Originally posted 2018-06-28 04:18:36.

iRonsnow IS-388 Solar Hand Crank Emergency Radio  – NOAA weather Radio, Lamp, MP3 Player and More!!

One of the parts I really love about having this blog is the ability to meet and speak with different manufacturers of really cool gear.  One such person is the owner of iRonsnow who found my page on Facebook and chatted me up.   On top of being a cool guy, he sent me one of his iRonsnow IS-388 Solar Hand Crank Emergency  Radio.  I had actually purchased the smaller emergency radio that iRonsnow produced and I really liked it, so I was extremely excited to check out this larger product.

More than just an Emergency Radio

So, first and foremost this item is a radio – it’s equipped with AM / FM / SW1 / SW2 frequencies alongside the ever important NOAA radio, which can allow you to get weather updates even if the power has gone out in your home.  I remember as a child when we were stuck in a blizzard at our home without power for over 5 days, and while we did have a basic radio it was no comparison to this beast.   The volume on the unit is impressive and could be utilized for both camping or at a work site.

Emergency Lighting

The  iRonsnow IS-388 Solar Hand Crank Emergency Radio features not just one, but two LED powered lights.  One in a forward facing lamp style that you can essentially carry the radio like a boxy flashlight – or an LED reading lamp that flips out.  This would allow you to be able to not only listen to the radio during an emergency, but read your map or even a nice book to pass the time.  Very well thought out!  Both lights have a good strong beam and provide plenty of illumination in a very dark environment.  I think the reading lamp in particular is a handy feature and that makes the  iRonsnow IS-388 Solar Hand Crank Emergency Radio a definite upgrade from the smaller model they produce (although the smaller one is easily held in the hand, so it has an advantage there).

MICRO SD MP3 Player, Device charger and Emergency Siren

Another bonus feature of the  iRonsnow IS-388 Solar Hand Crank Emergency Radio is the fact you can plug in a micro SD card and play your own music off it!  I didn’t have an SD card on hand at the time (the one I have is formatted for my GoPro camera)  but I will do another video in the future to show off the Mp3 player capability of this unit.  Again, this is a really cool feature for an emergency radio.

The unit also features a very LOUD emergency siren, which honestly freaked me out the first time I moved the switch to turn it on.  If you needed to make some noise and alert others to your presence, this would accomplish that very quickly!  A great use if you were stranded or lost in the woods.   Along with the siren, there is an alternative charging mode on this switch that allows you to pour electricity out of the radio and into your cell phone or other device, if you needed to charge it in a pinch.

Overall, for the money this is a pretty good buy considering all the features it has.  I would definitely have some peace of mind if this was in my home during an extended power outage, and I am proud to own a  iRonsnow IS-388 Solar Hand Crank Emergency Radio!!!  Check it out today and let me know what you think.

 

 

Happy Camping!

~Caleb