9X Improvement: See the NEW Ridgid Hybrid 18V Jobsite Radio w/ Bluetooth!

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

Is the radio feature important to you or do you just need the Bluetooth speaker? Do you prefer sports, podcasts, or music while working?

[@nathan1sixteen]

Personally, I just need the Bluetooth function. And, I listen to all of the above when working

[@scottcpan68]

I stream from my phone almost always, very rarely do I listen to terrestrial radio.

[@Dirtyharry70585]

I still own the original single speaker radio that came with my drill/impact driver kit. Still works perfectly. Stays in the garage for entertainment while working on the cars 4amp battery is all day play.

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

Good to know, thanks for sharing!

[@masoodamg6633]

It was great my friend. ridgid is one of the best. I like this brand very much. It was Great, Thanks 👏👏👈👍👍👍

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

Thanks, glad to hear it! 🙌

[@bob2906]

I just got this radio free with battery kit and the one thing I noticed is there is no antenna why? built in I guess I think the handle on the top it much better then the sides it's awkward to carry no wonder it's free it does sound good good thing, I give it credit still it's going back.

[@genekurish636]

Excellent! Thanks for the reply Mark.

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

You bet!

[@royreyes74]

Thank you

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

You bet!👊

[@scottcpan68]

I just picked this up for $99 which I feel is a great deal. The FM reception is not the greatest but to me it's not an issue because I stream from my phone almost always. It sounds great and it's loud enough for the garage.The Bluetooth is easy to set-up and it has a pretty good range.

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

Good point. The one FM radio station in my area always plays the same annoying commercial, so I often use bluetooth and Spotify.

[@kenniffss]

So, doesn't charge the 18v battery when plugged into mains? That's a major design flaw right there. Should have made it slightly bigger, with built in charger for 2x 18v packs on the back. What were they thinking??

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

Built in chargers are very nice to have. I'll pass that along.

[@ToddTinley]

​@@MarkThomasBuilderneeds a USB C output and a telescoping antenna

[@darrenporsch]

You don't need the max output battery for the radio. The regular ones are fine for it bc It's not something that's going to use tons of juice

[@AR-rs8mw]

Great radio !!

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

Thanks!

[@brysonstewart6616]

I have this new unit. It sounds awesome !!!!!!

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

That's cool! I agree, it has nice range in volume while staying clear. The bass is good too.

[@princeboateng694]

Just got it for $99 for Father’s Day 💪🏼

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

Nice, it has a great sound to it!

[@jacksmith2315]

I would use bluetooth and fm radio. How does fm come in? How about when powered with battery, with the cable, and while charging a device? I know some radios get weird on fm when theres stuff plugged in. Even my cars radio gets staticy when something is in the cigarette lighter/12v port. Ive been looking for a jobsitr radio and cant make up my mind which i should get. Theres always something about every one of them that makes me not want it. Basically, none of them do everything perfectly. Hopefully this one does

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

I just went and tested those things. FM is good with a cord or battery and while charging my phone. Am is good with a battery, but not as good with the ac dc adapter. That's the only issue, but with a battery that gets 30 hrs of runtime, I'll probably never use the adapter.

[@rolandm9750]

What sounds better, this or the Milwaukee 2951 (M12 charging radio)? I tried the DCR010--everything's great about it but the sound sucks! Total dealbreaker. I'm hoping either this or the M12 sound good but it sucks having to "buy & try" to find out.

[@rolandm9750]

Welp to answer one half of this, tried the 2951...more garbage. Going straight back to HD as well. My last hope is gonna be this Ridgid I think, if it sucks I'm giving up on "tool brand" speakers. Tool companies are just getting away with putting the cheapest garbage speakers in a box, cheap BT receiver and amp, having it work with their battery system and then charging $$$ for it. Who gives a crap what it sounds like. Nobody is keeping them honest (e.g. by comparing to well known other BT/portable speakers on the market and telling the truth about what it sounds like) so seems like they all just release junk.

[@bestestimesreborn]

A Re branded AEG 18V/240V DUAL SPEAKER HYBRID RADIO

[@mukoshh]

It’s the same company. Just called ridgid or aeg based on country lmao

[@genekurish636]

Nice review… Is there a battery level indicator on the unit? It would be nice if the phone holder charged the phone by induction without a cord. Is it loud?

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

It's loud and has some punch when the speakers are pointed at you. There's no battery indicator, but 30 hrs of runtime may get you through several days without needing to look at it.

[@nathan1sixteen]

There’s a battery level indicator on the battery themselves

[@BridgetWheelock]

The original version used to charge 18V batteries while playing. Does anyone know why they got rid of that feature?

[@sexweightsproteinshakes]

So you can buy a charger

[@jondevos7535]

It has something to do with patent infrigment i read.​

[@sharkskin3448]

Fwiw, same happened with Bosch and maybe Makita.

[@outofdarkness7653]

Can't connect to the rigid radio job app?

[@MarkThomasBuilder]

I've had a few pairing issues with this. Sometimes I reboot my phone and radio and it works.

[@outofdarkness7653]

@@MarkThomasBuilder so you're saying this radio does work with the Ridgid radio app?

[@outofdarkness7653]

@@MarkThomasBuilder I have no issues connecting to the Bluetooth from my phone to the radio, it's the app that doesn't want to function with this radio. Where as the Gen5 radio has no problem communicating with the app, I just have to make sure the app is open and running before I power on the Gen5 radio to get the functionality of the app