I think the comments on the website are spot on. This thing is still basically just a battery. It uses chemicals to generate electricity. A better fuel cell would have a way to top off the fuel, this does not. What does this do that a battery cannot?? It's also more expensive than a battery and it cannot be recharged. At least it can be recycled.
Barry has a good point. I want specs. Total mAh and voltage at the very least. When I go out in the field I know exactly how much food, water and stove fuel I have to meet my needs. I want to know how much power too.
And it needs a better variety of connecters to make it more versatile.
I just ordered one of
these from REI. Granted it costs 5 times as much as this fuel cell but it is not a one use device. The power it provides is virtually endless. And it is much more versatile.
Anyone could buy a small thin film solar panel that weighs a few grams, a couple of NiMh cells, a diode and a battery holder for well under $30.00 and build their own solar charger which could easily be lighter and more practical than a fuel cell, and also produce a lot more power over time.
Edit:
This is what I'm talking about. Its output is optimized to recharge 2 AA cells, or AAA's would fully charge even faster. A 2 AA or 2 AAA batter holder costs about $1.50. If you don't want to solder just use wires with alligator clips. All you have to do is get the polarity right.
I'm making a charger using two of these panels wired in parallel for a 200mA output. The whole thing will weigh as much as 4 AAA primary cells. I plan to use it on the TRT this summer so I can run my GPS all day long for 8 days and still have juice for my flashlight and MP3 player. If my numbers are correct it will fully charge a couple of 900Ah NiMH AAA's in 4-6 hours depending on the sun(keeping in mind the cells are never fully discharged). It will attach to my pack while I'm hiking and a 2' wire will lead to the cells inside my pack to keep them cool and out of direct sun. With any kind of reasonable sunlight it will charge one set of AAA's faster than my Foretrex 101 can discharge the other set.