Eton FR 160

I recently purchased the Eton FR 160 after looking over a bunch of other reviews, and purchasing one for a family member. After playing with theirs, it didn't take long to decide I wanted one as well.

The 160 comes in a number of bright colors, as well as the standard black and white. Weighing in at 8.5 oz, it's very portable, and will fit in some pockets (5.25" x 2.5" x 1.75"), but may be better in a small grab bag.

With a short amount of cranking (under 1 minute) the light seems to last for several minutes, and the radio gives a bit more. The LEDs are bright enough for small tasks, and the crank handle is easy to use. Apparently there is a limit to how fast you can crank, and anything over that is just wasted effort.

As for the radio, the quality is not great, but it seems to pick up well. It does have to have a decent charge to have sufficient volume, but will be clear enough to understand. In all my uses in Alaska so far, I've been able to find one of the 7 stations to be functional for the Weather, and plenty of FM/AM stations it will pickup. It does sound a bit robotic, but that's sort of to be expected of a radio this size. It also has an earphone jack if you prefer to listen that way.

Another nice thing about this radio is the USB port for charging. New to this version is a switch that allows you to divert all power to the charging, and I found with a rate of 1-2 cycles per second of the handle, my phone started picking up the charge. It does take several minutes of charging to get a dead phone back to life (for a short call), but when you don't have any other options, it's a good way to go. You will need to find a USB cord that has the right adapter for your phone, but that shouldn't be too difficult for under $10-$15. My phone (Motorola RAZR) also happens to fit the USB cord that came with my Playstation 3 for charging the controllers, so in that case it was an easy match.

In addition to the charging handle, this unit also has a Solar panel on top, for a little passive charging. Leaving it out during the day should provide a full charge.

One downside to this unit is the lack of plug in capability, and no changeable batteries, so recharging this little unit is limited to the Sun and you cranking it.

Overall, for a $30-$35 price tag, this is a good all around emergency radio/light/charger, and is well worth the money. Also, if you check from time to time on Amazon (link above), I've been able to find these guys for as little as $18, with Free Shipping, so keep checking and you should be able to get a good deal. It would fit well for excursions, and provides some additional entertainment and weather when away from the Grid. I plan on taking it Hunting this fall, and am looking forward to having it along.

Definitely Recommended.

Just wished it used AA batteries for every day use. Cranking it is a pain in the but and Never seem to get around to plugging it in to the computer to charge it up.