Best wind-up and emergency radios UK (2026)

The most complete specification on this page from a brand that publishes its numbers. Philips states IP55, up to 60 hours of play from a user-replaceable lithium cell, a 3W speaker with a headphone socket and digital tuning with 40 presets, and it still runs on four AAA cells when that battery is flat. Two things hold it back. It's a new model with little owner feedback yet, and Philips' own page gives the battery as 5,200mAh in its spec table but calls it a 2,600mAh power bank elsewhere, so treat phone charging as a useful extra rather than a measured figure. At 670g it's a home radio, and there's no DAB.

Worth knowing: FM/AM only; no DAB+

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want DAB, or something light for a rucksack. For a grab bag the TAR1609 weighs 390g and the battery-only Roberts Sports 925 about 150g.

The radio we'd put in a household kit first. Philips quotes up to 32 hours of listening from the built-in battery, it charges from the same USB-C lead as most modern phones, and it also runs on three ordinary AAA cells, so a flat internal battery doesn't leave you relying on the handle or the sun. There's no DAB, no headphone socket and no water-resistance rating, and Philips publishes no torch brightness or crank figure, but it does the one job GOV.UK asks of a radio, from a brand that publishes its specs, without an American weather band you can't use.

Worth knowing: FM/AM only, with analogue tuning: no DAB+, no presets and no headphone socket

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want DAB, or a radio that will properly charge a phone. Its USB-A port is an emergency top-up only, so keep a separate power bank.

GOV.UK Prepare asks for a battery or wind-up radio, and this is the battery one done simply. Roberts quotes up to 60 hours of playback, it runs on two AA cells, and there's no crank to seize, no solar panel to disappoint and no internal cell to go flat between emergencies. Its limits are plain: no torch, no phone charging, no DAB, and a small speaker that's quiet in a busy room, so keep headphones with it.

Worth knowing: No torch, no USB port and no DAB; it does one job only

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want one device for light and radio together, or DAB. Pair it with a head torch, or pick the Philips TAR1609 for a radio that also has a torch and a crank.

Sangean's manual states the figures that matter: about 24 hours of play from a full 2,600mAh cell, about 3 hours to recharge by USB-C, and about 10 minutes of listening per minute of winding at 100 turns a minute. IP55 against dust and splashes is on the datasheet, and a 5V/1A USB-A port is a usable phone top-up. Against it: 900g, FM and AM only with no DAB+, and a built-in cell with no AA or AAA fallback, so when the cell is flat you depend on the crank or the sun.

Worth knowing: FM and AM only, with no DAB+ band

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want DAB+ or something light for a grab bag. The Sangean MMR-88 DAB+ is 377g with DAB+, and the Philips TAR1609 weighs 390g.

The more useful of the two Roberts Play sets for a power cut. Roberts' guide quotes up to 25 hours from four alkaline cells, and a switch in the battery bay lets the radio recharge NiMH cells from its own adaptor in about 7 hours, so spare AAs are a fallback you can keep topped up. It adds Bluetooth, 20 presets and rubber bumpers. It has no crank, solar panel, torch or phone port and no published IP rating, so it's a radio that needs cells in hand rather than a self-powered one.

Worth knowing: No crank, solar panel, torch or phone-charging port

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you need light or phone charging from the same device, or a set that refills without a mains socket. The Philips TAR1609 has a crank, solar panel and torch; the Sangean MMR-88 DAB+ is the DAB+ alternative with a crank.

Both Roberts and John Lewis describe a DAB, DAB+ and FM set with a rechargeable battery rated at up to 20 hours. In a long power cut that is the weak point: it has no spare-cell option, so once the battery is flat you need mains or a power bank on the USB-C lead, and Roberts does not say whether it plays while charging. It is a good everyday radio with a UK brand behind it, rather than a purpose-built kit radio. Top it up every few weeks and it can serve both roles.

Worth knowing: No replaceable cells, so a flat battery needs a USB-C source; Roberts does not say if it plays while charging

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a set that runs on spare cells. The Roberts Sports 925 takes two AA cells and quotes up to 60 hours, and the Philips TAR1609 takes AAA cells as well as its own battery.

