The Best 10 Emergency Radios – Extremely Helpful Tools in Extreme Situations

Comparison Table

	Best Feature	Weight	Hand Crank	Alt. Power	USB Charger	Features	Pros	Cons
5050 $	Check price for ETON American Red Cross FRX3 Editor's Choice American Red Cross FRX3 ETON Check Price	Weight 0.9 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AAA/DC Inlet	USB Charger Included	Features Flashlight/Beacon	Built-in USB Port Good hand-crank charging action	Rechargeable battery is not replaceable Buttons are small and difficult to use
5050 $	Check price for MIDLAND Midland ER310 Best Flashlight Pick Midland ER310 MIDLAND Check Price	Weight 1.33 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power Solar/2600mAh battery	USB Charger No	Features Flashlight/Weather scan	Lots of different methods / means of charging the unit Included high-frequency dog whistle	Solar panel doesn’t bring in enough charge to be usefu Hand crank doesn’t generate enough electricity to even charge a phone
	Check price for RUNING SNAIL MD-088s Best Value Pick Emergency Radio MD-088s RUNING SNAIL Check Price	Weight 0.6 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AAA/DC Inlet/Solar	USB Charger Included	Features Flashlight/iPhone adapter	Most affordable emergency radio on our list Great lightweight & compact design	Battery is too small to hold a decent charge Requires a lot of cranking to charge the phone bank
5050 $	Check price for KAITO Kaito KA-500 Best Solar Powered Emergency Radio Kaito KA-500 KAITO Check Price	Weight 1.25 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AA/AC-charge/Solar	USB Charger Included	Features 5-LED lamp/Flashlight	5 Different ways to charge this radio Replaceable battery pack	Solar charger is so slow that it’s basically obsolete Bad shortwave reception; needs an SW antenna (available separately)
5050 $	Check price for SANGEAN Sangean MR-88 Emergency Radio with the Loudest Siren Sangean MR-88 SANGEAN Check Price	Weight 0.8 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AAA/DC Inlet	USB Charger Included	Features Flashlight/Emergency siren	Great blocky shape & size Super durable	Doesn’t take into account NOAA county information for weather alerts Included battery doesn’t hold much of a charge; can be replaced
5050 $	Check price for KAITO Voyager PRO KA-600 Best Tuning on an Emergency Radio Voyager PRO KA-600 KAITO Check Price	Weight 1.25 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AAA/DC Inlet/Solar	USB Charger Included	Features Flashlight/Beacon	Great tuning performance (4 ways to tune) Durable & reliable	Hand crank could be more durable
	Check price for ETON FRX5-BT Best for Streaming Music FRX5-BT ETON Check Price	Weight 1.6 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AAA/DC Inlet	USB Charger Included	Features Bluetooth audio streaming	Sleek design Bluetooth connectivity	On-board computer seems to lag a bit
	Check price for RUNING SNAIL MD-090 Best All-Around Value Pick MD-090 RUNING SNAIL Check Price	Weight 0.7 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AAA/DC Inlet/USB/Solar	USB Charger Included	Features S.O.S. alarm/Red light	Better reception than RunningSnail’s MD-088s Still quite affordable	Low bandwidth means fewer stations are available
	Check price for KAITO Kaito KA-550 Best Antenna Pick Kaito KA-550 KAITO Check Price	Weight 1.1 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AAA/DC Inlet/USB/Solar	USB Charger Included	Features P.E.A.S.	14.5” telescoping antenna Better charging capabilities than the KA500	Overload issues on both AM & FM
5050 $	Check price for WAYL Buzz 4000 Most Water Resistant Emergency Radio Buzz 4000 WAYL Check Price	Weight 1.2 LBS	Hand Crank Yes	Alt. Power AAA/DC Inlet/USB/Solar	USB Charger Included	Features LED Flashlight/SOS Alarm	Water resistant Weather alerts cut through FM transmission	Small with small buttons and dials Somewhat flimsy … not sturdy

Best Emergency Radio for Medical Professionals – The American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Crank NOAA AM / FM Alert Radio

Although this emergency radio is branded as a product of the American Red Cross, the manufacturer is actually ETON, who you might know as a reputable producer of quality radios, speakers, and other similar electronic equipment. Their decision to pair with the Red Cross for their newest product is a testament to the radio’s ability to handle even the most disastrous situations without blinking an eye.

The hand-crank feature is here, obviously. This is perhaps the cornerstone of any good emergency radio, as batteries can be the kind of thing that are hard to find in the post-apocalyptic future. Being able to create new power in order to pick up a radio signal is essential for an emergency radio. The charge action here is actually quite good and you get a decent amount of light before having to use the crank again.

