Review of the iRonsnow Dynamo & Solar Powered Radio

If you have followed this page any length of time you know I rarely do personal reviews of products. I have tight requirements for doing so. I must actually own and use the product. It has to be multi use and at a good price point. It must be currently available for purchase to everyone and it has to serve as both a good camping item as well as a preparedness item. I must also have free rein to review it both positive or negative without manufacturer interference. This dynamo radio meets all those requirements and a good NOAA radio recommendation is one that I am asked for quite often.

I always want an item that has multi function so that you don’t have a dozen different items to lug around with you as your attempting to travel lightly or quickly. This radio does meet that personal requirement.

It is a radio that has the NOAA channel and alert system, AM/FM channels and SW channels which could come in really handy in the case of a long term crisis event.  The reception on the NOAA and AM/FM stations was excellent in route while moving, in town, at home, and in the woods. I was actually surprised by the quality of sound and reception on such a small device I expected a lower speaker value. I did not pick up any SW transmissions but did learn that you can leave the NOAA on the alert to come on independently but… this setting will pick up every alert within range and that range was pretty far off. This meant I got alerted of weather issues in areas that didn’t apply to me even if it was 3AM.

It also served well as a LED flash light providing a good beam and as a reading or working lamp pop up. However when in use you do have to choose one or the other as both don’t function at the same time. I found the reading lamp especially useful for a couple of uses. I was able to set it down and use it like a lantern light around the campsite as well as a personal light later when reading after dark on my own.

Keeping it powered, this little radio has the ability to recharge it’s self and other devices.

It comes with a rechargeable lithium 3.7V battery which worked right out of the box. It can also operate on 3 AA batteries. I like the idea that it operates on either. If you find yourself without a battery the 3.7V rechargeable is a bit unusual which would make it less likely to be scarfed up during the initial event and would be considered a less valuable barter item allowing you to obtain it easier post SHTF. However you can currently purchase a 10 pack (as they are rechargeable this would last darn near your lifetime) for under $20. (I will include that link below) However almost every one has or should have a stock of AA batteries already in their home. A more costly or valuable bartering item post SHTF but in the beginning they will be plentiful. To recharge the lithium battery you have a few options with this particular radio. It can be hand cranked with the crank tucked away on the back of the radio that lifts up. Or via solar power with the built in solar charger located on top of the radio. What could be easier than just letting it sit in the sun or hang from your back pack strap soaking up the sun as you go? LOL and plugging it in of course! If and when you return from a trip or bug out if there is power available. The radio can be charged with the included USB cord which fit nicely and was interchangeable with my cell phone and kindle charger. It just happened to fit my equipment but I was unconcerned about that aspect because I keep a pack of USB converters in my bag. If everyone in your family has a different type of port these can be helpful. They are small and easy to carry. I also consider the ability to charge the devices of my group a plus and think that in a longer term scenario that the ability to use this radio as a charging station for many different devices a bartering tool as well. (I will also link those at the bottom)

Because of that USB cord and the popular sizing of the ports (both in and out) you can also use this device as a charging station for your cell, GPS, or even your kindle. Most common emergencies leave some cell towers and GPS satellites operational. Although not off grid, they are still powerfully useful technology if you are able to make use of them and all prepping is in fact is making use of whatever tools are available to you. It even makes use of MP3 technology allowing you to make use of your SD card and keep the jams coming while camping or hiking.

I found the reading light combined with the USB ports to be my favorite feature. I was able to keep my kindle charged without electricity and then use the light to read said kindle during down time. Sounds spoiled doesn’t it. Until you consider that my kindle is packed full of survival books and articles along side my leisure reading. If you are a fan and collect the free kindle downloads we feature daily and have had concerns that once the battery died it would no longer be of use. This is only one of the methods to fix that problem.

Another feature is a siren. Now most of us want to remain stealthy during a crisis, there are those times when you may want to be found or alert your camp/group of approaching danger. This thing is loud! I admit to testing it at the camp site setting it off to bring everyone running … for dinner LOL. Not the most conventional dinner bell, but my son heard it even out on the lake fishing and got himself back to camp ASAP! Whatever works right? 🙂  and I had to test it didn’t I?

Another test I subjected this radio multi tool device to was my own version of a stress testing. Which consisted of things that we all could relate to happening in the course of normal usage.

First I live in the pacific northwest. Which means that the weather is extremely fickle and we are prone to sudden and frequent rain. Those rainy days can range from scattered showers to torrential down pours. I intentionally left this radio sitting out during moderate rain fall, now it was not sitting in water nor was the rain that day a down pour. But when I retrieved it, wiped it off and turned it on, I found no damage had been done. I wouldn’t by any stretch call it water proof but it did hold up to being moderately wet. So in your pack in the rain or in flash light mode being used to forge ahead in the rain this would be adequate.

I intentionally knocked it off a table on to a carpeted surface to see if it would with stand mild jostling in someone’s pack or gear box and it survived fully functional without damage to the case. I then knocked it off a table onto a wood floor to see how it would hold up to what might be normal wear and tear type situations. Again the device continued to function without issue and the casing remained in tact. I left it sitting on the outdoor stairs in direct sun to get an idea how it might hold up to heat and unless you could test it in a desert landscape it held up well. However it is a plastic outer casing and would melt under hot enough conditions, right along with you if you were to remain unshaded in those conditions.

Next I knocked it off the steps onto concrete. This is where my testing ended. Not because it broke and no longer functioned… because it did indeed continue to fully function after that fall. It did indeed crack the case and took a little nick out of the corner, but continued to function fully. But because my daughter who adores this radio and wants to continue to use it insisted I stop! Her fear was I was going to try to do more intentional damage and would ruin it. That is probably the best recommendation I can give is that she loves the product enough to want to keep fully intact and out of my hands!

I did retrieve it long enough after she confiscated it to test and see if the battery had held after being left in the dark in her pack without use for a couple of weeks. I felt most of us use our gear, then  pack it away for next trip or until an emergency hits and we dig it back out. It did hold it’s juice and functioned as well as it did the first day I pulled it out of the box.

In summary it does all it professes to do. Stands up to normal wear and tear. It’s at a reasonable price, Light weight and multi-functional. Now it also has my stamp of approval.

 

 

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