RunningSnail Hand Crank Emergency Radio with 3 Built-in Cable for Hurricane

Living in Houston, I have owned several weather radios in this price range over the years. This radio is my favorite. I like the fact that you can re-charge it easily with AAA batteries (not included). I have found that re-charging with a hand-crank is too slow. Solar re-charging works well on most devices if you keep the device stored on a windowsill for the year so that it is fully charged during a weather event. Having the option to use three AAA batteries is great because the radio can be ready to use immediately. Another feature that I like is that no screwdriver is needed in order to open the compartment in order to change-out the batteries. This is important when evacuating and also when the power goes out. During Hurricane Ike, I evacuated to a friend's home. The storm made landfall around midnight or so. In the dark, it is hard to find anything, so it's good to be ready before the lights go out. I can remember lying in bed alone listening to my friend's radio (not this radio) in the dark as the NOAA forecaster reported the progress of the surge up through Galveston Bay and into the bayous, lakes, and streams inland. It was so helpful to know exactly what was happening to the area in which I lived. My friend's radio was a very expensive radio, and the main difference between her radio and this radio seems to be the reception. Hers ran all night with no interruption with reception. With this radio, I do have to turn the radio off and then back on if I lose reception to the channel. A really expensive weather radio would probably have better reception if you want to listen non-stop. For my needs, however, this radio is excellent and is the best that I have owned in its price range.

Big Drive in movie addict here. We hit it on average once a week from opening weekend till last weekend. This being said I have been brutally harsh on my car batteries and alternators, 4 in eight years. Well the voice of reason came whispering in my ear and said "hey maybe you should get a radio instead of using the car". Brilliant! until I went looking for one, months and months of searching. Boom boxes or portable music players searched, nope they all need "D" batteries and I'm so not dealing with that. related searches gave me other types to look at. Sports radios had the right battery size but seemed too small and perhaps not the best for movie sound? Radio search turned up some decent ones and I knew the sound would be right as I have one of those in my garage, they had the right size battery too, so what is stopping me? Do I ready want to deal with yet another device that needs batteries, probably weekly or even bi weekly with my usage, answer not really. Sigh so month after month I peek in and see if anything catches my fancy until one week this little guy pop's up. Hum right batteries, right speakers, solar powered - sweet, manual hand crank - super sweet. Forward to first try, at drive in had been solar charging all week. Turn it on and it's perfect sound is great made it through 2 movies without an issue. Second week, we get there and it doesn't turn on, no no no! I realize it was already in the on position "sorry mom I wanted to see how it worked" comes my youngest. It's okay honey we're just going to have to manual crank it (I had forgotten to stash some extra batteries in the car. So for 30 min we are cranking and passing as we get tired. it worked though almost got through the first movie before it started to die. the sound get softer and softer. However I was able to crank it as we watched and it worked very well.

Had this for a month now and use it daily while in my garage exercising. Positives - Unit comes fully charged so I could test everything right out of the box. All of the unit's radio functions work well - NOAA, FM and AM all come in very clear and are easy to hear. Flashlight, SOS and reading light all work well. I put in AAA batteries - again, everything works as advertised. I HAVE NOT used this unit to charge a cell phone so cannot speak about it's function. I've recharged the radio and had no issues in regards to holding the handle or the radio. I don't try to turn it as fast as possible but maintain a steady speed while turning. The guide says 1 minute of charge equals 10 minutes of radio and that's about right. Negatives - the radio dials are small and the tuning dial is very sensitive - perhaps in an area with fewer radio stations available, it wouldn't be as much of an issue but where I live, the radio stations seem to be right next to each other and it is sometimes difficult to get the exact one I want. I just take my time and tune s-l-o-w-l-y. When the radio arrived, there was a chemical smell which I associated with the green rubberized case. I keep the radio in my garage on a shelf and as time has passed, the smell has lessened but not fully dissipated. Don't know if the smell would transfer if the radio was put in a backpack or other closed container. The smell isn't a deal breaker for me but something a buyer needs to be aware of. This is a good little radio that I'm glad I bought. In hindsight, it may have been a good idea to spend the extra money and buy the unit with shortwave listening capabilities as well.