Roberts' current guide (Issue 4, September 2024) gives up to 20 hours from four AA alkaline cells, down from 30 hours in an earlier edition, so check which figure a retailer repeats. It's the honest low-tech answer: DAB, DAB+ and FM with RDS, six presets with a mains adaptor in the box. It isn't self-sufficient: no crank, solar panel, torch or phone port, and it doesn't recharge cells, so what you keep in the drawer decides how long it lasts.

Worth knowing: No crank, solar panel, torch or phone port; once the cells run out you need more cells or the mains

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a radio that charges itself or lights a room. The Philips TAR1609 has a crank, solar panel and torch; the Roberts Sports 925 quotes 60 hours on two AA cells, though without DAB.

Panasonic's spec page is the useful thing here: about 40 hours of DAB (30 on FM) from four alkaline C cells, but only about 12 hours (9 on FM) from manganese ones, and Panasonic says its figures assume its own batteries. That makes it one of the better-documented battery sets on this page, with a 10cm speaker, a backlit two-line display and a fold-down handle. The costs are about 1.3kg with the cells in, C cells that few homes keep spare, and no crank, solar panel, torch or phone port. It runs from the mains too, so the cells only matter when the power is off.

Worth knowing: About 1.3kg with cells in, and C cells are less likely to be in the house than AA

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want something light for a grab bag, or a phone top-up from the same device. The Roberts Sports 925 weighs about 150g on two AA cells, and the Philips TAR3500 has a USB-A port and AAA backup, though neither has DAB.

A straightforward analogue radio on three AA cells or the mains. Sony quotes about 35 hours on the speaker for both FM and AM, though it doesn't say which cells that assumes, and it has a 10cm speaker. For a power cut that's the whole job: ordinary cells, nothing to charge, a telescopic FM aerial and a built-in AM aerial. It has no DAB, torch or phone port, and tuning is by analogue dial, so stations take a little finding.

Worth knowing: FM and AM only, with no DAB, and analogue dial tuning

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want DAB or something pocket-sized. The Roberts Play 10 adds DAB on four AA cells, and the Roberts Sports 925 quotes 60 hours on two AA cells at about 150g.

Panasonic's current pocket radio does one job: FM and AM on two AA cells, which Panasonic says last about 64 hours on FM and 68 on AM with alkaline batteries, in a 111g set. There's nothing to charge, crank or fail, and AA cells are the easiest batteries to keep in stock. It has no DAB, torch, phone port or mains option, so it's for news and updates in a cut rather than a radio that does everything.

Worth knowing: FM and AM only: no DAB, torch, phone port or mains option

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want DAB, a light or a phone top-up from the same radio; the Roberts Play 10 adds DAB, and the Philips TAR3500 adds a crank, solar panel and torch.

Nedis states 15 hours of play from the 2,500mAh cell and 3 to 5 minutes of radio per minute of cranking, a modest figure, and its manual shows how to swap the 18650 cell. It's DAB+ and FM at 288g, with a torch, reading light and siren. The loose ends are real: no headphone socket, a 1W mono speaker, no published rating for the USB-A output so phone charging is unproven, no IP rating (the manual says to keep it dry), and a manual whose crank line ('around 3 to 5 minutes to fully charge') doesn't match the product page's figure.

Worth knowing: No headphone socket, a 1W mono speaker and no rated phone-charging output

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a water-resistant set or a rated phone-charging port. The Sangean MMR-99 has both, a dust and water rating and a 5V/1A USB-A port; the Philips TAR3500 is rated for dust and water but gives no USB output rating. Neither has DAB+.

Roberts' guide gives up to 25 hours from four alkaline AA cells, which is a useful run time, and the mains adaptor is in the box for the rest of the time. But it's a worktop radio first: the same guide recommends the adaptor 'whenever possible' with cells for occasional use, the display light only stays on for about 12 seconds on batteries. DAB, DAB+, FM with RDS, Bluetooth and an aux input are all there, but there's no crank, solar panel, torch or phone port, and it doesn't charge cells, so a power cut means spare AAs.

