Eton FR400 Hand Crank Radio and Power Generator (Silver)
by Eton
|
List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Eton FR400 Hand Crank Radio and Power Generator (Silver)
Customer Review: FR400 Emergency Radio
Summary: 3 Stars
The radio has one very annoying feature. When set to receive NOAA Weather alerts it will receive them but then continue playing NOAA weather reports for a wide area. When I purchased this radio I did not know about SAME technology which limits the alerts to a much smaller area in your vacinity. If you live in an area with a lot of alerts as I do in Florida then getting a radio with SAME technology will keep you from being unnecessarily awakened in the night. Go to the NOAA web site for a description of SAME. All other functions of the radio seem to work as advertised.Customer Review: broke down too fast
Summary: 3 Stars
radio features are good. however after only a few months the on-off switch no longer works properly and radio can now only be used on crank or battery -- not plug-in so I'm not sure that the alert works.
Myself, I prefer products that are going to last several years with ordinary use.
Customer Review: Not a good quality product
Summary: 2 Stars
I purchased this radio about year and a half ago to use on my desk at the office and in power outages. I cannot recommend it.
SOUND QUALITY LOW - So far, I have only used it at the office. For the relatively low price, I expected that the sound quality would not be that great (since its of course an emergency / portable radio). It is not great but not bad for the size and price of the radio. As another reviewer mentioned, this is a radio designed for things other than high quality sound. (Think AM station quality and you'll have the right idea).
ANTENNA BROKEN - What is more bothersome is that, even though it hasn't left my office and has only seen limited use, the antenna has already broken off.
POWER CORD/ATTACHMENT - The power cuts out because the AC attachment won't stay connected properly (the charging light keeps cutting out until you adjust the cord, then it comes loose and the AC cuts out again...over and over).
TUNING DIAL - The tuning dial seems to be difficult to turn now, again even after just limited, indoor use. It turns a little, then gets difficult to turn and you have to play with it to get it to turn further.
PORTABILITY - This radio comes with a rather nice canvas bag with a shoulder strap, which I have not used but like. Its a little too snug for the radio but is convenient and looks a little like Spock's tri-corder on the old Star Trek. So for portability this radio is a good option (if its working).
POWER OUTAGE - The power crank and other buttons on the radio are well-designed and have certainly met my expectations. A few winds and you can listen without a cord.
If not for the design problems mentioned above, I actually would like this radio a lot. Basically the radio is just not durable - at least not the one that I received. I would have expected it to break if I abused it or used it in harsh conditions, but that has not been the case; it hasn't seen that much use.
I have since purchased another radio, Radiosophy (sp?), which I like very much so far (in fact, I like it so much, I use it at home). It has HD and preset buttons (which this radio does not have, causing me to spend too much time turning the now failing tuning dial). But unfortunately, although it is small it is not as portable, which this one clearly is. It also does not have the crank feature for power outages - but its not intended for that purpose.
I'm going to get another radio for emergencies. But I keep seeing Eton radios and the only other one I have found is Freeplay, which I will research next. My father has a Freeplay radio with a solar panel and crank and likes it but it is an older model and is not as portable (though he does take it outside and use it without a power cord). I should add that I am still trying and researching these radios (radiosophy and freeplay respectively); so I can't say much else about them yet.
If you want a portable radio and don't want to spend much, you can get this one (the FR400 or similar) and maybe your experience will be better than mine. Otherwise, you may want to search for a better radio and consider spending a little more.
I'd write more but I see that the power cord is loose again... Good luck to you.
Customer Review: We returned it!
Summary: 2 Stars
We returned this Eton radio because it takes an unbelievable amount of cranking -- about 10 minutes per hour of use! Not a problem if you plan to use it plugged in or just for emergencies; but we've lived in a home with no electricity for 30+ years so this is an important feature. Eton was fine in handling the exchange/return of product/money. We now are happy with a Freeplay radio we ordered from amazon.com which plays several hours for much much less cranking than this one required per hour.Customer Review: Much of the specifications are exaggeration from the truth
Summary: 1 Stars
If the manufacturer didn't lie in the product specification, I would give the radio a 3-star.
As oppose to the manufacturer's specification, this radio:
1) is NOT water proof. This becomes pretty apparent, once you hold a unit in your own hands;
2) does NOT include any cell phone charger connector;
3) does NOT have a really sturdy build. This becomes pretty apparent, once you hold a unit in your own hands.
Also, the FM radio receiver is very crappy. I frankly don't understand why the manufacturer didn't bother to install a decent FM radio receiver, which shouldn't be too much to ask in these days.