Those who know the Makita BMR100W radio won’t find too much new with the LXRM03B radio aside from the new dock and controls. It features two auxiliary ports for MP3 player or iPod support and uses two new 3″ side-firing speakers to help widen the soundstage when playing back music. The radio can be powered by either a Makita pod- or slide-style 9.6V-18V battery and the new 18V LXT (which is sold separately to keep the costs down for existing Makita owners) will run the radio for up to 16 hours. In addition to making it usable by just about anyone, the LXRM03B is also built to stand up under the typical rigors of job site use. How so? Well, Makita added protective bumpers and water-resistant construction. They don’t claim you can drop it from a helicopter and have it still keep on running… but I don’t recall that being a highly requested feature in my own personal surveys of contractors and professionals. In comparing it in our 18V portable job site radios roundup article, the Makita did really well.
Makita LXRM03B 18V Cordless Job Site Radio Features
On the front of the radio are two small “roll bar” style handles that also serve to protect the backlit LCD display – which glows a nice bright Indiglo Blue. A rotary knob on bottom controls the volume while front-mounted controls will navigate music on your iPhone or iPod if you dock it into the top of the unit. In our opinion, the real holy grail is Bluetooth or AirPlay connectivity (docks are on their way out as they limit mobility and force you to give up your phone or iPod Touch). Still, this radio looks rugged and the integrated top-handle feels like you don’t have to baby it when you’re toting it around on the job site. It also features FM radio and, oddly enough, an alarm clock (for those of you who plan to sleep with your job site radios or you absolutely positively have to know when it’s time for lunch). We’re also hoping that with the new design you can place your connected player in the rear battery compartment in order to keep it out of the elements during use.
Makita LXRM03B 18V Cordless Job Site Radio Specs
- Built-in iPhone/iPod dock (charges and plays)
- 2 x 3″ side-firing speakers
- Menu controls to set time, FM mono/stereo, clock settings, loudness, snooze, and iPod controls
- Two auxiliary ports for MP3/iPod compatibility
- 16 hours run-time with an 18V LXT battery (8 hours w/18V Compact battery)
- Protective bumpers
- Water-resistant construction
- Illuminated control buttons and dial for improved visibility
- Compatible with Makita 9.6V – 18V slide-style and pod-style batteries
- 3-year warranty
- Weight: 10.4 lbs. (with LXT Battery)
While we’d like to see these jobsite radios come with Bluetooth audio streaming, the new Makita LXRM03B looks like a great bump on an already-great product.
