This is a great sounding radio that's durable. The "shell" around it is very well made and it feels indestructible. The sound quality is great, although sorta directional, and the tuner works better than the Dewalt. The dials have a solid feel to them. I bought the white one with the auxillery plug for my Ipod and it works well. The drawbacks are the same for everyone: It doesn't charge a battery and it has a seperate AC adapter that could easily get lost or damaged. All in all I like it and would recommend it to someone who has Makita Li-ion cordless tools. Makita BMR100W 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless FM/AM Job Site Radio
I wanted a shop radio that played mp3 and wasn't a 25 pound suitcase that used up half a workbench. The radio sounds fine even in a big open 1200'sf shop although the speakers are only 3". The compact design fits right on a shelf and it appears to be fairly dust resistant. It uses both types of Makita rechargeable batteries which is handy if you have a lot of the old NIMH pods. It has alarm and clock functions and two inputs for AUX components but the downside was the sound from an ipod. It just is not very loud even at full volume on both units. I tried both a hd based and a nano flash ipod. Sound was just ok but disappointing if you want loud music. Perhaps some newer generation mp3 players would sound better but I have encountered this problem before patching in an ipod to another unit. There are no tone controls so what you hear is what you get. Overall this is a nice rugged compact job/shop radio but just a so so mp3 device.
This radio is everything I expected it to be. Rugged, small footprint, stylish, has great sound (amazing base response considering the size) digital presets for AM and FM radio, water/dust tight compartment for tool battery and or Ipod/mp3 player or to store included 12v power adapter. I use an Ipod shuffle connected to the auxiliary in #2 jack located inside the sealed compartement. It works flawlessly. The radio locks on well to FM stations and not bad for AM stations (I like to listen to talk radio as well). The presets are great and easy to access. The dual function tuner dial is very smooth. Push it in and it changes volume, press again and it changes tuning. Also has channel search function, auto off function for those who like to fall asleep with radio on, wake up tone alarm and clock radio function. Also has 2 AA battery backup inside water proof compartment to save presets and displays the time on the lcd screen. The lcd screen lights up when any button is pressed then shuts off after a short delay to save power. All in all a great radio. So what it doesn't charge batteries. I use cordless tools all the time and generally don't use the stock charger anyway. I buy the fast chargers so don't need another with the radio. It would have been nice to include the transformer inside the unit so a regular 120v a/c cord plug could be used when not using a Makita battery. Oh by the way, I don't own any Makita tools anymore so I just use the power adapter. No problem. I've used the Bosch, Milwaukee, and seen the new Ridgid jobsite radio's. They are all large, bulky, heavy,loaded with unesessary features and parts break off of them. I am enjoying this radio very much and highly recommend it.
This radio is designed for people who (1) already own Makita power tool batteries and (2) want a rugged portable radio. It does not come with its own battery, and does not charge batteries (including the one used to power the radio). It is not hard wired for AC. You need to plug a not-so-rugged AC adapter into the front of the unit. Although the radio will probably survive being kicked or dropped, the AC adapter/wires/plug may not.
For those who like to take naps at their job sites, it includes a sleep function and alarm!
Overall, this radio was designed for a specific job, and does its job very well.
Just got our radio the other day. As everyone says, the sound is pretty good for a simple jobsite radio. I'd like to adjust the tone, as it is a little too biased toward bass for me, but not too bad. Probably OK out in the open air rather than in the garage or house.
Note that you cannot use the internal AUX2 input with al LXT (or probably any other slide type) battery. The input is right behind the battery. You can't put the aux plug in first, nor the battery and then the plug. I even bought a 90 degree adaptor, but it still doesn't work. You must use the front external AUX1 input, which is not much protection for your MP3 player.
I'd give it 5 stars otherwise, but this lack of foresight drops it at least one star.
After searching everywhere from Sears to Best Buy for an ipod-compatible stereo system, I finally decided to take a chance on the Makita BMR100W, and I couldn't be happier. This unit is loud, in spite of the side-mounted speakers, probably due to it's dense body, and fills my 30X30 sq/ft dance studio with bass-rich tunes. The ipod plugs in on the lower left, next to the AC adapter input, and choosing Aux on the large, bright LCD allows for volume control via the big blue knob. There are ipod docking portables out there with many more controls, but none that sound as good as this latest Makita. The adapter fits conveniently in the battery cavity, and if you're wondering why they didn't include a battery and built-in charger, it's because they don't own the patent. For $70 (with free shipping on Amazon), this is the best and least expensive sound reinforcement I've ever had to provide to my clients. With a mini-jack adapted microphone, it would also make a neat portable PA.
i bought one of these radios specifically because it could run off of my lithium ion makita batteries. once i plugged my mp3 player into it, i was convinced. Then it accidentally fell off of a roof not once but twice. not that i'm saying this radio was built to be thrown off of 30 ft buildings but you get the point. The sound is better than my own car stereo!!! i love this radio. it's loud and the speakers mounted on the side spread the sound everywhere instead of just forward. The clock is very handy because it always displays the time even when you don't have a battery in. That power is supplied by two AA batteries that came with my radio. Well worth every cent! - Great Radio - Boombox - Radio - Makita'
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