Deciwatt NowLight Kit
We knew things would be a little different moving from the city to the countryside, but we didn’t expect to be periodically thrown into the dark ages with seemingly random power cuts. The NowLight Kit would have been ideal when we had those windy storms last year, by generating instant light and power from a pull of a cord. The NowLight Kit comes with the NowLight unit, SatLight (SL03), 3W Solar Panel and DC charging cable, giving you the option of charging via the mains or the sun. The main unit can produce both light and power from the pull of a cord, a full minute of pulling will provide up to 2 hours of light or 15 minutes of mobile phone talktime via the 5V USB port, it is easy to do but needs a secure mount for stable pulling. When it is fully charged the NowLight will generate up to 50 hours of light or a full charge for most smartphone batteries although doing this via the pull cord in one go is a bit of a workout. The SatLight can be plugged into the NowLight and comes with a fivemeter cable giving you a good range of flexibility as to how you light up an area, the SatLight has six brightness settings from 5-160 lumens with independent brightness controls. The Solar Panel gives you the option of using the daylight to charge the Nowlight but without needing to rely on it alone, it comes with a four-meter cable and takes five hours of direct sunlight to fully charge the unit. Along with the USB mains charging cable there is also a cord included for hanging the NowLight from beams, poles or branches as well as two spare links for the pull cord. We loved the NowLight, as keen campers it is perfect for guaranteeing power to the campfire, it’s ideal for those power cuts and emergencies, but can also be installed in places long term, outbuildings or sheds for example for solar powered lighting. The NowLight is highly portable, the only additions we would like to see is a storage case or bag to keep all the bits together allowing you transport it easier place to place, a fully waterproof casing would be good too because while NowLight is showerproof, you cannot leave it outside full time. On top of producing a great product Deciwatt has also partnered with humanitarian organisations to provide NowLights to households or organisations who have little or no access to electricity due to a lack of income, or as a result of natural disasters, conflict or other adverse circumstances.
For more information on the Deciwatt NowLight Kit click here
Pros Manual, mains or solar powered charging
Lightweight and portable
Fast charge via pull cord
Bright, adjustable light USB charging port Suitable for emergencies, camping or electric free lighting
Cons Outer casing is showerproof but not fully waterproof
No carry case included
