Illuminator Self Powered 4-in-1 FM Radio / Alarm / 3 White focused LED flashlight / Mobile phone charger Crank Powered

I am somewhat torn as to how I feel about this product, the "Illuminator." My biggest problem is the charge does not last long at all.There is a one-page instruction sheet that comes in the package. It reads as follows:"IF CHARGE ONE MINUTE, IT CAN PROVIDE UP TO 30 MINUTES FOR THREE LED LIGHTS, 50 MINUTES FOR ONE LED LIGHT, 7 MINUTES FOR RADIO AND 10 MINUTES FOR ALARM."When explaining how to "charge" (i.e. hand cranking), the instructions give the following directions: "ROTATING HANDLE CLOCKWISE AT NORMAL SPEED 120 TIMES EACH MINUTE TO CHARGE." For the record, these directions are exact quotes, taken directly from the "Instructions" that came with each Illuminator Flashlight.I wanted to know what to expect of these units, in the event of a power outage. So I decided to do a very methodical test. I used a digital egg-timer, a clock with a secondhand, and the timer on my cell phone. Per the instructions, I charged (cranked) the unit at a crank speed of at least 10 cranks every 5 seconds (120 times per minute, per the instructions).For the first test, I set the egg timer for 3 minutes, and I cranked for a full 180 seconds. When the egg timer beeped at 3 minutes, I stopped. I then turned the flashlight on high (3 LED's), and set the timer on my cell phone for 30 minutes, and went about my business. When my alarm went off 30 minutes later, I went back to see if the flashlight was still on, and it was not. So I repeated the process in exactly the same manner that I did the first time. But this time, I did two things differently.I did not think it would magically make the light last longer if I cranked only 1 minute instead of 3, but I wanted to do this exactly by-the-book, so that I could compare my results to those listed in the instructions. So the second time, I did the 120 cranks per minute for exactly one minute, and set my alarm for 10 minutes instead of 30.When I returned at the end of 10 minutes, the flashlight had already gone out. So I went through the entire process one last time, but this time I sat and watched, since I knew it was not going to take very long. I discovered that the light stayed strong for maybe 5-7 minutes, and then it started to taper off. After about 7-8 minutes, the Illuminator was so faint that it had about the same brightness as a lit match.The part the was most disappointing was that sometime in the past, I purchased this exact same style of flashlight. It was by a company called Nebo. The Illuminator and the Nebo look identical at a glance. But if you hold them close together, and carefully inspect, you start to realize they are not identical. The Illuminator is made in China, and appears to be a "knock-off" of the Nebo unit.The Nebo unit is totally amazing. I can leave it sitting for months, and it will still have some charge remaining. Unfortunately, you can't find them anymore. Even sadder, I only have the one, which amazingly, is still running strong after all these years. I assumed that since the Illuminator looked identical to the Nebo, I thought it was probably one of those items where one manufacturer makes identical units, but different companies put their name on it. My assumption was totally incorrect. They are two TOTALLY different flashlights.When I originally found the Illuminator at Amazon, I was overjoyed and very hopeful. But I was still cautious. I placed an order for just 1 single Illuminator. Once it arrived, my plan was to compare it to my Nebo, which I did. And after I made the physical comparison, it was so close that I immediately ordered 6 more. But it did not occur to me that I needed to run a test until later.Now that I have 7 of these units, I am somewhat torn as to whether or not I wasted my money. The cost was not bad ($10.34 + $2.85 shipping per unit). I also discovered that as long as you keep winding the unit, it will continue to have a bright beam. This could be helpful if you are in a situation where you have both hands free, and you can walk and wind at the same time. But if you need a continual hands-free light source, you can count on no more than 5-7 minutes with this unit. It may also prove useful when one person is doing the work, and another is holding the light, such as changing flats, after dark car problems, or two people working in a dark environment, where one can wind while the other works.As others have mentioned, the radio is surprisingly strong. You can toggle through stations by simply pressing the radio function button, which seems to automatically go to the next FM station. As long as the unit is charged, I was able to get what seemed to be all of the local FM stations, some better than others.As far as the charging functions, the instructions state that the 3 connectors that are included, are for certain Motorola, Nokia, and Sony-Ericsson cell phones. It appears that you are out-of-luck if you have any other brand of cell phone.I hope this review will help you decide if this product is for you.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a charger to travel with, I would recommend something else for an emergency kit. Also don't pay any mind to some of the reviews that say the item was damaged when it showed up. That's the suppliers fault, not the items fault. I have had this system for about two and a half months and so far it has suited my needs. I've used it mainly as a flashlight and charger. The unit will keep a charge, but it's storage can't be used for longer than maybe 10-15 minutes using the 3 LED lights, which I thought was odd, and the one LED light will last a bit longer, but I would only use when I was in my tent or room to find something real quick. The LED's are bright in the 3 LED mode and it's obviously weaker with just the one LED. This system wasn't set up for a lengthy period of usage. The 3 LED's will only stay lit for 10-15 minutes and the single LED would stay on about double that length, but again it wasn't of much use beyond illuminating something within 6-8 feet. The charger I would use to plug into a rechargeable battery charger which could also be used to charge items via USB. Although it would take a LONG time to charge up a phone, I would say it's better than nothing. I used it to charge up my iPhone and roughly 15 minutes of cranking gave me 20% more battery life.

First off, my background; I'm an Amateur Radio operator (General Class) and work with RACES, ARES and CERT. My goal is to put together several grab-and-go kits for non-Amateur Radio to have in CERT. Now for my review.Remarkably this 4-in-1 device works very well, the down side is that it doesn't have AM radio (which our local designated radio station for emergency information is an AM station); however, the FM radio works excellently without the use of an external antenna. I am able to pick-up FM stations that have been marginal (at best) on some of my AM/FM boom boxes. The siren built into the unit works quite well and can be heard from a fair distance to use in locating the user of the device, and the LED lights are also quite adequate.The downsides, you will need to have a fairly good arm to keep recharging the device at it eats power pretty heavily (documentation indicates that a one minute charge will operate the 3 led lights for 30 minutes (50 minutes for one led light), seven minutes for the radio and ten minutes for the alarm. This has been pretty consistent with my tests of the device. The cell phone charging connectors are designed for older model phones and do not work with any smart phones that I am aware of.Overall, in an emergency, I think this will work well in an emergency grab-and-go kit. The only reason it doesn't get five stars is that there is no AM and it does go through its battery a bit faster than I would like.

Winding the crank to charge these flashlights is a pain. And they're not that bright. However, they would be theoretically handy in an emergency if there's an extended power outage.

I bought this as a christmas present for my boyfriends parents. They are building a cabin up in northern michigan and I figured that this would make a great gift as well as help them be safe in case they got snowed in or lost power and needed an emergency light and radio. It turned out that they did need it during a snow storm and it really turned things around for them during that scary power outage. They absolutely love the gift. I think this makes a great gift for anyone to have in their cars or cabins for any emergency or power outage.