I was struck by a bolt of lightning today, causing me to remember I had purchased an emergency radio during the Y2k scare, an Eton FR-300. It has been in our emergency supplies box since then. I dug it out today and pulled it out of the nylon carrying bag, to find that the plastic body material must be degrading from the heat of being in an attic for 15+ years (we moved about 4 years ago, so no longer in the attic). The plastic body looked normal until it was touched, then it was like a sticky, tacky glue, with the appearance of vaseline smeared on it, wherever it was touched. It won't wipe off, so, while everything seems to work, it can't be handled without getting sticky stuff all over hands, etc.

I am looking for recommendations and experience with these radios in order to purchase a similar unit. Eton, Kaito, Midland, Sangean are names that appear on most Top 6-8-10 lists, and are all similar, yet all different, making it difficult to compare. Looking for something under $70 (the manufacturers listed all have models under $70), hand crank charging, solar charging, rechargeable batteries (Li-on or NiMH??), Alkaline batteries, able to charge devices, etc. AM-FM, NOAA, etc. Amazon reviews are all over the place, mostly positive for most models, with a few "0" stars thrown in for confusion. Not very helpful. Please let me know what you know.

As a side note, I recently purchased 2 Baofeng UV5R's, so maybe I am covered for what the radio will do except for the self-charging.