My favorite gadget, or perhaps I should say that my most used gadget is my Leatherman Charge Ti. Does that qualify as a gadget?

If we're talking electronics, it would be my Eton Grundig FR200 radio. I use it every day... Which probably assures that in an emergency it will die. While I've not "needed" it in an emergency, we get a lot of power outages in our neighborhood, and it has been nice to turn on some music. During one outage, I fired up the grill, turned on the radio, and my patio became a nice little gathering spot for the neighborhood. LOL

I also have a Freeplay Flashlight that has gotten a lot of use during the frequent blackouts. I charged it up once per month and it lasted about 3 years. Unfortunately, I think it's about to go. I can feel the gear grinding and slipping when I charge it now so it's been relegated to a fifth string backup.

My Fenix L2D CE Flashlight might be my favorite flashlight/gadget. I went camping recently, and it got a lot of good use. It's waiting for the next blackout.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that your husband is slowly coming to the conclusion that preparedness isn't paranoia so much as good common sense.