There are multiple brightness settings available for the lanterns that are available in the markets. The range is phenomenal. And all the different brightnesses of the lanterns have their pros and cons. Reading light in a dark room might need to be soft and warm instead of a harsh and bright light that would be needed for construction work or lighting up a large area in general. But to know and buy the lighting to your preferences, you need to know the various types available. So here is what you need to know: The measured brightness of a light source is measured in LUMEN. So any light source will have a lumen indicator, as in, 25 lumens or 100 lumens. The various categories that they are divided into are: 1. Less than 25 lumens: If you are looking for a good nightlight, this is the brightness range. These lights are soft and do not hurt the eye even if used for a long time. However, it is not a good idea to depend on these lights in the event of an unforeseen emergency. In short words, it is suitable for casual night reading or midnight washroom breaks but will not be able to provide any safety blanket in case of even the smallest of emergencies. 2. 25 to 100 Lumens: These are the kinds of lights that you see a workman using. They are not healthy but can illuminate the required area if used correctly. They can also be glary if put directly in the eye. An excellent example of these lights is the common flashlights and lanterns. 3. 100 to 1000 Lumens: Now, this is the area that you need full focus on if you need an emergency light in your repository. These lights are incredibly bright (depending on the actual output that you choose to buy) and can be used for almost any and all emergencies. As you go higher in the empower output, the input power increases as well. Be careful to balance input and output power to get the maximum value from your purchase. 4. Above 1000 Lumens: Now, these are the lights used by heavy workmen and rescue operations (similar to floodlights). They are extraordinarily bright and can quickly light up a few miles of an area at any given time. This makes them exceptionally powerful but also pretty power consuming at the same time. These lights are only recommended for people who can afford to invest and keep running this survival paraphernalia. These are the primary classifications of emergency lanterns based on their brightness levels. There might be different indicators as well, but any vendor can easily identify your need based upon the lumens required to light up your area of interest. Buy carefully and responsibly while balancing out usefulness with economical cost.