Customer Reviews

Black & Decker WS100AB Sport Lantern / Weather Radio / Universal Cell Phone Charger

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

 

 

Fortunately, I was able to pick this up at a chain discount outlet (ie., Tuesday Morning) on clearance for $19.95 - but I'm still considering returning it for a refund. First off, unless you study the packaging VERY, VERY CAREFULLY - you will miss the fact that this beast requires 9 (yes, NINE!) additional C-cell batteries to be fully functional. The box will deceive you into believing ALL functions will work on the hand-crank rechargeable battery - but they won't - and you'll only find this out once you read the enclosed manual. The halogen spotlight will ONLY work with the additional C-cells. The other functions will "kind of" work with the rechargeable battery - the radio will function for about 15 minutes or less after about 5 minutes of steady cranking. And do forget about using the NOAH radio alert function without using the additional batteries - you'd be cranking all night long - and I'll bet it will drain the C-cells pretty rapidly too.

Did I mention it takes NINE C-cells? These batteries usually come in even-numbered packs of 2,4,6, or 8.... but I've yet to see a '9-pack'. That, my friends, is POOR engineering and design. You could use rechargeable C-cell$$$ - but, since there is NO provision for an AC charging adapter, you'd have to take them all out each time you needed to recharge .

As DHF mentioned in his review, the analog tuning scale is crowded and, to me, the knobs have a very flimsy feel and are a bit difficult to turn since they are located between two closely-spaced decorative chrome bar guards. The radio reception is comparatively good - but not good enough to make up for the other glaring faults this unit has. As DHF reveals, there is no where to store the cellphone charging cord and adapters in the flashlight. I suspect they will soon get lost - or otherwise not be there when I need them.

In closing - with all its limitations and design flaws, I really can't recommend this unit - particularly at full price. With a bit better forethought and design it could have been a really great product - but it falls way short of the mark.

ADDENDUM - I tried to recharge both my wife's and my own Motorola cellphone and it would not work. Both phones displayed an "unauthorized charger" error message and WOULD NOT charge. That pretty much seals the deal for me - it's going back for a refund ASAP. I'd change my rating - but 1 star is as low as Amazon will go......pity!

This could be a very useful product in an emergency, especially a lengthy power outage. It requires nine C-cell batteries, but they power a strong lantern and an AM/FM/Weather radio (with a touchy analog tuner). If the C-cells are drained, you can run some of the features with an onboard crank generator, including a three-LED emergency light and a cell-phone charger. But in am embarrassing oversight, the designers neglected to provide storage for the phone charger and its five plugs. I have my charger and plugs in a little plastic bag taped to the rear of the unit, but elegant it's not. It would have been so easy to have included that storage, but maybe that's why they're selling it for $30. And that oversight cost it a rating star.

This is an "okay" product. I am Whelmed by it. Not over-whelmed...not under-whelmed...just "whelmed"...and that's when I got it on discount for $25.00.

***The Pros:

RADIO: Radio recieves and seems to work well either via crank or the additional batteries you need.

SPOTLIGHT: Very bright and effective.

LED LIGHTS: Also bright and effective. Works from hand cranking or additional batteries:

CONSTRUCTION: Heavy duty construction seems resistant to bumps or scrapes knocking off the radio nobs and the base/bottom of it is flat and stable. Rubber tread adds to it's stability on smooth surfaces.

***The Cons:

SPOTLIGHT: To get the Spotlight running, you need nine C batteries. Why they chose nine instead of ten or eight baffles me, since you'd need an odd assortment of battery packs to keep for backup. I bought this thinking that the spotlight would work of the crank...should've read the fine print.

BATTERIES: Adds a good bit of weight to the overall system. I am a large human and I wouldn't want to lug it around for too long, since it doesn't come with any semblance of shoulder strap. Smaller people would like it even less. Also, how often you do use C batteries these days, anyway? This is the only product I own that needs them.

CELL PHONE ADAPTERS: There is no tray/drawer/Kangaroo Pouch to store these. If you want them to stay with the product, you need to tape them somewhere. Bad design.

CONSTRUCTION: It's heavy, but does not have a shoulder strap.

***Overall:

If you come across one CHEAP or on sale, it might be an okay purchase. It combines a spotlight with an emergency radio and emergency light. It would be a good backup for better made products, but it is definately not something to take on a camping trip.

If you are just looking to combine an emergency crank light/radio with an average battery powered spot light to save space, this is for you.

If that is not exactly what you are looking for, look elsewhere.

THIS LANTERN IS A GREAT BUY AND A GREAT ITEM. IT'S ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS YOU CAN HAVE IN AN EMERGENCY. AM/FM/NOAA AND A LIGHT.

JOHN

My Black&Decker is intended as part of our hurricane supplies. The sports lantern/ radio/ cell phone charger is a perfect addition. The lights are bright and very conveniemt to handle. It is perfect. I ordered 3 more for Chrismas gifts.

I think this is a wonderful item, especialy in an emergency. We might need this if Obama gets elected!