Worth knowing: Roberts itself recommends mains power with cells for occasional use, and the display light lasts about 12 seconds on batteries

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're buying for a power cut rather than the kitchen. The Roberts Play 20 also quotes up to 25 hours and charges NiMH cells inside the radio, and the Philips TAR1609 adds a hand crank, a solar panel and a torch.

Majority quotes up to 15 hours on four AA cells, and ordinary cells are the right fallback for an emergency set. It's DAB+, FM and Bluetooth with a headphone socket and a USB-C mains adapter in the box. The caveats are practical: Majority's manual says to switch it off at the rear switch on cells, because standby drains them; the 15-hour figure doesn't say which cells it assumes; and there's no crank, solar panel, torch or phone port. Majority's page and manual also disagree on the preset count and Bluetooth version, so treat those details as approximate.

Worth knowing: On cells it must be switched off at the rear switch, as standby drains them (Majority's manual), and the 15 hours isn't tied to a cell type

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a longer-running battery set or one that charges its own cells. The Roberts Play 20 quotes up to 25 hours and charges NiMH cells in the radio, and the Roberts Play 10 quotes up to 20 hours at 332g.

Philips publishes a short but clear data sheet for this one: FM and AM, two AAA cells, a headphone socket and a wrist lanyard in a 96g body. That meets the government's Be Ready checklist, which asks for a battery or wind-up radio, at the simplest level. Philips gives no battery life, no frequency ranges and no AM step, so there is no run time to plan around, and the 100mW output means a small speaker. Keep a spare pair of AAA cells with it.

Worth knowing: Philips states no battery life and no AM tuning step

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a published run time. The Roberts Sports 925 quotes up to 60 hours from two AA cells, and the Philips TAR1609 adds a rechargeable cell, torch and crank.

One of the few DAB+ wind-up radios whose maker states real numbers. Technaxx gives up to 10 hours from the 2,000mAh cell, about 3 hours to recharge over USB-C, a 150 lux torch with an SOS mode and a USB-A port rated 5V/1A for a phone top-up. It is also honest about the backups: a full charge takes up to 6 hours of winding or 35 hours of sunlight, so the crank and the panel are last resorts. Its gap for a power cut is that it takes no AA or AAA cells and has no stated water rating, so once the cell and your power bank are flat the crank is all that's left. At 293g it suits a grab bag.

Worth knowing: No AA or AAA fallback: the 2,000mAh cell, the crank or the panel is all there is

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a radio that runs on ordinary cells when its battery is flat. The Philips TAR3500 takes four AAA cells and the Acta Berg DAB+ crank radio three, and the Roberts Play 20 runs DAB+ on four AA cells with no crank at all.

Still a sensible budget pick because it gets the fundamentals right: AAA cells as a fallback, USB-C charging and a limited lifetime warranty. Be clear-eyed about the rest. The torch is a 20-lumen glow, the 2,000mAh cell gives a phone a top-up rather than a charge, the NOAA band is silent here, and the big review counts quoted for it in some UK blogs come from the US listing, not the UK one.

Worth knowing: The torch is 1W/20 lumens, which is dim, and the 2,000mAh cell is a phone top-up at best

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want useful light or a real power bank. Add a head torch and a separate power bank, or step up to the Philips TAR1609 for a longer-running radio with published figures.

Roberts' quick-start guide gives between 8 and 10 hours from four alkaline AA cells, with the mains adaptor in the box. Its useful trick is a built-in charger: fit four NiMH cells, move the switch in the battery compartment, and they fill from the mains in about 7 hours, so they're charged when the power goes. The guide describes the USB socket as for service use only, so don't expect a phone top-up. At about 1.2kg with no crank, solar panel or torch it's a kitchen radio first, and DAB needs a signal like any radio.

Worth knowing: About 1.2kg and 18cm tall, with no crank, solar panel or torch

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a long run time or a phone top-up from the same set. The Roberts Play 20 quotes up to 25 hours and charges NiMH cells in the radio at 390g, and the Philips TAR3500 has a USB-A phone port and an AAA fallback.

