Customer Reviews

Kaito KA404 Emergency Hand Crank Dynamo 5-LED Flashlight with AM/FM radio

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I loved this little device! I'm a baseball fan and used this on nearly a daily basis, since April, carrying it from room to room in the evenings. I'd wind up my radio, pull up a chair and let the scene unfold before me as told though the poetic musings of Vin Scully and his beloved Dodgers, each broadcast the elocutionary equivalent of a Norman Rockwell masterpiece.

Last night, after 4 months of solid use, the plastic handle of the charging crank snapped right off. I wasn't turning the crank particularly hard. I don't suppose this device was engineered for as regular use as I put it through. It's probably perfect as a storeaway for emergenices type use. In any case It's cheap enough that I won't hesitate in buying another.

One other small reservation, and again it would only seem to be an issue in the case of heavy use: The plastic body casing seemed to regularly buckle ever so slightly during cranking, so much so that I figured the case might eventually crack open due to wear before anything else would go wrong. Also when gripping the unit for cranking it's difficult not to mash (and turn) the control dials during the act of cranking. On my unit the light switch seems to be spring loaded and switches and locks itself into the on and off positions. It was very common for the light to activate due to incidental squeeze pressure during cranking, then the switch failing to 'catch' when pressing the button to turn off, leaving the light stuck on 'on', only turning off finally after multiple forceful presses.

Again I never expected to enjoy this little gadget as much as I did. As a kid, another L.A. radio icon, Dr. Demento would open each show with his signature schtick: "Wind up your radios boys and girls...!". I never had a wind up radio until now.

I ordered one of these out of a bit of need and curiosity. It's currently being used in an inspection environment and to supplant the Maglites I have my people using now. I've converted the Maglites to triple LED bulbs (kits are $4.92 at Walmart) which gives a very bright bluish/white light instead of the normal yellowish light.

I didn't order it at all for the radio and cell phone recharging capabilities which are nice, I suppose. Kaito makes another, cheaper 5 LED crank light I wasn't aware of at the time. Anyway, it is bright and gives off a very white light that makes the inspection process much better and easier. I was told these crank light weren't as bright as their regular battery counterparts but I've not found that to be so. Maybe the last generation lights exhibited this, I don't know.

I have another 3 LED crank light that was fine, of course, until I found this 5 LED which I probably won't like as much as a 7 LED if I had one of those. This is just the nature of things.

Well made with a flat base so it can be stood up vertically and help to light an area without holding it or propping it against another object. It's easy to wind since the mechanism for that is in the base and you can easily grasp the body while cranking. Yes, it may change the radio channel and volume knobs while cranking but so what? That will happen in the drawer you keep it in anyway. I do wish the lens bezel was surrounded with rubber instead of hard plastic and maybe a couple of rubber inserts to help with grip a bit but this is a competitive field, I know.

One more thing, I like the small, red LED charging indicator light. It's amazing how slowly you can crank this and still get a proper charging cycle going. The cranking movement is very quiet, too. Not loud as other units I've used. This may be an indicator of better engineering and, thus, value for the money.

Well, enjoy. I have and it gets regular business-environment useage.

Ok, I was reading reviews of other products from Kaito. I had my misgivings, but for the price I figured oh what the heck. Let's get it and try it. Well it works great! Light is really nice and the radio works great. Can't go wrong for the price. Funny thing is it arrived the day that we had a black out and had to use it right away. Perfect timing!

Do NOT rely on this for an emergency! I bought six of these for my family. The second time I used mine I gave the crank a couple of turns and the cheap tiny plastic gears immediately stripped. Now the flashlight is useless. JUNK! Don't waste your money on this one.

If you must buy one, or already have one (as I still have five), then turn the crank VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY to try to avoid stripping the gears. I think this will be impossible for my kids, but that's the deal.

It's hard to imagine a more cheaply-made device.

Unbelievable! I've only had it a few months and the wind-up handle broke off which pretty much renders it useless since there is no way to crank it. I initially really liked the flashlight but I think I'll be investing in one with a metal crankshaft. This one was made of very fragile plastic.

After reading all the glowing reviews of this product I decided to purchase one. Our city had a blackout a few days after it arrived, perfect timing to test it out. I cranked it up per the directions and the lighting worked alright, not very bright actually, even with the 5 LED's going. The siren worked on it. The radio would function for about 2 minutes maximum before fading and then having to crank it again. . . and again . . . and again . . . each time only lasting barely 2 minutes.

I pulled it out a couple of weeks later to give it another shot and now after cranking it up to it's recommended charge, the LED lights fade into nothing after literally 10 seconds! My brother got one of these as well and he's had the same trouble with his, terrible functionality to the point of it being useless. I guess it's possible we BOTH got lemons but I sure would never take a chance again with one of these.

I later on purchased a Fenix flashlight, yes they are costly but wow THAT is 'knock your socks off' quality and performance! I guess it's true you really get what you pay for.

Broke within minutes of arriving...components are cheap and plasticky...would hate to rely on this in an actual emergency.

I have numerous emergency radios in my house and cars. I like trying different brands to see how they perform. The Kaito is one of the cheapest of what I own, and that pretty much explains how it works.

This unit is about 7 inches long and the crank is in its tail end. The crank is VERY sensitive and delicate. You have to turn it gently - but quickly - to get the unit to wind up. This is probably its most serious flaw because if you're in an actual emergency you're probably not thinking about delicate and gentle. You're probably thinking about "I need this thing to work NOW!!"

It has a flashlight, an AM/FM radio and a siren. It also says it offers cellphone charger tips but there is no easy way to get your hands on them. They don't come in the package and, unlike many of their competitors, they don't offer easy information on how to order them or get them.

Yes, the flashlight works fine. The radio works. So in those senses the unit does what it says it will do. However, as you might imagine, once you break that crank, the unit is worthless. So it all comes down to the crank quality.

I just don't see any good reason to buy this when there are so many other options on the market that work well. Everyone should have an emergency hand crank radio and flashlight in their house and in their car. Batteries die, power goes out. Your hands (hopefully) will always work. This just isn't the one to have.

Rating: 2/5 stars for poor cranking. I'll give it those 2 stars since it does actually work if you treat it tenderly.

You just can't beat this for the price. Plenty bright for a dark room. Just crank and light. We bought 4 to keep all over the house!

Got this for my 3 boys - 9 and under. The siren screams, the light, flashes, but the radio isnt the best. hard to get a station on it.