Tangle-free charger won’t twist or knot up
Tangle-free car charger: The car charger category would not seem to be a space ripe for innovation, and yet California-based accessories manufacturer TYLT has done just that with its Band Car Charger. The charger is engineered not to tangle, which doesn’t sound like a big deal until you actually use a car charger with a standard wire to find that everything around your car stereo becomes tangled in it.
The Band is the brainchild of an R&D engineer who dared to contemplate the possibility of combining a car charger with a rubber band, and the physical nature of the flat-ribbon cable, which ensures that it will not twist up and knot like traditional car chargers. It’s available with different connectors to fit an array of phones, and a built-in universal USB port on the back of its head allows it to charge two devices at once.
With four colours to choose from and 2.1 amps of output, it combines esthetics, utility and, to its sole detriment, a high price tag.
$35; visit tylt.com.
Fire-free flare: If dystopian film and television series prove anything, it is that all drivers should carry an emergency kit. Wagan Tech’s new FRED 2639 Flashing Roadside Emergency Disk LED flare is designed to attract attention, so if your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and in complete darkness, you can project a light that can be seen from up to a mile away.
It has 360-degree coverage, meaning it can be seen in all directions, and the various lighting modes can last from six to 38 hours on one set of three AAA batteries. The manufacturer claims the product can withstand the weight of a 10,000-pound vehicle (we confess to not having tested this claim). A natural benefit of this battery-powered light over traditional emergency flares is that you’re not likely to start a wildfire with this device.
It also has the added value of having versatility outside of road use, as all 10 different cool illumination modes would be perfect for those wishing to start a disco.
$15; visit wagan.com.