Kaito Best NOAA and SW Portable Solar/Hand Crank AM/FM, Shortwave & NOAA Weather Emergency Radio with USB Cell Phone Charger & LED Flashlight (Yellow)

Edit:(may2019) It's now broken, but I don't put that on construction of the product. I have 3 small kids, antennas don't last long. I did however get a full years use out of this, with it constantly getting bumped around and dropped in my backpack. If you want a fairly durable, high quality weather radio at a reasonable price, this is still A+ I replaced it with the larger model this time, but I didn't regret this one for a second. My only complaint I ever had was that the antenna does not drop inside, but instead tucks in at the back. (July 2018)I've had this radio a few months. It's not my first weather radio. It's not my most expensive weather radio. It may just be my favorite though. It's storming right now, and I actually have several running in my RV so I can actually hear over the rain. The sound on this radio is the clearest of the 4 I currently have. All ports and settings work. I leave it on the dashboard in my car most of the time, and I've only had to charge it twice for the maybe 60 hours I've used it in that time. We live near the gulf coast in Texas, and the weather is ridiculously unpredictable most of the time. The forecast might say no rain for a week at 10am, and thunderstorms and flash flood warnings at 10:30am. I like the brand enough that I'm buying this specific radio for both my brothers for Christmas, and upgrading to a bigger version for myself. I can't imagine never having a weather radio again after being woken up to alerts of straight line winds in excess of 50mph and severe thunderstorms while tent camping in Arkansas 2 months ago. (I was alone with 2 toddlers and a 5yo, and knowing that it was coming meant I already had the campsite packed up when it hit. We slept in the car that night) We were in the mountains, and my red(don't remember the brand) emergency radio wasn't even picking up a signal. Just static. I love that this radio fits in my purse, my backpack, my glovebox. If you travel a lot, camp, or live full time in an RV, this is by far one of the most important items to own.

I wanted a radio that would be very portable and could take power from any source available in a disaster. After reading the other reviews, I wanted to clarify the power source. Yes, it can run directly on ac wall power by using any common cheap usb wall adapter and the usb cord that comes with the radio, to save battery power. (Carry an adapter that has fold-in prongs if you don't want them to poke holes in ziplock plastic bags during transport in a storm.) No need to buy any other specific ac cords or converters. It will also run direct from an external cell phone battery pack or any device that has a usb port. You want to use the rechargeable battery that comes with it so you can take advantage of the radio's solar charger and hand crank charger. It will also use AAA batteries, regular or rechargeable, but they won't recharge using any of the added options inside the radio. Amazon also sells extra green rechargeable battery packs for this radio under $8 (March 2022). Short wave reception was increased with a clip on wire antenna (stored in a reel), that I also purchased. Good solid radio. In a disaster, communication is huge.

I had a lot of static with it at first, and thought the radio was defective. The problem was that the battery was charging with my laptop computer as the power source. When I turned on the radio, it had horrible static. I was just about to send it back, when I unplugged it from the computer, and viola, the static was gone. So, you can charge the batteries from your computer. Expect to hear static if you intend of powering it and listening to it at the same time as the computer charge. The flashlight works well. Not the brightest, but that is to be expected. The siren is loud, and the red flashing light is very small, and does not illuminate much. Not sure anyone would see it if you were in trouble. I can get one weather channel for my area. I have not tried the solar panel yet. But, all in all, the radio just fine for my emergency supplies.

It's not very often that I order something and feel like I got more than what I paid for, but this is definitely one of those cases. While this Kaito brand radio is super small, it packs a ton of features that you won't find in radios that are a lot more expensive than this one. I was initially not all that impressed upon receiving it, simply because it turned out to be way smaller than I had pictured. It's size is not much larger than my cellphone (though quite a bit thicker) and doesn't weigh much more than a cellphone. The controls are pretty cheap, but they do the job. The crank handle is extremely lightweight but is definitely more than adequate for emergencies. I had no problem picking up my local NOAA station, AM and FM stations. The shortwave receiver is not very powerful, but it's remarkable that one is even included at a sub-$20 price point. Normally, you are only going to get shortwave reception on this radio's particular band at night. Low frequencies in these bands make it pretty much useless for shortwave listening in the daytime, unless you happen to be within 100 miles of a transmitter. During the evenings it is possible to pick up broadcasts from a variety of stations such as the BBC World Service though. The tuning control on the radio is anything but precise. However, it is definitely good enough for tuning in AM, FM and NOAA without much of a struggle. Sound output is adequate as long as it is not used in an environment with a lot of background noise. Overall, this is the perfect littte device for emergencies or to carry around in your car with you in the event that you get stuck somewhere. As long as you keep in mind how little this product costs, you can't possibly be disappointed.

This little radio is just what I imagined. It is a gift for my young grandson who is going travelling, & I am very anxious about the crazy world out there. I hope this little radio with all its features will keep him safe. I think/hope he appreciates the gesture.

I love it, I added some batteries to it just so I can use it without the crank, but either way its and awesome gadget

Wonderful small radio. My son loves it and carries it where ever he goes. Very easy to use.

I bought this to track extreme weather while hiking. The size is right as is the battery system, at least in theory. The buttons are extremely small and it is easy to see how the radio could be turned on by accident in one's bag. Also, when I had drained the rechargeables by accident, the regular batteries did not provide power on the correct setting. Hmm.

I'm very happy with the radio,it's exactly what I wanted.The delivery was very fast and I recommend it .