Life Gear LGTF38 LED Flashlight with LED Reading Lamp, NOAA Emergency AM/FM Radio with Alert and Weatherband Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this for my mother initially after a storm knocked out the power and we had tornados in the area. She had neither a battery-powered radio nor a functional weather radio (her house has a large hill blocking all the National Weather Service signals from reaching her).

It is rather nice in that it includes a lot of features that are handy.

1. It has a plug for a cellphone charger. At least at this time, you can order a charger plug for many different cellphones directly from the website and just pay shipping (around $5) so that you can charge your cellphone off of the hand crank. Very good idea.
2. There is an LED flashlight on the front and an LED area light that flips up from the side. These are not going to blind anyone, but they will adequately light up a room or help you navigate through a dark house.
3. The FM/AM/Weather radio is functional and adequate for the intended purpose.
4. It has a build-in clock and alarm. Unfortunately, the alarm on/off button is located on the top of the unit and will easily get bumped such that you are turning on/off the alarm accidentally any time you reach for the device.
5. It includes the rechargeable battery in the package, and it will also run off of regular batteries. The hand crank can be used to charge the rechargeable battery or you can charge from a wall plug, also included.
6. It is not a heavy device and would be very easy to carry around. It does have an included carry handle that flips up from the side opposite the lamp. Unfortunately, it's not that robustly built, either, and wouldn't survive a lot of abuse.
7. There is a built-in hazard alarm/light, but it's of dubious usefulness. As mentioned above, the flashlight is not very strong (though adequate for a flashlight), but it is flashed on-and-off with the alarm and likely wouldn't be spotted all that far away unless in pitch black darkness. It also plays an alarm noise over the built-in radio speaker, but again, the speaker isn't very loud. You could easily talk over this and carry on a conversation without yelling with this alarm going off. You'd be better off just yelling.

Overall, this a great emergency utility that should be in anyone's kit at home or in the car trunk. The hand crank can help make up for not having fresh batteries in or having forgotten to charge it with the wall plug.I'm so impressed with this unit overall that I'm investigating Life Gear's other devices. This is great for Tornado Alley residents, coastal folks who are subject to hurricanes, earthquakes, or even blizzards. I can't think of any natural disaster this wouldn't be at least somewhat helpful in.

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Product Description:
3 super-bright LEDs flashlight4 LED reading or map lampCell phone charger NOAA emergency radio with alert AM/FM and weatherbandAlarm clockEmergency signal flashers and siren3 power options: crank AC or DC

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Life Gear PSDNOA05 6-in-1 Personal Safety Device with NOAA Alert (Color Varies) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have likely the prior model of this, which doesn't have the 3AAA battery feature.Purchased sometime in 2005 or 2006, and first used in Hurricane Ike in 2008 in citywide blackout.

The crank-power requires a lot of cranking, and the light shuts off rapidly. Very good white light.Radio is mediocre, as I was able to receive better reception using my high quality tiny radio.

Compass was worthless.And cell adapter requires a shipping charge(with shipping charges involved).

I'm going to keep this in my car, so I don't have to change batteries often.

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Product Description:
Features NOAA alert weatherband AM/FM radio cell phone charger emergency flashers and siren Super bright .5 watt LED flashlight2 super bright red emergency LED flashersNOAA alert AM/FM and weatherband radioEmergency sirenCrank provides power no batteries necessaryDC power

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Kaito Emergency Radio with LED Flashlight, KA011 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This radio is about what I expected and wanted. It is by no means a fancy unit. The case seems relatively cheap and fragile. However, it does what I want and I am satisfied. The white LED is not, of course, as bright as a 'real' flashlight, but it works for me. The tuning is analog and so-so, but again works OK. I don't understand the power selection switch: Batt, Dyn, Solar. Seems like the radio should be smart enough to handle the power source automatically. Maybe a switch to disable the batts from being used unless you really want to would be logical. Overall, I like it.

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Product Description:
Stay prepared and informed with the KA 011 from KAITO. If the power goes out and batteries aren't available, the KA 011 can function for up to an hour with only two minutes of hand cranking or an hour's exposure under direct sunlight Its built-in generator means that even in the most desperate situations, you'll still have access to local news and information--as well as to news from around the world. The unit's digital tuning receives AM, FM, SW 1-4,plus it comes with a super bright LED flashlight, which will become handy in a power outage.

