power box IMPROVED! 20 watt pedal generator

I got the Power Box in advance of the hurricane season and with Dorian now approaching I feel so much better. They say we could lose power for a week and I know it will be no problem keeping my cell phone charged with this. It is very easy to pedal. It works as described and set up instruction was clear. It came fast. I will definitely recommend it to my friends.

I only tested the generator for a total of 5 minutes, but that was more than enough time to determine that it does indeed work. I saw it charge up a small lithium power bank I'd attached to it - that's good enough for me. Living on Florida's Gulf Coast, I always have to be prepared for storms and multi-day power outages. With this in my kit, I know I can keep my small electronics running when they're needed the most. Build quality seems fine - though we'll see how this holds up over time. So, I'm giving this a 4 / 5, only because I haven't put this through it's paces. If I find myself pedaling furiously to keep lights on in a power outage - you can bet I'll come back here and give the final star. Let's hope I don't have to!

First: you have to make your own base to keep it stable while pedaling. Once I did I never did get the pedaling motion steady, it would be too easy with no resistance and then turn really hard so I never got into the groove of if.I put in too many hours on it already (bought separate charger) and was tired of messing with it.The concept is great and I am still looking for a pedal generator that is as easy to use as a sit down pedal exerciser.

The description states "120 volt interface compatible with wall chargers ". I thought that that would be 120 VAC, but it turns out that it is DC, that was not mentioned in the specifications!! 120 VDC is a very unusual voltage, I don't know if I can use that... Due to the lockdown, I can't try it out now. Also, this thing makes a lot of noise, I didn't expect that. The specifications does state 80 dB, which is indeed a lot.

We bought a K-Tor Power Box generator and subjected it to extreme conditions - powering an exhibit at a children’s museum. We were told that the Power Box was never built for that kind of use but the K-Tor helped us make the necessary changes to get the exhibit up and running. The power box is a very good machine but K-Tor’s customer service is even more impressive. They have stuck with us and have gone way above and beyond what most other companies would have.

So far it works. I tried it for about 4 minutes and it charges a modern iPhone (via its small 5V 1A wall wort) about 2%. Yay.Downside: it is light enough that it bounces around. Like in the video on YouTube, it really needs to be screwed down onto something. It kept moving and the heel of my shoe would catch a part of its stand and flip the whole thing over.I might update my review after I figure out a workable solution here.

Here are my “out of the box” thoughts right away.It’s built well and seems like it will last. The cranks are metal. The body is plastic but seems like the right kind of plastic that will hold up.The feet are designed for storage. They may seem weird when the whole thing is set up but their design makes sense for both storage and use.It was not mentioned in the description that the 20 watt rating is only good for 10 minutes. It states on the sticker that continuous use should be limited to 14 watts. That’s still a little over 8 amps so it’s nothing to really complain about. The description should include this information.

This is a good demonstration novelty.It could pedal power your camping trip, if you spent time pedaling.a lot of time? probably depends on if it's raining.You would rather do something else all day.