Questions about the Bosch Power Box

[Frank Pellow]

Buried in Keely's thread about the stereo system in his shop I asked for feedback about the Bosch Power box. See a picture and a brief description at these: http://www.boschtools.com/tools/too...G=54934&I=54975
No one responded to my question there, so I am placing a set of questions re the unit in their own thread.

I am particularly interested in:

(1) How long it takes to charge

(2) How long it is possible to run a power tool (such as a corded jig saw) on a charged battery plugged into the box.

(3) How long it is possible to run a radio on a charged battery

(4) Radio reception in remote areas.

(5) Sound quality.

(6) Is there some competor to this unit that I should be considering?

[Duane Mohney]

I am particularly interested in:

(1) How long it takes to charge

(2) How long it is possible to run a power tool (such as a corded jig saw) on a charged battery plugged into the box.

(3) How long it is possible to run a radio on a charged battery

(4) Radio reception in remote areas.

(5) Sound quality.

(6) Is there some competor to this unit that I should be considering?


Quick answers according to the manual

1.) Depends on the battery - different batteries have different ratings
2.) AC & 12V Outlets are not powered from the battery
3.) See #1
4-6.) I don't have one, though my electrical contractor for my inlaws did. We are in a good radio reception area so I can't really comment on the reception. The sound quality was middle of the road boom box, definitely not audiophile quality.


~Duane

[Frank Pellow]

Quick answers according to the manual

1.) Depends on the battery - different batteries have different ratings
2.) AC & 12V Outlets are not powered from the battery
3.) See #1
4-6.) I don't have one, though my electrical contractor for my inlaws did. We are in a good radio reception area so I can't really comment on the reception. The sound quality was middle of the road boom box, definitely not audiophile quality.


~Duane
Thanks Duane. Did you find the manual on-line? If so, I would appreciate a link.

(1) I thought that the unit came with a battery pack. Oh well :(

(2) Darn! :( Thinking that this was supported, it was a very important feature to me.

(4-6) I would be operating this at a very remote spot at times, so radio reception is important. Adequate audion quality is OK if the reception is good.

[Andy Pedler]

Hi Frank, if you are in a remote area and in your shop a lot, satellite radio might make sense for you. XM and Sirius are the two big vendors. They are both about $10 a month to subscribe, plus ~$100 for the receiver. You get >100 "channels" with lots of options for content (some music, some talk).

I have no actual first hand experience using satellite radio, but I did a lot of research into it recently and decided it wouldn't work for me (no reception in my office; car would work fine). But in your case that might be a good option. I always have the radio on in my shop. Not so much to listen intently as to have some background noise.

- ap

[Duane Mohney]

Thanks Duane. Did you find the manual on-line? If so, I would appreciate a link.


The manual is on the Bosch product site, but the links don't work after a certain timeout.

So, to find the manual, navigate to the product page, and the manual is on the upper right side of the page.

~Duane

[Frank Pellow]

The manual is on the Bosch product site, but the links don't work after a certain timeout.

So, to find the manual, navigate to the product page, and the manual is on the upper right side of the page.

~Duane
Thanks, I found the manual as per your instructions. I guess that timeout was my problem. Now that I have read the manual, I know that the unit is less than I expected -but I still might purchase it. I still hope to hear from some actual users.

[Frank Pellow]

Hi Frank, if you are in a remote area and in your shop a lot, satellite radio might make sense for you. XM and Sirius are the two big vendors. They are both about $10 a month to subscribe, plus ~$100 for the receiver. You get >100 "channels" with lots of options for content (some music, some talk).

I have no actual first hand experience using satellite radio, but I did a lot of research into it recently and decided it wouldn't work for me (no reception in my office; car would work fine). But in your case that might be a good option. I always have the radio on in my shop. Not so much to listen intently as to have some background noise.

- ap
Sounds like more than I want to spend, but I will look into it.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Frank,

One of my buddies works for a company that sells Bosch tools. When these radios first came out, the digital clock on them was draining the battery overnight. They have since recalled the original units to replace them with one that does not do this. Just make sure that you ask what version of the radio it is. If you happen to get an older one, I am pretty sure you can still send it in for replacement.

My buddy does have one and he loves it, but it was free for him :). We have never had a problem getting reception on it. As others said, you can't run tools off of the outlets when the battery is plugged in, the battery just doesn't have enough juice for that. A 2 amp hour battery would last about 10 seconds on an inverter. I was under the impression you could use the 12v outlet when there was a battery in the radio, but I have never seen it done.

As far as audio quality goes, it is meant to be a worksite radio, so they have sacrifieced some of the audio quality in favor of toughness.

Long story short, if you are looking for a radio that will stay in one spot, or one that will be pretty well protected, you can probably find a better one for you cheaper. If you are looking for a tank that can be kicked around, get the power box. The first time we used my buddies powerbox, we kicked it off of a 2 story roof (by accident). It landed in the driveway and bounced about 10 feet in the air. It was still playing the radio when I went down to fetch it. It was scratched but just fine!