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Black & Decker WS100AB Sport Lantern / Weather Radio / Universal Cell Phone Charger | 
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| Brand: Black & Decker
Category: Home Improvement
List Price: $99.00
Buy New: $25.01 (On sale from $49.95)
You Save: $24.94 (50%)
New (4) from $25.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 1096
Media: Misc.
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 4 x 6.5
MPN: WS100AB
Model: WS100AB
UPC: 617977100062
EAN: 0617977100062
ASIN: B001BJQ6KM
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Powerful halogen bulb lantern provides a bright, tight beam | | • | AM/FM/NOAA Weather Alert Radio provides music, news & weather updates 24/7 | | • | Built-in 3 LED area light for emergency use | | • | Cell phone charger with universal adapter set, recharges most cell phone models | | • | Hand-crank rechargeable backup power for radio, LED lights and cell phone charger |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Black & Decker WS100AB is a versatile piece of equipment. It contains three main features, a Sport Lantern which provides light in important situations. It has a powerful halogen bulb which provides a bright, tight beam to see things in dark areas and even has a built-in 3 LED area light for use during emergencies. The AM/FM/NOAA Weather Alert Radio provides music, news & weather updates 24 hours a day / 7 days a week. The unique built-in universal Cell Phone Charger which includes five universal adapter tips allows you to recharge most popular cell phone models. It also provides a hand-crank rechargeable backup power which gives you enough power to use the radio, LED lights and cell phone charger in case of a power failure. Don't be left in the dark without the Black & Decker WS100AB Sport Lantern / Weather Radio / Universal Cell Phone Charger.
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| Customer Reviews:
 All Fluff and not the "Right Stuff".... September 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Fortunately, I was able to pick this up at a chain discount outlet (ie., Tuesday Morning) on clearance for $19.95 - but I'm still considering returning it for a refund. First off, unless you study the packaging VERY, VERY CAREFULLY - you will miss the fact that this beast requires 9 (yes, NINE!) additional C-cell batteries to be fully functional. The box will deceive you into believing ALL functions will work on the hand-crank rechargeable battery - but they won't - and you'll only find this out once you read the enclosed manual. The halogen spotlight will ONLY work with the additional C-cells. The other functions will "kind of" work with the rechargeable battery - the radio will function for about 15 minutes or less after about 5 minutes of steady cranking. And do forget about using the NOAH radio alert function without using the additional batteries - you'd be cranking all night long - and I'll bet it will drain the C-cells pretty rapidly too.
Did I mention it takes NINE C-cells? These batteries usually come in even-numbered packs of 2,4,6, or 8.... but I've yet to see a '9-pack'. That, my friends, is POOR engineering and design. You could use rechargeable C-cell$$$ - but, since there is NO provision for an AC adapter, you'd have to take them all out each time you needed to recharge .
As DHF mentioned in his review, the analog tuning scale is crowded and, to me, the knobs have a very flimsy feel and are a bit difficult to turn since they are located between two closely-spaced decorative chrome guards. The radio reception is comparatively good - but not good enough to make up for the other glaring faults this unit has. As DHF reveals, there is no where to store the cellphone charging cord and adapters in the flashlight. I suspect they will soon get lost - or otherwise not be there when I need them.
In closing - with all its limitations and design flaws, I really can't recommend this unit - particularly at full price. With a bit better forethought and design it could have been a really great product - but it falls way short of the mark.
ADDENDUM - I tried to recharge both my wife's and my own Motorola cellphone and it would not work. Both phones displayed an "unauthorized charger" error message and WOULD NOT charge. That pretty much seals the deal for me - it's going back for a refund ASAP. I'd change my rating - but 1 star is as low as Amazon will go......pity!
 Excellent product, but with an annoying flaw. August 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This could be a very useful product in an emergency, especially a lengthy power outage. It requires nine C-cell batteries, but they power a strong lantern and an AM/FM/Weather radio (with a touchy analog tuner). If the C-cells are drained, you can run some of the features with an onboard crank generator, including a three-LED emergency light and a cell-phone charger. But in am embarrassing oversight, the designers neglected to provide storage for the phone charger and its five plugs. I have my charger and plugs in a little plastic bag taped to the rear of the unit, but elegant it's not. It would have been so easy to have included that storage, but maybe that's why they're selling it for $30. And that oversight cost it a rating star.
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