Though slightly bulky, the Eton FR300 packs a lot of features into its 6- x 6-inch (HxW) frame. In addition to powering your cell phone via hand crank, the FR300 will let you pick up FM and AM radio stations, basic VHF TV channels (channels 1 to 13), all seven NOAA Weather Radio channels, an emergency siren, a flashing beacon, a flashlight, and a 3.5mm earphone jack.

You can power the FR300 in a variety of ways: via an AC adapter (which isn’t included but can be purchased directly from the manufacturer), with three AA batteries, with the internal rechargeable Ni-MH battery, or with the hand crank alone. You can also use the crank to recharge the FR300’s battery, which may come in handy if you’re going to be stuck out in that hypothetical middle-of-nowhere for a while before a tow truck or helpful acquaintance comes.

To charge a dead battery, simply connect the FR300 to your phone with the included cell phone extension wire (as well as the proper adapter for your particular phone) and then turn the dynamo clockwise or counter-clockwise at a rate of about two turns per second. The unit's Cell Phone Charging indicator should light up as you charge. Eton won't make any claims as to how long you should keep cranking (due to different charging rates of different phones), but two minutes or so of cranking should give you enough juice to make an emergency call.

Smaller in profile than the Eton FR300 is the EmergencyPro, which drops a few features found in the FR300 to save on space. Still, the EmergencyPro boasts an LED flashlight, AM/FM radio, and an emergency siren in addition to its universal cell phone charger. At 6.75 inches long, this device can easily fit in a pocket or glove box.

To charge a cell phone, simply attach the universal adapter to the device and then extend the dynamo on the bottom of the EmergencyPro. As with the Eton FR300, you’ll want to crank at about two revolutions per second, though you’ll probably have to crank slightly longer than two minutes to get a useable charge for your phone. Of course, a few minutes of work won’t seem quite so bad when your cell phone powers up and lets you call for help.

In all, the small size sacrifices a few extra features, but in a true emergency situation, you probably won’t need access to TV channels. The price is much better, though you may find yourself cranking away for longer than you’d like just to make an emergency call. But the device’s small size is much more fit for packing in a carry-on before a trip.

Compared to the other units we’ve looked at, this one is tiny (only about 3.5 x 2 x 1.06 inches [HxWxD]) and doesn’t have all of the extra features of the other two. However, as the name suggests, it does have an LED flashlight and comes with a variety of adapters for mobile phones from Siemens, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony Ericsson. (However, the unit will not work with the LG VX6100).

ElectriLite 5 LED Crank Flashlight/Phone Charger $24.99 www.smarthome.com

Though small in size, the device is simple and does work rather well. About three minutes of cranking should provide between two and eight minutes of talk time on a completely powerless mobile phone. The manufacturer indicates that continuous cranking will provide nearly unlimited talk time, but your arm will probably give out before you can test that claim.

The true beauty of this unit is its size. Despite a lack of extra features, the device is small enough to keep in a pocket and easily fits into the most over-packed luggage. The bright LED flashlight may come in handy in an emergency situation, as well. A note of caution, however: You’ll want to check with the manufacturer’s Web site to see if your mobile phone is supported before picking this one up. Even though the unit is tiny, if it doesn’t work with your mobile phone, all it will do is take up space.

ElectriLite’s tiny 5 LED Crank Flashlight/Phone Charger will let you use your phone for as long as you want, provided you have the endurance and upper-body strength to keep cranking indefinitely.


by Shawn Kupfer