Duronic Apex review
Duronic Apex Wind-Up Solar AM/FM Radio with Torch (300mAh)
By Tom Calder
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.
- Best for
- A compact AM/FM set with a clock and a small torch for a drawer, glovebox or tent, from a UK company, if you accept a very small 300mAh cell.
- Skip it if
- You want DAB, a proper phone top-up or a battery fallback
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Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- A clock with alarm, a three-LED torch and a headphone socket in a body about 15.6cm long, from a UK company
- Charges from the sun, the handle or USB, so it needs no disposable cells; Duronic quotes 7 to 9 hours of radio per charge
- An owner-backed crank: Duronic says 18 to 27 minutes of radio per minute of winding, and one owner says it gives at least 20
Worth knowing
- A 300mAh cell with no AA or AAA option listed, and a 35 to 42 hour solar charge by Duronic's figure
- A dim 11 to 14 lumen torch (manual), phone charging that buys minutes of talk time rather than a recharge, and one owner says it picks up limited stations and needs tweaking quite often
Out of stock when we checked: our alternatives
Closest in size first, then by our score. None of them was showing out of stock when we last checked.
Best for A rugged home or shed radio: IP55, a user-replaceable battery Philips rates for up to 60 hours, a phone-charging port and four AAA cells as a fallback.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 16:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for The plain 'battery radio' answer to the GOV.UK kit list: a pocket FM/AM set from a UK radio brand that runs for days on two AA cells and has little to go wrong.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 16:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for A tough household radio that can top up a phone from its own cell and keep going from the crank or the sun, if FM and AM are enough.
as of 2 Nov 2026, 16:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.ⓘ As an Amazon Associate, PreparedBritain earns from qualifying purchases. We may earn a commission when you buy, or a fee when you request a quote, through our links. When two products are close, commission can decide which one we pick. A clearly better product always wins. Amazon prices come from Amazon's own product data and show the date and time they were retrieved. Prices at other retailers are checked by us, less often. Prices and stock can change at any time, so always check the retailer's price before you buy.
Our review
Duronic's Apex is a 300g AM and FM radio with a clock, a three-LED torch and a 300mAh cell that charges by crank, sun or USB. Duronic gives crank figures that owners broadly confirm. The cell is tiny, there is no AA option and the torch is dim, so it is a drawer radio, not a torch or a phone charger.
What it is
Duronic's product page lists FM from 87 to 108MHz and AM from 520 to 1,620kHz, dial tuning with a backlit digital clock and alarm, a headphone socket, a three-LED torch and a 37cm telescopic aerial, all at about 300g. The battery is a 300mAh, 3.6V cell, which is a fraction of the 2,000mAh or more in most crank radios. It charges from the fold-out handle, the solar panel on top, or a USB lead from a charger or computer. Duronic is a UK company based in Essex, which is unusual on this page, though the page states no warranty length.
The crank and the sun, by Duronic's figures
Duronic's figure for a minute on the handle is 18 to 27 minutes of radio, or 27 to 36 minutes of light, and that a full charge gives seven to nine hours of radio or four to six hours of torch. The solar panel is slow: Duronic quotes 35 to 42 hours of sun for a full charge, so treat it as a trickle that keeps a stored radio from going flat, not a way to run it. The manual's phone figure is honest too: three minutes of cranking buys four to fifteen minutes of talk time, enough to make a call, not to recharge a phone. Keep a power bank for phones.
Limits
The torch is three small LEDs, rated in the manual at 11 to 14 lumens, so it will find a fuse box but not light a room; a proper torch is a separate purchase. There is no AA or AAA slot, so a flat cell means winding. Duronic lists no IP rating, so keep it dry. Dial tuning on a small set can drift, and one owner reports retuning more often than they would like, so write your stations' frequencies on the back, which is what the government's Be Ready checklist suggests anyway.
A cell this small also self-discharges in storage, so a set left in a glovebox over winter will need a few minutes of winding before it plays. Give the handle a turn when you check the car's other kit, and keep the USB lead with it so a long charge from a socket is the normal way to fill it.
How it compares
On our emergency radio comparison the Duronic Hybrid is the same company's simpler set without the torch or clock. The Philips TAR1609 costs a little more and adds a larger cell and an AAA fallback, which makes it the safer buy for a household's main backup radio. The FosPower A1 is similar in price but its manual's crank figures are lower.
Our verdict
Buy it if you want a cheap, light AM and FM set with a clock for a glovebox, a tent or a kitchen drawer, and you accept winding as the main way to keep it going. Skip it if you want a radio that runs for days, a usable torch, or any phone charging; the Philips does more for the household's one backup radio, and this works better as the second set in the car.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 2 Nov 2026. Sources: Duronic: Apex AM/FM wind-up solar radio product page; UK Government Be Ready: emergency kit checklist.
Who shouldn't buy this
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.
Key specs
| Power sources | 300mAh/3.6V cell; solar, crank, USB lead. No AA/AAA listed |
| Bands | AM/FM dial tuning, backlit clock display, headphone socket |
| Phone charging | By winding: 4-15 min talk per 3 min cranking (manual) |
| Built-in torch | Yes - 3 LEDs, 11-14lm, 4-6 hours per charge (manual) |
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
Questions
How long does the Duronic Apex play from a full charge?
Duronic quotes seven to nine hours of radio, or four to six hours of torch, from the 300mAh cell when fully charged.
How much radio does one minute of winding the Duronic Apex give?
Duronic's product page gives 18 to 27 minutes of radio, or 27 to 36 minutes of light, for each minute on the handle, and one owner reports at least 20 minutes.
Can the Duronic Apex charge a phone?
Only by winding, and only a little: the manual gives four to fifteen minutes of talk time per three minutes of cranking. Use a power bank for phones.
Does the Duronic Apex take AA batteries?
No. It has a built-in 300mAh cell charged by crank, solar panel or USB lead, with no slot for disposable cells.
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