Top positive review
20 people found this helpful
Amazing product!
By William on Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2017
The metal clip seems fairly sturdy, and the antenna on my model does indeed pivot. I know that's an issue that was apparent for some people, however I got the pivot to clear the expansion sheath by turning the base counter clockwise with light pull as if to further extend the antenna. Remember to turn and pull on the main tolescoping pit of the antenna (the bit that the rest of the antenna collapses into). Otherwise, the unit is well rounded. I did my research, and this radio is the most highly regarded unit of its type. Great reception, holds a greats charge, solar panel starts charging in poor conditions (cloudy days still prompts charging indicator), and the one LED flashlight is suprisingly bright (as in the beam has no problem at all hitting my shed that is roughly 30ft from the back door with a full wall charge). Oh and excellent reception, fanaminal if you take into consideration the size of the unit. I cannot vouch for its durability yet simply because I'm not about to tourcher my brand new toy, but reviews on the internet say if it gets waterlogged, simply let it dry in the sun for a couple days or bake it like you would your phone then it seems to boot back up without much problem beyound the screen becoming slightly faulty. Drop tourcher reviews seem promising aswell. Some people have reported that this radio has fallen out of there second story apartment window onto concrete and the only damage to report was to the protective rubber and plastic on the outside. All around an exelent product! The only thing that I'd like to see change about it is a higher mAmp/hr battery, and better waterproofing beyound splash proof rating. However, the battery seems plenty for the unit and its uses, but I'd buy it again even for anlittle more if it ment a totally water proof model up to, say, 3 fathoms. Stop looking for a backpacking radio, buy this one. You won't be disappointed. đź‘Ť
Top critical review
25 people found this helpful
So Far, So Good...
By A Customer on Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2020
***Update 07/23/20 - So I have been using this Eton Scorpion II for about 2 month straight now and must say I am overall pretty happy with it but had to take away another star/rating because the solar panel function of the device is not consistent and “IPX/water resistance” rating. On one sunny day for about 8 hours of direct sunlight I got 2 bars on the battery display (max of 3 bars). On others only 1 bar...other charging functions work pretty well....outlet and crank (although you do need to crank it) a few minutes to get some radio time; the flash light will run for a while with only a few cranks. Note: The item claims it is “splash proof” with an IPX4 Rating however getting caught in a “light” drizzle/rain made the device not useful for about 2-3 days....luckily so far, after allowing it to dry-off, so far it is working again. *************** I purchased this product to replace my old Eton Micro (12 years +) which I received as a gift and have stored in my emergency go-bag over the many years...after actually digging out and using my old Eton Micro I noticed that it was quite out of date; none of the wires and adapters were being used anymore. After actually using it for a few days, thought I upgrade to a digital display, better LED light, a water resistant/splash proof item, and an overall larger solar charging panel. FYI - it was between this device and the Midland ER210...but because of its smaller size, $20 cheaper price and primarily because of its splash proof IPX4 rating, I went with the Scorpion 2. This Eton Scorpion 2 has thus far been tested over the past 3 days. Everything from crank to solar to AC charging and I have to say that overall I am quite impressed. The product is rugged with rubber inserts which appear to be able to take light bumps...I would like to test out the water resistance without damaging it and might take it camping this summer and test in light rain. The solar charging did take over 8+ hours under partly cloudy skies to charge 2 bars. But other than that, pretty happy this far. I will be using it more that just to sit in my emergency go-bag since the device has a decent speaker. I will update this review once I have had the chance to REALLY test it out.
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Amazing product!
