Dynamo & Solar Radio with Light Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This unit is sub-par. There is one good feature, but there are many shortcomings. You'd be better served to find a model that is a little higher end.
The good features:
The flashlight, while not very bright, has the advantage of using multiple lenses. The standard lens is the clear lens, and the easily changeable lens can be switched out with either a red lens or an amber lens. The colored lenses can be used with its other good feature, which is the "flash" (think of a slow strobe) setting. If you were stranded by a roadside, for example, you could switch the clear lens for the amber lens and set the unit to flash and place it on top of your car. You would be easily visible.
The shortcomings:
The radio is pathetic. While FM reception is fairly clear, AM reception is really bad. It seems to depend on how close the radio station is. Which isn't right. I mean, I live 180 miles from WLS AM radio (890 AM in Chicago, IL) which people can easily get on their car radio for several hundred miles from the station. Why can my little radio in this unit only faintly pick it up? A mystery to me. The other bad thing about the radio is the antenna. It does not offer a 360-degree swivel. Basically, it is "tucked" into the back side of the unit (with no locking mechanism, by the way) and the antenna folds up or down. There is no back-to-front movement allowed. So, you have to fold the antenna up or down and then re-position the radio itself for front-to-back adjustments of the antenna. Very cheesy.
Also, the packaging this unit comes in boasts, "high fidelity loudspeaker." Ahem....that's a pretty tough claim to make for a unit made in China with a little 1.5" speaker. Except for Bose, nobody can get any kind of fidelity from a 1.5" speaker. And, if this were Bose technology you could expect to pay a couple hundred dollars for this unit. The speaker provides, at best, the same fidelity I got from the little pocket transistor radio I listened to in 1965.
I paid $22 for mine from eBay. I would not buy one of these unless you could get it for, say, under $10.

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Etón SCORPION NSP100OR Multi-Purpose Solar Powered Digital Weather Radio (Orange) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I wanted a small portable radio for backpacking and had researched Eton's other products in the past. None of those radios had all the features I wanted. When I saw the scorpion I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a radio that would not be too heavy to carry in my overnight pack but included features such as line-in, backup cell phone usb charger, and weather alert channels.
After receving my Scorpion the other day I have used it extensivly and am very pleased with the device. It is very well built and is perfect for some music around the fire after a long day of hiking.
As far as each features are concerned. Flashlight - Decent LED flashlight. Good for finding your way around in the dark. Not my primary flashlight but its on par with every other crank flashout out there. Radio - Digital tuner is great. Picks up stations very well (I live in the middle of nowhere). Sound quality - The sound quality is what I expected. It is about the same quality as most standard clock radios. It's nothing special but I wanted a rugged radio that didnt have the hassle of making sure you have charged batteries. If sound quality and size is a top priority look for portable iPod docks such as JBL's On-Stage. It does play loud. Note: when using the line-in function the volume control on the unit does not function. Volume is controlled by external device (ipod, phone, etc).
Overall its a great portable small radio for any type of outdoor adventure. I have since used it for picnics and bbq's where larger radios are more of a hassle then what they are worth.

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Multi-Purpose Solar Powered Digital Weather Radio, Compact and Power Packed for Extreme Outdoor Condition

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Coleman StormBeam Dynamo Deluxe Flashlight With Radio and Cellphone Charger Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this flashlight for those occasions when my apt. complex loses power or the surrounding area does. It fits comfortably in my left hand, and it's very easy to crank with my right. This is important to me because I have rheumatoid arhtritis, so ease and comfort of use is essential, and I would recommend it for anyone with mild to moderate problems with their hands. The radio is quite good, drawing in many stations, which I didn't expect. I thought local stations would come in~~and that's all I hoped for~~but it's good receiving the news from other locales as well, especially during violent storms. My only criticism is that the charger doesn't fit my phone because it's a flat connection. There are several kinds of round connections, and I wish there were more than one type of the flat connector as well. Since I couldn't test its use for my cell phone, I can't make any remarks about how well this function works. The flashlight and/or radio hold a charge for quite a while, and if the light or reception runs low, it's very easy to give it a few cranks to return to bright light and good reception. I already had a small crank flashlight in my car, so now I'm glad to have one handy for the house for those unpredictal power outages. This device is easy to use, reliable, and convenient, and the price is very reasonable. I highly recommend it, with the caveat about the cell phone charger.

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