A plain kitchen-and-garden DAB+ and FM radio from Majority that also earns its place in a power-cut box: Majority quotes up to 15 hours from four AA cells, with a mains cable for every other day. It has 20 presets and a headphone socket; Majority's page and manual disagree on its weight (0.25kg against 550g). There's no crank, solar panel, torch or phone port, so keep spare AAs with it.

Worth knowing: Needs AA cells in a power cut: no crank, solar, torch or phone port

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a self-powered radio. The Acta Berg DAB+ crank radio charges by hand and sun, and the Roberts Play 20 recharges its own NiMH cells.

A small FM, AM and shortwave set whose useful trick is a power switch: XHDATA says it runs from a built-in 1,200mAh battery charged by USB-C, or from AA cells (two, according to the SWLing Post's review; XHDATA doesn't say), so a packet of AAs takes over when the battery runs down. It has a torch and a headphone socket, and the AM step switches to the 9kHz used in Europe. XHDATA doesn't say how long either supply lasts, and for news in Britain FM is the band that matters; the shortwave is a hobby extra.

Worth knowing: No DAB, and XHDATA gives no running time or torch brightness

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want DAB or published battery figures. The Majority Histon runs DAB+ and FM on four AA cells for up to 15 hours, and for FM the Roberts Sports 925 quotes up to 60 hours on two AA cells.

It does run without mains: four AA cells, alkaline or NiMH, and the radio charges NiMH cells itself in about 7 hours. Roberts' guide says 8 to 10 hours on alkaline, shorter than the other Roberts AA sets here. On paper it's a well-specified radio (DAB, DAB+ and FM with RDS, 20 presets, a 50mm speaker with a passive radiator, Bluetooth), but it's built for the worktop. With no crank, solar panel, torch or phone port, a power cut means spare cells.

Worth knowing: 8 to 10 hours on alkaline is short; the Play 10 and Play 20 quote 20 and 25 hours

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you're buying for a power cut. The Play 20 quotes up to 25 hours on four AA cells, and the Philips TAR1609 can recharge itself.

Panasonic's manual quotes about 8 hours of DAB, FM or Bluetooth from four alkaline AA cells, measured at maximum volume, and gives no figure for quieter listening. That's a demanding test, but without a normal-volume figure you'd plan a long cut around spare cells. The same manual says not to use rechargeable cells, so there's no NiMH route. In its favour: DAB+ and FM, a 2.4-inch colour display, four preset keys and about 0.6kg with cells, with the mains adaptor in the box. There's no crank, solar panel, torch or phone port, and DAB needs a signal like any radio.

Worth knowing: Panasonic's manual says not to use rechargeable cells, so spares have to be disposable alkaline or manganese AAs

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a long rated run time on batteries or a rechargeable option. The Roberts Play 20 quotes up to 25 hours on alkaline AA cells and charges NiMH cells inside the radio, and the Panasonic RF-D10EB quotes about 40 hours of DAB on four alkaline C cells, though neither figure is measured at full volume as this one's is.

XHDATA's own page is short but specific: two AA cells or a 5V DC input, manual analogue tuning, FM, AM and nine shortwave bands, 159g without cells and an English manual in the box. It publishes no battery life, and no mains adaptor is in its package list. The Amazon listing gives AM as 522-1620kHz, the 9kHz-step version that suits UK medium wave; XHDATA says its US warehouse stocks a 10kHz version instead. It's a cheap, simple set, not a rated one: no IP rating, torch or phone port.

Worth knowing: XHDATA states no battery life, and its package list names only the radio and a manual

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a published run time or a rated build. The Roberts Sports 925 quotes up to 60 hours from two AA cells at about 150g, and the Philips TAR3500 has a published dust and water rating and quotes up to 60 hours from its lithium cell.

One of the few crank and solar radios on Amazon UK with DAB+ as well as FM, plus a 5,000mAh battery, a torch, an SOS alarm and a charging port in one 19cm box. Acta Berg publishes almost nothing beyond the listing: no battery life, no output rating for the charger, no weight and no dust or water rating, and the brand has no working website. Treat it as a capable-looking budget set, not a rated one.