By William - Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2017
Verified Amazon Purchase
The metal clip seems fairly sturdy, and the antenna on my model does indeed pivot. I know that's an issue that was apparent for some people, however I got the pivot to clear the expansion sheath by turning the base counter clockwise with light pull as if to further extend the antenna. Remember to turn and pull on the main tolescoping pit of the antenna (the bit that the rest of the antenna collapses into). Otherwise, the unit is well rounded. I did my research, and this radio is the most highly regarded unit of its type. Great reception, holds a greats charge, solar panel starts charging in poor conditions (cloudy days still prompts charging indicator), and the one LED flashlight is suprisingly bright (as in the beam has no problem at all hitting my shed that is roughly 30ft from the back door with a full wall charge). Oh and excellent reception, fanaminal if you take into consideration the size of the unit. I cannot vouch for its durability yet simply because I'm not about to tourcher my brand new toy, but reviews on the internet say if it gets waterlogged, simply let it dry in the sun for a couple days or bake it like you would your phone then it seems to boot back up without much problem beyound the screen becoming slightly faulty. Drop tourcher reviews seem promising aswell. Some people have reported that this radio has fallen out of there second story apartment window onto concrete and the only damage to report was to the protective rubber and plastic on the outside. All around an exelent product! The only thing that I'd like to see change about it is a higher mAmp/hr battery, and better waterproofing beyound splash proof rating. However, the battery seems plenty for the unit and its uses, but I'd buy it again even for anlittle more if it ment a totally water proof model up to, say, 3 fathoms. Stop looking for a backpacking radio, buy this one. You won't be disappointed. đź‘Ť
Excellent reception
By Sunshine - Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2025
Verified Amazon Purchase
It is a very useful radio to have. Great flashlight good weather reception. Good sound.
Four steps forward, one fairly large leap back
By phoenix - Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2025
Verified Amazon Purchase
Overall, it's an upper end emergency radio with some pros but also some very unfortunate and disappointing cons. Pros: - all the bands you'd want at this price point - lit display is readable - solar panel is not half bad! Keep it on a window sill and it'll stay charged forever. - hand crank is fairly efficient and performant - includes an 18650 (see con below however) - reasonably well built (but see con below) Cons - the battery and battery compartment. What a disappointment in otherwise a well thought out effort. The battery compartment is sealed with a screw. The thread is plastic so it'll wear out, and needless to say the radio has no place on the body to attach and store the diminutive and easily lost screwdriver. Yes the compartment cover is intended to provide a seal but this is solvable with other closure designs that only take a bit more design effort. So, strike 1 for the lazy door. - The 18650 was fairly low capacity, I think about 2.2Ah, so I thought that's fine I'll throw a 3.5Ah cell in there, this isn't a high drain device anyway. Well it turns out the radio uses and includes a cell slightly shorter than the typical 18650. Use a standard cell and it's just long enough to sometimes prevent a continuity switch on the radio from making proper contact with the battery compartment door, preventing the radio from powering on. I believe I'll be able to remedy this with some work but it's disappointing. - Finally, the radio also includes an allowance for three AAA cells. When they are inserted, the unit will not charge the 18650 near as I can tell. This is not a true dual battery supply radio. Anyhow, it's serviceable, in fact fairly good aside from the issues, so I'll hang on to it. It's probably the best of the emergency radios out there, even if it's not perfect.
Great for everyday carry and travel.
By Cj - Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2017
Verified Amazon Purchase
This is a terrific travel/emergency radio. I originally got it for overnight trips for when the hotel room has none but have been using it on a daily basis at home too. Sound is pretty good for radio so small, the stations come in clear (Minneapolis, MN USA) including weather band. Flashlight is really bright. I charge it off my standard phone charger but it will also charge in a window (slow) or with crank. It has a " dump charge" for your phone that also works well. I like the button controls for volume and tuning. On radios that use dials, these often fail with heavy use. No it won't survive dropping in a lake or off a cliff. But it's rugged enough to go to work EDC and seems to have a battery that lasts. I liked it so much I got another one for a " go bag". I looked at a lot of emergency radios. For size, weather band and power options, this one really stands out as a good value and the size makes it practical for a BWCA trip.
So Far, So Good...
By A Customer - Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2020
Verified Amazon Purchase
***Update 07/23/20 - So I have been using this Eton Scorpion II for about 2 month straight now and must say I am overall pretty happy with it but had to take away another star/rating because the solar panel function of the device is not consistent and “IPX/water resistance” rating. On one sunny day for about 8 hours of direct sunlight I got 2 bars on the battery display (max of 3 bars). On others only 1 bar...other charging functions work pretty well....outlet and crank (although you do need to crank it) a few minutes to get some radio time; the flash light will run for a while with only a few cranks. Note: The item claims it is “splash proof” with an IPX4 Rating however getting caught in a “light” drizzle/rain made the device not useful for about 2-3 days....luckily so far, after allowing it to dry-off, so far it is working again. *************** I purchased this product to replace my old Eton Micro (12 years +) which I received as a gift and have stored in my emergency go-bag over the many years...after actually digging out and using my old Eton Micro I noticed that it was quite out of date; none of the wires and adapters were being used anymore. After actually using it for a few days, thought I upgrade to a digital display, better LED light, a water resistant/splash proof item, and an overall larger solar charging panel. FYI - it was between this device and the Midland ER210...but because of its smaller size, $20 cheaper price and primarily because of its splash proof IPX4 rating, I went with the Scorpion 2. This Eton Scorpion 2 has thus far been tested over the past 3 days. Everything from crank to solar to AC charging and I have to say that overall I am quite impressed. The product is rugged with rubber inserts which appear to be able to take light bumps...I would like to test out the water resistance without damaging it and might take it camping this summer and test in light rain. The solar charging did take over 8+ hours under partly cloudy skies to charge 2 bars. But other than that, pretty happy this far. I will be using it more that just to sit in my emergency go-bag since the device has a decent speaker. I will update this review once I have had the chance to REALLY test it out.
