We just had a bad rain storm over the weekend that knocked out the power in the Los Angeles area. My place was one of those affected by the power outage and would normally mean breaking out the candles or flashlights for some form of light source to see. But instead, I found that this was the perfect opportunity to test out a product I found at CES.
Luminoodle, powerpractical.com, power practical, tech review luminoodle
This is the Luminoodle by Power Practical. An all-in-one, light rope and lantern. It has a strange name for a product, but so versatile in its uses. Luminoodle is a waterproof, flexible silicone strip of USB-powered LEDs that can be used anywhere. This light can be hung, strung, hooked, stuck to or wrapped around almost anything.
Comes in two sizes: 5 feet ($19.99) and 10 feet ($29.99).
It includes:
• Universal strap system
• Embedded magnets (one on each end and one that can slide to any position along the Luminoodle)
• 3 Noodle Ties
• Utility loop on one end
• Rip-stop nylon carrying bag that doubles as a lantern (bag is designed to diffuse light when used as a lantern)
The light output is 180 lumens which is equivalent to a 25-watt bulb. About 10-20 times brighter than your average Christmas lights.
One main thing you need is some form of portable battery to power the Luminoodle. Powering the Luminoodle using a large sized portable battery is fine when it is not hanging or being used in lantern form, which can make it a bit heavy. I used their Lithium 4400 portable battery, which I had picked up from their booth last CES. It is a lightweight, portable battery charger with built-in LED lantern and perfect to use with the Luminoodle. It can get you up to 6 hours of lighting on a single charge.
Crazy as it seems, the Luminoodle does work rather well. I used it in the strip form to illuminate the bathroom during the power outage. Taking a shower by flashlight works okay, but this worked much better. The magnets on the ends made it easy to hang up. The lantern illuminates the room pretty well too. Used it in its lantern form to read a book later that evening.
This is perfect for emergency situations, camping out, keeping in your car, decoration or just for fun. The only thing you need to make sure you have is a portable battery to power it.
Another item to check out by Power Portable is the PowerPot. I saw this device last year at CES. It comes in two sizes: PowerPot 5 holds 1.2 qts/1 USB port ($99) and PowerPot 10 holds 1.4 qts/2 USB ports ($149.99) This pot that will charge your portable devices while boiling water in it.
Check out powerpractical.com, to purchase the Luminoodle or for more information on the other Power Practical products.
