Just when I thought I knew about new DeWALT tool releases, a DCR018 compact worksite radio showed up on my doorstep! It looks like the DCR015 had a baby. The new radio has a lot of commonality to its DCR015 sibling, except that it does not charge batteries. It can however run off of 20V MAX, 12V MAX, 18V XRP and Nano pack batteries. Obviously it does not have the sound quality of the DCR015 due to a single speaker. It is very portable and will fit in your tool bag or DeWALT Tough Box. The unit is a no brainer to operate. The buttons are big and easy to operate even with gloves on. The volume dial was designed to be rugged and easy to operate.
The LCD screen is simple and easy to read. A green back-light comes on whenever you hit a button to clearly show you the time and station you are tuned in to. The whip antenna on the back flips up to aid in reception. I don’t listen to terrestrial radio often. I use Pandora so I really love the side door feature on the DCR018. It is big to accommodate even the biggest smart phones and thick cases like an otter box. The 3.5mm Aux input works with every smart phone and mp3 player. It also can charge your phone when plugged into AC power. Since the DCR018 uses a standard USB port it can charge hundreds of devices.
The radio weighs in at a little over 7 lbs and is as rugged as you can get. The DCR015 was shot up with a 9 mm and kept playing until the 5th shot which took out the battery. Obviously do not try that at home. We threw this radio around and it didn’t skip a beat! This is a great radio for just about anyone who needs a tough, portable radio. Even if you don’t have any DeWALT batteries, this still makes a great worksite radio. It can play your music and charge your phone too.I feel better knowing my phone is charged and protected when on a job site. The DCR018 is covered by a 3 year warranty.
I know guys like having radios on the jobsite, but how many radios does each crew really need? Seems like a new radio comes on the market every other week 😛
It does seem like there has been a lot of radios coming out. Bosch just released one also.
Great writeup Dan, Great Pictures, Im still waiting for Milwaukee to revamp there radio…. I like the style of this radio, its simple but tough. I like that you can actually fit a smartphone in there, The Multiport is cool, I think the new vacuums have the same thing. I just hope I dont drop it on the battery, it does not really seem protected. I wonder how much runtime you can get off the 12v battery…, Keep up the great reviews!
Thanks chase, we got a vacuum and are working on the review right now :}
Must be nice to either be rich or get FREE RADIO’S. What a waste of a good radio. You get so much free stuff
from the Company’s that you no longer appreciate how difficult it is for the average guy to save up his money
to afford to buy all the things you guys break and destroy for no reason. THAT KIND OF DESTRUCTION IS SAD.
Hi Bill, We put it on Erics credit card lol Tools get destroyed in the review process it happens. It’s part of the entertainment factor. I wish I could save $$ the government takes it all to buy $7k toilet seats and ad campaigns to ban me from drinking 32fl of Pepsi!
Hey, guys–I guess you liked the new DeWalt radio, but there was so much squabbling that I can’t be sure. I’m going to refer you to a domestic counselor in your area to help you get past the rough spots in your relationship. Seriously, though, I did have trouble hearing you speak; I had to turn the sound up a lot. It looks like you’re both wearing a compact microphone on the front of your T-shirts, so I’m not sure what the issue is. It may be the positioning of the mikes; they might be muffled by the shirt. Or they may need to be placed to the left or right side of the shirt’s collar for optimal sound capture. I suspect having it directly below your chin is the culprit.
Thanks Steve. We are working on the sound sorry
Chubby little baby radio. I had a laugh when I read you shot at it. Maybe it looked at you guys the wrong way.
I picked up the bigger one a little while back, great radio but when actually seeing how much i’d use it, I brought it back… This might be the ticket for me though for the price and size for the shed and running around doing projects outside etc The 015 is a terrific radio though, just couldn’t justify the nearly 200 bucks for the radio at the time
Lol Dan you crack me up, I have noticed the toilet seats at parks look mighty nice!
a little part of me died when you shot that radio, I wish I could shoot some expensive tools for fun.
nice looking radio.. been real happy with the compact Milwaukee radio. nice to see the bigger storage area and a built in cord.