Eton Blackout Buddy Swivel review: a slim wall light that comes on by itself when the power goes out

This is a research-based review, based on manufacturer specs and published data. We do not test products. Specs come from Eton's product page for the American Red Cross Blackout Buddy Swivel, checked November 1, 2026. Lighting safety guidance comes from the CDC and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Outages at night are disorienting. The Blackout Buddy Swivel is built for the first minute of one: it sits in a wall socket as a small night light, keeps its battery charged and switches its three emergency LEDs on by itself when the socket goes dead. Then you can pull it out and carry it as a flashlight.

Eton sells it under the American Red Cross brand, alongside its crank radios and the Blackout Buddy CO alarm. The product page gives size and weight but not brightness or runtime, and this review sticks to what Eton states.

Who should buy it

• Households that want automatic light on stairs and in hallways when the grid fails at night.
• Offices and rentals where nothing can be installed or wired.
• Anyone who wants a flashlight that is always charged and always in the same place.
• People in areas with rolling blackouts or frequent storm outages, where the first minutes of an outage happen often.

Who should skip it

• Anyone looking for room light. With no published lumens, plan on a lantern such as the Lepro 1500lm or Energizer Hybrid Solar for evenings.
• People who want a dusk-to-dawn sensor. Eton describes a night light, but not an automatic light sensor. The Energizer 38511 lists one.
• Buyers who need to know runtime before they buy. Eton does not state it.

Strengths

• Automatic. Eton says it lights up when there is a power failure, with no switch to find.
• Always ready. It stays charged in the wall socket.
• Slim. 0.75 inch deep and 2 oz, so it does not stick out into a hallway and fits in a pocket as a flashlight.
• Two kinds of light. Three emergency LEDs for the outage and one LED for night-light duty.
• Nothing to set up. No settings or app. Plug it in and it does its one job.

Drawbacks

• Missing numbers. No lumens, no runtime and no battery type on Eton's page.
• Small light. It is a path and pocket light, not a room light.
• Recharges only from the wall. In a multi-day outage, it runs down and stays down until power returns.
• Battery replacement not described. Eton does not say whether the battery can be changed.

How it compares

The Swivel against other lights that are ready the moment the power fails. Figures are from each manufacturer's page, checked November 1, 2026.

Using it in a long outage

Placement

• Outside each bedroom door, so the first steps of the night are lit.
• At the top and bottom of stairs.
• Next to the cabinet where lanterns and batteries live.
• In unswitched outlets only, so the light is always charging.

When the power drops

1. 01Let the Swivels come on and use them to reach your lanterns.
2. 02Pull one out to use as a flashlight on the way to the breaker panel or the kids' rooms.
3. 03Once lanterns are on, return the Swivels to their outlets so they are in known places.
4. 04Switch them off if Eton's manual allows, to save their charge for the next night trip.

What it cannot cover

Since it charges only from the outlet, the Swivel is a first-night light. For days two through ten, you need lanterns on stored batteries or solar, plus a way to recharge them. A power bank such as the Goal Zero Venture 35 or rechargeable cells like eneloop pro carry light through a long outage. Our emergency lights guide lays out a whole-house light plan.