Spring into gadgets

Unpredictable seasons require dependable tools. To help, Master Plumbers’ Curtis de la Harpe has reviewed three gadgets to keep your lunch at the right temperature.

Keeping warm

Gen Z have lost their minds over Stanley insulated cups. But tradies have known the value of this brand since the early 1900s. If you want to keep your coffee, soup or noodles warm all day, the Stanley thermos is the best.

I fill mine before camping or a bitterly cold winter baseball game, and find the coffee remains hot for hours; even a day or two. For a thermos that will outlive the next three generations of your family, I recommend the Stanley Classic range in the iconic hammertone green. They are so solid you could probably use it as a hammer if you forgot yours.

Keeping cold

Is there anything more iconic than the Esky? Credited as an Australian invention, circa 1945, the Esky has come a long way. Today the market is dominated by a few key brands each claiming longer ice time, more rugged design and capacities reaching thousands of litres. While brands like Yeti are now a common, an Australian-owned ice box manufacturer, Techni Ice, stands out. They are among the first to start advertising ice ratings (how long an ice box will keep ice frozen) in weeks rather than hours or days.

I got my Techni ice almost 20 years ago and it is still going strong.

I replaced the seals three years ago but that’s the only maintenance it’s needed in two decades of heavy use. I have taken it on week-long camping trips, music festivals and fishing charters, where it has endured sun, rain and mud, and it is still going strong. Although I also have a Yeti Tundra ice box and though it is a great product, I would recommend the Techni Ice.

Keeping food warm and drinks cold

Several tool brands have released battery powered warmer/coolers.

A couple of years ago I spotted a dual, 18-volt battery-powered Makita fridge. I couldn’t help myself. A fridge that can run off my car’s 12v but could be unplugged and wheeled down to the shoreline for fishing or into a mate’s backyard for a BBQ. How could I resist? It now has a permanent place in my car. At 20L, it is not large but as a drink fridge, it is adequate. The new model is a little larger (29L) and features dual zones. It must be noted that at it only reaches -18°C, so it is not for deep freezing. This unit can also be used in warmer mode to keep food warm at a aximum temperature of 60°C, good enough to keep sausage rolls or pies warm on a cold day.

The Makita fridge can run on either the 18v batteries or the larger 40v batteries and will comfortably get 24 hours of run time out of a set of 5AH batteries. My unit really showed its might during my recent trip to the tip of Cape York. When my dual-battery system failed after a less than stellar river crossing, I was able to run the Makita as my food fridge on my 18v tool batteries for the rest of the trip. Had I had a regular car fridge, I would have been in a bit of strife.

Moments before things all went pear-shaped.