Customer Reviews

Kaito KA009 4-Way Powered Emergency Radio, Color Red

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kaito Electronics is a company to watch as they climb to the top. I was looking for a radio that works during emergencies, when there's no power. This little radio does so much more. Works on Solar, or by dynamo if you don't want to plug it in, or even if you don't want to use batteries, it has it's own internal NiMH battery charged by the Sun or your own cranking. This radio is truly portable and very convenient to carry. The reception is great and I wish all radios were made to this standard. It even has a super bright LED flashlight built right in! I originally bought 2 of the KA-009 radios in red. One for me, one for a present. After receiving the radio (super fast delivery to Hawaii) I realized I thought I was buying the one that allows you to charge your cell phone. That's the KA-009R. After speaking with Kaito Electronics they were very nice and exchanged the radio(I had to take care of the shipping). Unfortunately the KA-009R recharging radio only comes in black. I say this because I'm not one of those people who loves the color red, but after having the Red KA-009, I fell in love with it. It's not just red, it's a really cool candy apple red with metal flakes in the paint, like you'd see in a really expensive car paint job. I can't say enough about this product, I usually don't have the time to write recommendations, but this product is worthy. A well made product, and a great price, easy on the ears and wallet. This product(and a lot of others made by them) are truly "Green" products that are friendly for the environment. You won't find a product like this one anywhere else in the world yet, with the quality and price. It is very versatile and super light to carry. I take mine with me everywhere, and you should too. Every household should have one or more of these, great for emergencies and during non-emergencies. A must have, keep one in your car.

Have used this already-since received 2weeks ago-
-pick up is great without the additional aerial.
Love the red---have not tried the solar power yet, but the crank, battery, direct current all worked well the light is handy also if power is out....

Would buy again....

This is one of the best emergency radios in it's price range and I've tried many. We use it for our emergency kits. Product works beyond my expectations as stated my manufacture and price can't be beat.

I purchase this radio last year as a part of my hurricane survival kit. As it turns out, I got to test it during hurricane IKE. All the options worked very well. It held a charge for a good amount of time and the hand crank came in handy. At one point during the storm, it was just me, the howling of the wind battering my house and this tiny radio. I was very glad to have it. The little light on the side came in handy too.

4 star rating note: I've used this radio for quite a while since the storm. It ended up finding a home in my bathroom, post hurricane IKE, to hear the weather and road reports while I was getting ready in the morning (I had no power for quite a few days). After using this radio for almost a year I've noticed a small electrical sort in the volume control (which is also how you turn it on). I have to turn the radio volume up and down a few items to get the speaker to work correctly.

Update - 5/7/2010:

I am still using this radio in my bathroom. It's still working fine!

This works just fine as emergency radio. We are up in mountains and isolated so this is great for power outages, shortwave reception, and the crank works well to power the radio as needed.

Good bargain. I ordered this a while back to have in case of emergencies. Mainly for the weather band and light. It has more than paid for itself twice now. Most recently with Hurricane Ike outages. Very bright single LED light. Small and doesn't take up much room. Only thing I would have liked is a backlit dial.

Pros:
Will run on solar in direct sun!
Decent speaker
solar/dynamo/recharge/aa batteries make it unique

Cons:
reception is mediocre on FM and AM due to being crowded out by high-power stations.

The radio was a gift and a treasure since. In an emergency it will give information using batteries, wall plug or wind-up. The surface is durable and attractive and I wouldn't hesitate to give it to someone. The volume and sound are clear and it has many stations to choose from. I give it a happy FIVE!

This little radio has a nice array of features and the best variety of radio bands.

I particularly like how much play time you get out of just 30 seconds of cranking effort. (Note that VOLUME effects energy output.)

However, I'm only giving it 3 stars since the solar function has yet to work. It's been sitting on the windowsill soaking up the rays for weeks and yet when I flip the power button to SOLAR... nada, zilch, empty silence. Just saying.

Awful audio quality. Unable to receive weather broadcasts even though three other radios in my home had no problem. Shortwave reception unusable (multiple images, etc.). I returned it and instead purchased a Radio Shack Emergency AM/FM/Weather Band Crank Radio 20-108. It has excellent audio quality, and good Weather Band reception. (I am not affiliated with Radio Shack.)