Have you ever seen...

[toploader55]

I bought this 2 years ago It's a Black and Decker "Storm Station". You charge this Baby up, and you get : A Radio, Flashlight,Room light, A charger for a cell phone,an outlet for a lamp, and it's never let me down in power outages. I don't see them around that much. But they're Great.

 

[toploader55]

Here's another

The Outlets

 

[pturo]

What a great product, why isn't it more promoted. Does it run on Kosher salt as well per your photo?

 

[toggleswitch]

That is one KEWL toy!

I have had the idea of taking an old car batery, a 12v DC to 120v AC inverter and fitting them into a cabinet (with a metal liner inside) to be made into an end-table. I'd use an automatic trickle charger on a timer to keep the battery "fresh" and charged.

In an outage, one would simply plug in a lamp, the telly, a radio, a computer and maybe the fossil-fueled boiler controls........

 

[toggleswitch]

of course if you believe size matters..........

http://www.kohlerpower.com/residential/sectionfront.htm?sectionNumber=13561

 

[toploader55]

I have no idea

It's probably toxic or something. I have no idea why B+D never promoted this guy. It works great. You plug it in like the day before a storm is approaching. If the power goes out the room light automatically kicks on so you can find it and grab the rechargeble flashlight.
Oh.... it only prefers to run on Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt(LOL)

 

[gyrafoam]

I remember seeing a pile of those at my local "Blowes" back in Atlanta a few years ago, but was in too much of a hurry to really look them over. A great idea. I wonder if they are still on the market here?

 

[lavamat78800]

And what are they for?
Do you need that in case of a tornado?

 

[oldhouseman]

1999

There were a ton of these on the market in 1999. The selling was fueled by news reports that computers were going to crash the world when the calendar changed over to 2000. There were a few different versions also with longer power output. A friend of mine and his wife stocked up a years worth of groceries, gasoline and bought a couple of AK47's with a ton of ammo. They had one of these in almost every room of their house. After the new year came and went with no events they were sold as nifty items to get you past a day or two with power after a storm. Production went down rapidly afterward. They are handy. I bought one from my friends when they had a yard sale after the non-event. It got me through a power outage one winter on a trip to the mountains. I adopted a Boxer from a rescue center and came home one day to find it chewed up and torn to pieces. If I can find one at a yard sale or second hand store I would definately buy it.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Nino / Lavamat78800

They would be useful for any type of situation in
which electrical power provided by the "grid" is
off line. Due to storms of any kind or an accident.

 

[toploader55]

You can find them

At Black and Decker on line. They had them a few months ago when a friend was interested in one.