Customer Reviews

Wind 'N Go Portable Lantern/Radio

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After receiving this item I purchased another one I liked it so much. The handle is easy to crank and it runs for a long time on just a minute of hand crank charging. The handle is much better on this model than older ones. It is easy to turn and the overall design is better. We recently used the lantern during storms we had and it was well worth the money in not having to worry about being without a radio, light or trying to find batteries.

This is a nice little gadget with a lot of features. The only thing I don't like, which was not included with the description of the item, is that it does in fact have a "battery", 3.6V NiMH. There are no instrucitons on replacement in the event that it is necessary to chage them. Other than that it does have nice features but only includes an adapeter for a Nokia Cell phone, not universal.

I've used this in a cabin in NH and during a few hour blackout at home. The light is too diffuse to read to, but it does the job to generally illuminate an area to keep you from bumping into walls or trip over a log. The radio works well, but it drains the power fast for some reason. The extras are neat too, like the siren and flashing lights and the ports to plug in cell phones. Well worth the cost.

I recently bought a Rayovac Sportsman Extreme for something battery powered and bright but I also wanted a wind-up in case of extreme emergency or being without any lighting solution or radio. I was happy to see my lantern came fully charged. I've yet to unscrew it to see what kind of rechargeable battery is in the housing but if I do, I will report back here.

The overall build is decent to average with it being fairly ergonomic and having a good set of features. The useless feature for me is the cell phone charger because now that the entire cell phone industry has been united to use mini-USB plug as a standard, it renders this charger's Nokia-type adapter obsolete. I understand you can get adapters for your specific model if you like, which is a good thing at least. It comes with a nice car adapter so you can charge it that way. It has a compass on top which worked very well. It has a night light and siren. The siren, though, is not the decibel level that it purports to be and I blame that on either the strength of the battery or the AM/FM radio speaker which is probably not that powerful to begin with. Radio reception was quite good actually and the sound is what you'd expect from a simple mono speaker. It's small, does the job, and probably doesn't suck up much power. LED light output is sufficient enough to light up a small tent. The crank to charge the internal battery feels solid and does require some effort to turn it.

I have to correct some statements made by others. Cranking from 1-3 minutes will give you 30 minutes of use, not 75 like someone said. It's written in the manual itself. Overall, glad I bought this.

I've used this for 2 full years of camping adventure and just love it. It is best to fully charge it from a car battery before you use it for the first time. When you first charge it make sure the car is running. We plugged it in over night once and woke up to a dead car battery. We've gotten in the habit of plugging it into the truck while we drive to our camp site. It lasts the whole weekend with just the occasional wind or two. We actually like to connect it to our I-pod and listen to music or on occasion when we're not so roughing it we will connect it to the laptop to increase the sound for movies. Works great!

It would be nice if this was a little cheaper, but even with it being somewhat expensive, I am tempted to get another one. The lamp is excellent, and the nightlight and emergency flash options on the light are even better. The radio works well, and its very smart of the designers to protect all the dials and controls of the lantern (and radio) under a plastic cover that is both secure but easy to pull back.

I haven't dropped it yet, which is the true test of how good it is, but all in all I'm very happy with it, and very glad to have something I can wind up. The winding/cranking is fairly comfortable, and it only takes a minute or so to get a good charge.

The compass is a nice add-on. However, this lantern weighs 16.3 ounces, and that's a little heavy for backpacking or camping. If you're car camping, it would be handy, and its an excellent car emergency kit item.

I like that it has a car cigarette holder adapter, too (comes with a charger so you can charge it from your car) because a lot of chargeable devices use the cigarette lighter for charging, so you've got a second way to charge those devices if the little cell phone charge connection isn't working for you.

Super handy. Takes a while to charge. Almost once you turn light on it starts dimming. But if you charge ahead of time with plug in to car-cigarette lighter it would probably work better. So think ahead. Definitely the thing to have around when bad weather hits. It's made in China, but I couldn't find a lantern that wasn't LOL. I would buy it again for sure.

Nothing to write home about...
Make sure you charge it with the 12 volt charger before useing it.
And make sure you crank it before putting it away for the night, so it works well the next night.
The fisrt one sent to me did not work and if it was not for the great work at Amazon, I would be upset.
But they took care of things very well and I have a good little lite...
I think the bug repelent noise works? at least I did not notice any with it on?, Keeps the bugs away from the light!

I have 2 of these now. Had one for over a year. Well worth the money.

They should loose the siren though. Only time I have heard it, is when I turned the switch the wrong way. It scared the Daylights outa me and everyone in the office were I was.(The power failed so I brought it inside)

I have this product and use it every night. It is easy to grab from the night stand when i need to get up in the middle of the night to let the dog out. I purchased this item with the intention of keeping it n the car, so when I leave the house it comes with me in the car.