Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

I have used this while camping to find the latrine at night and as a tent light. I love that I can let it sit in the sun during the day and have a flashlight at night. I have not tried to charge a phone with it but have used the radio and it worked well. A few months ago we had a tornado in the area. When the sirens went off I grabbed it and headed to the basement. I was able to get information on the tornado's progress and have a flashlight in case we lost power. The reception was staticy but we were in a basement. I now keep it in the basement and bring it upstairs every so often to charge in the window. I always take it camping now so I can get weather info if needed.

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

well as a radio great as a flashlight great both work awesome long battery life and reliable now as a cell phone charger well this is a whole different story yea it does charge a phone but...... it takes about 20 min of hand cranking (and only charges a cell while cranking) to get 1% yea 1% of battery life so if your phone is about dead 20% it would take you it would take over a day to get to full charge not good i asked for this for backpacking as i would not have power out on the trail i will take it for the weather radio and flashlight but forget it for charging a cell

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

This item was exactly what I'd been looking for. Crank and solar powered. Great reception,built-in led flashlight. I was unsure when other reviews said it didn't charge their iphones but the description does says "Charges most cell phones" so I gave it a try. I ran down my Samsung, took the radio out of the box, cranked it a few times and plugged in the phone. The radio fully charged my phone within a couple hours and still had power afterwards. For those complaining about this feature, again, it clearly states that it charges most phones, not ALL phones. I found this item to be most excellent so I got a second one for my go-bag. Highly recommended!!!

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

Bought this product about 2 weeks ago. Says it charges cell phones so I thought it would be perfect for backpacking and keeping my iphone going. Tried it out. My iphone showed it was charging for about 5 seconds, then it just went blank. The winding arm suddenly wound very easily, the resistence that I felt while it was charging was gone. Tried to no avail to get the iphone working. Called Eton and they denied any responsibility. I will avoid Eton since they do not stand behind the claims of thier products. Very disappointed.

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

I bought this after a bad storm in NC when we had a bad series of tornadoes. I brought it home and it worked fine with the hand crank. However, the solar charger did not work after sitting in the window all day. After a few uses, it stopped working completely. Another negative is that it is sensitive to any kind of moisture, even humidity. How can a weather radio not be at least water resistant (rhetorical question)?

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

I'm getting ready to return my second one. The solar charge just doesn't work for more than a few minutes. I've left it out in the California sun all day and it [*] out after a few minutes. I'll return the second one and never get another one again.

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

I bought this to go in our earthquake kit. I liked that fact that you can charge cellphones by ordering a charging tip from the manufacturer. However, I have been told that there is no tip for the iPhone since the flashlight/radio was manufactured before the iPhone came out.

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

Just a quick note. I bought both this and the smaller model charger as travel chargers for my iphone, and neither will charge the phone. I didn't see any phone-killing problem, just no charge added. Very nice unit in hand, cool color and finish but otherwise I couldn't speak to the quality as I returned them both, seeking one specific use. Thanks.

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

Purchased this on the way out on a 4 day trip. Hurricane Earl was on it's way. Needed something that would give weather forecasts. Had no problems with this radio. Picked up NOAA weather with little problem.

Would be nice to have a bit longer antenna to improve reception.

Didn't need to do much cranking when we first used it. The radio worked out of the box.

Hurricane Earl was pushed offshore due to the jet stream. Had piece of mind, knowing what the weather was not going to be a factor, I did not have to worry about loved ones back on the coast while I was out camping.

Comments about Eton American Red Cross Microlink FR160 Multipurpose Radio:

I keep this around in case of earthquakes, and I must say in my limited use so far I have been impressed with the build quality.

I have used one of the larger Eton radios in the past and this packs the same functionality in a much denser form factor.