Brunton Axiom UBC

Having used Brunton products on several deployments I can speak to the quality of everything they make. This is the reason I made a leap on this item, despite a dismal lack of information about the Axiom or any field reviews for it. When I read the description that this could charge nearly any type of rechargeable battery from camcorders to digital cameras and NiCad batteries I was wary.

Well, it works. In a simple but ingenious way Brunton has made the connecting posts moveable. Adjustments are made horizontally and vertically and the sliding cover extends to accomidate varrying battery size. I also own the Brunton Solaris 62 Brunton Solaris 62 Foldable Solar Array solar panel and I used it as my test power source for the Axiom.

First, the package contents. The Axiom is small, a little less than the length of an iPhone when closed. It comes with two power cords, one is a standard Inverter plug and the other is a DC car cigarette plug adaptor. The standard inverter plug has a nice feature, the prongs fold up into the inverter for stowage AND to connect to the two types of travel plugs the unit comes with. There is a 3 prong British style plug adaptor and a 2 round plug European plug adaptor for use with 220 volt outlets. These adaptors click into place onto the inverter and have a small latche on the base for removing them. Very simple and economic.

I used the Car plug adaptor to connect to a female adaptor lead from my Solaris 62. The Axiom has a color backlit LCD with black characters and shows a lightning bolt icon when there is no battery being charged. On the rear part of the Axiom where the power cable is connected is a single USB port. This is really really useful and I will explain later.

You select a battery of your choice. You can charge two AA or AAA rechargeable batteries (no matter the manufacturer) at a time, or just a single AAA or AA at a time, doesn't matter. I like that because sometimes I only need to charge a single battery and most recharging units need two in parallell for the charge process to begin. I chose two Energizer AA rechargeable batteries. I adjusted the prongs in the Axiom to line up with the positive ends of the batteries and the Axiom took over. It detects the chemical makeup of the batteries and displays it on the screen, and then indicates the combined charge level and begins charging. I was really amazed by this, because the Axiom doesn't look like it packs this kind of technology.

I then connected a nearly drained iPhone 5 to the USB port on the back of the Axiom, thus saving myself from having to charge electronics in sequence. I left the whole setup alone for less than an hour and when I checked everything was charged and ready to go. A total win for Brunton on this! If you have a bad battery the device will show an error message and will resume charging once the bad battery has been removed (some manufacturer chargers will continue to charge regardless of the state of the battery).

I now can leave all of my different adaptors, cables and connectors home. I take the axiom and my electronic devices and I am set. I highly commend Brunton for this newest innovation and I HIGHLY reccomend it to anyone interested in lightening their travel pack.

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