MECO Hand Cranking Solar Powered Rechargeable Flashlight Emergency LED Flashlight Carabiner Dynamo Quick Snap Clip Backpack Flashlight Torch Weather Ready, 8 Lumen - Black

Your browser does not support HTML5 video.  So far so good. I've owned this nifty little product for a few months now and have been very pleased with it. Last spring we had a bit of a storm come thru central NC and although we own a number of survival/emergency type items, after surviving the inconveniences of that ordeal I knew we needed to add a few more items to our emergency plan/ inventory; This small but powerful solar powered hand crank flashlight is a great addition.Let me run down a list of categories that I found necessary and important in my purchase of this particular product.PRICE: At less than 10 bones the price point IMHO is great!! Provided I get some longevity out of the rechargeable internal batteries the savings in replacement batteries is already made up say after 3-5 months of owning it and using it. $10 to give me and my family peace of mind is well worth the price. And compared to other similar products the price point is definitely reasonableCONSTRUCTION: It appears to be made of a hard durable plastic. Very lightweight and feels pretty good in my hand when I'm cranking the fold out handle to manually charge it up. Not sure if its waterproof/ or water resistant. At this price point I would venture to say it's neither, however I'll do further testing to give a more definitive answer in a later review. The item has a built in carabineer; it works, however as another reviewer pointed out, I think a solid rear construction of the case with just a simple hole thru it for attaching a purpose built carabineer would have been a better option. The crank mechanism is made of plastic and although felt relatively solid, it will by no means sustain rough or improper cranking use. Basically, take your time and gently crank so as not to exert any type of sideways motion or force on the cranking mechanismAPPEARANCE/WEIGHT: Its sleek and almost has a military look to it. I think it would serve the company better if it were offered in a variety of colors, such as highly visible Orange, yellow, or neon green. Easier to visually process during a power outage or find if dropped during a camping outing. Coming in at only a few ounces it easily fits into a pocket, clips on to a backpack or hangs on a wall mounted key hook. Honestly I have wallets that weight more than this item.LIGHT BRIGHTNESS: Although the instructions claim an average 40 lumen rating, when first charged and used it seems the light is brighter ( closer to 60 -100 lumens) and dulls or averages out over extended usage to a duller 40 lumen rating. With that said, for my intended purpose the light is plenty bright enough since I'm using this in an emergency setting versus a trail blazing/ camping type setting. Inside a dark home or even outside of the house during a power outage the product produces more than enough light to see adequately to accomplish simple tasks such as checking breakers in a panel box, scanning my roof (two-story home) to confirm or deny any roof damage from inclement weather or just to move freely thru a blacked out home without worry of bumping into every piece of furniture.USE: The item is basically a no-brainer to use. Flip the power switch forward or backwards to turn it on or off. With it off either set it out in the sun or beneath another light source to charge it OR flip out/up the hand crank and continuously crank it for 1 minute to 6 minutes to get anywhere from 15 minutes up to an hour of Light usage. We cranked it once for 6 minutes when it first arrived, turned it on to make sure it still worked and then once a week for an entire 2 months turned it on for 2 minutes just to see how long the charge would last. Here it is going into the 4th month and it's still charged up and working fine:-)REPLACEMENTS: Both the LED bulbs and batteries are sealed within the case. Yes, I suspect it could be unscrewed and broken down to its inner components, however, this product is not set up to be a replenishable item like a store bought, Duracell/energizer battery operated type flashlight. So, basically once the bulbs are burnt out or the internal battery is shot, the item is meant to be thrown away. With that said, in an emergency type situation such as an item used during occasional power outages or roadside vehicular inconveniences I can't imagine this product NOT lasting for many years.SUMMARY: Overall I'm really happy with the purchase, so much so I bought several to have on hand (1 in each car and 1 on each floor of the house). The product is very easy to use and I've included a video of my 12 year old cranking and operating it. Only time will tell, but I fully expect this item to last me for MANY years to come. Hope this review helps you in your decision:-)******UPDATE*******19NOV2019*******Here it is almost three years later and I'm in a new house living on a decent size parcel of land (16+ acres) and walking back and forth between my house and shop (which is approximately 100 yards away). O now own 8 of these lights and they are by far my best compact flashlight. I keep one in each bedroom, in my shop and in each car. I can't say enough about these little gems. EXTREMELY pleased with this product and often recommend them to friends, neighbors and family.Thanks MECO for an awesome little tool.

Flashlight works as expected. It tolerates bad weather well. I found this out when I dropped it outside, where it was rained on, snowed on and frozen for four days until I found it because I noticed a dim light still on after four days. I was impressed.

