EtonEmergency Weather Bluetooth Radio, Smartphone Charger, Alarm Clock & LED Flashlight, Dual Powered

I have both the FRX5 and the FRX5-BT (Bluetooth), and I like this radio. It is not perfect, though.First the CONS:1. Contrary to what the Eton site (http://www.etoncorp.com/en/productdisplay/frx5-bt) says, the BT models does not allow for replaceable batteries. As of today (3/6/2017) the Eton page still says "The FRX5-BT powers up in four fabulous ways—via solar panel, hand crank, built-in rechargeable lithium battery, or alkaline batteries." This is true of the regular, non-bluetooth FRX5, but not the bluetooth model. The bluetooth model does not have the battery opening on the bottom.2. Neither radio allows you to replace the rechargeable battery. This really should be a must for an expensive emergency radio. Rechargeable batteries can only be recharged a certain number of times, and some people chose to leave the radio always plugged in so it will be ready in an emergency. Sony and Midland make emergency radios with replaceable rechargeable batteries, and I wish Eton did likewise. Charge me a couple of extra dollars, but let me have a product that I know I can use for many years, and maybe even have a spare battery for!3. The buttons are small, their labels are tiny, and they are covered by the handle, making it impossible to look straight down on them. This makes them hard to ready, which would normally be a bad design idea, but given that this is an emergency product, meant to be used by people who maybe have not touched it for months or years, and are now nervous about their upcoming emergency, this is just silly. I think their idea was to protect the buttons (which are back lit, to give them some credit), but where the buttons are located, you are likely to hit them when you carry the radio by its handle. Some of the buttons serve dual purposes, and unless you have the equally hard-to-read tiny manual with you, you would never figure them out on your own. Eton: The buttons need to be larger, with easy-to-read labels, and located where you read them in an emergency situation!4. The radio's initial configuration is clunky. This is partially due to the radio's flexibility, S.A.M.E, and the different weather bands.But, it's not all bad. Check the PROS:1. It works. Once you spend the time to configure it properly, it does what it's designed to do, and signals you with different colors, sirens, or voice, depending on your choices, and if it's signaling a "watch" or a "warning," for instance.2. It is rugged, has a drop rating, and is splash proof so you can use it in a storm. All of the jacks are covered with rubber, and the buttons will resist the rain.3. The crank is solid, and can take the stress of repeated use.4. The weather band reception in my area (Channel 7) works great.5. I can turn up the volume pretty loud and still understand what the robotic NOAA warnings are saying. This is important if you are trying to listen while a storm or hurricane is in your area.I hope Eton rethinks this design, and releases a model with the same capabilities but an improved user experience. In the meantime, I am happy with this imperfect radio.

Terrific product! I'm replacing an old Freeplay Plus solar radio that finally gave up. There are lots of small (2x2x6 ish) options out there, some better than others, but the speakers are so small and the sound is tinny. This product is slightly larger, but not bulky. The speaker isn't as robust as the old Freeplay, but it still does well. It's not going to replace your Bang & Olufsen, but it's a good portable and emergency radio. The solar panel is efficient enough to keep the radio playing while it's in the sun, even if the battery is not fully charged - something the smaller and less expensive units cannot do. The crank is well located, and turns readily, providing a bit of charge in the dark or overcast. I home that I won't have to rely on the crank for an extended period, but it's there if needed. Unlike the non-Bluetooth version, this does not have a dry cell battery option.The power and band selection buttons are on the top of the unit, below the handle. That does make it somewhat difficult to read the labels on the buttons, particularly in low light. The radio tuning and volume are controlled by dials, located on at three and nine o'clock on the face of the product. That's a pretty good design, since it keeps the face of the unit flat. There's nothing sticking up from the face. There's even a recessed spot for the handle of the crank! Cool beans.Digital tuning is also a plus. Dial in the exact frequency you need - no more guessing where your station is on the printed scale!Weather alerts by siren or voice, and the option of personalizing S.A.M.E. alerts to several stored locations. Also, an LED indicates if there is a standing alert - the color of the LED corresponding to the level.

