Eton FR350 Wind-up Radio Review
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Eton is famed for its all-action, go-anywhere wind-up radios and the FR350 is no exception. As well as manual tuning for FM/AM you get eight SW bands for tuning into emergency frequencies, a bright LED light and red flashing warning light, an ear-piercingly loud warning siren and the ability to charge your mobile through a 3.5mm jack socket.
So the Eton certainly lives up to the 'multi-purpose radio' billing, but we were actually disappointed with the feel of the unit. Measuring 21 x 11 x 5cm, it felt lightweight even though the casing is tough plastic with rubberised bumpers, and some of the buttons weren't as robust as you might expect from an outdoorsy water-resistant radio. That said, the controls are clearly laid out and it tunes easily.
To power you can choose between the mains adaptor, three AA batteries or the built-in battery and dynamo located on the end. The winder is made of rigid plastic but it isn't overly comfortable. These are only minor niggles, though, because a quick 30-second wind gave us close to one hour's playback before we needed to wind again. That's twice as efficient as the Freeplay Devo, for instance, which needs a minute of winding for an hour a listening.
The 'emergency' features all work well, should you need to use them -- the siren will certainly get you noticed and the LED torch is surprisingly bright. Both can be powered just by using the winder, so even when the internal battery dies you can still signal for help.
You can also charge your mobile via the port on the back, which is the most useful extra on this radio. You'll have to do a lot of winding for just a few minutes of talk-time, which we imagine is a small price to pay when you're out in the sticks. Just be sure you have a connector that'll fit the 3.5mm jack, as only three basic charger heads are included for some Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson phones. It wasn't love at first wind with the Eton but after using and abusing it, the good value design coped admirably and we liked that it packs in plenty of useful features for travellers, adventurers or just radio listeners.
We weren't surprised to learn that the radio was manufactured in China -- what electronics aren't, these days? But the California-based company told us it's visited the Dong Guan factory and the conditions for workers are "very good", with a high security standard and good living conditions. As is expected, Eton's factory has ISO 9000 and ROHS certification and has reduced the impact of its radios by using recyclable components and packaging (though recycled would be even better) and by developing efficient rechargeable batteries. But beyond those basics, we couldn't find out much about the manufacturing of this radio.
Of course, as with all wind-ups, the Eton radio's main green credentials come with its not needing mains power to work. We think another big green bonus is that it can charge mobile phones on top of all that.
Quality
Value
Ethics
Green
