This isn’t the first or only hydrogen reactor capable of charging small electronics. Some of you may remember the Powertrekk fuel cell charger from back in 2011. But we feel like the technology has matured quite a bit since then and Brunton’s implementation is our favorite. The Hydrogen Reactor from Brunton uses disposable hydrogen cells to generate enough electricity to recharge your phone 6 times. After those 6 charges, just change the cartridge and keep going. Matter of fact, you can keep doing this indefinitely, as long as you’ve brought enough hydrogen cartridges with you. The beauty of this setup becomes apparent when you consider the weakness of other solutions in the case that you decide to be away from the grid for an extended period of time. While a portable battery pack may be enough for a few days, it’ll fall way short of the near infinite amounts of power you can generate with the Brunton unit. Each cartridge is $20 and of course that adds up to a lot, but being able to stay connected while you’re away is worth a lot more for some people. The generator itself is $170.
[ Manufacturer Website ] AND [ Purchase on Amazon ]
Unless you have a way to harvest unlimited hydrogen, then each hydrogen cartridge (for a whopping $20!) is for all intents just another form of battery. So $20 to charge your phone 6 times!? Crazy. Why not use solar power?
What a joke. $170 for a portable battery pack? I have a $30 solar charger with its own rechargeable batteries that I can use almost indefinitely. I mean do ya think that there will be no light if you go “off grid”?
Why not opt for solar as the primary? I know it’s slower, but in a bugout, you’ll be using it less. I use a 2-port 21-watt solar panel to charge (2) 10,000mah batteries. It keeps my reader and lights charged door over a week, even in the winter.
My reader has many many survival, primitive tech, first aid, etc books loaded on it.
Good for extended times, maybe?