It's hard to give a very good review of a product like this without having been in a situation where I really needed it. Nevertheless, it appears to do what it is intended to and I feel better having it available. The radio works well which is the main thing. It is easy to charge using a USB outlet though I have verified that the solar panel works as well. I have briefly (i.e., not a full charge) verified that it works to charge my phone.Some things to note - these are just the nature of products like this and not negatives, in my opinion. First, the hand crank is almost useless. It will, in fact, work but is more effort than you would imagine and the handle becomes pretty uncomfortable after more than about 5 minutes. (This is somewhat irrelevant as long as you can get it into the sun for a couple of hours.) The second thing may actually be more relevant. Since products like this are typically charged up when they are not but are only used in emergencies, they frequently drain down in the interim and are not fully charged when you need them. It's important to schedule a 1-2 times per year recharge to make sure they are always ready.Overall, this is exactly what I wanted and I am happy with it.

I did a ton of research on the right emergency radio for my ultimate bug out/camping bag. This one hands down is the best on the market and that's why it's a little pricier than others. Surprisingly great sound quality too for how little and packable it is. Bluetooth was a huge plus bc now I don't need to pack my waterproof bluetooth speaker anymore. Has it all! I do wish it had a locked off setting, I've turned it on by accident a couple times but that's just me. Big battery life, so many charging options and charges the quickest campared to all other similar products. Feels durable and is even splash proof. Just fyi these aren't meant to charge your phone! It's for emergencies, so it will give you a few minutes of charge to make an emergency call.

This is not the first eton product I owned, I had used the FR160 and the Road Torq, both gave me mixed view on the eton brand; FR160's crank broke after a while, but unit continues to function normally, Road Torq has a metal crank which is a very good choice, and it works great during power outages.The FRX5BT however, does not hold up to my expectations. Been one of the top tiered radio from eton, its performance and construction contradicts with its image. On paper it seems great; Bluetooth connectivity, weather alerts, crank charging, 'rugged' construction, etc. All of the spec portraits this unit as robust and easy to use, but in reality is far from what it claims.The good:Its solar panels are really powerful; the entire backside of the unit (except the handle) is dedicated to them, and the charging speed is great. When I got the unit the battery bar was at its lowest point, but just after two days of indoor charging (one day was mainly cloudy, the second day was mostly sunny) the battery bar is full.The charging crank works smooth, and is not too loud.The ambient light (on top of the handle) and the flash light are great choices for different lighting needs, and their brightness can be adjusted, even on the lowest setting they still illuminate quite a lot of area.The S.A.M.E weather alert setting is quite extensive, and it covers a lot of areas (for US and Canada).Both AM and FM channels are working as intended, and channels can be scanned and stored.The unit can properly charge other electronics (tested on ipad Mini).Bluetooth works, but volume is quite low.The Bad:The crank felt cheap, you would think on a "rugged' radio close to $100 it would have everything as durable as possible, but in fact is not so different from the crank on a $20 unit. Eton's own Road Torq light has metal crank that is more durable than this.The unit can hardly stand straight; its bottom 'feet' are not flat, and it wobbles a lot if not placed in a very secure surface. This can be a flag indicating build quality, as its supposed 'rugged' shell has large gap on them, and is also the source of the uneven surface.There are no mechanical switches to turn the unit on/off; you have to hold the button long enough for the unit to turn off, otherwise it will be left in clock/menu mode, which could drain your battery if not careful. This design decision is also part of the 'hanging' problem that will be described in detail.The Bluetooth function seems convenient, but is in fact a really unnecessary (and often buggy) addition. The button to activate the Bluetooth is the same for switching AM/FM, and more than one time the radio would literally 'hang' itself while trying to switch past the Bluetooth option (as you have to kept pushing the button to cycle between AM/FM/Blu).While hanging none of the button would work, not even the power button, as the only option to turn the unit off is to push the reset button(which requires a pen, toothpick or any small pointy object) located inside the charge port. By doing the reset you have to readjust the clock, but somehow the channel and weather alerts were saved. Is hard to imagine someone having this problem while out there, and you just can't seems to be able to find a pointy object to reset this supposedly 'rugged' radio.The saved channels don't always tune in; one would think digital tuning would be more convenient, however more than one time the saved channels would not work as intended, even as the display changes the actual channel is still 'stuck' on the first choice.The brightness of the lights can't be remembered; every time you want to adjust the brightness you have to start all over (but holding the light button for quite a long time).Overall verdict:The FRX5BT has a nice spec sheet on paper, but is poorly executed. The Bluetooth function is really unnecessary, as the last thing you need in a emergency situation is use your radio as a speaker, and is not even a good one. The supposed 'rugged' design is just a slogan, don't expect it to survive the real rough environment. The software for channel switching is poorly tested, thus result in unit hanging and channel 'stuck'.Don't buy this unit unless you are prepared to reset it once in a while, if you have it don't forget to tape a tooth pick or pen tip to it, you will need it.A word to eton:Not sure what you are trying to do here, adding more unnecessary(and poorly tested) features in an emergency equipment is never a good idea, and the construction hardly justify the price tag. You have emergency light that is built more durable than this radio.