Worth knowing: No published battery life, charging output, weight or IP rating; the brand has no working website

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want published figures. The Philips TAR3500 states IP55 and up to 60 hours from its lithium cell, and the Roberts SolarDAB 99 is a DAB+ wind-up from a UK brand.

A well-documented DAB+ and FM radio from Philips: 10 hours from its 2,600mAh battery by Philips' own figure, USB-C charging that a power bank can feed, IPX4 splash resistance and 20 presets on each band. Philips says the battery is replaceable, which matters on a radio you might keep for years. As an emergency radio it has one real weakness: it takes no ordinary cells, so once the battery and your power bank are flat, it's silent. At 887g it's a household radio, not a grab-bag one.

Worth knowing: No AA or AAA option, crank or solar panel: it relies on its battery or a power bank

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a radio that keeps going on ordinary cells. The Sony XDR-S40DBP runs DAB+ on four AA cells, and the Philips TAR1609 adds AAA cells, a crank and solar.

A pocket FM and AM set from a UK radio brand, with digital tuning, 15 presets and a lock switch, that Roberts rates at about 30 hours from two alkaline AAA cells. It is a personal radio in the strict sense: the sound goes to the included earphones, there is no loudspeaker, and the earphone lead doubles as the aerial. That makes it a fine grab-bag radio for one listener and a poor kitchen radio for a household waiting for news together. The 90-minute auto power-off saves cells but needs cancelling if you want to leave it on.

Worth knowing: Earphones only: no loudspeaker, so only one person hears it

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a speaker so the household can listen together. The Roberts Sports 925 and the Panasonic RF-P50D are the same idea with a loudspeaker on two AA cells, and the Philips TAR1509 is a speaker set on two AAA cells.

A step up from the Duronic Hybrid on features: a three-LED torch and a clock with alarm, on a 300mAh cell Duronic rates for 7 to 9 hours of radio. Duronic says a minute's winding gives 18 to 27 minutes of radio and one owner says at least 20, so that roughly holds up. Its manual shows the limits: the torch is only 11 to 14 lumens, and phone charging works by winding, at 4 to 15 minutes of talk time per 3 minutes of cranking, enough for a call, not a recharge. AM/FM only, with no AA or AAA option listed, and one owner says the tuning needs tweaking quite often.

Worth knowing: A 300mAh cell with no AA or AAA option listed, and a 35 to 42 hour solar charge by Duronic's figure

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want DAB, a proper phone top-up or a battery fallback. The Philips TAR3500 has a USB-A port, AAA backup and a replaceable cell, and the Roberts Sports 925 runs on swappable AA cells, though neither has DAB.

The Amazon listing gives a built-in 1,200mAh cell charged over USB-C, two AA cells as a backup (not included) and a 42cm telescopic aerial, but no run time and no charge time. It's a light set at about 150g, with knob controls, a headphone socket and a wrist strap. The listing gives AM as 520-1730kHz but doesn't say whether it tunes the 9kHz steps UK medium wave uses, and shortwave is a hobby extra here. There's no torch or phone port. Treat it as a low-cost backup to an FM set you already trust.

Worth knowing: No run time or charge time is published, so the 1,200mAh figure can't be turned into hours

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a published run time. The Panasonic RF-P50D quotes about 64 hours on FM from two alkaline AA cells at 111g, and the Roberts Sports 925 quotes up to 60 hours on two AA cells.

Pure quotes up to 15 hours from a built-in 4,000mAh cell, lists 40 DAB+ and 40 FM presets, and publishes a proper datasheet, so it's a capable everyday portable. For a power cut its limits matter more: the cell isn't user-replaceable, there's no AA or AAA fallback, the box has a USB cable but no mains adapter, and Pure's safety sheet says to use it only in moderate indoor climates. It can't charge a phone or light a room. Charged, it gives up to 15 hours of listening; once the cell is flat it needs a USB power source again.