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Innovage Outdoor AM/FM Emergency Battery Free Crank Radio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Do not buy this radio.The hand crank option failed to work on the one I purchased, which would seem to defeat the purpose of owning it.In addition, it is impossible to contact the manufacturer regarding a replacement.This is the second problem I have had with products from this company, as I also purchased a flashlight that did not work.Avoid Innovage Outdoor.

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Product Description:
The Innovage Outdoor battery-free crank radio is the ultimate necessity in almost every household. Durably built for everyday use, this self-powered marvel is ideal for use in emergencies like power blackouts, hurricanes, earthquakes, and more. Lightweight and portable, it's also a handy companion for outdoor trips like camping and hiking.

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Freeplay Energy Eyemax WB 2009 Self-Sufficient AM/FM/Weatherband Radio, iPod/mp3 dock and LED Flashlight (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)We purchased this radio after trying the CC Observer, probably its closest contender.I wanted a crank-type emergency radio with weather band that I would want to use everyday at home or work.

The CC Observer had great reception for AM and FM, but the sound was tinny and when the volume was increased, the speaker distorted much quicker than I thought it should.These were not deal breakers, though.However, what was a deal breaker were the non-adjustable weather station settings, as the one we received was slightly mistuned and gave us a very distorted, but solid, reception.C Crane told me to return it and that there was no way to adjust that setting.

Not wanting to take a risk on another, we bought this radio.When it came in, I immediately raised the antenna and a portion of the antenna popped off, along with two copper contacts.I put them back together and more gently pulled and again it came off.So I put it back together and left it alone, trying the other functions.

The crank is solid and seems to give a good return on energy spent.If you read other reviews, it is this crank mechanism that people think is best about Freeplay items--it has the highest efficiency of energy conversion and it is the most durable of any available.The Freeplay website says you can get one hour of radio from one minute of winding, and I have achieved almost double this at half full volume with one minute of very fast (and hard) winding (160+ turns in one minute).

It has a fully adjustable, separate dial for weather, that easily received our station clearly, despite the initial antenna problem.Likewise, AM and FM came through strongly, but with less discrimination of stations than the CC Observer had (there was more bleed through of adjacent stations with the Freeplay Eyemax WB 2009).Also, there was more noticeable drift just before the battery died than with the CC Observer.That said, all stations sounded much better with the WB 2009 and the speaker didn't distort anything like the CC Observer did, probably because the speaker is fairly larger in the Eyemax.Additionally, reception was similar, but not as good, as the CC Observer on both AM and FM.I had no trouble getting an AM station from 250 miles away, but it had a bit added noise, despite physically turning the radio to its best reception.

There is a button on the back that immediately makes the weather tuner override the AM/FM tuner.Since these are tuned separately (as with the CC Observer), you immediately are returned to the AM/FM station you were listening to when pressing the button again.Both companies seem to have considered the convenience of the listener.

The flashlight puts out a meager light, but it works and you can read from it.Bizarrely, you turn it on by pressing the bulb.

There is no handle for the radio, in part, because they have a solar cell on top that would be blocked.The solar cell does work and helps make the radio last longer, but it's not providing the sort of current the crank can.I would much rather have a strap or handle or at least the option to put one there.This could be a deal-breaker for some, as winding the radio is more difficult.It's probably best for people with smaller hands to crank this pressing down on the radio at the edge of a table.

The dials for volume and the AM/FM tuner seem to turn the opposite way from what I would expect.Turning the tuner dial upward makes the tuner selector go downward.This is probably just a quirk of style, but it catches you.

I don't like that there is no headphone jack, but there are ports for an inbound mini-USB connection and another for an external charger.The former port allows one to hook up their cell phone or iPod to play music on this radio, using it as an external speaker.Although I know some people would use this, I think a much more practical thing would be a simple headphone jack for an emergency radio.After all, if someone is trying to minimize power usage on the radio under conditions which will otherwise require a lot of cranking, a headphone would cut out the need to power the relatively large speaker.Also, it would allow usage in situations in which audible sound may not be useful, as when others are sleeping.This is something the CC Observer did right.Fortunately, the sound is reasonable enough that you'd feel okay with playing it for a room at work or home all the time.

You are probably wondering what we did with the radio, since it arrived defective.Well, I called Freeplay to get a replacement antenna and they said they would immediately send a replacement radio instead RMAing the one I had.I agreed to do this, as my time with this defective unit was more than enough to let me feel comfortable that the replacement would properly work for my location.One thing I miss is that the CC Observer had a cell phone charger, but it appeared other people had found their own issues with that when looking at reviews.I guess I'll look for something separate to complement the Eyemax.

