Originally Posted By: dweste
So, has anyone put together one of the small form factor, bright lights with a crank-type or solar charger?
I don't know. In any case, it would almost certainly be better to get one that runs on AA/AAA and put rechargeable batteries in it, and get a separate solar charger for those.

Crank-power has the drawback of many moving parts, plus you are usually just charging up a battery which has finite life anyway. Solar panels supplied with other gear are generally less competitive than solar panels sold standalone. Using replaceable AAs gives you the option to run on non-rechargeable if you need to, as well as all the rechargeable options.
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