Home > Consumer Reviews > Kaito KA009 4-Way Powered Emergency Radio, Color Blue

All I wanted was a radio that worked under any circumstance. It's exactly what I got in this unit. Battery, AC, Rechargeable, solar, crank... WOW! If you are looking for accuracy, sensitivity, and rejection capabilities, I'm not even sure why you'd bother looking at this little guy. if you can't say something nice, say nothing. What I like, it's solid. The audio is quite good for it's size which by the way... The rig is way smaller than I thought it would be. It picks up everything almost... Most radio's with an analog tuner suck at picking up a weather station. Without digital tuning NOAA is pretty much not going to come in on any cheapy radio unless they are in your backyard. I chose this radio because it came with the extra SW antenna, honestly I can not tell a difference in sensitivity with or without it. For the price, this is a surprisingly good performer. I am happy with it, and may even by more as gifts for my friends into conspiracy theory. Thanks to Alex Jones' website for recommending this cool gadget.

I was looking for a crank radio to use when outside (and not burn through batteries), and of course to have as a back up for emergencies. I chose the Kaito KA009 because it was advertised as keeping a long charge through either solar or crank power. Crank power will give only about 5 minutes of strong reception before quickly fading out. It seems even this amount diminishes the more you use it. Solar power works in direct sunlight, but the emphasis is on "direct"- with the solar panel pointed sunward (and speaker and controls inconveniently downward). If you have no other radio available, then it will do in an emergency, but all in all, I would not buy this particular radio again.

If you want an emergency radio then this is fine, though I think it is over priced by about $10.00 The speaker is a little weak, but at low volume it is fine. My biggest beef is, the shortwave doesn't work. I've tried it late at night by my huge windows, and with the extra (wire) antenna that comes with it. Other than that and the cost, I like it.

Wayne
Chicago, IL