Worth knowing: The cell isn't user-replaceable and there's no AA or AAA option, so a flat set needs a USB charger or a power bank

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want spare cells as a fallback, or a set for a shed or a tent. The Roberts Play 20 takes four AA cells (up to 25 hours), and the Philips TAR1609 has a crank, solar panel and torch.

A generic crank-and-solar radio with a 5,000mAh cell, AM, FM and shortwave bands and a phone-charging role. The only maker website that could be found is an empty placeholder, so every figure here comes from the Amazon listing, and that gives no run time, no crank figure and no USB output rating. No AA or AAA fallback is listed, so when the cell is flat you depend on the handle or the sun. It may well do the job, but nothing published lets us say how well.

Worth knowing: No maker documentation: the listing gives no run time, crank output, USB rating or AA/AAA fallback

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want published numbers or a battery fallback. The Philips TAR3500 quotes up to 60 hours with AAA backup, and the Sangean MMR-99 quotes about 24 hours of play and about 10 minutes of listening per minute of winding.

A pocket world-band set from the maker of the D-219 and D-220, with digital tuning, 500 presets and a 5W speaker in a 190g body. For a British power cut the band that matters is FM, and the R-108 covers it; long wave is listed, but BBC Radio 4 left 198kHz on 27 June 2026, so that band, shortwave and airband are hobby extras rather than reasons to buy. The drawback for the emergency box is power: a BL-5C cell charged over USB, with no AA option and no running time published by XHDATA, so it needs topping up before it's needed, though the cell is a standard pattern and cheap to replace.

Worth knowing: No AA or AAA option, no torch, and XHDATA publishes no running or charging time

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want cells from the supermarket. The XHDATA D-219 and D-220 run on two AA cells, and the D-226 switches between a built-in cell and AA.

A tidy DAB+ and FM set with Bluetooth, 30 presets on each band and a colour screen, charged by USB-C so a power bank can feed it. Lenco's own figure is up to 7 hours per charge, and its page gives the battery as 2,000mAh in one place and 2,500mAh in another, so treat the capacity as unconfirmed. As an emergency radio it has the usual weakness of a rechargeable-only set: no ordinary cells, no crank and no solar panel, so once the battery and your power bank are flat it's silent, and Lenco says it isn't water resistant. At 427g it's a shelf radio rather than a grab-bag one.

Worth knowing: No AA or AAA option, crank or solar panel: 7 hours on a charge, then it needs a socket or a power bank

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a DAB set that keeps going on ordinary cells. The Majority Histon and the Roberts Play 20 run DAB+ on four AA cells, and the Technaxx TX-414 adds a crank and solar panel to DAB+.

A plain mains radio that also takes three D cells, with FM, AM and shortwave, digital tuning with number keys, a 3.5in speaker and a carry handle. D cells hold far more charge than AA, but they're not what most homes keep in the drawer, and Retekess publishes no running time, so you're buying the capacity on trust. It has no DAB, no crank, no torch, and the USB socket is for a memory stick rather than a phone. At 852g before cells it is a shelf radio, best suited to a household that wants big buttons and a big speaker on the mains every day with a cell-powered fallback in the same box.

Worth knowing: Three D cells, not AA, and Retekess gives no running time on them

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you keep AA cells rather than D. The Roberts Play 20 and the Majority Histon run DAB+ and FM on four AA cells, and the Panasonic RF-D10EB is the C-cell set with a published running time.

A pocket radio with a speaker, a torch and a rechargeable cell of the old Nokia BL-5C pattern, which is cheap to replace. Retekess gives 4 hours at full volume or 8 at a lower one, and about 2 hours to charge over USB. For a power cut the drawbacks are plain: it takes no ordinary cells, so a radio left in a drawer for a year arrives flat, and the torch's brightness isn't published. It earns a place as a spare for a car or a shed rather than as the household's main set.

Worth knowing: No AA or AAA option, so it needs charging before a cut rather than a fresh pack of cells

Who shouldn't buy it: Don't buy it if you want a radio that runs on cells you can keep in a drawer. The XHDATA D-226 is the same idea with an AA switch and a torch, and the Roberts Sports 925 runs on two AA cells with no battery to go flat.