DeWALT DC012 Battery Charger

So far I do like the radio. I have has this a little over a month.I have used this at home and off site on battery power only during a camping trip. The sound is good & clear, not audiophile but good.Being that these take the older style batteries I think these are old new stock & that is why many receive the radio & the CR2032 battery is dead so it won’t hold memory until you replace the battery. You can also use a CR2025 that is slightly thinner battery in a pinch. These batteries are pretty cheap & easy to replace. Too bad DeWalt did not use the plastic pull tab you remove so the battery would not be dead when you get your radio.As all my my other cordless DeWalt tools are 18V, that is why I got this radio instead of the newer version for the smaller 20V.It is convent that if you plug this in you have 3 available outlets. I have run my table & miter saw this way off the radio.This does not have a USB connector, so to charge your phone you need this to be plugged in & then you plug in your charger into one of the outlets.(the outlets are not powered by the battery, this has to be plugged in to use the outlets)I have also used this with an external MP3 player plugged into the AUX & this worked just fine. (sorry no Bluetooth here)

Initial impression is Good.1. Good enough sound.2. Simple design, good tuner, digital, good reception.3. 3 outlets to plug things into, good idea.4. Like the big turn knobs for the on/volume and radio station tuning.But:1. Antenna seems too short, based on length of radio, antenna could have been at least 4″ longer.2. The coin battery that operates the clock and station memory functions was dead. So had to go out and spend $5 on a battery. My radio shows a “2016” stamp, so no wonder why battery was dead.3. The radio supposedly can take a slight fall and still work, but I doubt it. It is made of fairly “hard” plastic versus a more flexible, rubber-like material that would be more pliable, shock-absorbing.4. Will need to be careful if near water, rain expected, etc. as the AUX hole does have a rubber tab/cover, but it does not stay plugged/pushed into its hole. And it located top front, which if rains, water will get in.

I bought this to use in my garage workshop and as a portable unit around the farm when doing remote chores (using it with an 18 volt battery.) I also wanted to use it as another charger as I had three batteries and only two chargers. I read the other reviews regarding a weak tuner and disappointing sound volume, but went ahead and ordered it because almost my cordless (and corded) tools are DeWalt and I thought that maybe people were just being too picky. Well, they weren’t….the tuner is pretty weak. I actually had to wrap a bare copper wire around the antenna and run it up the wall to be able to get a signal that didn’t drop completely or fade in and out (with the door wide open!). The sound quality is just kinda okay, I expected better at this price point, for sure.Worse than the weak tuner is when I put a battery in it for charging or off-plug use, it wipes all the pre-programmed channels in memory and takes the clock back to 12:00AM! I have a Milwaukee work radio in my horse barn, purchased in 2005, that strongly picks up stations inside steel enclosed walls, has much better bass, and can be turned up twice as loud. I regret buying this Dewalt unit in comparision! it is way overpriced for being such a weak, defective (in my case) product. I would have sent it back when I discovered the battery/memory wiping problem but I had already (stupidly) recycled the box by then and it would have cost too much in shipping costs to send it back, anyway (the downside to internet purchasing).This model is in serious need of re-engineering. Note to Dewalt: Stop charging premium money for low end devices to maximize profit and, instead put some pride and quality in everything with the Dewalt name on it…the way fans of the brand expect it to be!

Bought this for my shop, since I like to have my music close I thought the plugs on the side would be a great addition.The sounds is decent, but I wouldn’t try to ramp up a dance party with it. It has solid reception, and with an aux cord you can plug in your phone or other media player and listen to your music from it which is nice. The plugs on the side easily power most tools I’ve tried, but I wouldn’t plug in a welder since it may not handle the amperage needed. The plug for the stereo feels very thick and durable as well which surprised me.To the meat of it, this stereo is great as a shop stereo, or for camping. If you buy the separate battery it’s a solid choice for dragging out to the campfire or the beach, You can sit on it, or stack stuff on it without fear of it breaking. I’ve actually used it as a stool in a pinch one day and I’m 240 pounds.If i were to buy a durable radio again, I’d go with the next model up when on sale.Pros : Decent sound, aux hook ups for media players, very durable and water resistant, and the plugs are fantastic.Cons : Could sound better for the price, could have been a bit more modern with it’s ports for audio connections, and the optional battery should have been included.

In spite of what other people have written about the radio in regards to the sound, I found it to be exactly what I expected. It’s a workshop radio or a patio radio or whatever you use it for. If you’re looking for something that sounds like an orchestra…..hire a 100 piece orchestra. I kinda think that you might pay a lot more to have that sound plus this radio doesn’t take washroom breaks and it doesn’t need tuning. Very happy.

They took out a feature from the previous version which was a case you could put a phone or MP3 player in. Would also have been nice to have built in USB charging. Kinda stuck though as this is the last version that will charge the old style batteries.

Best worksite radio. Goes with us everywhere. Strong signal in lots of environments. Even florescent.

Sounded great when tested, unfortunately had to return and re order a different model as this one wasn’t compatible with my husbands batteries.