Customer Reviews

Makita BMR100 Lithium-Ion Jobsite Radio

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I received this radio as a freebie with the purchase of a Makita LI combo kit. I like the sound quality and sturdiness a lot. I would like to be able to add another source (CD or MP3), but there is no port to do so.

The tuner is great and the side firing speakers have great bass, better than even my Milwaukee. The Makita is sealed very well against dust etc. and seems ready to go a long time in harsh conditions. I can't attest to how well it does when dropped...I haven't had it hit the floor from 8'.

I asked a Makita Rep about the lack of a charger and discovered why Makita and Milwaukee do not include a charger with their radios. Dewalt has a patent (yes patent) on combining a radio with a battery charger. Bosch challenged this in court, lost the case and had to pay a seven figure sum to Black & Decker (parent company of Dewalt). Only Black & Decker can use the combination of a radio and battery charger, unless B&D chooses to let someone else use this design. Of course, they do not intend to let their major competitors use the design unless they pay a huge sum to Black & Decker.

If you want a jobsite or garage radio, this is a good one. The unit will run about 16 hours on a single battery charge. Just be sure to keep a battery charger in your bag if you need to recharge your Makita batteries.

i agree with most of the reviews here. the charm of this beauty is that if you have other makita tools with batteries then they will fit this radio. it doesn't charge batteries but why should it? it would be a much bigger unit. by the by - it DOES have an AUX jack (contrary to what other reviewers have said). it is located in the rear compartment where the battery is inserted and is at the top of the compartment. and with the space that that compartment has you could have an MP3 player in there, protected from dust, water etc...

i bought this along with a bunch of other makita 18V lithium ion tools. i knew before buying that it did not charge batteries and that it had no aux inputs. i bought it anyway because i was satisfied with having a good jobsite radio that did just what this one said it did. it works very well and is quite durable with good reception. i have chargers and i use them to charge my batteries. if you just have to have a radio with a charger..then don't buy this one and then complain about it. it's a good jobsite radio, and nothing more.

This is a great sounding radio for it's size!!! runs 16 hours on a 18V lithium battery. No it doesn't charge batteries. That's what a battery charger is for. It doesn't have an AUX port for a CD or a MP3 player. I would never use one of these on a jobsite anyway so I am still giving it 5 stars. Best work radio I have seen or heard. Not too big with great sound!!!

Other brands of jobsite radios charge batteries if the unit is plugged into AC. This one doesn't. Factor in the cost of an extra battery if you need all you've got and want to run this radio. An aux-in port would be nice. Sound is pretty good for the size of the radio and considering the side-facing speakers. FM reception is good.

I bought this about a year and a half ago and so far it has held up great. I was fully aware when I bought it it did not charge batteries so I can't really point that out as a negative. The one negative I have encountered is the ac adaptor. The end on mine broke after only a few weeks and I wasn't able to find an aftermarket replacement. On the positive side, I just put in a fresh battery about once a week and I never have to worry about a cord. I like how compact it is and it just feels tough. The tuner is great and the sound is superb. I would definately recommend this as a great jobsite radio.

The radio sound is great! The only down side is the battery it does not charge.

I picked up this radio because of its "Cool Looks', and it matches my makita tools. I like the compact size, stereo sounds are strong, and nice lighted screen, and the alarm options and dual battery type is a big plus.
However, too bad its not a charger! I also notice a little extra space in the main battery compartment, has anyone tried to use that space as an extra battery holder? (I managed to tightly squeeze a second battery in there... hmmm).

i bought this for my husband because he came home from work saying someone had another brand work site radio and i check that one out and the rating s were not so good . i found this one this one and this one won hands down on reviiews. i am so glad i followed my heart . this is a great radio not to big great sound and really worth the money. he loves it. would not hesitate buy another one!!!! and the size is really a plus

This is a great radio that's also durable. The case feels solid and possibly indestructible. The AC adapter is the only issue with a radio that should be durable as it broke in 6 months. Now moving the cord the radio turns on and off. Replacement cord was $27 from Makita and was not the end of the world just thought it should be more durable or even have no AC adapter in a radio at this price. The sound quality is great. The controls have a nice feel. Overall I'm satisfied with it everyday I can use it on the job site just upset when it's dumb AC adapter/ cord was and I missed a few days.