Raddy vs. LEDIANER: Raddy SW3 Radio Review

　

Initially, I thought the LEDIANER Emergency Radio had a big battery compared to other options at 2200mAh, so I got it. But then I came across this Raddy SW3 with an even bigger battery at 4000mAh, so had to add it to my collection. The LEDIANER does allow you to add three additional AAA batteries as a backup whereas the Raddy is limited to the internal LI-ION. That said, you can easily open the battery cover on the Raddy and swap the internals out should you acquire additional Li-18650/3.7V (there are two 2000mAh installed). There's no easy way to access the internal battery on the LEDIANER (requires taking the radio apart).

　

Another feature that attracted me to the Raddy over the LEDIANER is the power indicator. It has 4 lights showing the current power capacity:

4 lights = 75% - 100%
3 lights = 50% - 74%
2 lights = 25% - 49%
1 light = 3% - 24%
Flashing light = needs to be charged

The LEDIANER has no power indicators, which is a huge disadvantage. Especially when you have to rely on cranking to charge the device. With the LEDIANER, you can crank and crank and have no idea how full the battery is. Whereas the Raddy gives you a good ballpark.

　

There’s a big difference in the flashlight ability, too. The LEDIANER has one single LED in the center, whereas the Raddy has the center beam plus two outer ones. This lets you change the spread of the beam. The center beam focuses on a point. The outside lights illuminate a wide area around you. With all 3 lights on, it combines the abilities and is really bright. There’s also a reading lamp which is really useful if you need to look at a map. As such, the Raddy has way more lighting abilities than the LEDIANER.
　

On top of that, there’s a cool additional feature on the Raddy. If you set the switch to “Auto” and open the reading light, it will activate the light if there’s movement 3 meters (about 10 feet) in front of the motion sensor. This is helpful for added security in case you are sleeping on the ground and something tries approaching you. Once triggered, the light will stay on for 30 seconds then turn off again allowing for additional movement triggers. The LEDIANER doesn’t do this.

　

There’s a reflector on the bottom of the Raddy, which is helpful if you need to position the radio toward car lights to draw attention to your position. No reflectors on the LEDIANER.

Both devices let you charge your phone or other devices. Since the Raddy has larger battery compacity, it’s more effective. This is really helpful if you are without power and need to charge your phone by using the crank.

The crank handle is better on the Raddy simply because the knob is easier to hold onto. The knob on the Raddy is .50-inch wide by 1.24-inch long. The knob on the LEDIANER is circular and about half an inch wide and long. There’s more resistance when cranking on the LEDIANER than the Raddy. Not really sure if that means you get more charge per crank with more resistance, but regardless cranking on the Raddy is less laborious. The manual states that cranking the handle for 1 minute allows for 30 minutes of high beam illumination or 6 minutes of radio time. Not sure with the LEDIANER because it doesn’t offer any insight in the manual (and doesn’t have a power indicator for testing).

　

One feature missing on the Raddy that the LEDIANER has is the ability to insert MP3 music into the radio. Since the speakers on both radios aren’t the best for music anyway, I don’t consider this a big deal. I only need it to listen to emergency weather and news.

I metered the decibel S.O.S. level on each device. The LEDIANER is slightly louder at around 80 dB whereas the Raddy is closer to 75 dB. Not that big a difference. Both flash the lights to gain attention in an emergency.

Now, let me say the solar charging isn’t really all that effective on either device. This is because the solar strip is so small. You are honestly better off getting something like the Solar Panel which can more rapidly charge the radio or your phone/device in an emergency. I set the Raddy outside in direct sunlight for two days and it did go from 2 lights to 3, but I’m not sure how close the percentages were at the time. So, I left it in the windowsill for two weeks where it got a fair amount of sunlight, but it still stayed at 3-lights. Even the manual states that the solar ability is really for maintaining the battery and prolonging its life, not to significantly charge it.

Overall, the Raddy is much better IMO. Larger battery, power indicator, easier to crank, better flashlight, and has a motion sensor. It is slightly heavier at 13.3 ounces vs. 10.3, but worth it for the extra battery amount. While I prefer the green color and more military looking design of the LEDIANER, I’ll take the red and black of the Raddy simply because it’s a better device. Don’t get me wrong, both have their advantages in an emergency. (Both get WB signals equally as well.) I’ll be putting the LEDIANER in my Get Home Bag but holding onto the Raddy as my main, go-to unit.

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