KaitoKA600L 5-Way Powered Emergency AM/FM/SW NOAA Weather Alert Radio with Solar,Dynamo Crank,Flashlight and Reading Lamp, Digital Radio with Solar Panel (Black)

I was looking for a good quality weather alert radio with AM, LW, FM/weather, and SW bands...and found all of this and more in the 600L! I live in a remote area with primarily FM access (and a few local AM bands], and need access to AM bands in larger cities, so I am adding an AM extended range antennae, but this is not a fault of the radio. Great product, very versatile, and terrific electronics, long lasting lithium battery, speaker sound and features! Perfect product for our needs and family use. Add, great factory customer service; willing to answer any question you have!

I love mine but I have some questions. I've bought three, one for myself, two for gifts. They all perform well. But there are differences between the same models. One of mine has a permanently ON charger symbol near the battery, no matter what the switch position. The others have a message when switch is in charger position with charger not attached telling me to switch to battery mode (but no permanent charger symbol.) I think they continually make changes that they do not tell us about. Company technical help has offered a couple of ways for getting rid of charger symbol, none of which worked. Still this does not affect the good operation of the radio, it's just annoying to me to see that symbol continually.

This is my second Kaito Radio (my first was the KA1101) and although I enjoyed the KA1101 very much, the KA600L is an improvement. The upgrade from the KA600 is significant: larger battery, bigger solar panel, more durable crank, larger speaker, and a few others. The reception is first rate and brings in stations in areas where other radios get little or nothing. The ability to charge the large (18650) lithium battery from AC (with an adapter), USB, or solar panel, or crank makes it perfect as a stand-by emergency radio, as well as for general use across the radio spectrum. Overall, 5 stars for performance.Subtract one star for lack of ruggedness. The case, including the crank, is not designed for abuse. Standard plastic throughout will suffer from dropping from more than a foot or two onto a hard surface. The average four year old may well be able to twist off the crank (with effort). Assuming you're an adult and take appropriate precautions against water immersion, trauma, and abuse, it should give a great deal of satisfaction over a very long life. No regrets at all about owning this very versatile and competent multi-band radio.Addendum: My KA600L is now about 6 years old and still is working perfectly. I replaced the 18650 battery about 6 months ago (With a higher mAH one). In reading negative reviews, I wonder if the owner’s manual was carefully read. Except for my comments about treating the radio gently, it delivers the performance advertised and warned us about an emergency evacuation (Oregon forest fires) a few months ago.

I have used this radio for about a month and I am really pleased. We keep it on “ALERT” mode and in the past week, we were alerted in the early morning hours of a rising river. Roads were closed and we received the notification timely. It does not use much battery power on the alert mode. We often place it on a window sill to charge it; but it is not as effective due to tinted glass. Charges much better in full sun. Full sun charges at 1% every 4 minutes or fully charged (from nearly flat battery) in about 6.5 hours. Using the Dynamo hand crank at a comfortable speed while watching TV, it charged at a rate of 1% every 5-6 minutes or full charge from flat battery in about 7-8 hours (took breaks and switched off). I actually used the flashlight when a circuit breaker tripped. I went down to the basement and the light was easy to handle and quite sufficient. I used the LED reading lamp on many occasions and it also is satisfactory. The temperature and humidity display is reliable if set in a neutral room location (not on a sunny windowsill). However, it is not reliable in full sun outdoors. I was working outdoors in a 39 degree temperature (Fahrenheit) and as it was hanging off a high tree branch to charge, it was displaying 94 degrees. Obviously from the sun heating up the black plastic body. Instructions are easy enough to understand, but in English only. I did buy the antenna in a reel, but so far have not used it outdoors where it would be most effective. The built in telescopic antenna does not swivel, but it is quite adequate for getting many AM and FM stations. I also purchased separately the AC adapter for a wall outlet, but use mostly the solar. The radio charged a Kindle and smartphone quite easily. Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase and believe it to be of excellent value. Highly recommend it for weather and other public broadcasted emergencies!

The one I received was defective. The battery wouldn’t hold any charge at all. The low battery light never came on, and the battery charge indicators were impossible to understand because the manual was translated Chinese gibberish. I’m usually pretty good at interpreting this stuff but “the battery power icon flowing” is beyond me.I understand it isn’t ruggedized or water proof, but for $80 I expect more than what I received. The rest of the manual was terrible, too. The arrows pointing to the features on the radio were all over the place, and I would have to join an amateur radio club to figure out how to change reception bands.Since there were only 6 left in stock, I decided to not chance a replacement and requested a refund. I don’t want to get another from the bottom of the stack. I'm concerned about Chinese Lithium batteries in general.The radio has a lot of nice features but I felt lucky being able to set the date and time. This company needs to hire a translator with a command of the English language.

The power button only turns the radio on and off. The clock and temperature display are always on, which is a constant drain on the battery. This makes no sense for an emergency item. The only way to keep the battery charged are to leave the plastic insert in, or to remove the battery. It's also quite bulky.