One of the most unique features of this particular radio is the presence of a USB charging port, which is a convenience that we welcome with open arms. After all, making sure that your iPhone is charged at all times has become one of the most important tasks of modern society, and when you are out in the wilderness, there is no legitimate excuse for a dead battery, not with all the wonderful technology on the market today.

Our biggest issue with this radio is that while it is possible to replace the AAA alkaline batteries, no access is provided to the rechargeable battery. Because one of the main problems with rechargeable batteries is that you can only recharge them so many times, it would be nice to have the ability to swap this battery our ever couple of years as well. But overall this is a highly functioning machine with enough features to make it more than worth the modest price that they are asking.

Best Flashlight Pick – Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Weather AM / FM Radio

 

Check price on AmazonCheck price on Rei.com

Here is a sturdy and stylish emergency radio that doesn’t skimp on the features, offering the user a lot more than just a way to listen to the top-10 county countdown when you aren’t anywhere close to a plug-in radio.

Here’s what we’re talking about when we say features: first off, the emergency flashlight is wonderful on this product. Unlike some hand-crank lights, this one can actually provide enough light for you to see what you are doing, which means you can get more done in less time. I
don’t care who you are, that is a pretty tempting offer.

The ultrasonic dog whistle is something of a novelty for the average user, but for search and rescue teams it can mean the difference between “just in time” and “too late”.

But let’s talk about the biggest selling point. This emergency radio is actually recommended by the Department of Homeland Security for emergency preparedness. That has to mean something, right?

There are a couple of problems with this model that prevent it from reaching a full ten out of ten stars. The first is the included solar panel, which while it is indeed a generous feature for a starting-level radio, it simply is too weak to maintain an adequate charger. Similarly, the hand crank is not efficient enough to handle the charging of an IPhone much less anything bigger, so it is currently little more than a buzz-word feature designed to draw us customers in. Did it work?

Best Value Pick Emergency Radio – RunningSnail MD-088s Hand Crank Self Powered Solar Weather Radio

Coming in at just under twenty dollars, the RunningSnail is perhaps the most cost-effective item on our list, offering top-level performance for a price that is so affordable, everyone could buy one. And why wouldn’t they want to? What you basically have is a quality radio with an emergency light and a power bank that is capable of charging your phone or other small-watt electronic device.

Our favorite thing about this particular radio is that it is a very compact unit with high performance capabilities. It weighs in at a measly .5 lbs, which means that you will be able to take this with you anywhere you want to go, or, alternatively, it can sit on its shelf to live out the rest of its life while us humans live out the end of days (which qualifies as a legitimate emergency today’s day and age.

One thing you should know before buying, this thing is small. A lot smaller than the pictures online make it out to be. In fact, it’s about the size of an average cell phone. Now this can be a good thing for portability, not to mention it makes it possible to store in a glove compartment or go-bag pocket. But the downside to the reduced size is that it is not capable of holding a
batter large enough to keep a decent charge.

What does this mean?

It means that you should be prepared to use that crank lever, like, a lot. But it can actually be a good arm workout, so maybe we are making mountains out of ant hills here.

Best Solar Powered Emergency Radio – Kaito KA500 5-Way Powered Emergency AM/FM Weather Alert Radio

The Kaito Voyager KA500 is a compact weather alert radio receiver with a 5-way power source options and emergency use features.

The first thing we would like to highlight is multiple different charging options, which is a good feature to have on a radio that is designed specifically for emergency situation. There is the classic hand-crank, standard to just about every radio in the list. Then comes a rotating solar panel that provides charging into the replaceable the battery pack. (the Ni-MH batteries are included)
The outer case is available in multiple colors also hard plastic with black accents. The plastic carries no recycling information.

The included USB cable fit perfectly most recent IOS and android smartphones but it takes much time to be fully charged by the radio. Approximately 4 hours to charge an Iphone and 5-6 hours to charge an android (Tested on Iphone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6).

Optional accessories you can get out of the box are AC charger and a shortwave external antenna, each costing about $10 while some other products in the list offer this features from the start. The shortwave antenna is a 23 feet long wire that clips onto the telescoping antenna.

TIP: The shortwave radio reception doesn’t work without the shortwave external antenna, which makes the Kaito Voyager KA500 less efficient without the accessory.

They also offer a free antenna if you leave a review on Amazon or you pay $10 – which is really strange.

Emergency Radio with the Loudest Siren – Sangean MMR-88 AM/FM/Weather Alert Emergency Radio

With all the new innovations in emergency radio technology, the shape and style of these products have been altered dramatically in recent years, with new models taking on shapes and sizes that we do not always appreciate as purists of both style and design. Perhaps that’s why it’s so refreshing to see a radio like the MMR-88, whose blocky rectangular construction give it a simplistic sturdiness that we just have to appreciate.

The included NOAA weather stations are not particularly new in terms of features, as most radios have these station alerts programmed into them and it is actually a big reason why these radios are so good for emergencies.

