Between battery packs, solar chargers and even wood stoves that produce electricity, there are plenty of ways to power devices when in the wild. But there’s something reassuring about the dependability of a hand crank generator, and the newly launched Lifesaber is a particularly modern and handy example promising a limitless supply of power along with an ability to produce clean drinking water and get the fire started at camp.
Produced by Pennsylvania-based survival gear-maker Innovation Factory, the Lifesaber is a versatile tool for the outdoors, but is first and foremost a portable generator for producing power anywhere, anytime.
A telescopic handle extends from the top end and can be spun at five different degrees for easy crankin’. This can be executed with a single hand through a twirling action, similar to how you might spin a jump rope. But the Lifesaber can also be shifted into higher gear, a cranking motion that requires both hands on the part of the user but pumps out three times the power.
This feeds the device’s replaceable 2,200-mAh battery, and the company says that three minutes of high-power cranking will generate enough electricity to restart a dead cell phone, while the same feat in low-power mode will require 15 minutes of single-handed twirling. Users can access the power via a USB port built into the Lifesaber’s base, which can also be used to charge up the device before heading out.
A number of survival-themed tools are built into the Lifesaber, including a 31-lumen flashlight, along with a strobe light and 85-decibel siren, which can work in tandem to draw attention to yourself in an emergency.
And Innovation Factory has come up with a couple of optional attachments that take the utility of the Lifesaber up a notch. These take the form of snap-on modules that draw on the device’s battery power and include a UV water-purification wand and 2,000° F (1,093° C) plasma lighter, claimed to start fires in all kinds of damp and dry conditions.
The company has taken to Kickstarter to get the Lifesaber into production, where early pledges of US$69 are available, while $127 will have the fire starter and water purifier thrown in the mix, too. Shipping is slated for November 2020 if all goes to plan.
Lifesaber hand generator also cranks out clean water and fire [New Atlas]