Gilles Caron is the people person at Best Batteries: communication, partnerships, the link with brands and suppliers. But behind the communications manager's suit hides a car enthusiast who never really left the family garage where he grew up, surrounded by engines and batteries. It was only natural that he became the site's go-to tester for car equipment: jump starters, chargers, auxiliary batteries, inverters, everything that connects portable power to the world of the road.
His method bears the mark of his playing field: he likes products that have to prove themselves in unforgiving conditions, on a frosty morning, in a car park, at the edge of a country road. He checks compatibility with petrol, diesel and hybrid engines, puts the clamps and safety features through their paces (reverse polarity, short circuit), and measures how they really hold up over time. His role in partnerships also gives him a keen read on the market: he can tell the brands that genuinely innovate from those that merely follow, and that feeds his articles on bidirectional charging or choosing a jump starter.
On Au Frais, he extends this expertise in 12-volt power and mobility to compressor cool boxes, where he assesses cooling speed, consumption and noise level. Two worlds, one obsession: power that follows the user on the move.
A driver at heart, keen on rallying and off-road raids, Gilles often tests his gear in the boot of his own car, so much so that the team nicknames him the "rolling laboratory". A photographer in his spare time, he is also the one who shoots part of the site's product visuals. Since his divorce he spends Wednesdays with his daughter, who has inherited his little home-made game: guessing, by hand, the weight of a battery.
With 25.4% cell efficiency, the BigBlue P35 posts the best figure in its direct comparison set and jumps to IP68 waterproofing where its own predecessor topped out at IP44. But its three ports can together demand 58W from a panel that only ever produces 35W, with no published priority between them, and real-world output typically drops to 15 to 20W as soon as the sky hazes over or the angle isn't quite right.
Published on September 8, 2026 by Gilles
74 Wh of real capacity and 148 Wh per kilogram, the best energy density among the site's solar power banks bar the elzle 26800: the Blavor PN-W12 Pro delivers on capacity and ruggedness, but a one year warranty and no pass-through leave it behind its newest rivals.
Published on September 8, 2026 by Gilles
Diagnosing a 12V battery in seconds, with no batteries of its own and no app, across a 100 to 2000 CCA range: that is also the promise of the Konnwei KW208. Its conductance technology covers nine international standards and five lead-acid chemistries, with a colour screen and an interface available in eight languages. Its operating range stops at 0 °C according to the manufacturer's own label, though, where a direct competitor in the same sub-category goes down to -20 °C.
Published on September 8, 2026 by Gilles
The Allpowers Solax SE200 foldable solar panel targets 200W with monocrystalline cells rated at 23 to 25% efficiency, at a price two to three times lower than the usual references in this format. Its output climbs as high as 186W in favorable conditions, a result that compares well against the notably pricier panels already reviewed here. But the total lack of a USB port and a 7.16kg weight, in the middle of its category, temper the picture.
Published on September 8, 2026 by Gilles
99.2Wh, 950g and an 80-minute full charge: the promise holds, but the two 100W USB-C ports never deliver 200W together.
Published on September 7, 2026 by Gilles
2500A peak output and 74Wh of battery inside: the biggest reserve ever fitted to a NOCO Boost jump starter. The GBX75 also introduces USB-C Power Delivery, the real novelty of the Boost X generation, but its fast charging depends on an accessory the box does not include.
Published on September 7, 2026 by Gilles
A 500A shunt, a 10 to 120V range that covers 12V, 24V and 48V systems, and a claimed ±1% accuracy: the Renogy RBM500 promises to replace the voltmeter with a genuine amp-hour counter. It still needs a proper initial calibration, comes with no confirmed Bluetooth option, and covers a narrower cold-weather range than some direct rivals.
Published on September 7, 2026 by Gilles
Diagnosing a 12V battery in seconds, with no batteries of its own and no app, across a 100 to 2000 CCA range: that is the Topdon BT100's promise. Its conductance technology covers five lead-acid chemistries and ten international standards, but leaves out lithium, and pairs that with a clamp cable too short to watch the screen from inside the cabin.
Published on September 7, 2026 by Gilles
Charging habits, winter storage, fire safety and battery lifespan: our practical guide to looking after your e-bike or e-scooter battery, keeping more range for longer and avoiding costly surprises.
Published on September 4, 2026 by Gilles
1000 A printed on the case, 24 Wh of battery inside. Those two figures do not say the same thing, and it is the second one that decides what the GB40 can really do. Here is what its current, its runtime and its cold-weather behaviour are worth.
Published on August 13, 2026 by Gilles
Plugging a generator straight into a wall outlet during a power cut is the most dangerous mistake in the whole category: it can electrocute a utility worker streets away. Here is the only safe method, built around a transfer switch, and everything you must never do instead.
Published on August 10, 2026 by Gilles
A flat battery on a cold morning, a warning light on the dash: battery failure remains the single most common car breakdown. The good news is that charging, testing and disconnecting one safely just takes the right method, which we break down here, clamp by clamp.
Published on August 10, 2026 by Gilles
Updated on July 29, 2026