WORKS WELL, GOOD QUALITY

Best radio I have ever owned. 1 radio. 3 frequency bands (AM/FM/NOAA) 2 Lights (read or area light + focusing flashlight) 4 power sources (solar, hand crank, USB + 3 "AAA" batteries) 1 Emergency Alert (loud warbling siren + flashing red light) 1 Lanyard with carabiner I live in an area so far removed from the radio signals of a big town that my zip code is EIEIO. And the one radio station I really enjoy doesn't stream its signal on the internet. If I listen to this station it has to be on my big apartment stereo which is not portable and can't be tuned or the volume adjusted from my bedroom or in the kitchen or where have you. If I try to listen to this station on my cheap old crummy little am/fm battery powered portable with just barely decent reception, I always have to be conscious of the batteries running out of juice. This little green Running Snail radio is the best radio I have ever owned. Not because of the fact it does so many things; it can illuminate my way to the bathroom at night, serve as a light for my keyboard at night when surfing the net, I can read by it, it can focus its beam to act as a narrow beam light or boaden the illumination to see an entire room, and not only because it gives great, clear radio reception (with a pull-out telescoping antenna), and not only because it is loud enough to be heard in any part if my small apartment and not only because it was so affordable (however, if it was any more expensive than $25, I would have gone with a different model), but it is the perfect emergency or survival kit or prepper kit or everyday or car trunk stashed away radio because if the alarm feature, but because if the 3 AAA batteries die, or the USB powered internal lion battery loses juice, I can crank it to life and not only see in the dark and hear the NOAA weather it am/fm stations or power up a cell phone or other small USB device, but as long as the sun shines in the sky I WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABIUT BATTERY POWER. So, in the 24 hours, I have had it, I have carried it around with me just playing with the various functions and capabilities. And despite everything else I have said about how much I like this little thing, the one thought that keeps occurring to me is that I DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WASTING BATTERY POWER!!! And that just tickles the hell out of me!!! The only and I mean, THE ONLY drawback to this radio is that it has no earphone or headphone jack. But that is a small complaint when considered in the overall context of everything else it does so well. I have spent twice the amount on radios which were not as capable. I have spent three times as much on things that were not as important to me in a potential emergency situation. If the power were to go out due to a winter storm, and the stores ran out of batteries, I would never be without lights and radio and cell phone communication. For $25 bucks? Best radio I have ever owned. And after I assessed it's quality I immediately ordered one for a dear relative. Do not hesitate to get this radio. Smartest $25 you can spend. Update: I added a small USB powered flashlight and using the light's small carabiner hook, slung it on the radio's lanyard so that I can see the radio tuning dial in the dark. And because it's detachable, the light is handy when you need to venture away from the radio at night. I use a rubber band to secure the light to the radio to keep it from flopping around. I was lucky to buy a mini flashlight with a green barrel to match the radio's color for just a couple of bucks! 5MM Mini-Torch 0.3W 25Lum USB Rechargeable LED Torch Lamp Flashlight Keychain (300mA Lithium Battery),Tuscom (Black) Item model number : CYT72370809 But since then I have bought six of these lights, so buying multiples would likely be what I'd do if I were to recommend it to you. And buying six at a time would probably increase your chance of getting a green one in the bunch, if color coordination is important to you. And the beauty of it is that you can use the radio's USB power port to recharge the flashlight! If Running Snail added this type of flashlight and figured out a way to mount it on the radio so it looks neat and wont get in the way of any function or flop around, I bet they could boost the sales of the new radio as high as the original version! After four years, I'm still delighted with this radio.

Handy when the power goes out. And yes, you can charge your phone with the hand crank or solar. Seems solid enough.

