Customer Reviews

Kaito KA404R Emergency Dynamo 5-LED Flashlight with AM/FM radio & Siren

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sturdy, decent quality radio, bright light, NO BATTERIES!!!

My only complaint is that the radio tuning knob is very sensitive and the antennae kinda sticks out at the base of the hand strap and if you wiggle it around sometimes it affects the sound and you can get noise. But if you are like me and you like going fishing or camping, you just wind it good for a good minute or two and you got a long time of radio or light if that's what you need.

I have a U.S. cellular LG phone and I ordered a special adapter to be able to plug it into my phone, it didn't come yet but the adapter was really cheap and if it turns out that I'm able to power my phone with this thing, it could turn out to be a life saver. I remember vividly at least 2 times that I was driving on the highway at night in heavy snow and my phone batteries died. I never had an accident but if something happened and I needed to make a phone call, even for just a few seconds, it really is worth it to have this flashlight.


I just love that it doesn't need batteries! Mine holds a charge for a long time. I played around with it a lot when I first got it, I turned on the radio and LED and just drained it to see how long I can use it from zero charge with only a few seconds of cranking and whatnot. I ended up cranking it for a good minute and that was a week and a half ago and it still has power now, so it's not like it drains fast.


Get this flashlight.

I wanted to buy a non-battery dependent flashlight for my car and my wife's car. The idea of having a built in AF/FM radio was a great bonus. I couldn't decide what I wanted, so I thought I'd give this a try. I actually ordered 3 different units, all Kaito. I bought the KA004, the KA005, and the KA404R. Out of those three, this is the one that worked and didn't break. I'm ordering another one for my wife's car.

A major issue in my house is a lack of a working flashlight when the need arises usually due to dead batteries. The fact that this is powered by hand was a draw, and I really wasn't to concerned with the phone charger/ radio/ etc. When this arrived I was a bit disappointed in the light plastic material and was worried about how sturdy it was. Many months later this flashlight has proved to be a lifesaver. We were in the middle of a terrible storm system where many in our area were without power altogether. The radio, while not perfect, allowed us to keep on top of the news/safety/ and precautions that were going on when our batteries ran out. We were able to use the cell phone connector, which was really a lifeline as phonelines were down. The one issue there is that you have to find a proper attachment (several are provided and luckily ours fit perfectly), and I could see how there might be some cell phones that would not be compatible. It did take a great deal of cranking to charge the phones, but when there are no other options it is worth it. I took this flashlight with me camping in the mountains last week. The area we were in was visited by bear cubs during the night. What shooed them away? The great siren attached. I've decided to not only purchase another one for the house, and my car, but several for family members too. Again the main issues that I would warn others of, is possible compatibility issues for the cell phone adapters, and the plastic this is made of. My flashlight has been dropped and thrown around many times without damage, but I could see how that might occur.

Up until a few months ago I was an undisputed fan of the Garrity Power Lite 3 LED flashlights - had 2 of those and we were very happy. To my delight, the Kaito is even better and this is why I now consider it to be the superior alternative:

- brighter light: 5 LED's beat 3 LED any time
- radio, of course: don't expect hi-fi or the ability to get stations 1000 miles away but... you get something and, given that you don't pay more than you would for a flashlight that had no radio, I'm not complaining
- easier to crank: compared with the Garrity, the Kaito's shape makes cranking easier
- siren: it's good to have it for as long as your kids are well-behaved :)
- pretty good at holding a charge: you can easily get as few minutes of bright light after a minute or so of cranking. Not better than the Garrity as far as duration but, remember, Kaito's light is brighter

I haven't tested the phone charging feature yet because I never had the patience to let the phone's battery completely run out but I can see how this could be useful in a dire emergency even if all you got was as couple of minutes of talk. I will post an update when I have time to test it.

One star goes away partly for the radio's quality but mostly for the quality of its build. While it is true that, after a few months of casual use, it did not break yet, somehow, it feels like it's about to crack or fall apart when cranking it.

Four stars is a good rating for a good, affordable, useful product.

When all the batteries are dead this is a great gadget. My husband frequently camps with our sons and the flashlight batteries are always just about dead. Having this one makes sure they can see at night. The radio is great for emergency info, but don't plan on great music. It's a great addition to be able to charge the cell phones with this, too. Being in remote areas, the cell dies fast. We keep one of these in the car, too.

My feelings after owning it 24 hours:

It feels more lightweight than I expected, but that makes it easier to carry. The dynamo has a maximum suggested crank speed of 130 RPM, so I have no real concern about wearing it out over time by cranking it too fast. I like that it offers both a high (all 5 LEDs) and low (1 LED) setting for the flashlight.

The AM/FM radio functions fairly well for having no antenna. If I hold the flashlight at different angles, a fuzzy signal can come in more clearly. It seems more useful for emergency or short-term use than a marathon session, but the radio signals might come in more clearly while camping in the wilderness.

The cell phone charger adapters do not fit the mini-USB jack on my phone, and I have to wonder how easily I could crank the dynamo with a cell phone sticking out of the flashlight. It offers the same fairly light resistance when I wind it in either direction.

The siren does not sound loud enough to scare off any attackers, but I could envision it helping me if I became trapped, or otherwise needed to broadcast my location over a short distance.

Ultimately, I think of it as a dependable flashlight with a few somewhat frivolous added features.

I purchased this item so put in my survival supplies in case of emergency. We already have a flashlight that you shake to charge, but this unit offered the A/FM radio and the cell phone adapters for charging your cell phone. The unit arrived today and I was a bit taken back by its small size. I was expecting something a but more hefty. But it is well put together and compact. The flashlight is two settings, 1 leg dimmer, and 5 led bright. It illuminates very well. The AM/FM radio doesn't pick up too well due to the lack of an external antenna, but it does play and if you fuss with it you can get some stations. So in an emergency it should be usable to get basic information. One of the reasons I chose this unit was the cell phone charger adapters. That little extra pack comes with a short cord, and 5 adapters. NONE OF THE ADAPTERS FIT ANY OF MY PHONES. We have several Motorola devices, and NONE of the adapters was even close to this very popular jack. We also have an LG phone, and the adapter that looks like an LG one is just a little too big. The same with the Samsung jack. It looks right, but its too large to fit in the jack on the phone. I am thinking that the adapters are for European or Asian versions of the phone, they certainly are NOT AMERICAN. So basically the adapter kit is a worthless pile of junk.

Pretty neat flashlight. Being able to generate power on the fly is a must when deep in the woods, also nice to pick up the radio. Only downfalls of this product for me is that one led died, although the light is still plenty bright. Also the crank is attached with 2 very tiny screws, that eventually broke off for me. I put in some longer thicker screws and have had no problems.

Arrived OK. Product is OK, but not the best quality. Bought two of these for emergency purposes, but charging capability cumbersome. Connectors are worthless. Radio is OK but the station dials are so close together it is difficult to get the stations clear on. Decided to bite the bullet to buy a more expensive emergency radio system with USB connectors for charging cell phones and emergency weather radio function and give these to the grandkids as a toy.

This flashlight has good features...radio, hand crank, AC charge (not included, had to buy) and a siren. The light is just adequate for illuminating a short distance.