After a horrible experience with a DOA Kaito pocket radio, I returned it and ordered an inexpensive little Sony pocket radio, the ICF-S10MK2
. For $9.99, it was worth a shot.This little guy is actually pretty awesome. Best of all, it actually works!!! Reception is very good and the tuning wheel quite sensitive and easy to work with. The station marks aren't particularly accurate, which is a small annoyance but easy to work around. I can get all of the stations that I normally get on my truck radio, very clearly, with no static. The speaker is surprisingly good for a $10 radio. It's clear and can be cranked up to a surprisingly loud volume, though you get distortion towards the upper end of the volume. But definitely puts out enough noise to listen to in a decent sized room.
The radio runs on a pair of AAs; I haven't done much battery-life testing but so far-so good. It's definitely not a "hard use" radio--it's made of inexpensive plastic--but it should hold up to use. I've actually dropped mine accidentally onto bare tile floor, with no negative consequences, which was honestly a little surprising.
There's a headphone jack and a little wrist lanyard, and that rounds out the features on this little guy. It's pretty barebones and basic, but it works and it's $9.99. Definitely a very good choice for an inexpensive, lightweight emergency radio. Throw some cheap earbuds and a few sets of batteries, maybe spray-paint it a more tactical-friendly color (OD green, baby!) and you're good to go. You can pick up the Sony ICF-S10MK2 pocket radio from good ol' Amazon
.
