Esky ES-CR01 Emergency Weather Radio vs RCA RCWR7 Weather Alert Radio

Buy the Esky if you want one device that also lights a room, charges a phone and can be cranked by hand when nothing else works. Buy the RCA if you mainly want a bedside NOAA alert radio and clock that runs on wall power or AAA batteries. The Esky is the more versatile emergency tool; the RCA is the simpler, more conventional radio. Owners of the Esky praise the multiple charging methods but note the hand crank is slow and the power bank is small. RCA's alert radio has a modest but positive rating, and its main limits are no crank, no solar and no flashlight.

• Choose the Esky if you need light, a phone top-up and hand-crank power in the same unit as NOAA alerts.
• Choose the RCA if you want a plug-in weather alert radio with a clock and alarm for the home.