In my latest review, I tested three hand-cranked gadgets that don’t require electricity: a manual coffee grinder, a solar crank emergency radio, and a butter churn. I wanted to see whether these products were actually useful or just novelty items that sound better on paper than they perform in real life. As it turned out, two of them worked better than I expected, while one left me pretty underwhelmed.
Where to Purchase
Below you can see the Amazon listings where I purchase the items in this review.
Mini Manual Coffee Grinder
The first product I tested was a mini manual coffee grinder. This model promises 40 external grind settings, a compact design, and the ability to produce fresh grounds anywhere, whether you’re at home or traveling. It also includes a glass receptacle on the bottom, which immediately made it feel a little more solid and well-made than I expected.
For my test, I tried three grind settings: fine, medium, and coarse. I used about 20 grams of medium roast beans each time and found the grinder surprisingly easy to turn. The fine grind took about two minutes, the medium setting took around a minute and a half, and the coarse setting came in at about a minute. In all three cases, the grounds looked consistent and even, which is exactly what I was hoping to see.
What impressed me most was how little effort it actually took. Based on some of the negative reviews, I expected a lot more resistance and a lot more work. Instead, it turned out to be faster and easier than I anticipated. At the end of the test, I brewed coffee using the medium grind and came away with a very positive impression overall.
My verdict: This was a solid product. It was easy to use, produced consistent results, and felt like a good value for the price.
Solar Crank Emergency Radio, Flashlight, and Power Bank
The second product was a compact emergency radio with a hand crank, flashlight, weather band, solar charging, and a built-in power bank. On paper, it sounds like a very useful all-in-one emergency gadget. In practice, I found that some of its features were better than others.
I started by draining the battery completely, then tested the hand crank as instructed. After cranking it for five minutes, I was able to get both the flashlight and the radio working again. In fact, the radio lasted over 20 minutes on weather band after that test, which was much better than the listed estimate of three to five minutes. In that respect, it actually outperformed expectations.
The problem came when I tried using it as a phone charger. After five minutes of cranking, it wasn’t able to charge my phone in any meaningful way. Once I charged the unit fully by USB, it was able to charge the phone, but very slowly. In my test, it added 13% in 45 minutes before stopping. That made it clear to me that the power bank function is weak by modern standards, especially for a newer smartphone.
As for the flashlight, it seemed respectable for emergency use, and the radio itself worked fine. The biggest weakness here was the hand-crank charging function for phones, which just didn’t seem practical. It can provide some emergency light and radio time, but I wouldn’t rely on it as a serious backup phone charger.
My verdict: This felt like an average flashlight, an average radio, and a below-average power bank. It works in a limited emergency sense, but I think there are better options out there.
Kilner Butter Churn
The final product was the Kilner Butter Churn, a hand-cranked gadget designed to turn heavy whipping cream into homemade butter. This one definitely has a more retro appeal, and I was curious whether it would actually make decent butter without too much hassle.
Following the instructions, I let the cream come to room temperature, poured 300 ml into the glass jar, snapped on the lid, and started churning. The process was pretty much in line with what the instructions described. The cream first became foamy, then thickened, then turned crumbly, and finally loosened once the butter separated from the buttermilk. In my case, the entire process took about nine minutes, which was actually faster than the 15 minutes suggested.
After that, I poured off the buttermilk, rinsed the butter several times in ice water, and massaged it by hand until the water ran mostly clear. It was a little messier than I expected during that final stage, but the end result was unmistakably real butter. I spread it on fresh toast, and it tasted exactly like it should.
My main reservation is practicality. Since heavy whipping cream often costs more than butter, this probably isn’t the most economical way to get butter for everyday use. Still, the churn did exactly what it claimed to do, and it did it well. If someone wants the experience of making homemade butter, I think this product delivers.
My verdict: It worked the first time, worked faster than expected, and produced great results. It may not be essential, but it does the job.
Video Review
Below you can watch the full video review.