranging from lightweight but less-than-durable plastic to rubberized enclosures to heavy-duty anodized aluminum—and whether the flashlight floats in water in addition to being waterproof, not to mention the warranty.

How We Chose These Flashlights

To select these flashlights, we relied on Popular Mechanics’ years of previous reporting on and testing of flashlights, and also consulted and number of trusted publications like The Strategist and The Wirecutter. We then looked at customer reviews on sites like Amazon and Home Depot, focusing on products that averaged at least four out of five stars over more than a hundred (but often thousands of) reviews.