Festool SysRock Job Site Radio

I was asked by Festool to take a look at a pre-production SysRock radio to give them some feedback. I made this video as I went along and I hope that you like what you see. The SysRock has FM radio, can be connected by cable to an MP3 player and also connected by Bluetooth to your phone or other devices.

[@toolify]

Great review! Kudos to Festool for sending you an early prototype so we can get to know it better. Your videos are very helpful :)

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+FastEasySmartTOOL Thank you very much for this - it is a great help. Peter

[@malcolmalexander5246]

Great presents for Christmas!

[@MaddinKi]

For all you DAB+ fans, the DAB+ Version is on the market and (in Germany) available through your dealer

[@mattro4902]

Did I hear YNWA?!? Love it. The review wasn't bad either. Thanks, Peter!

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Matt Ro Hi Matt, Yes that is Gerry. I am a fan of his and he gave me a huge amount of support with a humanitarian project I initiated a few years ago. Peter

[@Peninsulakid]

Hi Peter. Great review as always. I am a big fan of Festool, I've been using the brand since 2002. I also have some great Milwaukee kit. I have to say that it looks great but, really disappointing that its not DAB. I can put up with it not being a charger as I have plenty of Festool Chargers. Milwaukee make a Bluetooth speaker, not a radio, just a speaker. I have stuck a small Roberts Sports DAB radio to it with Velcro and it works great. The Milwaukee speaker is available for around £60. If the Festool one was DAB i would definatley upgrade. Many thanks for all your great videos. Cheers Richard

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Peninsulakid Hi Richard, Yes the DAB issue seems to be critical for some people. However, this is Festool's first venture into this type of kit and they have created a conservative design that is in keeping with their usual standards. They feel that as DAB is not universal that this first radio should be FM only. Most people these days have smart phones and it is quite possible to stream your favourite stations to the Sysrock. Peter

[@SeidelJuergen]

Sehr gut erklärt vielen herzlichen Dank! Best regards Jürgen

[@NewBritWorkshop]

Hi Jürgen, Many thanks. Cheers. Peter

[@ronh9384]

Just an FYI, if anyone has an older radio that doesn't have Bluetooth but has an AUX (auxiliary) port on it.... I recently bought a DeWalt Bluetooth adapter that uses the auxiliary port to allow Bluetooth pairing with the unit. It is rechargeable via a supplied USB cable and comes with a bit of Velcro to attach it to a radio. It has a range of about a 100 feet and is about the size of a USB thumb drive. I use on two of my older radios and on my truck radio and the sound quality is quite good. The price was I believe about $39.95 .

[@NewBritWorkshop]

Hi Ron, I imagine similar things will be sold in Europe too. Cheers. Peter

[@AmauryJacquot]

you don't need DAB; all those transmission technologies are dead and buried. it's a very nice battery operated bluetooth speaker. fine with me !

[@nippychippy]

Thanks for the video peter as was discussed on the forum I think I'll give this a miss till they update it. They could of been a bit clever and put dab and some other gadgets on it. But the concept is good the it's pretty much the same foot print as the syslight Cheers Robert

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+nippychippy Hi Robert, I agree that DAB would have been a good idea but with a smartphone you can stream anything - even your favourite radio stations. I really like the compact size and it does seem to be quite robust. Take care. Peter

[@ronh9384]

New Brit Workshop To the uninitiated what is DAB that everyone keeps mentioning? Thanks Peter. Good video.

[@carpentrybymichaelanthony7932]

Hi Peter, love all your joinery videos, quick question if you have time, does the sysrock have a built in microphone for when you're using it as a handsfree through Bluetooth? I like the idea of taking calls without having to have my phone right next to me, or in my pocket, etc. Thanks for your time, Mick.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Mickey Burn No microphone but if you really want that sort of feature do a Google search for 3M XP Alert ear defenders - FM radio with full Bluetooth functionality and microphone for hands free calls. Peter

[@billfromelma]

Hey Peter, Norm just called me and wants to know why they didn't send him one to beat up. Looks like a quallity piece of tech. Nice job.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+billfromelma Norm is great and I just wish I really did have his number on my phone or even an email address. He is one of my woodworking favourites together with Peter Sefton here in the UK. Peter

[@BrainFizz]

Not sure weather to take the plunge, or wait until a DAB comes out. Surprised it isn't DAB already. Hmmm, can't decide - I've been told the sound quality is really good, and for the size it would definitely save on space.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Richard “BrainFizz” Morley Festool allowed me to retain the pre-production model that I showed in the video and I really do use it and enjoy the sound quality. I am not saying that for any other reason than that is what I feel. I agree that Festool must look hard at the next Sysrock model and include DAB, USB and a battery. In the meantime it is worth getting one, especially if you have a smartphone. Peter

[@GregStraightedge]

I can't stop laughing. I own and USE quite a few Festool Items, but this is a joke. It's playing to those wealth "woodworkers" who have become addicted to the bright green.

[@whiskeyblood]

Agreed!

[@whiskeyblood]

Agreed!

[@billystray7007]

I really wish they would take a page out of Dewalt's book and make a systainer type set up with more sound ..etc.....

