The handheld dynamo flashlight generates power as you squeeze the handle back and forth. These lights are typically noisy when generating power and your hand may get tired after using them for a while. Several people report that the ones from the far east are rather poorly made and can break easily. If you're interested, try to find one made for the Russian military since they seem to be made to a much higher standard.

Crank flashlights are just what they sound like. They have a small crank on one side and several minutes of cranking can produce light for up to one hour or more if it uses LEDs. These also come as all-in-one devices that contain a flashlight, AM/FM radio and possibly a shortwave receiver or other electronics built-in.

A more recent technology is the solar-powered flashlight. As the name suggests, it captures energy from sunlight over a period of time (usually several hours) to produce an hour or more of light.