Both radios are good units, but the Freeplay Eyemax WB 2009 won me over based on sound quality.

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Product Description:
Rechargeable Ni-MH battery built in; Solar Panel; Built in crank; Receives US government (NOAA) and Canadian government (MSC) weather; High-performance speaker; Line-in and cable for iPod/mp3 players; LED flashlight

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SolaDyne Radio and Flashlight Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The main aspects of this product's design that I found impressive were:
1) The plastic lens in the flashlight focuses the beams of the three LEDs so that they converge into a single bright spot, no matter whether the objects to be illuminated are one foot away or across the room.
2) The built-in NiMH battery is user-replaceable (although locating a replacement may be somewhat of a challenge, as it is a miniature battery pack similar to what would be found in a cordless phone).
3) Standard, commonly used connectors are used throughout: the 4.5 volt "cell phone charger" output comes out of a 3/32 jack (tip positive) that the supplied phone charger cord plugs into; the 5-6V DC charger input comes in through a mini-USB connector.An adapter is supplied that converts the mini-USB input to a miniature coaxial power connector (center positive), allowing the flashlight to be charged from a "wall wart" or cigarette lighter adapter, provided that its output is 6V.

The radio is intended to receive local stations.Do not expect to do any extreme DXing with it or to pull in distant stations that are next door on the dial to nearby stations (the selectivity is mediocre on both bands, and on FM, the tuner's AFC will jump onto the stronger signal).If you want to enjoy music in stereo, get a Walkman (the radio is mono, although the headphone jack has been wired so that it can be used with stereo headphones or earbuds).These characteristics make the radio best suited to an emergency preparedness kit, for the purposes of hearing weather bulletins or other information.If you take this product camping in remote areas, you may find that the only stations you can hear reliably are 50,000 watt clear-channel AM stations after sunset (at least if you are in North America).

Things started to go awry with the radio about two months after I bought this product.The audio from the built-in speaker would ocassionally cut out.I opened the radio and discovered that the problem was due to a poorly soldered connection to the headphone jack.This was fixed by reflowing the solder with a pencil iron.I was also able to greatly improve the sensitivity at the high end of the AM dial by tweaking a trimmer capacitor.I was pleasantly surprised by the serviceability of this design (I thought that serviceable products were a thing of the past), but this does not make up for the fact that the quality of the soldering and of the tuner alignment were lousy.

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Product Description:
This radio and flashlight offer reliable light and radio without the need to constantly replace the batteries.It gets its power through solar energy and dynamo technology.

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Energizer Weather Ready LED Crank Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a great flashlight to have around the house.With Southern California's history of earthquakes and rolling blackouts, I have the security of knowing we have a spare flashlight that won't require keeping track of spare batteries.Perfect for late dog walks, looking behind the washer/drier, or replacing a lightbulb in the garage.Moreover, those batteries don't have to be recycled.And it takes just a few quick cranks to power the light for several minutes.

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Product Description:
Energizer Weather Ready Crank Light never needs batteries. With 3 bright Nichia LEDs you have 42 lumens of light, and powered by NiMH rechargeable batteries. Runtime varies with cranking time; 1 minute of winding provides 9 minutes of light and 5 minutes of winding provides 30 minutes of light. The focused lens will get you a direct spot of needed light and contoured grip provides handling assistance. A lifetime guarantee on the LED bulb gives you a sure light companion.

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eGear Dynamo Weatherband/AM/FM Radio with 3LED Light (Yellow) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a great item to have for emergencies.We live in an area that has ice storms, and tornadoes frequently, and the power usually goes out.This is great so that we can still see and listen to what is going on.

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Product Description:
Environmentally Friendly Dynamo Weather Band AM/FM Radio with 3LED Pivoting Spotlight. Winding Action provides power for the Dynamo Generator to charge the 4 internal Ni-MHz Batteries. Weather Band covers 7 NOAA Channels with Emergency Alert Standby mode. NOAA broadcasts are instant, accurate comprehensive and tailored to meet the needs of your local area in case of an Emergency or Weather related Event. The AM/FM channels keep you in touch with your local stations. Features include a 3 LED pivoting spotlight with flash function for emergency use, charges most cell phones, and equipped with a standard USB port that can connect to input or output sources freely. Essential to keep on hand for Emergencies or great for Camping, Hunting or anywhere power is not easily available. Radio weighs 15.2oz and is 6.5" x 4.3" x 2.8"

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