[@billystray7007]

I mean hell they made a vacuum into a systainer and a power supply why not a radio, I'm almost jealous of the t stack users right now

[@DalyMalcolm]

Hi Peter. Some fair comments here, I'm a bit disappointed with this wee radio I must admit, not having dab is a mistake. On a lighter note, I've met Norm Abram! It was at a book signing in Exeter, not as tall as he looks on TV. Really nice bloke 😊 Malcolm.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Malcolm Daly Hi Malcolm, How are you? I am so jealous - I would love to meet Norm. His woodworking shows kept me sane whilst I was working abroad for 5 years and I would like to be able to thank him for that. Cheers. Peter

[@DalyMalcolm]

+New Brit Workshop (Peter) I'm fine thanks Peter, you? Looking forward to the xmas break, it's the only time of year I get to relax. I'm planning on remodelling my workshop to accept the new CNC design, are you planning anything nice? Malcolm.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Malcolm Daly Hi Malcolm, I am fine thanks. I too am trying the wind down a bit after spending too long trying to sort out the design of that CNC cabinet. I have some product review/product tours lined up, am thinking about a new "Present Ideas" video and may squeeze in a new "Workshop Notes". Oh, I have a commercial bit of filming to do which will not be put up on KZbin. Take care. Peter

[@stevesteves8915]

Looks good, but if it doesn't have long wave or internet radio I can't listen to the cricket, so not for me. My Roberts radio does well in my workshop with all listening options (albeit not so rugged). Thanks for making this useful video.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Steve SteveS Hi Steve, Many thanks. You can always stream your favourite radio through you smartphone to the radio. Peter

[@dbuilderboy]

festool have missed this by a long shot no DAB at the very least great review bad product

[@trig]

Hi Peter, This seems a strange product. Most of the tool manufacturers are going down the dab/Fm route. I wonder how good the sound is on a mono speaker? I think Dewalt had a great idea when they turned their radios into a battery charger unit as well, and I only wish Makita had done the same. Did Festool supply an ip rating?

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Michael Tricker The sound is superb but I cannot compare it to any of the competition. That being said, if you have Festool batteries and no others it makes the competition look a little lack lustre. Peter

[@bjorker40]

I really love to know if the volume is enough to be able to sound through the noise of a working shop environment?

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Grimm Day Easily enough. I had the volume at the halfway mark and I found it uncomfortably loud. Peter

[@MrJamespetts]

Hi Peter I've heard that the radio works with all batteries however I'm sure I can't use my 10.8v from my CXS drill. Is this true? Regards James

[@NewBritWorkshop]

Hi James, Well done, that CXS battery is the exception. Peter

[@contactrkb]

I was quite excited when I first saw this but it seems like a great opportunity missed. The lack DAB I can live with but no USB for charging or music input is a big mistake. A rather basic product for a forward looking company like Festool.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Russell Booth Hi Russell, I certainly think that Festool have achieved their aim with the Sysrock - they have demonstrated that there is a huge amount of interest in products of this type and they have learnt a lot in the process about customer expectations and aspirations. DAB, USB and an internal battery are all on the expectation list. Peter

[@MrBiged66]

Great song choice. LFC fan?

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+alan marshall Yes, we do support the reds. I am also a big fan of Gerry - we did a project together a long time ago. Peter

[@ellicopter1]

I wonder what the pricing of this is? It would be good if someone did a teardown to see if it's worth the asking price..

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Aaron Elliott In the UK it will be about UK Pounds 110. I am not sure what you mean by a teardown if that is a price comparison then I think it stands up well as it is very well made (okay no DAB) and is compact and has great sound. Peter

[@ellicopter1]

+New Brit Workshop (Peter) £110 sounds like a fair price, I was expecting it to be 2 x that, What i meant by teardown was when the tool/gadget is taken apart to see the quality of the components and how well put together it is, There is quite a few youtubers doing this nowadays, (EEV Blog, And AVE) to name two. It's surprising how interesting the inside of a tool can be, And shows the genius design of things we take for granted on a daily basis ..

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Aaron Elliott It would not be my way of doing things as I have no way of judging what I might find. Sounds like fun though. Yes, 110 seems about right. Peter

[@kennethjensen8784]

Is there no DAB at all ???

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Kenneth Jensen No DAB in this radio although it might be possible to stream your favourite radio channel through a smartphone. Peter

[@pierpaolobiagi1949]

Great review as usual! But the product isn't so good in my opinion. Maybe they can give it as a gift to Festool Roadshow customers, but it's not a product Festool should sell. No innovation, no differentiation from competitors. The only pro is the battery compatibility. No DAB, no stereo sound, no MP3 and memory card support and no waterproof. Better wait for the next generation.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+Pier Paolo Biagi Is there anything on the market which is waterproof, has an MP3 player, memory card and stereo? Peter

[@hovermotion]

I gave this version red light when it came out as it was not Dab... just got the dab version....and up to now quite impresed...but still way over priced rrp..

[@NewBritWorkshop]

I have not tried the DAB one yet. Peter

[@zone4garlicfarm]

I'm not impressed. I'll keep my Bosch jobsite radio. It has a built in MP3 player that reads files directly from a USB thumb drive or an SD card. It also has a dock for a Sirius satellite radio receiver. This Festool radio is just a radio with an auxilary input.

[@NewBritWorkshop]

+The Garlic Farm Yes, the utility of a USB connector is tempting. I have a 64GB one that only sticks out 1/4" in my car and it hold all my music and podcasts. I suspect your Bosch is not cheap. Peter