After a period limping along with just regular flashlights,
I bought a set of three small battery operated camping lanterns, and a USB powered LED light bulb.
The lanterns were not bright, but were better than flashlights and good enough for area lighting. Their main weaknesses are battery consumption, and they're very smooth so easy to drop.
The LED light bulb was bright, however its USB cord was very short, necessitating a very kludgey layout, and after a few weeks, the inevitable happened and I brushed against it (rather lightly) and the cord broke. :(
I'd read several posts praising "Luci" solar rechargeable lights, and was intrigued, however they're out of my price range.
Then a very experienced & wise dweller Friend mentioned she used Dollar Tree's "solar stake" lights as part of her lighting system.
She described them as reliable, however dim.
Five weeks ago, I bought one, with relatively low expectations.
It has vastly exceeded my expectations. :)
Here it is, by my work area:
I chose the sunflower style, so I'd have a good indication of where the light part was, and it looked like it would be a more stable base than the regular lights, when in recharge mode.
The "stake" part fits perfectly into the #10 can I use for sundry small items.
Here it is (far left), on my van dash during the day, recharging:
Note that the bottom is not sharp. The "stake" (black part) is an insert that comes with the sharp end inside the long part (green).
It is not as bright as my camping lanterns, however it is sufficiently bright for most "routine" night time tasks.
It does not have any control(s), which confused & frustrated me at first.
When the ambient light drops below a certain level, the light automatically comes on.
It goes off when its battery exhausts itself.
So far, it usually lasts for about 4 to 5 hours (each night), which is sufficient for my needs.
It's very easy to carry around and prop up at various angles, or wedge between items.
I'm glad I chose the "sunflower" style, as it's easy to find it, and the pseudo sunflower gives more placement options.
Since it's dimmer, it doesn't attract as many bugs as my brighter lights. :)
For one dollar (plus tax), this is a simple & handy light.
It's not a "complete" solution, however it's a good baseline light, which is now my primary night time light.
I keep one of my camping lanterns in easy reach, for anything which needs more light, as well as two regular flashlights as backups.