The Gadget: Duracell’s Powerpack 450 is a portable power source for AC, DC and USB-powered electronics. It also features a vehicle jump starter, air compressor, flashlight and a voice feature.
Duracell vs Energizer was one of the headlining tech fights of the ’80s, as Walkmen chewed through cell after cell. Today, a better match up is the one between their rechargeable batteries.
Because I rarely drive these days, I still roll around in a car I bought 8 years ago. It runs fine, but sooner or later it is going to quit on me. I’ll tell you what though, in my situation, the new addition to Duracell’s Powerpack linuep looks like peace of mind in a lunch pail-sized box. In addition to jump starting your car, it can power up AC, DC and USB-powered electronics (340 W continuous / 450 W peak). It even has a voice feature that informs you on the estimated runtime for devices that you plug in as well as instructions on how to use its vehicle jump starter and air compressor (150 psi). All-in-all, the 450 looks one seriously useful device for your $US150.
The Gadget: Duracell’s new Daylite series of flashlights turn night into day using proprietary TrueBeam technology that they claim captures and projects up to 100 percent of the light–making for a brighter, whiter beam. It comes in three varieties: AA/AAA (80 lumens each) and CR123 (160 lumens).
A knife, some rope and a decent flashlight. When it comes right down to it, these are tools that a guy can really use. As for the latter of the three, a good choice may be these new “Daylite” superbright torches from Duracell. Besides a sturdy all-weather design, the Daylites feature TrueBeam technology that uses “both a lens and a reflector to capture and project up to 100 percent of the light,” which they claim significantly enhances brightness. Plus, a 3:1 zoom eliminates the annoying dark spot typical of most flashlights.
