A look at a horrifically wasteful charger.

What a criminal waste, when a few more components and a socket would make it reusable.

Phil Collins

Supply and demand. The lithium cells are mass produced and quite cheap to make. The market value will depend on the application and whether it is a cell intended for low current use or the more expensive high current version.

Big Clive

How in the hell are they making a profit selling those things? The battery alone is just shy of $4 on aliexpress, even in bulk they can't drive that much below $2 can they? And then add on the boost circuit, the switch and connector, the enclosure, the livery, the packaging, the shipping and logistics.... what kind of margin could they possibly be getting?

Mark Dennehy

I will be doing a SOX streetlight video in the future. The smaller SOX lamps use a ballast and an igniter that pulses across the ballast to create a high voltage spike. There is a modest amount of metallic sodium in the lamps with a mixture of neon and argon to help evaporate it when the lamp starts.

Big Clive

With the switch off it should have a long cell life, but not as long as a rechargeable one topped up before your trip.

Big Clive

Might as well get an 18650 based 1800mAh (alleged) power bank from Poundland.

Malcolm J Bannister

Uuugh. This is even worse than the disposable DVDs they tried to make a thing a while ago. Hoping it goes the same way. Speaking of waste, though.... a while back I found someone had thrown out a whole bunch of old SOX lamps (which apparently still worked, but were being replaced with SON lamps) sitting intact in a skip (which is apparently not the way you're supposed to dispose of them), and I fished a couple out. No idea how to drive them though. Would be pretty great if you did a video on them - I'm kind of a sucker for old lamps (because I'm weird like that).

Lindsay B.

the EGo chargers are high to overcome a diode drop so the button or suck switch can be off but the battery will charge. That is bad as not all EGo batteries use a diode some use an IC... but what do they care.

Zach Allin

I do like the idea that you have an emergency charger in a sealed bag.......very handy if you are into hiking or fishing where you could be miles away from any power point. But it is a total waste of the technology. Is there a best before date on the pack? Could it be thrown into a kitbag and used in two years time?

John Carr

i still dont understand why manufacturers dont just bung a few coin cells in stuff like this. energy density? i cant imagine there being much difference in cost, unless they're buying 'defective' (ie not meeting QC requirements) or surplus cells

True.

Unless you want a cheap source of that size of lithium cell.

Big Clive

Much sadness.