RunningSnail Solar Power Hand Crank Emergency AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with LED Flashlight and Cell Phone Charger

Your remote control needs them. So do toys, flashlights, wall clocks, milk frothers—even many smoke alarms. Batteries keep the juice flowing. And while our gadgets have become increasingly sophisticated, charging or swapping out their batteries is still a necessity. But not all batteries perform as promised—even those from well-known name brands. Use this guide to learn about the types of batteries that are available, and which will work best for your needs. Use lithium batteries in high-drain devices such as cameras and alkaline batteries in low-drain devices such as remote controls. If you're looking for information about batteries, Consumer Reports is your best resource. Consumer Reports’ battery reviews will give you honest advice that you can trust. Use our battery buying guide to discover which features are most important to consider. We also provide unbiased Ratings and battery reviews to help you choose the best batteries for your needs. Disposable batteries are a staple in today's world of portable electronic devices. The most widely sold type--the AA--is used in flashlights, radios, remote controls, toys, and game controllers. Battery prices range widely, and to find out whether you need to pay top dollar to keep your gadgets running, we tested 15 different brand-name batteries--both alkaline and lithium. Prices and performance range widely among AA batteries. We test disposable AAs because they are the most commonly purchased battery for household items like calculators, portable clocks, garage door openers, even your wireless mouse. To find out whether you need to pay top dollar to keep your gadgets running, we recently tested 15 different brand-name batteries—both alkaline and lithium. Our tests were designed to mimic typical usage in toys and flashlights. For toys, we simulated an hour a day of play. For flashlights, we tested the battery for 4 minutes every hour for 8 hours, and then left it alone for 16 hours. We repeated each test until the batteries were drained. The full test results on each battery model are available to subscribers. But our testing also showed a lot about how different batteries technologies perform, and that information is below. First, here's a note on shelf life: Alkaline batteries can be stored for five to 10 years; for lithium batteries, it's 10 to 15. And unlike the old carbon-zinc batteries, modern batteries don’t benefit from being refrigerated. These tips will help your batteries last longer, and make sure you stay safe. Alkaline and lithium batteries are relatively benign household items. But they do present some dangers if they're used or disposed of incorrectly. Store batteries in a cool, dry place. Each time you put in new batteries, clean the contact surfaces and battery compartments by rubbing them with a clean pencil eraser or rough cloth. Remove batteries when you don’t expect to use a device for a few months. When more than one battery is needed in a device, always use batteries of the same type, brand, and age. If a battery leaks, and its fluids make contact with your skin or get into your eye, rinse well with plenty of cold water and seek medical attention. Used batteries should be disposed of ASAP and kept out of reach of children. For information about throwing out or recycling batteries, check out call2recycle.org or earth911.com. Don’t carry or store loose batteries along with metal objects—say, in a change-filled pocket. This could short-circuit the batteries. Tote your spare batteries in a small ziplock bag. If a battery feels hot, changes color or shape, gives off an odd smell, or seems abnormal in any way while in use or in storage—don’t use it! Don’t try to recharge nonrechargeable batteries. They can explode. It’s also a bad idea to install them backwards, get them wet, expose them to fire or heat, pierce them, or strike them with a heavy object. Rechargeable lithium batteries are a greener choice than alkaline. Consider high-capacity rechargeable batteries for devices that are used a lot, such as game controllers. Rechargeable batteries of about 2,000 milliamp-hours or more work best. The initial cost is high, because you also need to buy a separate charger, but they’ll eventually save you money in devices that you use frequently.

This solar hand crank raido is perfect for a backup NOAA weather radio. We camp a lot and sometimes are battery powered NOAA radio is dead when we need it. To me the AM/FM is a bonus but my wife loves that part of it. I guess the charging other items is a must if you camp on the river or hiking but we are always close to our car to charge them.       Not only is this solar hand crank you can also charge it normally with a cord. There is two ports. An input charging port to charge the radio itself which is the USB mini port. And an export charging port to charge which is the 2.5 mm stereo port to charge other devices from the radio. COOL!    The NOAA weather and the AM/FM are tuned using a turn knob (disk) and they are easy to tune unlike other radios that if you stand in the wrong spot you get fuzz. NOT HERE! On other NOAA weather band radios you have to know what band width you need and punch it in or go through a list which sucks. On this NOAA weather band radio you just turn a disk until you hear a forecast. NICE FEATURE!    The light is only 1 watt but it is pretty bright. Brighter than you would expect from a crank light.    The radio has an indicator light so you know it's charging while cranking or in the sun.    3 to 5 minutes of cranking will give you 15 to 20 min of light or 15 to 20 minutes of music.    The thing sounds decent for such a small radio.

Would have given 5 stars, needs a little pouch for unit and wires.