Eton BoostTurbine 4000

A dead phone is nothing more than an expensive paperweight. If you’ve ever been there, then the portable chargers from Eton should be of interest to you. Previously, we reviewed the BoostBloc, which is great for topping your phone up on the go. But there are times you need more juice, or more than one full charge. For that, we recently got our hands on the BoostTurbine 4000, which is capable of recharging most phones twice, or in our case, topping up two phones while on the go.

Eton offers a wide range of ways to charge your phone or other USB chargeable devices. The BoostBloc is strictly a battery. At the other end of the spectrum, they have radios with small batteries and hand cranks, or large batteries that you can use to recharge your phone in an emergency, or your iPod during an outdoor party. And between those two is the BoostTurbine line. Lithium batteries, charged via USB, and a hand crank for backup ensure that you’ll always be able to make a quick call, or at least get a few text messages out. These very simple devices are housed in a compact aluminum case. At one end is a USB micro in, standard USB out, four LEDs to tell you how much charge is left, and a single button to check the charge level. The hand crank fits into a recess along the bottom and opposite end, and folds out when needed. And if you can remember to keep the internal battery charged, you probably won’t need the crank.

So here’s the scenario. Emergency road trip to see family 700 miles away. Out and about all day, making calls, sending emails, using the dang GPS even though I lived in this town for twenty years (in my defense, I’d been away ten years), and generally running the battery down. Times two, since Mrs. Outsider was doing the same. A perfect chance to test this device. Rather than hunt for a wall outlet to be tethered to, we just took turns topping up our phones with the BoostTurbine 4000.  Its 4000mAh battery was more than enough to bring both back from less than 20% charged. At the end of the day, all three were plugged in for the night, and ready to do battle again in the morning.

We didn’t need to resort to the turbine option, but did test it at home. Eton advises that a minute of cranking should net you four minutes of talk time, or a handful of texts. As long as your battery isn’t completely dead, that’s accurate. I wouldn’t try to charge a dead phone with the BoostTurbine, unless it was a dire emergency. It gets tiresome quickly. But when the power is out, and you don’t have a solar option, that crank can save your life. Really. So we’re happy it’s there.

I’m sure that most BoostTurbine owners will be like us. They’ll charge it from a wall outlet or USB port on their computer, and carry it in a backpack or purse, using it as needed while at work, school, or when traveling. And it will serve them very well. But the extra insurance of knowing you can generate your own power in a pinch is a definite bonus. etoncorp.com

– Brian

Disclosure of Material Connection: We received the Eton BoostTurbine 4000 from Eton, in consideration for review publication