I think ideally though it would be best to have both one multi function and several discreet items with redundant features.

I've been toting around a pair of these hand cranked handheld 3 LED flashlight/AM-FM receiver/multi charge port contraptions for a few years now, and I think they are an excellent ETS item for the money. I also have tend to keep a separate flashlight with me on my keychain, my mp3 player also does AM-FM, and I have two wall chargers for my cell phone; one stays in my shoulder bag, the other plugged into my wall at home.

I guess it is up to the consumer to determine the usefulness/reliability of such devices, but the ones I have I use regularly and have yet to fail. Yes, each function is a bit of a compromise, but then again the flashlight in my pocket ain't the brightest thing I could tote with me either. Either one will get the job done so long as I don't have unrealistic expectations of them.

What's nice is that I have a choice. I can choose to fully equip with all the items I think I might need and in sufficient and sensible redundancy that I am not overly encumbered yet effectively prepared, or I can pare the componentry down to suit a particular scenario, the least being having just the multi function items with me. The light on my keychain isn't much of a burden, but sometimes I can't have my keychain with me, so my point is multi-function items have their place and keep me flexibly adaptive. Of course I have to keep a perspective about implementation, which is why there is no one simple answer for gearing up these days.

I'd rather invest in as much as I can afford, and if I had to limit myself, the first thing I would likely grab would be something that does more than one thing, especially if it is economically competitive. Caveat Emptor always prevails. A junk flashlight is junk whether it is just a flashlight or supposed to be something more.

For the record, knowing that there are similar functioning items out there, I would never buy this pink thing. It just sends the wrong message.