The Eton Blackout Buddy
The television show Revolution made its return to Prime Time last night. When it first aired in the fall, the show about a world without power struck a bit too close to home; a few episodes into it, SuperStorm Sandy plunged much of the East Coast into darkness. I’m not sure if it was art imitating life, or life imitating art, but either way there was a good bit of irony in the juxtaposition of the two events.
After spending that week without power, water or telephone, I’ve slowly been equipping the house with the items that will make the next blackout a bit easier to endure. I recently reviewed the Eton FRX3 Hand Turbine AM/FM/Weather Alert Radio, and I have also been using a second item the company was kind enough to send along for review — the Eton Blackout Buddy. I’ve come to believe that the Blackout Buddy is something that should be in every home. In fact, at under $13 each, I really think multiple Blackout Buddy lights should be in everyone’s home.
The Eton Blackout Buddy is actually two different emergency lights. While it is designed to be an emergency LED blackout flashlight, it also happens to double as a nightlight. That makes it perfect for the home or the office.
When the power goes out, the Eton Blackout Buddy light automatically turns on. It is not dissimilar to the emergency lights in public buildings that turn on when the power goes out so that people can evacuate the building.
The advantage of the Eton Blackout Buddy is that the slim light plugs into any wall socket and does its job unobtrusively. Since the Blackout Buddy doubles as an LED nightlight, it can be used anywhere a dim light might be handy at night. In addition, the prongs for the wall outlet fold into the unit so you can grab the Blackout Buddy from the wall and use it when the lights go out. And when you do need it, the Blackout Buddy packs 3 LED lights that will provide up to 4 hours of light at a time.
The Eton Blackout Buddy is a super product that, at just $12.99 each, is worth buying for all your loved ones. It is simple, it works, and it will come in handy the next time the lights go out. My only issue with the Blackout Buddy is the fact that when I first took it out of the box, the plastic casing smelled terrible. I put it outside for two days and most of the smell subsided, but it still puts off a slightly bad odor. I don’t fully understand why, but (like new carpet) I suspect something in the material needed to dissipate and, while in the plastic container, it couldn’t. You can learn more here on the product page.
MSRP: $12.99
What I Like: Simple but effective; Doubles as a nightlight; Turns on when the power go out; Give up to four hours of emergency light at a time
What Needs Improvement: Initially smelled terrible
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample