Short Version: The Medis 24/7 Power Pack makes for a good, easy-to-use emergency charging kit to keep in the car or for use anywhere without access to conventional power. At $30 to $50, it’s relatively inexpensive as long as you use it sparingly.
Overview and Features
- Uses fuel cell technology: this isn’t a device that you need to initially charge in order to recharge something else. It’s got power built into it from the get-go. Conversely, once you’ve used up all the fuel, you’ll need to buy more (around $20).
- Simple activation process ensures you don’t accidentally start using up juice until you need it.
- Comes with USB, mini-USB, Motorola, and Nokia adapter tips. More are available.
- Starts around $30. Replacement fuel costs around $20. Fuel is good for about 60-80 hours of music playback or 30 hours of cell phone talk time. So figure about five cell phone recharges to be on the safe side.
- There’s also an “XTREME” version that sells for $50 and includes a rechargeable connector that plugs into the fuel cell pack for double-charging, effectively. The fuel cell charges the connector cable, which has a small battery inside of it. That cable connects to your devices and can charge them even when disconnected from the fuel cell.
It’s good for…
…emergency situations, like if you get stuck in a blizzard in your car for a couple days and need to recharge your cell phone to make emergency calls. It’s perfect for that. Also, camping and anywhere else that you might need to keep doodads powered up without access to conventional power. Charging time is quick, too. I was able to recharge the Samsung Rant from dead to full battery in under an hour and a half.
Not so good for…
…taking to the beach to keep your phone and/or iPod charged. Sure, you can use it for that but you’re basically spending about $3 to $5 each time you recharge one of your devices. Also, since the Power Pack contains liquid fuel, you’ll want to be careful about where you store it. The company recommends operating temperatures of between 32 and 104 degrees, so don’t leave it sitting on your dashboard all summer.
Shelf life could be an issue, too. Medis claims the Power Pack will last up to 18 months unopened and, once activated, the fuel is only good for up to three months.
Recommendation
The Medis 24/7 Power Pack is a great example of fuel cell technology finally making its way into consumers’ hands. Like all new-ish technologies it’s still a bit expensive for everyday use but as an emergency power source, the Power Pack is a great option.
Medis 24-7 Power Pack [PowerItAnywhere.com]
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What I want to know is once you activate the fuel cell how long before the energy expires?
The one I reviewed has an expiration date of July 14, 2009.
That isn’t what he asked. That’s the expiration date before activation. It only lasts 4-8 weeks at best once activated whether you use it or not. I’ve tried one.
http://www.poweritanywhere.com/pdf/Medis-Brochure.pdf
Up to 18 month shelf-life before activated, up to three months once activated.
Thomas – a few weeks. There are better rechargeable battery-based solutions in my opinion. Cost per recharge is pennies vs. dollars.
I’ve been looking at these things for years.
http://techskeptic.blogspot.com/2006/04/medis-power-pack.html
http://techskeptic.blogspot.com/2006/04/medis-power-pack-part-deux.html
http://techskeptic.blogspot.com/2008/01/medis-finale.html
Bill smith has it right. Battery solutions are all better, cheaper and more powerful.
Thomas asks the right question which is why, contrary to the authors contention, it is in fact NOT a good emergency device for two reasons. First off, you better have emergencies more often than every few weeks for the 24/7 to be useful more than once. Second, if you have a dead battery, the power pack only supplies 1W (unless you buy the extreme pack which simply has a battery in it for 50 bucks). 1W doesnt do much for talk time in an emergency. An hour and a half for a phone with a miniscule battery.
There may be an instance here to there where the 24/7 is useful, but a large battery pack with is cheaper to use, provides far more power and are smaller work well in each of those cases.
Doug, you never cease to entertain or amuse with your reviews
techskeptic has been bashing Medis for years, along with a number of others who have tried to short the stock into oblivion. There is now palpable fear among the shorts who remain that Medis is finally bringing their product to the market in a big way, not least through a deal with Best Buy. Most of the bashers have spread lies about the company, most laughable being that it is a fraud, that it did not have a product. The company has indeed spent a lot of money developing this product, as well as investigating other concepts as a technology incubator. Its stumbles as it transitions to a production and marketing company, with complete ownership of its intellectual property, have been hyped as the shorts profited from its fall. The product works as described. techskeptic’s analyses – in a sometimes employed engineer’s basement – were done using Power Packs produced on a “semi-automated” line and sold in a soft launch on one web site 17 months ago. He went into his analysis very much with a bias, and it shows. He also admits to, at least once in the past, shorting the company’s stock and has become very strident on the Yahoo stock board as the product has neared mass distribution.
The product works as described. Note that – exclusive of the PMS – it is only 185 grams, about the weight of a small can of tuna fish. It will surprise you how light it feels. Also, the expiration date of 18 months is only because the product has not been in existence long enough to prove it can last longer, which when you consider that before activation it contains stable chemicals in isolated chambers, it could last indefinitely. Its operating temperature is as stated by Mr. Aamoth, but to get its UL designation it was baked for 24 hours at 500 degrees with no leakage. It is safe, unlike some larger Li+ batteries have been shown not to be (the more fuel in them, the bigger the fire if they fail). Unlike any battery, it remains at a stable voltage until the fuel is exhausted, which means all the rated energy is usable.
If you like its value proposition and can afford it, buy it. Look for it in Best Buy in time for Christmas, along with an emergency kit that will include a flashlight that will operate for six weeks on one Power Pack, assuming you don’t also use it to recharge your iPhone, and your SO’s phone, and iPod while you wait for the lights to come back on. If it is too expensive for you, wait – like most new products it will inevitably decline in price as production and sales ramp up. If Medis gets a partner with the financing, a cartridge-based product is likely within one or two years. You need never look for an outlet to recharge your portable device again.
techskeptic has been bashing Medis for years, along with a number of others who have tried to short the stock into oblivion. There is now palpable fear among the shorts who remain that Medis is finally bringing their product to the market in a big way, not least through a deal with Best Buy. Most of the bashers have spread lies about the company, most laughable being that it is a fraud, that it did not have a product. The company has indeed spent a lot of money developing this product, as well as investigating other concepts as a technology incubator. Its stumbles as it transitions to a production and marketing company, with complete ownership of its intellectual property, have been hyped as the shorts profited from its fall. The product works as described. techskeptic’s analyses – in a sometimes employed engineer’s basement – were done using Power Packs produced on a “semi-automated” line and sold in a soft launch on one web site 17 months ago. He went into his analysis very much with a bias, and it shows. He also admits to, at least once in the past, shorting the company’s stock and has become very strident on the Yahoo stock board as the product has neared mass distribution.
The product works as described. Note that – exclusive of the PMS – it is only 185 grams, about the weight of a small can of tuna fish. It will surprise you how light it feels. Also, the expiration date of 18 months is only because the product has not been in existence long enough to prove it can last longer, which when you consider that before activation it contains stable chemicals in isolated chambers, it could last indefinitely. Its operating temperature is as stated by Mr. Aamoth, but to get its UL designation it was baked for 24 hours at 500 degrees with no leakage. It is safe, unlike some larger Li+ batteries have been shown not to be (the more fuel in them, the bigger the fire if they fail). Unlike any battery, it remains at a stable voltage until the fuel is exhausted, which means all the rated energy is usable.
If you like its value proposition and can afford it, buy it. Look for it in Best Buy in time for Christmas, along with an emergency kit that will include a flashlight that will operate for six weeks on one Power Pack, assuming you don’t also use it to recharge your iPhone, and your SO’s phone, and iPod while you wait for the lights to come back on. If it is too expensive for you, wait – like most new products it will inevitably decline in price as production and sales ramp up. If Medis gets a partner with the financing, a cartridge-based product is likely within one or two years. You need never look for an outlet to recharge your portable device again.
well franklin/John
1) “techskeptic has been bashing Medis for years”
I just finished saying I have been looking at this thing for years. Just because you dont agree that the value proposition is awful, doesn’t make it good. I have yet to hear from anyone how 30 bucks + 20 dollar refills for a 1W device are good for anything. If you call presenting the fact ‘bashing’ I guess you are welcome to your opinion.
2)”there is now palpable fear among the shorts….He also admits to, at least once in the past, shorting the company’s stock…” etc etc
Yeah I shorted the stock at 35, because that price was insane. Anyone with half a brain would have done the same thing. Even some so called ‘longs’ did it. I got out in the 20’s, its now in the 1’s. How can you possibly make the claim that shorts are nervous. Thats ridiculous. The performance claims have not changed since before the released the semi-auotmated ones. As I have pointed out, it doesnt matter if they didnt do well when I tested them, even if there worked as claimed it would still be a poor choice against batteries. The complete lack of sales for well over a year says plenty
3)”It will surprise you how light it feels.”
Thats because the device is huge, especially when compared with superior performing battery based devices.
4)”but to get its UL designation it was baked for 24 hours at 500 degrees with no leakage.”
Uh could you link us to that tidbit. Perhpas you meant to say 50C. From UL2265:
“1.3 The fuel cell power units covered by these requirements are for use in unclassified (ordinary) locations in ambient temperatures that do not exceed 50°C (121°F). ”
5)”The product works as described. ”
Never once did I claim that it didn’t. The ones I tested certainly didn’t. But if you think I am claiming that the new ones dont work as they describe, then you are not paying attention. read the post again.
6)”If Medis gets a partner with the financing, a cartridge-based product is likely within one or two years. ”
LOL! They’ve been promising this for years, why would the state of being partnerless ever change?
It took a decade to make this thing, in its current form, which is way simpler than a system the requires both the fuel and electrolyte to be changed and you think it will happen in 1 or 2 years?!? Very funny.
Medis has made stupid decisions and outlandish claims for years. But that is separate from the product that they actually delivered. They delivered exactly what they said they would, the problem is that its dumb product for too much money. I encourage everyone with 30 bucks to waste, to go ahead and buy one. then report back here and tell us if you would spend another 20 bucks on a refil or not.
Franklin, how many per month are you personally buying? how many have you bought?
(I never get an answer to that question)
I’m not “short” on Medis — and I never have been. I don’t gain no matter what the stock does, and I avoid predicting the stock’s price.
But Medis is a scam — and a comical one — as I have observed since 2002. It doesn’t have “products” but a cover stories that are so vastly inferior to current technology Medis has no NO REVENUE FROM PRODUCTS since inception 1992, including no material sales of its powerpack despite completing an automated line for it two years ago!
Fake purchase orders, many claims of products on sale and about to be sold, many claims of manufacturing (pilot, semi-automated, and automated), many claims of ongoing discussions… many claims of breakthroughs in wildly unrelated areas (automobile motors, refrigeration, anti-cancer vaccine, and dozens more) but NO REVENUE FROM PRODUCTS since inception 1992. Kinda says it all. :)
http://finance.google.com/group/google.finance.664687/browse_thread/thread/313f7c815d9075ff#
Techskeptic’s test tell the story: the weird and bulky power pack is junk — NOT rechargeable, only partly disposable, very slow charging, and trivial life (weeks) after activation (compare 5 AA batteries: rechargeable, and last for 5+ years even if use is started). It does less than 5 AA batteries (which ARE available in multi-tip format) at 4x the price (or infinitely more since AA’s can be rechargeable practically for free).
Til