What’s the key to modern battery systems? They’re almost all pumped full of the latest battery tech and electronics, so I’m going to go with options. If you can’t buy a wide range of tools — all of which are powered by the same batteries, charged by the same chargers — why buy in? Milwaukee’s aware of this, and I’m sure that’s why they’re adding tons of products to all their new systems, including M12 and this new radio.
Besides the fact that it works with your M12 batteries, though, there’s not a lot new here. It includes an AM/FM radio as well as an AUX port for your iPod/other MP3 player. You do get a weather-sealed compartment to store your player, meaning you might have a chance to keep the dirt and other job-site smeg off it. There’s also a clock.
Street pricing for the tool only (sans batteries, which Milwaukee assumes you already have or you wouldn’t be looking at this product) starts around $80.
M12 Radio [Milwaukee]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
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9 Responses to Milwaukee’s M12 Entertainment Option
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They have a pretty funny video on youtube of the radio being abused. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2OtOnt5tws&feature=player_embedded
Dear Milwaukee,
I also want the radio to be able to charge the batteries, like DeWalt and Bosch do. Why should I have to drag a radio and a battery charger to the job, when the radio should do both?
I don’t think the DeWalt does.
dewalt owns the patent (or whomever owns dewalt).
My mistake, but I didn’t think that the same company owned DeWalt and Bosch. It used to be only the Bosch that charged the batteries if I remember right from about six years ago. If I’m wrong, I’ll shut up and go sit in the garage.
DeWalt owns the patent on “the jobsite radio w/ battery charger”!
The story goes that back in the day 80′s and 90′s, whenever you went on the jobsite at all the electrical hook ups were battery charger and radio’s, someone at DeWalt thought it would be a good idea to combine the two – the rest is history.
DeWalt was the first to introduce a radio as a category of “tool,” the DeWalt radio was more rugged then a boombox or transistor radio.
Do you all remember the demo for the radio? Dropping it off a 6 to 8 foot ladder or using it as a bowling ball at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
The other tool radio’s may sound better, have more features, etc, but if you use DeWalt cordless batteries, it is the best radio out there because it will charge a battery will the radio plays.
The attorney’s at Black and Decker would have sued any other manufacture who tried to infringe on the patent.
Just my $.02, hope it helps
Patents last 17 years. If this was applied for prior to 1994, the patent runs out this year. I couldn’t find anything in a fairly in-depth search, but the USPTO’s patent search *sucks* and the Google Patent Search isn’t much better. There are a handful of things that might be related, but nothing that obviously looks like this invention assigned to Black & Decker. At any rate, one would expect to see other manufacturers adopt this feature once the patent runs out.
cl
I have no much idea about tools but my father used to build up Bosch products on me and to his friends… Take note that almost all of his tools are Bosch brands. I agree with in a way because until now his tools are still functioning and usable.