However, the MMR-88 suffers a big flaw in this respect. These alerts do not take into account county information provided by NOAA, so you will likely receive alerts for a much wider area than you actually want (think statewide).

Another issue is that the included battery simply doesn’t cut it. Anyone who wants to add some real power to their MMR-88 should take advantage of the replaceable nature of its battery and swap it out with a third party battery that can hold a bit more of a charge.

Best Tuning on an Emergency Radio – Kaito VOYAGER PRO KA600 Digital Solar Dynamo

Fans of the Kaito KA500 who appreciated its reliable performance but who might be interested in having access to a few new features should take a look at the KA600. This here is the newest addition to Kaito’s VOYAGER PRO series of radios, which are advertised as the absolute top of the line consumer emergency radios.

Let’s take a gander at what exactly is making this radio “top of the line.”

For one, the tuning performance is simply unmatched. There are four different ways to tune the radio, which gives you a
much greater control of which stations you can clearly tune to. While some emergency radios might not be able to pick up all stations with clarity, the KA600 can do just that, and this alone makes it worth the few extra dollars in the price tag.

There is only one significant flaw in the KA600’s design that was immediately apparent to us, and that was the hand-crank design. It is perhaps the only element on the radio that could be swapped out for a tougher material.

Best Emergency Radio for Streaming Music – Eton FRX5-BT Emergency Weather Radio

We are just going to come out and say it: the FRX5-BT has full Bluetooth connectivity built in, meaning that you can stream your favorite music and podcasts from your smartphone. We’ve only seen this feature on a few devices so far, but never have we seen it done in such an elegant and functional way.

There is a pleasing aesthetic design to the FRX5-BT that some radios don’t seem to care about. This looks like something that you could keep on your desk, actually, without raising any eyebrows. In fact, it’s quite stylish.

Another thing we love that we should mention is the unit’s utilization of the Specific Area Messaging (S.A.M.E.) system, which allows you to receive NOAA weather updates from your area, not the wider state in general. This makes the alerts less annoying, and more valuable by a longshot.

We experienced some slight lag / freeze in the digital menu, but the problem managed to work itself out before too long.

Best All-Around Value Pick – RunningSnail MD-090 Solar Crank NOAA Weather Radio for Emergency

A small step up in both price and quality from the aforementioned Running Snail EMERGENCY Radio, the Solar Crank model features a bulkier build, better AM/FM reception, and a few extra features that make it all worth the extra ten bucks that you are going to be shelling out.

One unique thing that we have to give RunningSnail points for is the S.O.S. Alarm Beacon, which features a flashing red light and loud alarm, both of which would be incredibly helpful to anyone too lost or injured to make their way back to civilization. The light alone could possibly be seen by aerial search teams, and it could mean the difference between life and death.

RunningSnail is known for their more affordable products, and unfortunately this sometimes also means that there will be some performance deficiencies to deal with. On this model, the biggest issue is the lack of available stations, as the included bandwidth is smaller compared to more advanced emergency radios.

Best Antenna Pick – Kaito KA550 5-Way Powered AM/FM Shortwave Emergency Radio

After reviewing both the KA500 and the KA600 by Kaito, it’s time to have a look at the KA550, the model that sits directly between the two both in number and in quality and performance. While the KA550 has both improved reception and charging capabilities than the KA500, it does not quite reach the level of the KA600, which just might be the best emergency radio that Kaito makes.

One of the most important things that you are getting with this radio that you won’t find elsewhere is a relatively long telescoping antenna. It’s 14.5” inches tall when fully extended, which might not seem like much, but it is 14.5” taller than what most emergency radios have. The result is high-sensitivity reception that increases station accuracy.

There are however some pretty condemning overload issues with both AM and FM on this radio. ­That means that it tends to pick up a lot more than just the station you are trying to get, and the result is an “overloaded” signal that can be loud and annoying.

Most Water Resistant Emergency Radio – WAYL Emergency Weather Radio 4000mAh

Out of all the emergency radios on our review, the WAYL Emergency Weather Radio is the only one that advertises itself as “water resistant”, which is something of a curiosity when you consider what these radios are actually designed for. It seems to me like there are plenty of emergency situations in which sudden or unexpected water damage might occur, so it doesn’t hurt to have a little more protection for this kind of thing.

Another feature that you think would be more common is the ability for the incoming weather alerts to actually interrupt the AM/FM listening. This means that you don’t actually have to be on the weather station to hear the alerts. Because what’s the point of an emergency weather alert when you are expecting to hear it?

We just think it could be a bit bigger. This is a small radio with small dials, and we are wondering if the smallness has anything at all to do with how flimsy the thing feels. It’s a great little radio, but not one that will be working for more than a few seasons before breaking in one way or another.