Review on 🆘 Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Weather Radio - Reliable Power, SOS Flashlight, Dog Whistle, NOAA Weather Scan & Alert (Red/Black) by Jim Velasco

After the recent crazy storms as well as ridiculous power outages that no one seemed to want to fix before the court order, I decided to up my game and get some better prepared. This radio is just a small step in my planning, but it's pretty cool. An emergency radio is only good if it works when you really need it. And that's the beauty of it - this radio is very useful even when there are no emergencies in sight. First, it's a rechargeable LED flashlight. It's bright, and since it's an LED, the battery can power it for many, many hours. Good. I can use it when walking the dog in my neighborhood or checking under the dishwasher for an annoying intermittent leak. Second, it is a cell phone charger. I can use this at work when I need a little extra power in the field. Again, this is something I can use often. And there's a super bonus: it's an AM/FM/weather radio with a digital tuner. They sound good and pick up a good signal thanks to a decent antenna. Yes, I almost forgot: This is a watch. Not an alarm clock, but an ordinary digital clock. (Alarm clock and WWV-B time sync would be a nice and easy addition to the next issue) Then the best part: It's great for emergencies, even if you've had no power for a week: - It's solar powered and it even shows you if solar powered by LEDs. It is charged with a crank when or where the sun is not shining. It can also be charged with almost any cell phone charger. Even though I never have to use it in an emergency, I know it will still find many good uses. About the battery: Yes, it has a good size rechargeable lithium battery inside, which is conceptually similar to a mobile phone rechargeable battery. I suspect the battery will last for many years (it will have far fewer battery cycles than my iPhone) and the battery is user replaceable. The battery appears to have a proprietary connector, but a replacement appears to be inexpensive and available from multiple retailers. I think Midland wanted a "gift that will continue to generate revenue" but I would just use a standard "18650" battery and mount that makes it more useful and easy to use. All this to say that I suspect I'll never need to replace the battery. Size: This thing is about the size of four packets of butter.