Good emergency backup
By Ed - Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2025
Verified Amazon Purchase
Got this to keep in my car, just for some peace of mind. Sound quality is only ok, but that's not why I bought it. I wanted an emergency light and phone charger. And this fills that perfectly. Battery life is decent, but here's the kicker - the battery is replaceable, a perk I didn't see in the description. It appears to take a standard 16850 battery, accessed through a compartment on the side. So adding a higher capacity battery or carrying spares is possible.
I would have given it 0 stars if that were an option.
By Mr. Sensible - Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
Verified Amazon Purchase
This radio worked very well for a few weeks. I use it every day despite having multiple problems with it. Before I purchased I watched a YouTube review in which the reviewer described this radios durability. The video review I am writing of showed how the dynamo crank broke, as well as the antenna. I watched this review before purchasing and carefully considered these critical points of failure. Despite handling this radio with a high level of care, I have also had the crank arm and antenna brake. Furthermore, the headphone jack is very sensitive and does not reliably work. I listen to this radio almost exclusively with headphones, so this feature is important to me. As if these seemingly planned points of failure (antenna and crank) were not enough of a reason to avoid this radio, trying to deal with Etòn through email is very frustrating. This company does not value customer service. I will be careful not to purchase any Etòn products in the future. All of that said, this radio is rugged and useful. Plan on the crank failing, the antenna failing, and the headphone jack being very touchy. Also, I tried to avoid charging this radio from the USB adapter plugged into a wall outlet (or computer for that matter). I tried to keep this radio charged by only using the hand crank and the solar panel (primarily using solar). The battery would never hold a charge for very long, even if the radio indicated a full charge it would only play for about an hour through headphones. When the crank failed I began charging primarily from a wall adapter and using the solar panel to keep it topped off. This drastically increases the duration that I can listen to this radio. I like using this radio but after only two months of careful use it is only 15% as useful. I,would consider it a good deal if it cost 10-15 dollars, but for the price I would steer clear. Nothing against this amazon vendor, it was delivered promptly.
Substantial not cheaply made
By Lin - Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2020
Verified Amazon Purchase
At the top is a carabiner I have looped my cord which will charge my android phone. It has a flashlight on the other end which is good for looking in your bag not super bright but could get you to a bush when needed. There is a built in solar panel fair size have not tried it yet but looks doable. Solid feeling crank and cranks easily. Did it for 2 minutes and it let the radio turn on. Has a built in on the side digital clock. The radio has an antenna that extends out and rotates. There is a battery indicator on the side display with the clock. This is a really remarkable item and easy to figure out and use. I would definitely tell my family about it.
Works, but some features not good as desired
By marina - Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2025
Verified Amazon Purchase
I only used it to test it and it works, so hooray. I still need to turn it on during the weekly NOAA alert test time, but otherwise everything else works: FM and AM radio, flashlight, emergency siren (it's LOUD!!!), and bluetooth. Some things that are a little annoying: There is a little red light that indicates charging, but I wish the battery icon indicating charge on the screen would also flash. The solar charging is really really slow (but it is a really small panel), perhaps handcrank is faster. And the autoprogram for FM can never be reset, so if you move, you'll keep all the old saved channels too.
ETON Radio
By Zhiv - Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2025
Verified Amazon Purchase
A bit bulkier than expected, but doing everything is advertised, and probably handy in an emergency. I use it every day as a radio source when working. Do not expect too much from sound quality. Features are user-friendly and easily recognizable. I would definitely recommend it in these uncertain times.
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