>>1406415Plastic ones are not all that great. The main thing is to remember that you must crank it as a set speed and don't try to crank it harder/faster. If you try you will certainly break the handle, gears, or actually the PCB component by overpowering them. Don't buy one that you can't replace the battery, if it uses a battery. For those that use a capacitor, you can usually just solder a new one one if needed and you can DIY simple stuff.
As for "are they are bad idea?" no they are not. It is just that we live in an age where people pay for cheap shit that is poorly designed.
If you can find one, get one with a super capacitor inside and all metal construction including metal gearing. The super cap will never "die" like a battery dies. It however will never hold a charge as long as a battery when not in use, but you can always charge and use it. They can be charged super fast.
The main sentiment of the link in the OP is mostly correct. Don't use anything you can't rely on 100% for an emergency situation. That also includes anything that's improperly deigned that isn't crank powered. My main reason for not using a crank-powered device for emergency purposes is because the calories you expend in cranking may be needed to save your life or the life of someone else.
>>1406422>According to the source, if you let it die once, it stops working properly.>Is this true?It depends on how it is designed inside. If there's a battery, the battery can be harmed by fully discharging. It can also develop a poor charge "memory" where it won't charge as well as before. That's just a battery issue and not reflective of the device the battery is in. Some battery wall chargers have a button for fixing that issue.