This emergency radio came highly recommended on a number of websites and was apparently promoted by the Red Cross. However, there are a few things few people have not addressed in their reviews that I feel others should be aware of. First, size. As is the case with many products sold online, the promotional photos make the unit look much bigger than it actually is. I was genuinely surprised at how small it was when it arrived. I guess if one is using it in a car, or for backpack use, the small size may be an asset, but pay attention to the dimensions when you order it. Second, the battery life when stored unused is very poor. Fully charged (from AC not solar) and left unused, the power was down to just a single bar in less than 5 days. For comparison, we have a much older analog battery powered cassette/radio that sat in our basement unused for 5 years, which we hauled out of storage for use after a tornado and it operated almost non-stop for 3 days and still has power remaining. I’m not sure how much power the fancy digital display draws, but this may be a factor. Finally, none of the emergency alert functions appear to work in Canada, so keep that in mind if you are hoping to take advantage of these north of the border.

Acheter pour équiper mon kit "catastrophe" ce produit est à la base une radio FM, l'alerte météo n'est valable qu'au USA et CANADA, en france écouter france bleu, france info.La charge solaire fonctionne bien à 3/4 de la batterie maxi sur 6h, attention ne fonctionne pas bien avec des velux équipé de filtre UV (un peu normal), se recharge sur manivelle, il faut tourner... ça peut dépanner. La charge s'effectue sur secteur via un adaptateur USB pour le quotidien. La lampe d'ambiance c'est ambiance.... mais suffisant en cas de nécessité car consommera peu. La lampe frontale est puissante.La batterie est de 2000mma j'ai testé la charge de mon smartphone 3000mma, il a été chargé à moitié et a laissé de la batterie de disponible, c'est bien pensé.la réception FM est bonne et le son aussi, on a 8 mémorisations avec un rétroéclairage, on a l'heure, une alarme., l'encombre est acceptable.Comme c'est un bon produit, je m'en sers pour bricoler en musique il me suit partout !Les plus :- il a le bluetooth, il fonctionne bien et on a le bouton pause- la notice est en français !Le moins :- le modèle d'avant FRX5 non BT on pouvait changer la batterie (moins puissante) Le jour où ça arrive, on retira les deux visses torx un p'tit de fer à souder et on en remettra une neuve !Pour conclure, ce produit est conçu intelligemment avec les bons compromis. A voir la durée de la batterie...Le prix est justifié au niveau qualitatif.

Der Empfang von UKW ist gut, bluetooth funktioniert. Was nicht funktioniert ist AM frequenzen in österreich und das benutzen des radios als akkupack. Liegt wohl an der fehlenden spannung für moderne handys. Wer nur ein kurbel ukw radio mit lampe sucht ist hier richtig. Wer ein all inklusiv paket will mit akkubank und sendersuchlauf sollte sich anders umschauen. Das mir gelieferte gerät hatte auch kratzer an der lampe und war nicht original verpackt. Vielleicht war es auch nur defekt. Ging natürlich wieder retour nach rückfrage beim servicecenter wie sowas sein kann. Ps.: die sos einstellungen wie wetterwarnung gehen auch nur in usa oder kanada

Would happily buy again if the manufacture introduces support for global AM/FM radio frequency standards to enable this radio to be used elsewhere besides North America. Returned item due to this feature missing.Doesn't support changing frequency stepping (50 kHz for FM and 9 kHz for AM) to allow this radio to be used in other parts of the world beyond North America. Appeared well engineered and designed, just disappointing could not tune in all radio stations due to the no feature to change the frequency stepping. This is a feature many other radio support could easily have been factored into the design as a menu option.