Review on KITPIPI Emergency Solar Hand Crank Radio 2021: Upgraded Portable Weather Radio with Power Bank, SOS Alarm & Flashlight by Daniel Russell

Advantages: - Has 2 power sources (internal battery and 3 AAA batteries). I like the ability to use AAA batteries in case the internal battery dies. Also on the bottom of the radio is a small switch for switching sources. 3 ways to add power (manual crank, solar and USB). Very nice - Receives AM, FM and weather radio bands (see below as I've had difficulties) - Two lights! Both are light and cast a blue tint. What's cool is that both lights can be used at the same time (wow!). The headlight and lamp (under the solar panel) are bright enough to be used in an emergency. Please note it has a kill switch... It's loud... and can't be turned off... and it scared my cat when I tested it (win win!) - I was able to charge my iPhone 8 from this radio , although it's only powered by the internal battery radio, not by AAA batteries - The red LED indicator lights up when plugged in, cranking, or receiving power from the solar panel. The green LED indicator lights up when a station is tuned in. - This radio is easy to hold in hand as the hard plastic case has a nice soft rubbery texture. Cons: - The dial for tuning stations was very hard and difficult. turn. Because of that narrow, small, and flat dial, I had to use my fingernails to tune into a station. - The dial does not protrude too much, so it will be difficult for people with poor hand coordination to operate the radio. - The radio was of very poor quality and could not tune to any of the radio stations except the strongest. For example, I'm about 25 miles from a 100,000 watt radio tower in Kansas City. I have no problem listening to this station with other radios, but I couldn't even get a whisper with this radio. I had similar issues with the AM and Weather bands. Listening to local stations and the weather station in my basement is a requirement of any emergency radio. Unfortunately, moving to my basement made it difficult to receive many channels. I am very confused about how solar panels are supposed to work. It tilts up and I was hoping to tilt it to catch the sun... but pulling the solar panel up automatically turns on the lamp (below the solar panel). Any energy received by the small panel is consumed by the LED lamp. I suspect the solar panel needs to stay in place for the best results. I really wish the lamp light could be turned on and off. Listening and receiving information on the radio is a very important task in an emergency. Unfortunately this radio does not work due to a bad receiver. This is the most important feature. So I can't recommend this emergency radio to anyone.