I am something of a semi-serious collector of emergency survival gear and I can say with some confidence that, so far, this little item is one of my favorite purchases. Its hard to really describe how nice this thing really is without getting to play with it in person, but I'll give it a shot and break down the features one by one: 1) First and foremost, as a radio, this guy works great. The volume and sound quality is strong for a speaker of this size. It does AM/FM and Weather radio with no problem. The dials might not be as easy to use a digital readout, they are more than adequate. 2) The antenna on this thing does indeed fit completely inside the body of the radio and can be pulled out and extended to improve reception a bit. However, it will easily pickup most signals with the antenna safely tucked away inside the body. 3) The flashlight is fairly decent; you can light up a hallway or room no problem. Having some experience with flashlights, I would say its probably 15-20 lumens. You can focus the beam a bit, but it doesn't really improve it that much, might get a bit more distance out of it when focused. 4) The floodlight is great though. If you set it in the corner of the room, it will provide more than enough light to see what you are doing. Would work very well as a reading light, though I haven't used it for that yet. 5) The solar panel does work, but I wouldn't count on it to charge the internal battery significantly in anything but the brightest direct sunlight. Probably most useful in the sense it counteracts the natural battery drain if you leave this out in the light every day. 6) You can switch between the internal Lithium-ion battery and 3 AAAs with the switch on the front. There's also a switch on the bottom to toggle the internal battery between normal and charging modes for charging your devices. Would definitely allow you to maintain function while you recharge the internal battery. Just remember to flip one AAA upside down if you leave them in all the time to prevent drainage. 7) Bottom switch also toggles the emergency alarm. Alarm is fairly loud, though not incredibly so. Still, realistically, its pretty hard to yell continuously for help for hours, so could come in very handy in specific situations. 8) The hand crank for charging the internal battery is actually quite nice. It feels fairly sturdy and is pretty comfortable to use. Just make sure you hold the body of the radio at a good angle while cranking to avoid straining your wrist. I hope I don't ever have to try it, but I would estimate that it would take 30-45 minutes of cranking at 100-120 rpms to fully charge the internal battery. 9) You can indeed charge devices from the internal battery. I was able to charge my Galaxy Note 4 from 0% to 36% with a fully charged battery. So, probably not going to use it as a primary charger, but in an emergency, it could be your only source of power. Also gives you at least a reliable option for charging if you don't have enough light for solar power. 10) The overall build quality of this little guy is great and it feels sturdy enough to get banged around a bit. The plastic has a slightly rubberized feel, so it easy to keep a grip on. I can't speak to whether or not its actually waterproof, but at the very least its probably water resistant. Overall, this is a great value for its price. Something I have to stress here is that while this thing will definitely prove useful as a radio, in a true emergency, its most critical function is as a renewable source of light and power. Even in the highest quality flashlights or powerbanks, batteries will only last for so long and if you are faced with the prospect of no power for weeks at time, eventually they will run dry. In that scenario, having something like this that can reliably provide a small amount of renewable light and electricity for as long as the internal mechanisms keep working could make an enormous difference. For the same reason, it would definitely work nicely for camping, especially if you are going to be out in the woods for awhile. Just remember that something is always better than nothing, especially when nothing is all that you have.

Ok for emergencies. Here are my impressions: 1. Radio For the money: Sensitivity is good. Reception is good. Sound quality is very good. Antenna a bit flimsy, but its ok. I like how it hides inside of the unit. Therefore, the main function (radio) - very good for the money. Five stars. 2. Emergency charging The hand cranker works good, the solar charge - appear to be working. The regular charging works. The light indicators work well. Therefore, the secondary function (emergency charging) - good for the money. Five stars. 3. Auxiliary function The head lamp works good. Now about the cons: The flipper lantern - worked only for just about 15 minutes and then went broke. :( Just about three open/close circles were enough to did it in. I entertained the idea of sending the handicapped unit back to Amazon, but decided not to, because main functions work well Therefore the auxiliary function (the lights) - two stars. Overall it is a nice product. But the speed with which things began to go broke on me, cause no confidence in the unit. I am asking myself - what else will brake next and when ? :( Therefore just three stars from me.

Compact and price is ok. Very easy to use. Ready for any circumstances

Great product! Getting ready for power blackouts is really easy with this item. Would recommend everyone buys one of these. Also gives you light! No candles required.

Excelente y trabaja bien con pilas o cargándolo,

Fantastic little Emergency kit. I would definitely recommend to ad this to your emergency kit.

Every household should have one of these at a bare minimum. Does radio, phone charging and flash lights all power by the crank, solar charger or batteries.