[Back Pack Hack]

In a word: cheap.

Yeah, it'll work. But it's not going to be a workhorse. Going to sound tinny, the flashlight beam will be all funky, and it will take forever and a day to fully charge the battery with either the solar or crank.

 

[Back Pack Hack]

Having crank / USB / solar charging is nice... but what about the battery itself? Is it buried inside and not easily changed? If so, that's a huge 'no' for me. Either give me the ability to power it with off-the-shelf alkalines or a readily available rechargeable batt.

 

[Back Pack Hack]

It depends on the model of the radio. My Dynamo radio battery was easy to replace.

Finding one for it was the challenge because my radio model was pretty old. But in most cases if you dig far enough you can find what you need.

Even if you can find a battery, how easy is it to change? Is it soldered right onto a board? Hard-wired with a short harness? These can be barriers for some people who aren't good at repairing small electronics.