Ryichi wind-up radio review: £41.99 emergency gadget every UK home needs
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With power cuts hitting parts of Europe and growing concern about energy resilience in the UK, I picked up the Ryichi wind-up radio – a compact emergency gadget that’s become a bestseller overnight. At just £41.99, it’s a practical tool for anyone looking to prepare for a blackout or power disruption.
It’s smaller than expected – small enough to slip easily into a backpack – but still feels sturdy and well-built. The hand crank folds neatly into the back, and it comes with a USB-C cable for standard charging. You get USB charging functionality both ways: one port to power up the radio, the other to charge your phone or small devices. There’s also a headphone jack, with all ports protected by a rubber seal.
Tuning is smooth and simple on this crank radio. A switch lets you toggle between AM and FM bands, and a green light on the front shows when you’re getting a strong signal. For a device this size, the sound quality is impressively clear – it won’t replace your Bluetooth speaker, but it’s perfectly listenable for news or music indoors.
One of the standout features of this flashlight radio is its lighting setup. Beneath the solar panel is a flip-up reading light powered by six bright LEDs, adjustable between low, medium and high brightness. There’s also a front-facing spotlight controlled by a top-mounted button – again with three brightness levels and no flashing gimmicks, just reliable illumination when you need it.
An SOS emergency alarm is built in too: hold the button for three seconds and the radio blares a siren while flashing the front beam. It’s designed to help you be found in an emergency, and trust me – it’s loud enough.
To charge it, you’ve got options: solar charging on sunny days, or manual power using the hand crank. The red light shows it’s charging, and one minute of cranking gives around 10 minutes of light or up to six minutes of radio. Four blue lights on the front display your current battery level.
This compact survival radio isn’t flashy, but it does exactly what you want it to. For £41.99, you’re getting a reliable emergency gadget with lighting, radio access, USB charging, and an alert system – all in a size that’s ideal for a rucksack, bedside drawer or glovebox.
Order the Ryichi wind-up radio here while it’s still in stock.
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