Why buy Microlink FR160 Safety Preparedness Radio?
The American Red Cross has a line of emergency preparedness products called Eton. The Microlink FR160 is one of the smaller FM/AM/Weather Band/Flashlight/USB Charger devices in that line. Is it worth its weight in renewable energy? Let's see...
The Dream
When I first picked up the Microlink FR160 at Radio Shack, I thought it was a dream come true. That we could finally harness enough, efficient, energy from a small solar panel to charge a USB phone or similar device. Well, as it turns out, it was just a dream. The solar panel can power the radio and LED flashlight in fair weather conditions, but the USB charging only gets juice from the hand crank.
The instructions go on to say that you need a steady rhythm of 2 cranks per second over at least 15 minutes of cranking to generate 1 min of talk time for your phone. Seems like
The Reality
The 3 LED flashlight is bright and worked well with very little charge. The battery life indicator seemed flaky and only appeared one color for me - green when being charged by the crank, off when receiving sunlight.
The radio found stations pretty easily on all bands - AM, FM, and Weather Band. If you are serious about amping the sound up there is even a headphone jack.
All-in-all, this little device will make a great addition to your camping, backpacking, or emergency preparedness gear as a flashlight or radio. If you were stranded outdoors or without power somewhere, this may be a good last resort for charging that special USB device.
In Summary
While I would not rely on this pocket charger for charging my phone in an emergency, it seems to do the rest pretty well. Of course, the ~$35 could possibly be spent elsewhere for more durable devices made specifically for that purpose.
