Dynamo Torch and Cell Phone Charger product reviews

Having experienced that awful gut-gripping fear when driving through the Desert Road at night and running out of gas, and realising that there aren't many safe places to be, when you haven't got light... this torch strikes me as a brilliant device. Yes, there are other battery-free torches on the market, heck, you can even get them as a free promotional add-on with your toilet freshener! (I kid you not.) Don't get me wrong, they do a great job too... but at the end of the day, they are torches and only torches. As good as they are at beaming light, that's all they do, nothing more.

This handy device not only puts out a beam of white light, but also doubles as a red warning light. On top of that, you get the peace of mind knowing that you'll never have to worry about batteries going flat... either in the torch, or your cellphone! Yup, using the set of USB devices that came with it, I even managed to charge up my Palm Treo with it! Sure, I had to pull out the battery and use the little spring-clip attachment, since there wasn't a matching plug... but that's not too big a hardship... just meant I had to lose the use of my phone while I charged it up. I have seen similar kits that are aimed at the laptop market that do similar things, and never seen a Treo plug in them either, so wasn't surprised.

A couple of points I *didn't* like about this unit...
    •  Not very comfortable to hold while winding - the body is quite thick and hard to get smaller hands around.
    •  Battery cut-out switch - being a click-on-click-off type, it's impossible to tell at a glance. A rocker switch or slide switch would have been a better move IMHO.
    •  The rubber USB cover - Would not stay seated properly, and kept curling up and out of the plugs.
    •  The expanding lens - When pulling it out of the carry-bag, it kept pulling open. Annoying and possibly dangerous to the continued functionality of the lens. I was worried it would pull right off!

Not very *big* points, but important ones, I thought. On the plus side though...
    •  The carry bag - comes complete with belt loop and carabina for clip-on attachment. Most excellent.
    •  Zip pouch - used to store the USB attachments, but could equally be used to hold a small tool set for those not needing the USB side of things.
    •  Extended shoulder strap - A great addition, and well worth keeping attached, or at least handy for those hands-free-required times.

Overall, a very impressive little unit. The battery capasity wasn't huge, it gave my Treo about a 1/3rd charge before I had to wind it back to strength, but that would have been more than enough to make an emergency call. The whole package is small enough to fit in a medium to large glovebox, or sit in the boot of the car, or drawer in a boat. If planning to take this out on the water though, I would suggest the purchase of something waterproof, such as a larger Otterbox container or the like. This baby can't swim.