RunningSnail Emergency Solar AM/FM//NOAA Weather Radio - 3W LED Flashlight, SOS Alarm & 2000MAh Power Bank for Hurricane/Storm/Earthquake/Camping/Hiking - with Emergency Blanket

My son and I have both played with the radio, for perhaps an hour each. The radio works better than expected (you do have to remember to pull the antenna out) and the flashlight is very bright. The LCD display screen is difficult to read unless you are at the right angle, but since the only thing you need it for is choosing a radio channel, it's a non-issue. The LCD display is back-lit when you touch a button, so reading it in the dark is not a problem.The crank is easy to use, better than I expected for a device of this size. We have not tested it (nor the solar panel) for charging the radio --- first we'd have to run the internal battery down [See update below].It can also use AAA batteries, which I appreciate --- I wanted a crank radio for backup, but for less extreme events, using the AAA batteries we have around the house is much nicer. I put lithium AAA batteries in it so I don't have to worry about the batteries leaking if it sits for a few years; we'd use alkaline batteries if we intended to use the radio regularly.I took one star off because the device is not obvious: There are things you need the instructions for, one of which is critical: There is a small switch on the bottom, separate from all the other controls, that chooses AAAs vs internal battery. The switch and labeling is small. The device is shipped with the switch in AAA mode (not included) and so *NOTHING* works on the radio as delivered. I unpacked it in a well-lit room and thought the radio was dead on arrival, unable to make it do anything . Cranking did nothing --- I assumed the included battery was defective. It wasn't until I read the instructions and found the switch that I figured out what was wrong.If I was trying to use this in the dark for the first time, it would have been useless. I worry about remembering the switch if it's a couple of years before I use the radio, which is why I installed the AAA batteries. The switch should be with the other controls.I would also have liked the manufacturer to state an expected lifetime for the included rechargeable battery, so I could know when the radio should be replaced.I was planning to buy a second radio for the car after using this more (I want to run down the battery to try the crank and solar panel), but haven't got around to trying it out.UPDATE 2018 July 12:Last night I ran the flashlight and radio on the rechargeable battery until the radio stopped working (141 minutes --- note that the battery was not fully charged at start, so this is not the full run time). Three and a half minutes of cranking ran the radio for 20 minutes, including a couple of minutes of playing with the flashlight.The solar panel works, even with indirect sunlight. I left it in a room with lots of windows last night intending to move it into the sun this morning. When I got around to it, several hours after sunrise, the charging light was lit and the battery had charged noticeably despite not being in direct sunlight.The phone charger works. The instructions indicate that this is for brief, emergency use only, so I used it only long enough to make sure it did in fact work.I'm happy with the radio --- it would be five stars if it was obvious how to turn it on.I bought this radio for $US 24.90 on 2018 June 16. On 2018 July 07 Amazon offered me a $3 gift card for writing a review of the radio.

Sub-par design and questionable weather proofing. While the feature list is sound, the design is terrible for its price.The rubber flap cover for USB/power ports is thin and soft, making both durability and water protection questionable. The battery cover for AAA x3 compartment attempts to fit its non-elastic plastic self to the non-elastic plastic chassis as close as possible, making it hard to open, prone to wear, and a lousy water proofing besides.The plastic loop at the end isn't suitable as a belt clip, and the flat, nearly rectangular shaped opening plus its inward opening means it's only useful for hanging on cloth line and string/thin rope. (Who the heck has cloth line in U.S. anyway?) The only way it can hang on a (thin) branch or something is to go from the very end of the branch, since, again, the spring closed ring opens inward--no rope much wider than 1/4 in is getting in there.The unit requires the user to manually select use of the built-in battery or the AAA x3 the user can install. Same for using the internal battery for charging external USB device. However, these little switches are on the bottom of the unit, and have no lighting; a silly oversight for a device whose primary function is to PROVIDE LIGHT during darkened emergency times.The manufacturer also chose an incorrect hand crank part; when opened, it is too flush to the side, making it awkward to hold the unit and rotate the crank shaft without hitting fingers.This product is barely more than prototype slapped together from an afternoon visit to Shenzhen's electronic parts district; a group of college students taking their first engineering course can come up with a better design.Not worth $25.

Haven't had a chance to use the weather alert alarm yet or test the water resistance, but all other functions are working great. I really like the multiple power source options including the option to use AA batteries, the radio picks up AM/FM signals well and is definitely loud enough, and the flashlight is bright enough for normal use.

This is the perfect item to keep in your go bag and have ready for any emergency situation. The handcrank allows you to change the unit for flashlight or radio use when the power is out. The light was bright and I was able to receive local radio stations and weather with the antennae extended. Worth the money for some piece of mind.

Wonderful multi-use tool for communication survival. The only major downside is that the charger port is not "weatherproof" and the device does not seem durable.

This is the 3rd one I ordered and they all work great. Its a radio, charger and bright flashlight all in one that can be powered by crank, solar lithium or regular batteries!

No negatives to this so far, does everything as advertised! Perhaps the only negative was it took me a while to find the updated model!

it works