Having a radio on the job site can mean the difference between a good day and having an insane day. The reason I say that is because I remember when I first got into construction I was working at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. I was an apprentice labor at the time. The first day, I and another guy walked into the place, we were handed a scraper and told to remove this 50-year-old floor tile off the whole floor. Now it might not sound like a lot but if you know the size of the merchandise mart you know it is one of the largest buildings in the world in regards to square footage. Now we didn’t have to do the whole building, but let me tell you that the floor was huge and it felt like it was the whole building. It took weeks and the tile didn’t come off easily. During this time we went crazy and here is where a radio would have been huge. You can only talk so much, you can only think about the same things so much and you can only sing a song in your head so many times. Well, I may not be doing that now, but for the people who like to listen to tunes, the new Hilti radio charger is a welcome addition.
When Hilti designed this radio they did it right. First, they started with a quality sound system. They have 2-20watt speakers that not only produce a loud sound but a clear sound. Yes, when you raise the level really high for some songs you can get it to distort. The one thing I really like about this unit is the knobs. To change the volume or radio station you can use one of the two knobs. I love this setup and always hate when companies go with a push button as it always seems to be a pain in the butt when you want to change the volume or channel. So I am glad Hilti went with the knobs. In regards to station quality, I think it does a decent job. We have yet to find a radio that brings in every station without some static, but the Hilti was one of the top performers for station quality. We were able to get the top stations to come in crystal clear.
You can power the radio two ways. Either by the power plug (which has a nice wrap-up feature when not in use) or you can power it off a battery. Here is the cool thing. You can power this with either their 12V, 14V, 18V, 22V or 36V. So basically any of their batteries will power this radio. Now if you plan on using a 12V to power this, you will need the adapter. Not only can you power this off a battery, but if you have it plugged into the wall, the radio will charge a battery. I always thought that was a cool idea and wish all manufacturers did that with their radios. Not only can you charge batteries, but you can charge an electronic device with the USB port. Now if you don’t have Bluetooth on your phone, don’t worry, you can still connect your phone with the AUX feature. Connecting the system to your Bluetooth device is easy.
One thing you will notice is that Hilti decided to put their battery on the outside. Some manufacturers have a battery that is in a closed compartment. Not a huge deal to me as the battery is still protected against drops or stuff hitting it. I think the closed compartment keeps dust and water out more.
Bottom line, Hilti did a great job with his radio. The sound is good, the radio is tough and I love how easy it is to change the channel or volume. Even if you are not into the Hilti battery line, this is a great radio to own. Plenty enough sound even for those loud job sites.
