Three hand-cranked radios with extra features

TechRadar’s Tom Bedford highlights three hand-cranked radios after the UK government advised people to keep an FM radio among their emergency supplies. He says retailers have reported some models selling out.

The Philips TAR1609/00 costs £29.99 and offers 32 hours of listening. It charges through USB-C, a solar panel or a hand crank, and includes a USB-A port that can charge other devices, a torch and an SOS alarm. The article does not state its power-bank capacity.

The Mesqool is larger and has a 12,000mAh battery, Bluetooth, a torch and a reading light. It can use solar or kinetic energy, plug-in power or AAA batteries. Bedford lists its MSRP as $59 / £56 and says it was about 10% off when he wrote the article.

Bedford says the Midland ER100 is often recommended in online prepper communities and stores, but was difficult to find amid high demand. He says it generally sells for £50 and cautions readers to disregard third-party Amazon listings asking £100. In the US, he names the Midland ER40 at $59. Both models have a hand crank and a small solar strip, and can charge another device. He also mentions the larger, more feature-packed ER310.