I would have to say that the review was quite well balanced. The SW performance isn't particulary good without the reel antenna especially in comparison to a other similarly priced SW radios. But the other similarly priced SW radios aren't equipped with such a wide means of powering the radio either. I'm afraid its all part of the design/production cost compromise. The Freeplay Summit radio does appear to be very well made though and more durable than other radios in the $50-70 range.

Its FM performance is very reasonable and sounds better than expected from the small speaker. It does have some other little annoyances as detailed in the review. As an emergency radio it can be used long term without using a dedicated battery charger connected to the mains. I purchased the Freeplay Summit around 4-5 months ago and have never had to connect it yet to the mains except for the initial 24hr charge. The radio is kept on a window sill and the NiMh cell charge is maintained from the built in solar trickle charge. Of course another solution would be the dedicated Solar charger, Battery charger, Eneloop NiMh cells and quality SW radio such as the alternative SW radios mentioned in the review.

It would have been nice if the NiMh cells were easily accessible and replaceable, but again this design approach was probably to ensure that the cells remain where they are without being scavenged to be used for some other gadget.