Simple, functional hand crank flashlight1. Tight cranking mechanism2. 1 min crank = 1hr+ light3. 1 min solar charge = 5-15 mins light (didn't get consistent results, probably due to different light levels at different times of day)4. Bright LED light5. Caribiner is functionalyMy only complaint with this little light is that the caribiner isn't very friendly. The gate should probably be rounder because it's tough to push all the way down. I would almost have just gone with a hook on the end of it and added a small aluminum caribiner for carrying with it like some other products do. That said, I really love everything else about this light!Highly recommended!Note: I base my reviews on a) the functionality of all parts of the product based on its manufacturer intended use [not what I want or expect it to be able to do], and b) the usefulness of the product for my intended use [which I tend to base off the manufacturer intended use].

this is the best 10 bucks you will ever spend, the light is not super bright but in an emergency who cares, I bought this because recently we were in my wifes car and needed one, I had 3 of flashlights in her car, glove box, console and emergency kit in the back . they all had dead batteries. I was really ticked off, if I had this I would not ever need to waste time on dead batteries, problem solved, If you think this is an 800 lumen light your an idiot, its for emergency use and not super bright but will get you out of a jamb or fix a tire at night etc.

I bought this for emergencies and it is a gem .It has a solar power panel for sunny days and a hand crank for non sunny days or just needing light in a hurry.The manual states that it takes 30 minutes at mid january sun to charge for 10 minutes of light or 40 hours to recharge a fully discharged battery .It takes 1 minute of hand cranking for 8 minutes of light .It has 3 LED's for light productionIt has a clip for attaching to your belt but I don't think I would use it like that as it looks like the solar panel could get scratched by shrubs bushes etc if it is on your belt.Of course I could be wrong and it might not but If I was off in the middle of the woods I would not risk itTo me this is a nice little emergency or camping light

I wanted something I could put in my bug out bag that wouldn't take batteries and wouldn't let me down. This is small but it works fine! I love that I can crank it for 1 minute and I get light for 8 minutes. It also has a solar panel on the side, and I haven't tried that yet, it wouldn't even have to work perfectly and I would still be happy with it. I will order a couple more soon here to keep in the car and in my night stand drawer.

Great for the price. Not the brightest - i think it's 200 lumens - but what it lacks in brightness it makes up for in durability and longevity. Bought it for the crank and solar panel, don't like buying batteries all the time. I noticed my hand doesn't get as tired turning the crank if I hold flashlight from the bottom clip, rather than from the sides. The solar panel works in natural and artificial light. Other reviewers said how much of a beating it can take - it's a very sturdy, solid construction, lightweight but not cheap feeling. I don't have to worry about it falling apart when I need it most. I like that i can clip it to my shirt collar or put it around my neck on a cord so it's hands free. Instructions recommend cranking for at least 1min once a month to extend the battery's lifespan. Great buy.

These are great little flashlights. The solar keeps them charged up or provided an alternate charging mode. The crank gives a fair amount of light for a few minutes of cranking. The descriptions says 1 hour for 6 mins of cranking and that seems accurate. The light is bright 'enough' but isn't on par with some of the high lumen lights out now. Not what it was designed for though.The only downside is the crank handle feels a little weak. So far, no broken handles but it feels like it would be first thing to give out.These work well for camping/car etc, but are also great for the kids' bedroom light. No batteries to die or chase down. And they seem to like the fact they get to crank it to make light.

I really like this compact flashlight. It is lightweight and very portable. It is so practical in the car or for camping. I really appreciate the clip as I can clip it to my backpack or on my pants when Im on a trip. The light is bright enough for normal use but I had some before that where brighter, but still very good.The fact that It don’t need batteries too work and have 2 different methods of charging are very useful. I test the crank and the description of the item was pretty accurate; for one minute of cranking I was able to have 10-12 minutes of light. The sunlight method is also effective. Overall very good buy for me I am more than satisfied for the price.

Nice emergency flashlight that stays charged if you keep it in the sun. It does take a while to recharge by solar (40 hours to fully recharge from flat, depending on light conditions), so the hand crank is useful if you need to recharge quickly (1 minute of cranking is supposed to give 8 minutes of light). I like the built-in clip, which is quite sturdy so you won't lose it if you hang it from your backpack when going out. The amount of light it puts out is usable to see where you're going or finding something in the dark, but in no way compares to a decent battery powered LED flashlight. I keep both around, knowing that the crank flashlight will provide at least some light in case the battery ones run out.

Traveling , packed,and had to really use when the area visited experienced blackouts. Not as bright as my other IPX6 flashlights,but I like the smaller form factor,and weight of the MECO for traveling. Being able to clip it onto a bag's interior so you don't have to dig for it is a bonus in the design my other ones don't have. For the price,you'll need to charge it a bit more for longer use.I keep one my IPX6 flashlights in a car always,and have used it when looking for items below the seat, hitch.

For anyone who wants a flashlight ready to go at any moment where you don’t ever have to worry about dead batteries when you really need light. Crank and solar charging works great and gives long run time. The crank is small but is easy to work with fingers despite its size. The crank does seem fragile but it stows away nicely so it won’t snag on anything and break. The exterior casing isn’t super heavy duty but holds up quite well. The LED light is bright but do not expect a high powered beam. It's bright enough to get you around in the dark and in the woods after night fall. Practical inter-grated carabiner lets you hook it to your belt on backpack.